DPS Photoshoot Storyboard

The above plan shows the types of images I intend to take at the Southbank photoshoot for my DPS, and I would like to make these images conventional to most DPS images in music magazines.

Costume for Southbank Photoshoot

 

My model will be wearing these clothes during the photoshoot at Southbank. Because the graffiti skatepark will have lots of bright and patterned designs, the dark, simple clothes that my model has chosen to wear will be effective in creating a contrast and making the model stand out. The use of the black and the red also contributes to creating an edgy and funky look which will really reflect the Pop/Rock genre.

Audience Feedback - Southbank Location

The location of Southbank in Central London is to be a considered location, alongside the backdrop for the cover picture. The images taken in this location will be used for the DPS and nearby surroundings in Central London can also be taken advantage of, and any other images can be incorporated into the contents page, and possibly in any side-banners that require extra pictures. 

We asked a small group of girls, after showing them images of the skatepark, why they think that this would be a good location to use for the DPS. They said that the location is bright and colourful, but also looks quite edgy, and they look for dynamic presentations of females in music magazines that they read. Being a female audience, they would hope to see a sense of style being presented in these images, along with an edgy look.
Other girls liked our location because it suits our intended genre of Pop/Rock and the colours will pop and stand out to them, as they usually look for fun colours and a sense of excitement.

The bright, exciting colours elicit a fascination from these young people that were asked about the images, and so by having this on the DPS, it would be very eye-catching and would appeal to the audience straight away. For this reason, we may use an image from this photoshoot on the contents page, as a preview, so that the audience can build up to this feature effectively. 

As mentioned in the pitch, the question of whether the graffiti walls will draw attention away from the model was asked, but if the costumes are planned accordingly and the wall where we take the pictures is chosen specifically, then there will be no problem in our images, and a good contrast will be created with the costume and the wall. 

Ideas for Contents Page and DPS

Contents Page
A variety of images should be iused here, and not just portrait images. Shots and camera angles need to be varied, to create diversity and excitement for the audience, because this is a main factor that our target audience looks for. Having a fixed type of images, and of similar kind, is unconventional, and it would not appeal to our audience whatsoever. 
In terms of location, most of our contents page images will be pictures all around London. This is a good location for our magazine, because we want VIBE. to be exclusive to a British market, and so familiar sights of the capital city London will be something that the audience will definitely expect.

DPS
For our DPS, we have chosen a specific spot in Southbank, which is the graffiti skatepark, to take pictures of our music group. The shot which we intend to use is a mid-shot of the group, but like with the cover shoot, we will experiment with other shots to provide more of a selection and possibly allow audience members to choose their favourites and give constructive criticism. We want to present the group as a typical Pop/Rock group that young people would see in the music industry, and so the graffiti skatepark is an ideal place to contribute towards this representation, because the variety of colours implies fun and energym but it also gives an edgy look to the group. 

My Chosen Image

I have chosen to use this image as my cover image because it is fresh, fun and presents a good look for my Pop/Rock magazine, with the costume mainly contributing towards this presentation. All aspects of this image have contributed towards an intended representation, which we established after taking our test shots. 
The Pop/Rock genre is being defined in this picture with the clothes that the model is wearing, along with the eye contact being give. All of this creates a very grunge and very edgy image, with the flowers also adding a very funky and fresh balance, making it appropriate to our target audience because it meets the conventions of Pop/Rock magazines and their artists.
The model presents herself to be an independent woman who intends to be celebrated for her music, rather than her looks. This is shown through the facts that through the costume, not much flesh is being revealed, and the image in general is not too provocative. As well as this, the makeup is limited. This shows our intention to move away from the Male Gaze, and put the model on a pedestal by making her seem capable and equal to any other leading Pop/Rock artists in the industry. The use of costume, hair and minimal markeup gives her a sense of originality and individuality in the photo, which is why it is a great image to use overall.

However, editing needs to be done separately in Photoshop before it can go through to the official production process.
The vibrance and the brightness of the photo should be changed. I want to make the image stand out to the audience, as it may look too basic alongside the bright colour scheme that the cover will have. Considering the fact that the costume is not very bright, the vibrance of the image will need to be adjusted so that it stands out and looks good for the cover page, and has the overall glossy look.

Choosing The Final Image

 After our photoshoot, I gathered my images together, and narrowed my preferences down to the top 3. That way, I could ask selected members of my target audience to choose their favourite photo for the front cover. 20 teenagers were asked at random to choose an image that they would expect to see on the cover of a music magazine, and were unaware of the project taking place. 

12 people chose Picture 1, with some saying that the shot is conventional for a music magazine, and it presents the model in a dynamic way. As well as this, another person mentioned the way that the model is looking directly at the camera, which is something that they have also noticed most models doing in typical music magazines aimed at this audience. However, there was criticism of the fact that the model may look too plain and basic on the front cover of a magazine using bright colours in it's house-style, although I am aware that this can all be changed in the editing process.

3 people chose Picture 2, with most people commenting on the fact that this shot will not be appropriate for the intended magazine layout, as the pose of the model is not preferred by the audience members. Some did comment on the way that the model is being presented as grungy and edgy through this pose, but I also feel that this image would not be suitable for FUSE.'s front cover. 

5 people chose Picture 3, and this was ideally my preferred picture for the front cover. Members of my surveyed target audience commented on the shot and how the model looks sophisticated and is presented powerfully with the engaging eye-contact. I also liked this picture for the same reason, but after audience feedback from each image, I decided to go through with Picture 1, because it looks fun and appropriate for my target audience, whereas Picture 3 looks too boring and basic, which is not the look I intended to go for.

Audience Pitch - My Ideas

Once my ideas had been constructed, sketched and planned out, I pitched the current ideas that I had to members of my target audience of female teenagers, and some male young people as well, to gain a broader perspective.

With my cover page, I presented my idea of having a colour scheme of red, blue and purple, as the colours contrast, it reflects the genre, and also presents a sense of "girliness" and femininity. When this idea was shared with the audienc, they agreed that this was a good colour scheme as it suited the conventional look of a Pop/Rock music genre, and the colours stood out to them. 

The image that I had intended to use for the cover was said to have been the wrong shot, as it was a close-up and not a mid-shot. Audience members said that they found that this image looked more like a fashion magazine, and so we changed the image accordingly. 
 
I also shared my idea of using pops of bright colours on my cover, to attract my audience, but people said that this could make the cover look too busy, which would put off my target audience, rather than attract them. They also said that it leans more towards Pop and does not create an edgy atmosphere, which is what they would prefer to see presented on the cover. 

Since the images for the DPS have not been taken yet, I only asked my audience about how the images should be contstructed and presented. Most members of the audience preferred a mid-shot image of a model for the front cover, with the model showing the balance between Pop and Rock. 

I asked my audience about my contents page images and how they will be presented on the page, to which they said I should have less images of models and more of locations and performances and instruments, to establish that my magazine is a music magazine with features on music artists and anything related to the Pop/Rock genre. My target audience liked the fresh, quirky look which I was presenting, but they again said to keep the house-style in mind, and not go away from this colour scheme too much, as then it will not match the scheme of the front cover.

I also showed my audience the location of the Southbank Graffiti Skatepark, where my images would be taken for the DPS, and asked whether this would be a good location for this DPS feature. Audience members found this location very promising, saying that it greatly appeals to teenagers and the genre. Although this is so, it was criticised as it is filled with colour, which could be risky if it draws attention off of the model, making the quality of the image poor. I will hopefully be able to avoid this when discussing costumes, along with the fact that I will take pictures by a graffiti wall that creates a good contrast.

Backdrop Photoshoot

Using the lights and the backdrop, I started taking pictures for my magazine front cover. I was able to create a very professional effect when constructing my images. 

After taking test shots some weeks ago and receiving feedback from the audience, we decided that the makeup and costume were of great importance in these images, to give a dramatised effect, and emphasise the type of genre that our magazine is going for.  

The costume - a flowery, printed shirt, created a good presentation Pop/Rock music genre, with the grey creating a grungy effect alongside the flowers and the number 96 in the middle. Also, the eyes were intended to be the centre of attention, to attract the audience, and show some kind of appreciation for the "music artist" that we want to present, which is why the model is giving eye contact. In terms of the layout of the magzine and the house-style, the costume is intended to contrast fairly well with the magazine logo and the text.

When taking the pictures, I had a variation in poses, so that there is a wider selection, and we can consult with members of our target audience to see which image would be the best one for the magazine cover. But generally, we have taken pictures that intend to be as conventional as possible, with most of the shots aiming to be of mid-shot type.

Because the cover image would be focusing mainly on the face of the model, we decided not to use any specific props. After concluding what we did on our research, we decided that more attention should be given to the face of the model. This is because we found that by focusing on only the face, with direct eye contact, we are able to entice our target audience much more easily, and keep them lingered to the magazine's features, because there is greater attention on the bright and contrasting colours being presented. 

We acknowledged the importance of the lighting and the effects on the camera, such as the ISO and shutter speed. All of these elements were considered, for they contributed to how the images looked at the end.

Backdrop Photoshoot Plans

After what we have gathered from both our research and audience feedback, we decided that in time for the photoshoot, we would construct a final plan of what kinds of pictures we will be taking, as shown in the brainstorm and storyboard.

Backdrop Photoshoot - Costume

This costume was worn by the model during the backdrop photoshooot, and I think that it effectively represents the Pop/Rock genre well. The use of the grey colour creates a grungy and edgy effect, but the fact that there is a flowery print contributes towards the overall outfit creating a middle between Pop and Rock, so that it is appropriate for representing our magazine and what we represent as a brand. 

When this costume was shown to members of my target audience, they commented on how they would expect to see an outfit like this on a music magazine cover, and it is something in style and it is something that they would wear, meaning that it appeals to them on more than one level, and it suits their interests.

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