To edit the cover page of my magazine, I have added the month and year that the magazine issue would have come out, that being March 2021.
My work has been short on the contents page. I have aligned the page numbers and article titles. To align the numbers, I added a construction line so I could set each period upon the line and be vertically aligned. I also added a row of periods between the other articles to draw in more attention from the audience.
I solicited two peer reviews and received positive feedback from both. I was also able to have some of my family members, including my mother, review my work. For some final touches, I edited more aspects of the pages. On the contents page, I lined up all the numbers and titles so they would not seem out of order. On the second featured article page, I added a solid black line to separate the article from the two interviews. I was not able to provide more interviews because I had no other responses. I could fully understand the program In-Design so I could have put more features into my magazine. One idea I had, but could not fulfill, was to have a very transparent picture of my violin behind the wording. I also wish I had a smaller camera so I could take a cool picture of the inside of a violin and use that in my article somehow.
Before I submit my magazine project there are a few aspects I need to change. I was given feedback and advice from my peers about my magazine. I was told to darken the edges of my magazine page or maybe just provide a shadow effect so the white title and subtitles can be easily read. I also need to add a month and year to determine the release of my magazine. Other aspects I could include in my magazine are adding more photos of other instruments instead of just the violin and removing indentations from my featured article. I was also given positive feedback, complimenting my pictures and well the minimalistic vibe my magazine presented.
I have also taken three new pictures after I had the idea of having a grey background for my shots. For the first photo, I placed my violin on the grey carpet in my room. For the other two photos, I found a silky grey blanket. Instead of leaving the blanket flat, I decided to pinch the fabric to give more definition to the blanket. Then I placed my violin on top and took photos from above. I also happen to have LED lights in my bedroom, so I played around with lights colors and I found that when I turn the LED lights to orange it makes the colors in the violin pop more. Thus making the violin look more vibrant compared to the dull gray color it is placed on.
I have also been adding more to my featured article with scientific facts and evidence to conclude how music, specifically classical music, is beneficial to the body and brain.
I have recently come up with the bright idea to email the teacher of the Sarasota High School Orchestra program to ask him questions about how his orchestra has impacted his students and his own life. I would also like to email the band director and get his input on how music has affected his students and his life. I will go to the Sarasota high school website to find both of their emails. There are three music teachers; Charles Alfrey, Christopher Leiper, and Kirby Sanders.
To contact an American violinist, Taylor Davis, I went onto her website and found a contact page to ask her some questions. “Hello, my name is Zoe. I am writing an article for my media studies high school class on how the violin and classical music can help improve a person's brain activity and lifestyle. The violin has personally done so much to impact my life. I absolutely love your covers of Fairytail, ATOT, and literally all the Zelda covers. I have some questions if you are willing to answer them: How do you think the violin has affected your life? Do you think violin has a positive influence on your mental state?”
I have also taken some more pictures that I may include in my magazine. For my new images, I wanted to include some greenery as it would contrast with the brown color of the violin.
The subject of interviews for my featured article would be about the benefits of classical music. I could ask musicians and conductors about experiences they may have gone through where classical music has really helped them. Some musicians I might try to contact would be a professional violinist, Taylor Davis, or a conductor at the Sarasota Youth Orchestra.
Some shooting locations I could take photos at could be at the Faith Baptist Church, the Sarasota High School Auditorium, or my own home. I would like to have access to a location with a stage. Some shots I might take could be a low angled shot of a soloist to make them appear taller. For the soloist shot, I would let a friend borrow my personal violin for her to “play”. I could instruct her on how to position the violin as I take pictures. Another shot I could take would be a picture of my personal violin. I would like the violin to be the only subject for the picture, with a black background to draw attention to the violin. I could blur out any scratches that may already present on my violin. My only needed props would be my violin, a friend, and a nice recital dress.
To schedule my interviews for my featured article, I will send emails to various musicians. Some of these musicians include my personal idol Taylor Davis, some of my previous conductors that teach at the Sarasota Youth Orchestra, and the director of the Sarasota Youth Orchestra. In these emails, I will ask questions regarding the impact of classical music on a person.
For my photos, I will acquire the necessary personnel and attire. To do this I will have a close friend, or I wear a fancy dress during a photo. I would like the focus of my picture to be a girl in the middle of her violin solo on a stage. I own many recital dresses that can be used for this picture. To make this picture more dramatic I would like my friend to wear a special black dress. I would also like the background to be dark. This would bring more attention to the color of the violin. At the location of my photoshoot, I have access to a spotlight that could highlight the person.
The challenge to create a storyboard would be trying to figure out the layout of the paper. I needed to be able to fit the magazine title into the restraints of the paper without any overflow. Author James Higgins said, “Storyboarding is a structured exercise based on brainstorming. You can use it in all stages of the problem-solving process, but it's especially helpful for generating alternatives and choosing among them.” I was able to use my creativity and ideas through brainstorming to complete my storyboard.
I enjoyed looking through different fonts to find one that would suit the elements of my magazine. I also enjoyed coloring and coordinating fonts throughout my magazine.
Creating a storyboard helped me better visualize my magazine and layout. I was able to precisely place and edit my ideas onto paper. Author Annemaree O'Brien said “Planning is a crucial part of the pre-production process. You need to have a STORY OUTLINE, a SCRIPT, and a STORYBOARD before you can begin shooting.” With my storyboard, I was able to accurately present my ideas for my magazine before my final product.
A change I made to my storyboard that is different from my concept refinement would be the masthead. I changed my masthead from The Affluent Octave to The Elevated Octave because I simply enjoyed the later title better. This new title better addressed my targeted audience, the wealthy classical music listeners. I also eventually changed my selling line to "The world's most prestigious classical music magazine" to draw in a more expensive audience.
