Culture Magazine!

Creative Critical Reflection

Photo Shoot

Getting Everything Finished Up

Today my partner and I met up at my house and started to actually take pictures for both our magazines. My partner, being a great photographer, already had the majority of her pictures done. Me on the other hand, I didn't have any ready before our meeting. As our day went on we tried to take pictures inside my house but things didn't seem to work. After that, we decided to take pictures outside. The day was perfect and so was the lighting. I have got to say that my partner Joanne is a brilliant photographer. She took great pictures that were dynamic and interesting. If you think that my magazine pictures are good then you should check out her Instagram. Anyways after the majority of the pictures were done, we went back inside and that's when everything got complicated. Trying to edit the pictures so that they didn't have a background in Photoshop was nearly impossible. I have got to say that after this project I will never get near that computer program ever again. After a couple of hours of messing with it, we came up with edited pictures that we liked. We then gathered up all of our finished work and are now in the process of finalizing everything. Be on the lookout for our CCR and our finished project.

Reuse and Recycle

Thrifting

While working on my magazine and collecting the necessary equipment to do so I came upon a thrift store. My first thought was to just pass it, but then I realized that I was writing an article on thrifting. What a wonderful coincidence and I didn't have to drive all the way to a specific one. Anyways when I first walked it I was lost. It was my first time at a thrift store and I didn't know where to look. Luckily my partner Joanne and I had compiled a list of Do's and Don'ts in class previously which I was going to use to write the actual article. By navigating through the list and finding my self in areas I thought not to look I came across the perfect item I never thought a needed. A sweater! It might not seem like something I needed but after washing and drying it I haven't taken it off. Not only was my thrifting trip a success but it was also great inspiration for writing my article.

Magazine Construction

Today marks the day that I start physically working on my magazine. Will all the planning finished all that I need to do is execute the making of it. My Tuesday afternoon consisted of driving to three Walmarts. The reason for this is because Walmart was the only place that I knew sold fabric. The fabric that I buy will be used as a background for taking pictures for my magazine. After my first two attempts, I finally arrived at a Walmart that had a plethora of fabric. I then proceeded to ask a Walmart employee to cut the measurements of the white fabric that I choose and then I went back home. Hopefully, the next steps in making my magazine aren't too tedious.

ADs

The Advertisements

The advertisements that my partner and I want in our magazine are of products that interest us. Again since we're going to have to take the pictures our self we'll have to use products that we have. My first thought is to use some sort of acne product. The reason for that is because our magazine is going to be geared towards teens. Not only that, but I also have some acne products in my possession that we could use and take pictures of. Another area of advertisement that we would like to cover would be fashion. I would personally like to advertise some "Nike" shoes but the same can't be said for my partner. In her Magazine, I think she will want to advertise some "Jordan's" and I say this because the topic has come up before. 

Getting Creative

Using What I Got

When it comes to using professional equipment I come short. Since I don't own or have access to any high-end camera I'll have to use something else. Thankfully since we live during an advanced time I can use my phone's camera to take very nice shots. 

My Phone: has a dual-lens camera which provides both wide-angle and telephoto lens. Both shoot 12-megapixel images. The wide angle lens will allow for a f/1.8 aperture, while the telephoto lens has a f/2.4 aperture. 

Aperture- Camera opening.

By using my phone instead of a professional camera I can still acquire very nice pictures. With the software on my phone, I can still use depth of field which I feel is a very important element in taking enticing pictures. Another piece of equipment that I'll have to substitute for will be the lighting. Again instead of the studio lights, I'll have to use a lamp instead.

Iphone X, Apple, iPhone X, March 27, 2018

Say Cheese

Pictures 

When it comes to taking pictures for my magazine I plan to take the crispiest and most dynamic ones. There are many factors that come into taking those though. Lighting, composition, and the rule of thirds are the first things that come to mind. 

Lighting:

Using just a flashlight won't work when trying to get the best lighting. Using a studio light, on the other hand, might be out of my budget. The route that I might have to go on is using the lighting that I have on hand and around my house. 

Composition:

The five elements that I might incorporate into my picture are patterns, symmetry, texture, depth of field, and lines. In some situations, the use of all elements won't work and in others, it might. Hopefully, I manage to use the perfect mix and match to make visually appealing photos. 

The Rule of Thirds:

is applied by aligning a subject with the guidelines and their intersection points, allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section. I will without a doubt use this rule/ concept to create a perfect picture. 

Building Tables?

Table of Contents

Table of Contents- is a list, usually found on a page before the start of a written work, of its chapter or section titles or brief descriptions with their commencing page numbers.

Usually when it comes to magazines table of contents are boring and are just simply there to tell readers where an article they want to read starts. Well, my partner and I decided that we want to be different. We want to have graphics that are visually enticing and we also want to implement some advertisement. A great example of the type of graphics that we would like to implement is the image on the righthand side of this post. Of course, the colors would be different but the geographic shapes are visually enticing and that is something that we want.



Table of Contents , Wikipedia, Table of contents, March 20, 2018, March 21, 2018

A New Idea

Monthy Must-Haves

My partner and I were looking for ways in which we could tie our magazine issues together. After a long brainstorming session, we decided to both have a "monthly must-haves" in our magazines. By both of us having this it unifies our magazines. It becomes a signature section that Culture magazines will have and makes it so viewers always now that our magazine will give them a selection of fashion, electronics, and maybe even entertainment that they "must have" and or consume. This is great because the main thing my partner and I want is for viewers to have something they're waiting for. It would be like the 2+2=4 theory that may just lead us to victory.

Teen Magazine

Teens

Choosing a Teen Magazine as our subject matter was a great idea. Since my partner and I are in the target audience we have insight in what the audience would like to see/read.


A Teenager- A person aged from 13 to 19 years.
Most Teenagers are into social media, watch Netflix primarily over television, and are impatient.
While keeping this in mind my partner and I have to find topics that interest both of us and that are quick and to the point. Talking about celebrities, fashion, and new films/series is the way to go. Using the magazine "Seventeen" as an example will help us and guide us in the right direction. Although it's more girly or intended for female consumption it still helps a lot. One more thing to add is that by including Netflix readers will have more in common. Talking about T.V is almost completely in the past.


Teenager+Netflix , Business Insider, Young people spend about twice as much time watching Netflix as live TV, and even more time on YouTube, May 01, 2017, March 21, 2018.

 

Shifting our Ideas

Changing Our Plan

Ever since the group meeting my partner and I have been thinking about how we could make the perfect project. Unfortunately, our minority subject matter wasn't the way to get there. Since then we have decided to change the subject matter to Teen Culture. This subject matter is easier to write about and is more geared towards a specific target audience. With minorities, the target audience is too broad and by having teens the focus of our writing becomes more specific. Not only that, but it makes it easier to unify our different magazine issues. Another thing to note is that we wouldn't have to change our magazine title. I am glad to say that "Culture" will continue to be our name. With this new subject matter, we have more creative freedom and it turns into something that is both artistic and hip. Overall, the only thing that will be
changing in our project will be our subject; everything else will stay the same.

Group Meeting!

Meeting in a group

Today in class we had an activity in which people with their own projects and I got in a group. In my group were people making movie openings and magazines just like me. We started our group discussion with a girl which was making a movie opening. The group worked by having someone describe what they were planning to do with their project. we all shared our opinions and it really helped pave the path to a great looking project. When it came to discussing my project, my group members told me that I should work on more research on things like the table of contents and such. Not only that but my group members also gave me feedback on things that they thought I was doing right. They liked my overall concept and liked the colors and layouts I was planning to do. This was great because hearing that I was doing good gave an overall confidence boost. With the help of my group members of today I know I'll do good!

Creating the Title

Culture Magazine

When deciding what to call our magazine my partner and I decided to go with the title  "Culture". Since our magazine will consist of general topics viewed by minorities the name "Culture" fits in great. Before we got to that name we first started off by bouncing a few names around. We came across the title "Minority". That title didn't make it to the final decision because it was just too broad and just too straight up. By going with "Culture" the magazine shows like a big brand magazine like Entertainment Weekly. It has a nice sound to it and has an overall great feel too it. A great example of what my partner hope to create is the magazine image to the right. It has great color harmony, it's visually enticing and the title of the magazine also sounds great.

The Magazine Layout

Magazine Layout Draft

When thinking about our magazine cover my partner and I decided to have a detailed graphic in every issue of our magazine. The sketch on the top left corner shows how my partner and I would like to make the cover. Of course the graphic in place there would be made at a later time. As for our table of contents we would like to have every page of it feature an ad. The sketch is on the lower left corner. Now, for the two page spread we would like to have a pop of color. Having a bright color where the title is would be visually appealing. the attention of the reader would be directed in that direction. After the title would then come the actual article and following that an imagine of the subject breaking the article into two. In my specific magazine I plan to have an article focus on the Disney and Pixar movie "Coco". In my issue of the magazine my partner and I decided to go more towards the Latino American target audience. As for her issue we have decided to try and reach the African American target audience. The movie we have decided to review in her magazine is Black Panther.

Magazine Layout

Layout 

When thinking about the layout of the magazine we have decided to do such as entertainment weekly. Entertainment Weekly is one of the largest publications in the magazine world. The magazine company touches upon film, television, music, Broadway theater, books, and popular culture.Unlike other magazines Entertainment Weekly focuses on a more generalized target audience. Similar to them, my group wants to focus on film, television, music and fashion and their effects on culture, but when it comes to our target audience we would like to target minorities. We would also like to follow some of EW's content like a "must watch" list. The reason for that is because something like a "must watch" list can easily be molded to certain groups of people.








Citations
Entertainment Weekly, Wikipedia, Entertainment Weekly, March 03, 2018, March 07, 2018.

Color Theory/ Color Harmony

Color Theory

-a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. 

By using bright colors/color schemes it attracts readers eye. If there is a sale for something advertised in a magazine using bright colors would be a good idea because it would be something that would catch the viewers eyes.

Color Harmony

-is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic.

Color Harmony plays a big part in whether a person picks up a magazine. If the color scheme is boring or chaotic it can turn away potential costumers. By having a harmonious color scheme views are enticed by the magazine. 

By keeping both of these things in mind creating an entertaining and visually appealing magazine will be easy. Color can be the factor in which people read your magazine and of course in real life that's all you want.

Citation
Color Theory Wikipedia, Color theory, Date Published February 28, 2018, Date Accessed March 05, 2018

Color Harmony, Basic Color Theory, March 05, 2018

Entertainment Magazines

 Genre Research     

Entertainment Magazines

Entertainment magazines are magazines that focus on the entertainment business and its products. Common subject matters in entertainment magazines include television and film criticism, music journalism, video game journalism, and celebrity coverage. Coverage of these subject matters depends on the target audience that the magazine company is trying to reach. In my group's case, the type of coverage that we will have will be geared towards minorities which are the target audience. 

Target Audience:

 Minorities

-the smaller number or part, especially a number that is less than half the whole number.

-the two biggest racial minorities in the U.S include African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans.

The reason for choosing minorities as our target audience is because there aren't many magazine companies that make magazines intended for the consumption of this target audience. This makes this target market open for grabs. Not only that but studies show that minorities spend 50 percent more time consuming media like television which drives them to want to read magazines about the actors and series they watch.

Citation 

Entertainment Wikipedia Entertainment journalism March 04, 2018

Minority Daily Mail Online lack and minority children watch 50 per cent more TV per day than whites (and almost 90% have sets in their bedrooms), study finds, June 08, 2011, March 04, 2018

Deciding on What Magazine to Make

When my partner and I were talking about subject matters to base our magazine it got complicated. My partner Joanne wanted to make a magazine based on Black culture. I, on the other hand, wanted to do something based on Latino culture. After trying to find a common ground we decided to base the magazine on how entertainment affects culture. This topic is both specific and generally accommodates both our wants. We both are passionate about the subject and have personal information regarding it. This will make the creation portion easy and I know that both my partner and I will have fun making it.

Starting Something New

Welcome to my blog.
Today I start a new project; One that will take time and effort and I'm up to it. My partner Joanne and I decided that we would make a magazine for our portfolio project. When thinking about what to make our magazine about we got stuck, we both wanted to do two different things. Through talking and problem solving we decided to make our magazine based on entertainment's influence on culture. Overall my partner and I have conquered one of many obstacles that are to come and are on the right track to creating a great project. I hope you guys like how it turns out.
-Juan