Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Double Page Spread Interview text

Ashley, the new and up-coming pop girl has had a kick-start to her music career after performing as a support act for Katy Perry’s latest Animal Tour. She’s the newest success to the pop music industry, after making the charts with her hit single ‘Rubber Ducks’. 

How did you get started in a musical career?
I have always been a lover of music, forever dancing and singing along to songs as a kid and admiring the stars on telly, I always remember telling my mum how one day I will make it somewhere in music – I had a real passion for music. Once I got my hands on musical instruments I couldn’t go a day without playing, whether it was practising or coming up with someone new. Obviously, as a child my parents hated it because it was ear-burning to listen to as you can imagine. However, having attended a school that was a music academy, this enabled me to show off my given talent and gain confidence in front of crowds. This prepared me for all sorts of little town concerts, festivals and open nights, and it was from these practices where I got lucky in having the opportunity to take it a step further. As they say, it’s who you know not what you know. There were people in the crowds that loved me and had connections with workers in the musical industry that would get me somewhere through signing me up on a solo record deal.

What are your ambitions?
From a very early age I wanted to be a performing music artist, and it was the teenage years where reality hit me and gave me the impression that I would never be anything famous, but to stick to my small performances where I could still do what I always loved. Whereas today it is to make a number one hit single, even if it takes me 10 years and lasts a week, that is enough for me. I couldn’t be happier with where I am today.

What has been your most memorable moment so far?
The moment I was told my song had made the charts. I wouldn’t have cared even if it was to number 49 I would have been happy still, but to be told it made it to number 19 made me feel as though I have achieved something. I mean I enjoyed the recording of the video but this just topped it off and made it all worthwhile, and I have been told it is still climbing.

How do you start writing a song?
Song writing is always fun, but hard work and frustrating too. You have to work out how many syllables you can fit on one line, whether it rhymes, if it is catchy and if it is good enough! I always start with something random and see if it works, like what else is pop music about? I love the bubbliness and quirkiness you create through words and a beat.  However sometimes it can be a story which I find is the easiest way to come up with lyrics, and has a bigger effect on people as it has meaning or relation to, not just some random words thrown together!

How did you come up with the song ‘Rubber Ducks’?
As random as it sounds this song came from one of my many weird obsessions! I don’t know why but I have always had a love for rubber ducks! I just find them so bright and cute in an eccentric way. Like why wouldn’t you love rubber ducks? So really the lyrics come from my love for rubber ducks, I did do some further research to see if anything could fit in and work as part of the lyrics. I think every pop artist has to have that one weird song where people just think how do you come up with this? And for me a love for rubber ducks has made me song that fans seem to love, which also allows me to have fun and enjoy a really upbeat and crazy music video.

Why do you name your showbiz self as ‘Ashley’ and not the spelling you were born with?
To be honest I use it for a label, personally I think Ashley looks more simplistic than Ashleigh. Plus it gives me a different way of how people perceive me. As much as I want to be one person, when you hit showbiz and the publicity of the music industry, you have your side that is presented in the media and then your side of how you are without the fame, and I like to separate these. Plus when I get notifications or information, depending on how my name is spelt I know which side of me it is for.

Ashley’s new album ‘This Is Me’ is available to pre-order now on iTunes for £6.99, and available in stores from January 16th.


Interview text and photographs taken by Natasha Hares 

Development of my Double Page Spread

Here you can see how my interview improved to look more like a genuine magazine article whereby the columns are consistent in width and the photographs edited with a better brightness and contrast.

1st Attempt

Developed and improved version


Development of my Front Cover

Here you can see how my front cover has improved and developed from gaining feedback from my smaller focus group

1st Attmept

Developed and improved version



Background Experimentation on Main Contents Page Photo

Background Experimentation

To workout which background looks best to make the overall image look eye catching and realistic I have experimented with the original photo’s background and brightness/contrast. The first image is the original image, and the one on the right is the same image however I used the burn tool in Adobe Fireworks to darken the background slightly. I personally think the second image is better than the first because it makes it appear to be at night with lights like there would be at a concert.
The third image has a different background having cut the figure out on Adobe Fireworks and pasting her onto a coloured background to see if the colours and darkness work. The second version of this image has the figure in a brighter contrast to make her stand out more. I think the first image of the darker tone is better than the second because it looks more realistically combined whereas the brighter one looks like she has been place on a coloured background and not really incorporated.

The fifth image has a background from a pop artist concert with an audience in the background, again with darker colours with the model made slightly brighter to make her stand out. This image looks like she is at a concert however it is not common to have the audience behind the artist who is facing away therefore it can come across as unrealistic. The last image has a different background of blue tinted stage lighting in quite a bright contrast. This image has a concert atmosphere to it however it does not look as realistic to me as some of the others as the figure looks placed onto a background.


Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Masthead for Magazine Front Cover Feedback

To help distinguish which masthead is best suited for my magazine and so which one I should use, I asked a focus group of 8 people aged 16-17 to see which design they liked best.

Below are my results.
Magazine Number
Results
1
II
2

3
II
4

5
IIII