Activity-Flat Plan

The flat plan I have created includes a variety of photography, advertisements, and several opinions and first-hand accounts of the fashion industry issue that I plan to tackle. Throughout my flat plan, I have strategically placed a majority of advertisements in the beginning and end of the magazine, while giving my main article the spotlight. By using this strategy, the audience will be able to shift their full focus on the subject at hand. I have also included a memoir on an upcoming fashion designer that has been gaining popularity through the pieces they have created. This is extremely important to my magazine because my goal is to be inclusive of all fashion styles, while focusing on the simplicity of how to put an outfit together. Within my magazine, I plan to display how trends tend to circulate and change over time, and how individuals within the fashion industry have exemplified this. My main article will be centered around the subject this is displayed on the title page, while including a memoir or interview of their input on the subject. I have also included full page photography within the article itself to capture the attention of the audience.

Activity-Scout Locations

Thought Process while Scouting Locations for Photo Shoots:

Due to the main theme of my magazine involving fashion, I want to investigate locations that will elevate the outfit itself, with complementary colors or shades in the background. The outfits I will be putting together will resemble a more clean, put-together style, with simplistic touches. This includes dainty jewelry, a statement buckle belt, or a pair of shoes that are not seen often.

With these thoughts in mind, I will be directing a more serious photoshoot, with the clothing being the main focus rather than the face. This creates a more modernist look of the photos themselves. 

By reaching this conclusion, I believe Siesta Key Village and St Armands Circle would capture the chic atmosphere that I plan to accomplish.

Siesta Key Village:
same or similar outfit to the one pictured in the st.armands circle photoshoot


These photos ended up being my favorite because of the poses used and the coloring in the background.
St. Armands Circle:

one outfit per photoshoot to grab a unique and eye-catching style for the final draft.

I favored these photos the most from this location because of how the bell-bottoms elongate the models legs, therefore exhibiting a more power-focused persona. 

Activity-Schedule Photo shoots

Scheduling Photo Shoots:

December 10th:
I will be going to St Armand's Circle while using a few friends as models.

December 12th:
I will be going to Downtown Mainstreet and going with a friend from the previous shoot to model.

December 17th:
I will be going to the Village on Siesta Key with the same friend from the December 12th photoshoot as a model.

My scheduling process involves being able to find a consensus on what time works best for my model, and if it does not work for her, we may have to reschedule accordingly. This proves to be a bit difficult with the number of locations that must be done.
From the photoshoots, these were my favorite photos:

Camera Shots Activity

Low Angle

High Angle 

Canted Shot 

Extreme Close-Up

Mid Shot

Wide Shot

During this class period, we experimented with a variety of camera shots. The shots included are identified as: a low angle, high angle, canted angle, extreme close up, a mid shot, and a wide shot. The use of these carry certain symbolism, such as a low angle can exemplify the use of power or superiority, whereas a extreme close up can symbolize the use of emotion/intensity, or thoughtfulness, therefore allowing the audience to feel what the author is portraying with images. Further, a high angle is directed downwards, which can formulate a sense of negativity or sadness, where the actor is showing a sense of reflection. A canted shot shows importance, where a action shot is taken in the moment. While the mid shot is from the waist up, it shows a sense of location while also focusing on the person being captured. In a wide shot, the location and the actor are entirely in focus and therefore the actor can see both at the same time. 

Magazine Genre Research-5

(2019, August)

The cover layout is simplistic, but is able to efficiently draw the reader in. The pose used by Taylor Swift is direct with a pose that is pointing and staring directly to the audience. The colors are muted yet the denim against the grey background compliments nicely with each other. The huge and bold font of "Vogue" at the top of the magazine presents a clean finish and gives the magazine a "high-end" feel. The articles included are a variety of different people that are trending in the media, which include singers, actors, models, and business leaders. Even though Vogue includes a several different types of people, it is still able to achieve the foundation of their magazine, which is fashion. The advertisements included are scattered throughout the magazine issue, with a majority of them being high-end brands or services, which adds to the luxurious theme. Photos appear on the cover, before each article, and throughout each article, along with the advertisements holding images as well. These photos are usually taken of the person, or people, included along with the brands they are wearing underneath the photo itself. These photos are primarily portraits, that include depth and luxurious vibe. To continue, the distribution of Vogue magazine is weekly and international. Vogue magazine has won the Ellie Award for Magazine of the Year.

Magazine Research Genre-4

(2018, September)

This magazine cover is one of three covers presented during the launch of this magazine, which made it quite popular and well-known prior to the publication. The cover presents a bright and colorful portrait of Kylie Jenner, in which the fuchsia pink that is used stands out among the rest of the spectrum. The borders of the magazine are outlined with an identical color, which gives it a more modern look, along with a bold font along the top of the color in a soft lavender, creating a perfect contrast with the fuchsia. This contrast of colors is pleasing to the eye yet catches the attention of the reader efficiently. Besides the portrait and title, the cover is scattered with sub-headings but flow nicely with the soft font and white color. Within the magazine issue itself, a variety of fashion and beauty articles are sprawled throughout, with small "fashion tips" in the corners of certain articles. The magazine uses primarily fashion advertisements, and they are presented at the beginning of each article. Throughout the magazine, it uses brightly colored pictures, that have a sense of depth and personality to them. Glamour magazine is published 10 times a year and hasn't been nominated for any awards.  

Magazine Genre Research-3

(2018, September)

The layout presented is a up-close standard shot, with a portrait of Janet Jackson taking up the entire cover. The design has a minimalist and simple feel to it, with a lack of flashy captions or words covering the portrait. The photo used also doesn't seem to have much editing or filter on top of it, which could represent a more natural or unfiltered vibe to the magazine itself. The articles included are all within the realm of fashion and style, with focus being on Janet Jackson in a lengthy article towards the middle of the issue. The advertisements are minimal, but include higher-end brands, such as Louis Vuitton or Gucci, which are included towards the front and back pages of the magazine, acting as a "introduction" before the articles. The photos used within the issue are simple, but portray the articles in a pleasing way, that isn't overly busy which makes it easier to read. The distribution number for the magazine is twice a month, and it is spread internationally in Australia, Germany, U.S., Greece, Spain, England, etc. This magazine has won the Readers Choice award. 

Magazine Genre Research-2

Vanity Fair (October 2019)

The cover of this magazine presents a tropical mix of colors, with bright green and yellow. The lettering displaying the words, "Lupita Nyong'o", is centered in the middle of the article, which catches the attention of the reader. Along with this, they use a modern font and black coloring to allow the captions and title to stand out among the photograph. This publisher also utilizes a lifted lettering, meaning they pop off the page. Throughout this issue, a variety of different articles are included, such as various music artists, actors/actresses, and influencers. For example, Elon Musk is interviewed on an important issue regarding his technological advancements in the past decade. The advertisements included were scattered throughout the issue, especially in the front and back pages of the magazine.The pictures included in the article and the cover are often color, or consist of depth and character of the subject included. The photographers choose to promote the surroundings, while bringing focus to the person at the same time. The distribution number of Vanity Fair is every month, meaning a total of 12 issues are produced per year. Along with this, Vanity Fair has been awarded the General Excellence Award by the National Magazine Award Association.

Magazine Genre Research-1

The New York Times Style Magazine (2018)

Within the cover page, this magazine presents a monochromatic portrait shot of musician, Kim Gordon. They use a black and white filter on the photo to present a sense of timelessness, meaning that the person on the cover is an icon of several decades, which is what the magazine is advertising with, "36 Months That Changed Culture: New York City: 1981-1983". The articles included within this issue exemplify current and past events that deal with culture. Being a fashion magazine, they present a multitude of high-end clothing, perfume, and jewelry advertisements. They are located throughout the magazine, with primary focus being in the front and the back, or before an article. The cover presents a simplistic view of the main focus of the magazine, with a forward-facing photograph of Kim Gordon and the uses of pink and white lettering on the bottom half of the magazine, showing the date, organization, and title. For this magazine, they distribute a total of 11 issues per year. The NYT Style magazine has been awarded for two consecutive years with the Ellies Award, which recognizes the magazine with "General Excellence in the Service and Lifestyle" category. 

Project Selection-My Decision

After close consideration, I have come to the conclusion of choosing the magazine project. I evaluated my skills for the best fit, and my ability to be visually creative, being a good writer, and my personal skill of working better individually have pushed me in the direction of creating a magazine. For my magazine, I want to go for a young adult audience as my target population. This means that, I want to be able to have catching images, but I want my writing to be read with full interest. By researching the types of magazines, I am interested in doing a fashion/style theme, with some celebrity or rising stars in music within one of my articles. I want to use a colorful cover, but one that is simplistic to read. As stated previously, I plan to work alone during this project so I can have full creative reign over what is put into the magazine itself. Therefore, the magazine project would be the best fit for me overall because of the visual aspects that a magazine possesses, while also being able to interject written articles.

Project Selection-Film

Within the film making process, I have become vastly interested in the production, casting of actors, and visual mind needed to make ideas come to life. By watching the first season of the Newsroom, I was able to gain a feel of how they develop characters within each episode, and the layers they have to create a interesting backstory. For example, the relationship between Will McAvoy and Mackenzie Mchale show a relationship that was destroyed through a misunderstanding, but they must continue to work together within a business environment, which creates emotional outbursts throughout the show. By developing this insight, the audience is able to sympathize with the characters and curate feelings for them. This creative outlet that filmmakers are able to have perked my curiosity of how far you could go within a genre to make the audience emotionally feel for the setting and characters. However, within the making of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the director was thrown into several issues, such as the chemistry between the characters, working past the deadline, and marketing the film to be attractive to all audiences. This balance could serve as a challenge, especially when directing the actors for certain facial expressions and creating dialogue that doesn't come off as awkward. On the other hand, the film project would be a good creative outlet and for someone that is efficient with visual production, it may be a good fit.