Pencil Sketches of Double Page Spread

This was my first attempt of a double page spread. The purpose of these sketches was to get a better idea of the layout of the page. I think that the idea of centring the headline at the top would be a good idea, since it would draw the target audiences attention straight away. In the same way, I think that it would be quite necessary to include additional images, with the main image on the page. This would be able to display different angles, locations and editing techniques. The only thing that I am not too happy with, would be the layout. As shown above, the text would take up the majority of the page, however the conventions of pop magazines seem to be that the image has to take up half of the page. This is simply because pop magazines are usually image heavy rather than the actual text.

My second attempt took the previous issues into consideration. For instance, I experimented with the layout in terms of dividing the page more, so that the image and text are equally spaced out. I wanted the music to be the primary focus of the magazine, however, having seen this experimentation, I feel that it would be best to conform to the general conventions of focusing on the artists instead. The only thing that I feel I need to experiment more on is the colour scheme. Since these sketches only concentrate on the layout, the pallet of colours will play an important part and so I would have to experiment with this during my drafting stage. 

Double Page Spread Analysis

Music Video Analysis - Katy Perry, Wide Awake

According to Katy Perry herself, she explained that the music video displayed flashbacks of each of the 'Teenage Dream' album, with a chapter for each single. And the story of 'Wide Awake' was the final chapter.

Within the music video many elements of mise en scene are used in order to represent a story of Katy Perry's career, which is typically what the main objective of this video was. Katy Perry's music videos differ in the fact that a lot of fantasy elements are always involved. Within this music video it is represented through a giant labyrinth and her way of escaping it. Not only this, but her videos always have representations or some sort of iconography in order to signify certain emotions or events in her life. The title itself , 'Wide Awake', has a couple connotations, one of which could be that through her struggles and obstacles she finally woke up to reality. From the fantasy transition of her album that is shown as chapters in the music video.

The location: In the music video, the location is set in a labyrinth with different effects to give it a fantasy feel. During the video one of the scenes is her being trapped between the walls of the labyrinth. This could be to suggest the struggles she may have stumbled upon during the course of her career. Pushing her to fail, which she resisted in the end.
The props: The props within the music video also had key representations, such as a poisoned strawberry, a curious cat, prince charming, and a little girl. Perhaps they were representations of certain events in her life or even representations of her songs. For instance, the prince charming that got in the way of the exit of the labyrinth could perhaps be implying that her marriage was untrustworthy, and that the divorce led her on to a more happier life. The poisoned strawberry, could be a symbol to signify trickery to some extent, the strawberry seems innocent but in actual fact is poisonous, this could be a connotation of the many record labels that signed her and then cut her off. It represented a false opportunity to the music business. 

Lighting and Costume: Both the lighting, colours and the costumes showed a transition throughout the music video. It began with dark colours and lighting, perhaps to suggest the uneasiness, the fact that she was oppressed by others and the struggles she went through in the beginning. However, as the video progressed, it began changing to a more colourful and happier atmosphere. In the end of the music video, she finally finds the exit to the labyrinth which could be suggesting a break through, that Katy finally achieved her goals or successes, no matter the obstacles that came her way.

Magazine Contents Page Analysis

Artist and Record Label Case Study

Katy Perry - Artist Case Study

Katy Hudson was born on October 25th, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. She is an American singer, songwriter and actress, who is better known by her stage name of 'Katy Perry'. She mainly focuses on pop and electronic genres within her music. She was signed with numerous record labels including Red Hill, Island, Columbia and Capitol Records through her journey in the music career.

Career

-In Nashville she began recording demos and was taught by country music veterans how to craft songs and play guitar. Later on she signed to the Christian music label 'Red Hill' where she recorded her first album.

-At 17, she left her home for Los Angeles to work with Glen Ballard on an album for 'Island Records'. The album was due to be released during autumn 2004, but she was dropped by the 'Island Def Jam Music Group'.

-She then signed with 'Columbia Records' in 2004. However the label was not amenable with her vision and so she was dropped from the label later on (2006)

-Katy was then enthusiastically recommended to 'Virgin Records' which set off her music career.

Hollywood Records - Record Label Case Study

-Hollywood Records is an American record label that focuses on pop and rock music genres. It was originally founded in 1989 by Michael Eisner in the United States.

-It is the record label for many well known  artists such as Plain White T's and Breaking Benjamin, Queen, Miley Cyrus ect.

-However, the label struggled to launch successful artists and in 1991, the record label experienced significant financial loss.

The only major success was the agreement to be the catalog distributors of 'Queen', but was hugely affected by the death of the vocalist Freddie Mercury.

Case Study Magazine - Top of the Pops

 When was the magazine founded?
The 'Top of the Pops' magazine was launched in February in 1995. It was a supplementary magazine for the popular television show, 'Top of the Pops'. However, even though the television program was soon cancelled in 2006, the publishers still continued with the releases of the magazine because it was popular amongst the target audience. Who are the publishing house?
At the moment, the publishing house for the the 'Top of the Pops' magazine is the Immediate Media Company. Immediate Media Company is a combined publishing house, it is a combination of former assets of Origin Publishing, Magicalia and BBC Magazines. This is also the publishing house for many other well known magazines in the market such as Top Gear, Good Food, Radio Times, Gardener's World and so on.

How does the magazine attract its audience?
Previously, while the 'Top of the Pops' television show was still showing, most of the audience for the magazine was received because of the actual television program. The magazine is partly published as part of the BBC, therefore some of the target market can be achieved this way as well. Any more viewers can be attracted through the magazines own website, which includes additional information that may not necessarily be included in the actual magazine copy (i.e. competitions)
What feature articles are included in the magazine?
The feature articles usually found within the magazine are usually based on artists or bands that are the most popular at the time of release of the magazine. It includes information about their latest music, and their career in general. I think that the problem with the pop magazines nowadays is the fact that they concentrate more on the artists life or any gossip about them than their actual music like for other genres of music magazines. Therefore when making my own I will have to ensure that it differs to the fact that it includes more information about the actual music (i.e. top of the charts)
What kind of advertising is in it?
The most commonly found advertisements in this magazine tend to be based on celebrity merchandises. This would include things such as perfume or new albums or songs found on sale. It is also quite common to find popular clothing brands advertising their latest fashions as well, as these types of product would suit the target audience.
Frequency of release for the magazine?
The 'Top of the Pops' magazine is usually released as a monthly publication. This way the magazine can have enough information gathered about the artists. Because it is a monthly publication, the magazine will tend to be much thicker as more information is included. 
What is the average price of the magazine?
According to my research, the average price of this magazine can vary each month depending on the amount of content found within. However the average price of this magazine is usually found to be just over £3 and never exceeds the £5 boundary.

History of Pop Music