Wednesday, 20 November 2013

Double Page Spread Article - Draft

Double Page Article Draft
Form: Interview 

Title: Screaming in Silence? (artist: Silent Screams)

Stand first: All new British rock band, Silent Screams lead singer talks exclusively to Revive about their formation and new upcoming works…

Background story/intro:
Five girls, one idea. When put together, Silent Screams is what has been created. After dropping out from college, lead singer Chantelle got into contact with friends to start up a band. Things are looking up with possibilities of a successful future career with their new and first single, “Do What You Want”.

What made you decide you wanted to start a band?

After visiting my home country, a little village in the Philippines, I realized I’d chosen what I thought was a really bad time to go on holiday. A typhoon hit nearby and practically trashed most homes. Deaths of loved ones and people really close to me left me devastated. I was an emotional wreck! I mean, you see these things in movies and on the news but when you actually experience it, it really is life-changing. It kind of helped wake me up in a way; it made me see things in a new light. Life is short; you never know when you’ll die and you should make the most of it – follow your heart and your dreams; don’t let anyone stop you or get in your way! I want to do what I love – singing - and I was not going in that direction. I was doing what would please others and not thinking about myself but what’s the point in that? It’s my life! I was doing this for myself and I wanted to do something I would enjoy, this way I could enjoy it with others whilst making a difference – no matter how small – to society.

What inspired your new song?

Well we had to start somewhere, and we thought a song that presented our message was a great way to begin. It’s called “Do What You Want” which we thought conveyed it pretty well along with the lyrics. The title itself already says it all: do what you want, live it now and remember it later. Don’t miss out on chances and life opportunities you’ll regret later. You don’t want to live the rest of your life thinking ‘but, what if?’ 

What makes your band any different from other new bands that are starting up?

I think every band is original in its own way; no band is the same or have the same sounds, this makes them unique. However, I do think with our music having a purpose makes it different in a way because I find that rare in music nowadays. Our lyrics aren’t all about love and romance and break-ups and what to do to your crushes partner - its reality. Its real-life issues we think people would be able to relate to. What I also find uncommon in bands today is multi-culture so we thought we’d mix it up a bit by having some Philippine, African and Irish background though we’re all British.

What existing bands/artists have been your inspirations?

I could sit here all day listing various bands, which cover different sub-genres, but I guess the most inspirational would have to be a range of Iron Maiden, Blur, Marilyn Manson, My Chemical Romance, Mindless Self Indulgence and The Pretty Reckless. There are others and all for different reasons. Marilyn Manson and Mindless Self Indulgence are inspirations in the way that Marilyn Manson don’t care how different they look and don’t try to fit in with society and how MSI sing what they want and use the lyrics they want. The Pretty Reckless is also a major inspiration, especially by lead singer Taylor Momsen’s background of finally going against what others expected of her.

What kind of work have you done so far?

While we were still attending college, it was actually something we would joke about and do just for fun. It was a way to get away from reality and to entertain ourselves; our few hours rehearsing where we don’t have to be serious all the time. We never thought that it would be what we’d be doing professionally over the years. It started out playing at small parties, in peoples basements, which then stepped up to small events and over time, the audiences kept growing. After choosing to drop out, we finally decided to go to the studio to record a few covers and our own song “Do What You Want”. We got signed by Reprise Records and are now working on our debut album which we’re hoping to be successful, not necessarily a major hit.

What can we expect?

Well, our album’s more a mix of hardcore, alternative and electronic rock so really looking forward to seeing its reaction but also quite anxious. But we really enjoyed making it, it was hard work but in my opinion totally worth it so, yeah. I guess the experience counts too, I just hope people will like it enough to buy it *laughs*. Other than the single though, you’ll have to wait and see, it’s our first album – we don’t want to give away too much. Oh, and we’re going on tour, we’ll be opening for Pierce The Veil, Sleeping With Sirens, Falling In Reverse, Mindless Self Indulgence and Tonight Alive. It’s gonna be a blast! So psyched! 

Monday, 4 November 2013

Record Label Case Study - Fearless Records


Historical Genre Research/Timeline - Rock Music


Music magazine case study - Kerrang!


Music Magazine Contents Page Analysis

Music Magazine Front Cover Analysis


Rock Music Mood Board


Genre rock moodboard from hayat123

My mood board consists of images and some sub-genres of rock bands. I have collected of a variety of rock bands for example, Iron Maiden and Motรถrhead are Heavy Metal bands from the 70's where as Breathe Carolina and Mindless Self Indulgence are more Electronic Rock bands. I also have a lot of what's considered modern rock bands like Bring Me The Horizon, My Chemical Romance Sleeping With Sirens, Falling In Reverse and more. Revolver 'The World's Loudest Rock Magazine' and Kerrang! Radio are also on there because I feel they express a range of rock music in the same way I'm trying to in my mood board.

Music Magazine Planning Ideas

Music Magazine Planning Ideas

The genre of music my magazine will cover is rock. It will cover a range of different types of rock music therefore the target audience will be of no specific age range or place. Including a variety will attract more people to the magazine; older people who listen to bands that were popular years back (though some of the younger generations also listen to the classics) or people who listen to different sub-genres of rock e.g. alternative, heavy metal, rock ‘n’ roll etc. Their interests will be the different bands they listen to, band merchandise, collecting posters etc.

The name of my magazine will be one of some I have thought of: reverie, trance, muse, vision/envision, daze, stupor. This is because their meaning is to be lost in your thoughts or in a half-conscious state. The connotations of it are that people might see this as ignoring everything else when listening to music; turning up the volume and tuning out the rest of the world. My masthead will obviously be big and bold for it to stand out.

The focal image for my cover will be a teenaged female maybe in the process of smashing an electric guitar or playing an instrument like the drums or bass and have an amplifier somewhere too. This is to keep with the rock theme as all rock bands use those types of instruments, and play them hard - not how someone might play an acoustic guitar.                                             
I will use a long shot or a mid shot for this as I want to show what is happening but still have the focus on the person in the image. It would probably be at eye level so it’s a neutral shot, positioned as though the reader is actually observing the scene. However, I could use a low angle to add effect to how my model would be playing her instrument.

The mise-en-scene I’d use would be a bright, light, empty space with different instruments visible in the background - probably a music room - to contrast with the text and the model. She will be wearing dark colours, most likely blacks and leather, tight clothing and bulky type boots. Punk type accessories will also be worn - a lot of chains and metal and some band merchandise. She will also be wearing heavy eye makeup, maybe pale foundation and probably red, burgundy or a deep purple lipstick. It will be in a bright area so lots of shadows can be created. It will also allow for the main image and text to stand out against the light background.

My sell lines will mention brief information about bands that will be in the magazine - a range of bands so people will have an idea of what they’ll find. The main one will probably link to the double-page spread e.g. ‘NEW rock band!! Find out how they did it!’ This will interest people looking into how to start a band, or may have a band and want to know how to get started. I’ll entice my audience by making sure I word them concisely but also make them about something interesting, like new information about bands, free posters included or competitions.

On my contents page, I will include information on the main article, less significant articles, interviews, reviews, tour dates, new merchandise available, posters and new single/album releases.

The focus of my double-page spread is a new band. There’ll be an interview with the band members covering many points like how they first got together/decided they want to start a band, covers they’re currently working on, rehearsals  and how they will proceed with their music-making. For the double-page spread, I will use all the band members for the main image and they’ll be playing their music for the shot. It will take up most of the background space and it will be a long shot to capture the experience. It will probably be an oblique angle as being tilted would somehow connote ‘rocking out’ or just look more creative and funky for a rock band. I would possibly use a light background colour as the band is almost certainly going to be dressed in black/dark colours so I don’t want them to clash. 

Music Magazine Conventions

Music Magazine Conventions
• Gigs and tours
• Advertising albums and singles
• Reviews
• Merchandise
• Posters
• Activities and competitions
• Longest article (most pages), featured article
• Featured artist/band - front cover magazine image
• Interviews
• Genre specific
• Latest news