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Double page spread article

A Step Too Far

Standfirt
Is this the dawn of a new period for the Kings of Leon or is the sun coming down on their career. Strum looks at the new album, their career so far and whether this is a step too far.

Article
 With Kings of Leon’s new album ‘Come Around Sundown’ they’ve changed their style yet again to a more ‘rock country’ style and we’re wondering whether this could be a big mistake. With the huge success of the last album, maybe they should have stuck with what made them who they are today. Have Kings of Leon taken it a Step Too Far?
   American band Kings of Leon, including brothers Caleb, Nathan and Michael Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill, formed in Tenesse in 1999. They started off with their music influenced by an upbeat blend of Southern rock and blues. Brought up in a religous background the boys got involved in the choir and were playing instruments from an early age. However they were still able to listen to rock music, their dad often played it to them while they hit the road. The band spent most of their youth travelling round the states with the brothers father, Ivan Leon Followill,, who influenced the bands name.
   Their style of music gradually changed to a more alternative rock sound, which gained them initial success in the US. In 2008 all three of the band’s albums were in the top five of the UK Albums Chart.    
    After their 3rd album ‘Because of the times’, people began to wonder whether the Kings of Leon could actually get any better. Their 4th album ‘Only By The Night’ didn’t fail to deliver what the fans had been waiting for. Landing in 2008 ‘Only By The Night’ was undoubtedly the indie-rock anthem for summer  in the form of ‘Sex On Fire’, the explosive track grabbed everyone’s attention and kept them hooked until the very end and is still getting considerable airtime today. As Chris Jones from the BBC says “Their sound has had a good five years to grow from post-adolescent indie to full-blown, manly stadium glory”.
    In an interview on Kings of Leon.com when asked about what ‘Come Around Sundown’ means Nathan Followill says “I see it as come around sundown, we’re about to get down” but could this mean literally? Down in the charts?
   Whether you’re a fan or not, you will know that Kings of Leon have dropped their new single ‘Radioactive’ but the video isn’t quite what we expected.They seem to have dropped their rock ‘n’ roll, fags whisky and cocaine filled videos and gone with a more laid back style involving BBQ’s and fishing.
   The Radioactive video is cheesy with a gospel feel, but does that mean we have to hate it? The song takes the band’s sound in a new direction while at the same time takes the band back to their roots. Since the band have gone mainstream they had to change their style to appeal to more people, maybe this is a style we’ll learn to love.

Article Research

Kings of Leon is an American rock band that formed in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in 1999, consisting of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ivan Nathan Followill (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Michael Jared Followill (bass, backing vocals), with their cousin Cameron Matthew Followill (lead guitar, backing vocals). Each member of the family group is known by his middle name (second given name) as opposed to his first given name.^[1] The band's early music was an upbeat blend of Southern rock and blues influences, but it has gradually expanded its sound to include a variety of genres and a more alternative rock or arena rock sound. Kings of Leon achieved initial success in the United Kingdom with nine Top 40 singles, two BRIT Awards in 2008, and all three of the band's albums at the time peaking in the top five of the UK Albums Chart. Their third album Because of the Times also reached the #1 spot. After the release of Only by the Night in September 2008 they achieved chart success in their native United States. The singles "Sex on Fire", "Use Somebody" and "Notion" all peaked at #1 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks. The album itself was their first ever platinum-selling album in the United States. It was the best-selling album of 2008 in Australia, being certified nine-times Platinum. The band's fifth album, Come Around Sundown, was released on October 18, 2010.

The three Followill brothers spent much of their youth traveling around the Southern United States with their father, Ivan Leon Followill, a United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, Betty-Ann, who taught them when they were not in school. Caleb and Jared were both born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. They all attended Mount Juliet High School. Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended services and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were either home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools at this time. Except for a five-year period when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followills' childhoods were spent driving through the southern United States in a purple 1988 Oldsmobile, decamping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."^[2] When the boys' father resigned from the church and divorced his wife in 1997, the boys relocated to Nashville and embraced the rock music and lifestyle they had previously been denied. While there, they met songwriter Angelo Petraglia, who helped the siblings hone their songwriting skills and introduced them to the musical influences of Thin Lizzy,^[3] Rolling Stones and The Clash in particular. Six months later, Nathan and Caleb signed with RCA Records, who insisted that the duo recruit more members for the band before launching their career. The band was formed when cousin Matthew and younger brother Jared were asked to join. They named themselves Kings of Leon in honor of Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's father (Matthew's uncle) and grandfather, who were both named Leon.^[4]
In an interview with Billboard, Nathan Followill described how the band was formed. "When we signed the deal [with RCA], it was just me and Caleb. The label said, 'We're gonna put you a band together', and we were like, 'We don't want to be Evan and Jaron. We're going to buy our little brother a bass, he's a freshman in high school. Caleb will teach himself the guitar. [Matthew] played guitar when he was 10. I'll play the drums, I played in church when I was little.' They said, 'All right, we'll come down in one month and see you guys.'" Later in the interview the brothers admitted to "kidnapping" their cousin Matthew from his hometown in Mississippi in order for him to join the band. They told his mother that he was only going to be staying for a week and just never let him go home. "We locked ourselves in the basement with an ounce of marijuana and literally spent a month down there. My mom would bring us food down", added Nathan. "And at the end of that month the label people came and we had "Molly's Chambers", "California Waiting", "Wicker Chair" and "Holy Roller Novocaine".
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39793921/ns/today-entertainment 

http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=146&p=9089&has_the_kings_of_leon_backlash_gone_too_&more=1&c=1

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/can-the-kings-of-leon-make-the-features-rock-royalty-2008632.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/8066985/Kings-of-Leon-Come-Around-Sundown-CD-review.html

Planning Production

In todays lesson we were asked

FRONT COVER IMAGES:

• The main image of my music magazine will be a female posing as an artist
• I will also have a barcode on my front cover

FRONT COVER COVERLINES:

• Interview with the artist on the cover
• Upcoming gigs
• Newest indie artists to hit the UK
• Your latest band gossip
• Gig of the week
• WIN

CONTENTS PAGE: The title for the contents will be ‘Contents’ to make it clear that it is the contents page.

Regular content:

        Pg 2 - Editor’s letter

        Pg 2 – Subscribe today

        Pg 3/4 - Fan’s forum (letters)

        Pg 10 - Competitions

        Pg 15 - Quizzes

        Pg 21 - Upcoming gigs

        Pg 22 - Live reviews

        Pg 33 - Band news

        Pg 37 - Gig guide

        Pg 41 - Feedback

        Pg 68 - Your emails

FEATURE ARTICLES:

        Pg 6 - VIP tracks

        Pg 9 - The Killers

        Pg 17 – Up close and personal with the Kings of Leon

 Pg 25 - Newest artists to hit the UK

       Pg 36 – Coldplay reveal all!

       Pg 41 – Posters

       Pg 44 - Feedback

       Pg 53 - Album reviews

       Pg 58 - Gig of the week

       Pg 62 – Exclusive V fest goss!

       Pg 67 - Interview with Alex Turner

       Pg 79 - Your latest band gossip

     

IMAGES FOR DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:

·     COLOUR SCHEME:

•  Black
• Red
• White

·   

Production plan

In todays lesson we were asked to make a publication plan for the production of our music magazines which would include the title and sytle of the magazine and the content the magazine would include.

TITLE:   

POSITIONING STATEMENT:     love life love music                                                                                                                                                                                       

FREQUENCY OF PUBLICATION: Fortnightly

PRICE: £2.30

DISTRIBUTION: Newsagents and supermarkets

RATIONALE: The approach of the magazine is from the reader’s perspective. The magazine will give the readers an in sight as to what is going on with their favourite bands. This will be done through interview and upcoming gigs.

STYLE: Informal style so that the reader feels involved. Simple colour scheme so that it’s easy on the eye and not too overcrowded.  The images will be the dominant feature of the magazine front cover.

REGULAR CONTENT:

·         Editor’s letter

·         Fan’s forum (letters)

·         Competitions

·         Quizzes

·         Upcoming gigs

·         Live reviews

·         Band news

·         Gig guide

·         Feedback

·         Your emails

FEATURE CONTENT:

·         Vip tracks

·         The Killers

·         Kings of Leon interview

·         Artic Monkeys interview

·         Newest artists to hit the UK

·         Feedback

·         Album reviews

·         Gig of the week

·         Interview with Alex Turner

·         Your latest band gossip

HOUSE STYLE:

Coverlines: Arial Black and Arial

Headlines: Calibri (Body)

Standfirst: Arial

Captions: Calibri (Body)

Features first paragrapg: drop capital

News first paragraph:

Body text:

Colour scheme: Red, White, Black, Yellow

Questionnaire results

In todays lesson we were asked to record some of our answers from the questionnaire results and present them as a audio clip.

Questionnaire Results

In today's lesson we were asked to present our questionnaire results as a powerpoint presentation so that it is easier to view. I will be looking back at these results when i decide on my publication plan. This is to ensure that my magazine includes what my target audience would like to see as a reader.

Results [recovered]

View more presentations from nicolemorecroftasmedia.

Audience research questionnaire

We were asked to create an audience research questionnaire so that we knew exactly what people would like to see and what they were expecting from our music magazine.

1. How old are you?
2. What gender are you?
3. How often do you buy a music magazine?
4. What genre of music magazines do you buy?
5. What do you like about the type of magazines you buy?
6. What is your favourite indie band/solo artist?
7. How much would you pay for a magazine?
8. Would a free gift make you more intruiged to buy a magazine?
9. What three words would you associate with indie music?
10. What colours would you prefer to see on a music magazine?
11. What kind of regular content do you like to see on the music magazines you buy?
12. What kind of feature articles do you like to see on the music magazines you buy?

Content analysis

In today's lesson we were asked to analyse music magazine contents page's so that we knew exactly what we would have to put in our magazine's when it came to producing them. We were asked to present our work on prezi. I found this simple to use although i had never used it before and it's an effective way to present our work.

http://prezi.com/2dnb3p_5hm0s/music-magazine-contents-analysis/

Magazine analysis

In today's lesson we were asked to analyse music magazine front covers. I chose to analyse 'Q' and 'NME' because they both fall into the same genre as the music magazine that i'm going to produce. This is so that i can get a better idea of what my music magazine needs to include.

Codes and conventions of a double page spread

Today in class we had to bring in and analyse various music magazines in groups, so that we could come up with the codes and conventions of a double page spread.

• A large, short and snappy headline is used so that it stands out and catches the attention of the readers
• A standfirst is used above the article to explain what it's about
• A drop caps is used on the first letter of the article
• The article is written in size 11 font and there's alot of writing on the page
• The article is informal so that it will connect with the audience
• There tends to be 3-4 columns
• There tends to be one main image, usually placed on the left, and takes up a whole page. Although the image may occasionally be on the right, in the centre or bleed across the page
•  The colours used throughout the double page spread are consistent, simple and match the theme so it will entise the readers
• The page number is at the bottom right hand corner of the page and usually has the name of the magazine next to it and occasionally the date
• On the double page spread there's credits to the photographer and the writer
• Throughout the article are exciting and controversial drop quotes to attract the readers into reading the article as the drop quotes are the first thing people will read

Initial Plans

After researching magazines that fit my genre I have decided on the plans for my music magazine

• Price: £2.30
• Frequency of publication: Fortnightly
• Average issue size: 88 pages

Researching the market place

NME
Price: £2.10
Frequency of publication: weekly
Issue size: 58-82 pages
Regualr content: Band index
Feature articles:
www.nme.com/magazine
www.ipcmedia.com/


Q
Price: £3.90
Frequency of publication: monthly
Issue size:
Regualr content:
Feature articles:
http://www.qthemusic.com/
www.bauemedia.co.uk/


Kerrang
Price: £2.10
Frequency of publication: monthly
Issue size: 63 pages
Regular content:
Feature articles:
www.kerrang.com/
www.bauemedia.co.uk/

Initial ideas

I have decided that after researching magazines such as "Q" and "NME" the genre i am going to use for my music magazine will be indie. This is because it seems to reach a wider target audience.

The target audience for my music magazine will be teens to early adults who enjoy listening to indie music.

Evaluation of school magazine

For our preliminary exercise we had to plan and create a front cover and contents page for a school magazine. I tried to make sure that my school magazine followed the codes and conventions, to do this i researched other magazines to find out what these were. After getting ideas from magazines from the same genre for example Weather Report I was able to see what my magazine would have to include and I could then go on to planning and creating my own.


When planning my school magazine, the first thing I had to do was come up with a name for the magazine, I came up with the name 'Class Time' because the codes and conventions of a front cover suggest that the title of the magazine should fit in well with the genre. I placed the masthead of my magazine across the top of the page and used a bold, unique font which follows the codes and conventions. I used a picture text cohesion on the front cover of my magazine, the colours I used match the colours used in the central image. The main coverline goes with the central image, it's in a bigger font than the other coverlines and all coverlines are in the same font. I also used a puff to premote a free gift so that it attracted more readers. However, although i followed alot of the codes and conventions there were a few that i didn't follow. I didn't used any of pictures on the front cover and although the central image does take up alot of the page i think i could have made it a little bigger so that there was less white space on the page, however i did make sure that my central image used a direct mode of adress so that the reader felt involved.


When creating the front cover for my school magazine I used Adobe Photoshop. I found this easy to use as I had used it before, the layout was simple and easy to follow which made making my front cover alot quicker to create than I thought it would. Photoshop is a very effective programme to make the front cover look professional, it's simple to edit images, text and colours.


After i had finished my front cover I started to create my contents page. I made sure that the contents page would follow most of the codes and conventions of any other contents page, particulary ones of this genre. For example, I made sure all the feature articles and regular contents were in the same font and the same size, the page numbers were in a different colour. Also, I used the words 'Contents Page' in the top left hand corner, this is so that it's clear what you're reading as the top left hand corner is the first thing people will read. I followed all of the other codes and conventions of a contents page other than; repeating the masthead on the contents page, using captions underneath the images and repeating the date and issue number again.


To create the contents page i used a programme called QuarkXPress. This was more effective to use for a contents page rather than Photoshop, as it has guidelines for the columns. At first i found it hard to use, but this was because i'd never used it before. Once i got the hang of how to use it i found it quite simple and was able to create my contents page quickly.


In conclusion, I managed to follow alot of the codes and conventions of a magazine front cover and contents page. I was able to create them quickly once I understood how to use the programmes. However, if I were to do this task again i would spend more time on the planning as my final products were not the exact same as i had planned them. I will take this into consideration when planning my main task so that this doesn't happen again.




  

school magazine contents page

school magazine front cover

screen shots of the editing of the central image for my magazine front cover



Photo's for magazine front cover and contents page

The fist image is going to be used as the central image for the front cover of my school magazine. The other four images are going to be used for the contents page.

Plan for the front cover and the contents page of my school magazine

Plan for the front cover and the contents page of my school magazine

In todays lesson we were asked to sketch a rough plan of what our school magazines will eventually look like, this is so that when we come to produce the magazines we have something to refer to, although things about the magazine will change and the final product will not be the exact same as the plan.

Preliminary Exercise

Plans for the front cover

• The title im going to use for my new school magazine is going to be; Class Time.
• Details of the mise-en-scene for my magazine; the central image is going to be a picture of a pupil with their GCSE results, the coverlines will be around the central image, each coverline will be in the same font, the masthead will be at the top of the page in a unique font, i will use a puff to premote a free student planner to attract readers and there will be a barcode with the issue number and the price in the bottom right hand corner.
• The coverlines i'm going to use on the front cover of my school magazine; this years best GCSE and A - level results, stressed out about school work already? we're here to help, help classes, ice radio goes on air, ever wanted to be on tv? now's your chance and need some entertainment in your life ... an insight into this years school production.

Planning content

• Regular content that will appear in my new school magazine; Quizzes, 10 top tips for pupils, help classes that pupils can attend, student achievements, charity news, upcoming school events, upcoming school trips.
• Feature articles that will apear in my new school magazine; How to help stressed out pupils, , A - level and GCSE results, this years school performance, sports awards, news about the school, Ice Radio hits the air, Weatherhead TV.

Screen shot of the shot types

Shot types

In today's lesson we were given match up cards with a picture of the shot on one card and then the name of the shot on another card, we then had to match them up. After we completed the match up cards we were given a task sheet and we had to go off and take pictures of different types of shots.

Codes and Conventions of a magazine contents page

Today in class we analysed some magazine contents page so that we could come up with the codes and conventions.

• The masthead is also on the contents page in order for the audience to familiarise themselves with the rest of the magazine and to advertise their publishing brand
• 'Contents Page' is at the top of the page so that it is clear it's the contents page
• 'Contents Page' is in a different font and bigger than the rest of the text on the page
• Page numbers are used so that it is easier for the readers to find what they are looking for
• They are also page numbers in the corner of the images which correspond to the right page
• The page numbers are usually in a unique font
• There's usually one main image of the band or solo artist which the article is about which corresponds with the central image off the front cover
• All the pictures relate to the stories inside
• There are usually captions underneath the images
• There are under 10 images on the page
• The date and issue number is repeated on the contents page
• Contact details; the website; telephone number; email and fax
• The website is usually in the bottom right hand corner of the page, it's the last thing the audience reads because it is the least important
• Subscription details are shown on the contents page
• They often credit the photographer for the central image of the front cover
• The contents page is usually layed out in 2-3 columns
• Between each section is a line gap so that it is easier to read
• The colour scheme is consistent to the front cover of the magazine
• The contents page uses 3-4 colours so that it is easy on the eye
• A consistent font is used with font size 11
• There are usually 20 regular and feature articles
• Contents page often have an editors letter to welcome the readers and give them an introduction as to what's inside that issue
• The website is included so that the reader can find out more information about the music magazine. This is usually at the bottom of the page as it's not the most useful piece of information for the reader

Codes and Conventions of a magazine front cover

Today in lesson we analysed some magazine front covers so that we could work out the codes and conventions.

• The masthead should be bold as its main job is to draw in the attention of the audience
• The masthead should be in a unique font so that it stands out
• The masthead is there so that it can clarify the genre of the magazine
• The masthead should either be positioned in the top left hand corner of the page, or, across the top of the page because it's the first thing the readers will see, the title of the magazine suggests the genre and target audience of the magazine
• If the magazine is well known, the central image can cover part of the masthead, as people will still know what it's meant to say, however if the magazine is new or not as popular the masthead covers part of the central image
• There's usually a positioning statement above or below the masthead
• The central image takes up most of the page
• There is a picture-text cohesion, the colours used in the text matches the colours used in the central image so that there are no colour clashes
• The central image uses a direct mode of address so that the reader feels involved
• The angle shots used for the central image are usually close ups, medium close ups or sometimes, if it's a band, medium long shots are used
• A plain background is used so that the central image stands out more
• The main cover line on the page is usually bigger than the other cover lines
• The main cover line goes with the central image
• All the cover lines are in the same font
• About 5 cover lines are used which also link/relate to the genre of the magazine
• Puffs are used to promote free gifts
• Buzz words are used to attract the reader for example "plus" and "free", these words get the reader to buy the magazine
• The text is placed around the image and it anchors the central image
• Smaller pictures on the page correspond to the other stories
• A simple colour scheme of about 3-4 colours is used
• The colours used are 'easy on the eye'
• The bar code is usually in the bottom right hand corner
• Around the bar code is the issue date, issue number, price and the website
• Only a few fonts are used either; Serif (with hooks) e.g. Times New Roman, or Sans (without hooks) e.g. Arial