Model Poses to Consider

I have photographed a friend to demonstrate the types of facial gestures and poses I will try when going to do my photoshoot. From my research, I realised that many rap genre magazines, don't have happy, energetic models/ celebrities on the front of the cover, therefore I have gone for a more serious look.

Booking the Photoshoot

After visiting the University, I decided that it would be the perfect place for my photographs to be taken, therefore I have emailed the TV Studio technician, Colin Young to book a time when I can go with my model. See below for the conversation:

Time Management- Week 8

This week, there hasn't been that many tasks to complete, therefore I have been able to get them done in my media studies lesson, and been able to concentrate on other subjects more.

Photography Studio Trip

I visited Sunderland University's photography studio to evaluate if it was suitable for my own photo shoot. I was also given the email address which I will have to write too to organise when I should take my model for my photos. It was a successful trip overall, as it guaranteed that it would be the perfect place to take my photos and showed that no problems should occur.

Organising Photoshoot Details

Time Management- Week 7

This week I have felt under pressure because there were quite a few tasks to complete. With hard work, I have managed to complete them all. Overall, I feel as though I am coping really well with the work load, and always manage to get my work done, even if I do have to finish it in the library or at home.

Model Inspiration

Model inspirations from Layla Cairns

Organising the Model

Correspondence with Model

I have got in touch with my model so that she knows about the project. She also seems keen to help out which is really good. 

Target Audience Feedback Analysis

From the target audience feedback, I understood that my magazine idea was along the right lines, and confirmed many creative ideas.

The first question, 'How much would you be willing to pay for a professional music magazine?', allowed me to understand that the target audience I am aiming towards would pay £4 for a monthly copy. This backed up my statement of making the magazine a little bit more than the popular choice of '£1-£1.99' for a higher quality magazine, which I am going to produce. Furthermore, since my primary audience is females, stereotypically, they tend to be willing to spend a bit more on things that  may interest them such as magazines, makeup, clothes etc.

The next question I asked was 'What encourages you to buy a magazine?'. My interviewee confirmed that in fact the main image and coverlines both play a big role in attracting customers, which also connects with the target audience research.

I asked 'Do you prefer a text or image led double page spread?' and the reply I received was that images are important. Again, this backs up my original plan on using one full side of the page displaying the image.

Next I wanted to know how I should set out my article in a way that would attract my target audience therefore asked, 'Do you like questions/ answers or a story on a double page spread?'. The answer I received changed my mind a little on how I was going to write it. My interviewee said she liked a mix, however I was planning on doing a large interview. Therefore, from this feedback, and a little bit of research into rap magazine double page spreads, I have decided that I will mix my article. I will start off with a story, which will follow the trend of other rap articles, then end with a little interview, to attract my primary audience.

Additionally, I asked the interviewee if they 'Liked one main image or many images?'. My target audience backed up my approach of just one main image, as many may look crowded and not fit with the genre of music I have chosen to base my magazine on.

I also asked 'What colours are you attracted too?', as I wanted to know whether the colour scheme I had chose was suitable for my target audience. She confirmed that it was with the answer of 'black, white and feminine colours.' I know now that the house style I have chosen is correct for my target audience, and will catch their attention when on a magazine stand.

'Do you like a hard copy or prefer to read a magazine on a tablet?' was the next question I asked. I wanted to know how my target audience would prefer to read the news, and if it was more likely for them to buy a hard copy or read online. Luckily, the interviewee said she would prefer to read the solid magazine, however I will still include the web address for my magazine, and different social networks I will want to be on. This would allow people to keep up to date with the latest hip hop news even if they couldn't pick up a copy, I want it to be accessible to all people, therefore widening the readers. Furthermore, I feel as though a lot of young people use social media and by having a magazine profile on apps such as Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat will really connect with my target audience. I will actively promote our profiles in my magazine too.

Lastly, I wanted to know 'What sort of contents and articles would you like to see?', the interviewee said she likes to read about celebrity gossip, therefore I will make sure to include these sort of pages on my contents page. I feel as though celebrity gossip pages may be like 'Who's dating who in the rap industry etc', therefore I obviously won't be featuring this on my double page spread. However that doesn't mean, that in the story/ article the artist I am going to write about won't include some gossip when I ask her questions.

Draft of Double Page Spread Article

SHE’S BACK.

NASTY STREET LYRICIST AND BUZZING -POP STAR. DON’T ASK EBONY DIAMOND TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE TWO. SHE’S BOTH. AND WHATEVER THE HELL ELSE SHE WANTS TO BE.

It’s 3 a.m. and Ebony Diamond is snuggled up on a snakeskin leather chaise long in The Royal Suite at The Ritz London, exhausted from last night’s Wembley gig and late night recording session, which ended at 4 p.m., and todays 12- hour POWER magazine shoot. The 22- year- old rapper and singer is deglammed from her diamond encrusted stage outfits to a simple black velour tracksuit and pink fluffy slippers. Her makeup wiped off and her natural hair falling loosely around her perfectly picturesque face.

Three years after signing with hip hop legend King Killer’s record label; two years after selling 3,000,000 copies of her #1 hit ‘Girl’s got em’ back’ and possibly becoming the World’s greatest female rap star at such a young age, Diamond is dropping her 3^rd studio album, ‘Hot, Cool n Vicious’ this Winter. She’s calling it the “most personal” collection of music yet. Judging by her spontaneous trips to Africa to help children, and split up from iconic basketball player Jett Jenson, ‘Hot, Cool n Vicious’, will hopefully contain a little bit of how Ebony has been feeling the past year.

Last November, Diamond threw a couple of frenzied verses on ‘Jungle for Triumph’, a viral YouTube hit by London grime girl group CRUNK. While in ‘album mode’, she spent 2014 and spring of 2015 killing remixes to ‘Lost Choice’ by Panther, ‘Rebel Riot’ by Gangsta G, and most notably, Lil K’s ‘Money for her Way’. That’s on top of her own tracks ‘I Got It’ and the cutthroat ‘Streets for A Living’. Her most recent singles from her new album- the soft and reflective song ‘Altered Promises’ and the comically sexual ‘Whisper my Dirt’- display a versatility unlike any other artist at the moment. King Killer knows her new and up and coming album will be unlike any other “I’m real excited for everyone to hear it, Eb has gone back to her roots for this album. The last album showed her diversity, how she can make a straight hood/ club banger and at the same time still be dominant in the female pop and rap industry. Now that she has tested the water, and given herself a break, she’s back rapping about important things to her, and hoping others can relate, a bit like her first single ‘Girl’s got em’ back’”

As the night goes on, we talk about the misconceptions of ‘Hot, Cool n Vicious’, feminism, and the guilt that comes with fame.

King Killer states your going back to your roots on the new album, do you agree?

Yes, and no. Many people think I went through a stage of being ‘too pop’ and only producing club bangers, well that’s how [members of the media] felt, but I don’t think that’s what I did. I’ve never stopped rapping; I’ve never stopped doing freestyles; I’ve never stopped doing remixes and features; I’ve never stopped raising the bar lyrically. I understand and respect people’s opinions, however I think they are just taken aback with how open I am on this new album. I still have some party songs on there, but lyrically, it’s much more connected to me and enlightens people on things they maybe never knew about me. I think that’s why Killer maybe thinks I am going back to my roots, but I’ve always been evolving [laughs].

You’ve said that its probably the most personal album you’ve done to date, what are you addressing about your past and present that you haven’t before Ebony?

My family, loss, guilt... I’ve struggled with a lot of guilt for being so young.

Guilt over what?

I’m constantly busy. I wouldn’t change my life for anything or anyone, and I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, but I just wish I could manage to see my family more often. I’ll be in Tokyo one week, then South America touring the next. I’ve been in London for a few days before and not even had time to pop for lunch with my mam, it’s unsettling.

You were raised in South London right? Did your upcoming have anything to do with your outlook on women and inspire you for ‘Girl’s got em’ back’ because you rap some pretty feminist bars?

Yes, I’m sure my upbringing has played a tremendous part of my outlook on life. I was brought up in the ‘rough’ end of South London, men were constantly downgrading women, I saw it everyday of my life. My mam tried her best to shield us from our abusive father but I was too intelligent to be hid away from what was really happening. [laughs with saddened look on face] When I first started writing my raps, and especially on ‘Girl’s got em’ back’ I had a strong dislike for men! At 17, I’d just come out of a relationship with someone that didn’t want me to succeed and make my own money, and I had my dad telling me that women are suppose to be the stereotypical ‘housewife’. I wanted something bigger than that, and with my first single, I wanted other women to know there should be no boundaries as to what they can do, as long as they believed in themselves. No-one believed in me when I was young, I just had to do it for myself. I wouldn’t think of myself as a feminist, but I definitely think I inspire young women to empower themselves, and don’t stand for no shit.

Do you think ‘Girl’s got em’ back’ was so successful because of the empowering message for women behind it then?

I’m sure that played a huge part. I mean, I know I can spit bars, but I’m positive I wouldn’t have had that sort of response if my first single was just about boys, and clubbing.

Do you think your new album is different to your first single? In terms of lyrical content?

I’d like to think its better than ever but we will just have to see what the public think… I’ve gone into more detail about my personal life. When I’m rapping versus for some of the best hip hop stars in the World, I don’t tend to speak about problems and occasions that have happened in my own life. It’s more general. But I hope it still connects with the audience as much as my past music has.

You’ve released two singles from it already- ‘Altered Promises’ and ‘Whisper my Dirt’. When I listened to them, I realized they couldn’t be more different…

Yes, I know [giggles]. I wanted to show how diverse I could be. ‘Whisper my Dirt’ is still personal to me if you listen to the lyrics, and I wrote ‘Altered Promises’ when I was going threw a tough time, so they both mean quite a lot to me. I’d like to think I’ve always been unpredictable, and I love keeping my fans guessing!

After we finished chatting, Ebony got up and gave me a hug, she told me she had to catch up on her beauty sleep and ‘recharge her batteries’, which is undoubtedly incorrect because she is the most stunning, pleasant young lady I have ever had the opportunity to meet…