Practical Production 1

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Eleanor Lotswood's performance at the royal Variety in 2015 left the world in awe of her angelic voice and elegant nature. Dressed in a glorious white lace gown, which daringly displayed areas of her feminine curves. Lots wood stood before Prince Charles and audience and silenced the venue with the miraculous twitters and turns of her new single, 'Hollywood Temptation'.

Today, though, Lotswood is dreaming of the familiarity of home, as she embarks on her 2016 world tour, visiting destinations from Tokyo, to Northern America, to Dubai and all the way back home to London again. ‘I want to inspire and entertain,’ she exclaims cheerfully, whilst fiddling with her thumbs, ‘females aren’t given enough recognition in this industry and that needs to be changed. We’re deemed as these constantly hysteric and emotional beings and males are given all of prestige for being sexualised and bad, but as soon as a girl moves towards that area of music, it is deemed as incorrect, or it’s frowned up. That’s not okay.’ She gazes, elegantly out of the window as she considers her previous statement.

Ever since Eleanor Lotswood released her debut album, Scarlett Letters & Honeysweet Valentines, Lotswood has dominated the musical industry with the dark, soulfully seductive lyrics of her 12 beautiful tracks, beating the likes of Beyoncé and Justin Bieber to #1 for numerous weeks in a row! It seems that Hollywood Temptation fuelled everyone’s dying autumn days and made an appearance on pretty much every existing relaxed playlist. I question her on this. ‘I think that Hollywood Temptation is a very wholesome song. It expands and imprints everyone who hears it, no matter what their situation or background… And I think that was what I wanted to achieve with that piece. My experience writing the song was very spiritual and I can be certain when I tell you that I put my mind and my heart into those lyrics. It’s honesty really hit home and it was challenging to expose myself in that way. To be frank, I was opening myself up to an audience who I didn’t know, because it was my first song. I had no idea how people were going to interpret my music, or me, so the reaction I received really touched me and welcomed me into the industry that I’ve been dreaming of joining since I was a young girl.’ Lotswood is firm within every element of what she says. You could perhaps deem her as one of the most openly honest people you could ever have the pleasure to meet. I admire her defined collarbones that appear to outline the femininity of her shoulders, travelling down her slender arms, and finally meeting her delicate, young hands. There is no ring. ‘I believe that marriage should only occur if you trust in the fact that your soul is intertwined with your other half’s for life. Now, my soul is intertwined with my music and the community that I reach with my lyrics. I don’t particularly like to view those who enjoy my music and I as fans. They are my family as I love them unconditionally, and my soul will be ever grateful for their love and support. It is an eternal love, and that is why I must pursue my music before delving into the soul of another, and finding peace within them. There are points in life that you must never take for granted, like the place I am in now. But whatever happens, happens, and I must go in the direction that God steers me. Everything happens for a reason, of course.’

Some, however, are ever curious about Lotswood herself and are yet to get to know her, due to her recent emergence leaving the world surprised that a talent so beautiful could have been hidden from us for so long. I ask her, if she were to describe herself in a single sentence to those who are less knowledgeable of her, what would it be? ‘hmmm… that’s an interesting question honey. I’d say, a spiritually touched romantic princess, with all the class and femininity of Marilyn, and a hint of rock and roll. *Laughs, yes, I think that just about sums me up.’ Lotswood then goes on to mention how she came to acquire these attributes; ‘ my mother raised me on rock and roll, and as a single mother she was by far the biggest influence in my life, but I believe that is what a mother should be. I didn’t have a father figure, and I was an only child, so I believe that this raised me as strong and fairly independent. Of course the princess element comes from my mother being my only queen and therefore me (as the only child) being her princess!’

‘And how about the class and femininity of Marilyn?’ I question.

‘Oh, my mother always raised me to be classy and respect myself as well as all others. I believe that you should treat others how you’d like to be treated yourself. It’s a known fact, as well as a rule I like to live by, that all religions base themselves on the teaching that reads, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ I love this, and I believe the way I go about my daily life, as well as my professional life, relates to this, due to my upbringing and the religious influences that my mother placed upon me. The Marilyn reference all comes down to her comfort within her body and the inspiration she was to many, many others. I mean, I am not skinny. I’m not calling myself overweight, no, definitely not, nor would I define myself as fat. But I am comfortable and I would not change myself in the slightest for anyone other than myself. Society has so many expectations on males as well as females. If I could apply that element of inspiration to the audience I attract in the way that Marilyn did, then that would be beautiful to me, and I would pride myself upon that.’

Several hours after meeting the fabulous Eleanor Lotswood, I am reflecting on her character and the presence she brought to the interview. If you were one of those who were clueless as to her character and her music, I’d comment that the lack of her music that is in your life is leaving a gap within your iTunes/Spotify library, and that her character brings an almost heavenly and spiritual presence into the room. She could positively define the term ‘angelic’, and I am eternally grateful to have had the upmost pleasure to meet and converse with her.

Eleanor Lotswood is a shooting star on the brink of her worldwide domination of the music industry, and I would deem her and her lyrical gold as a blessing to this cruel world.

Masthead Ideas

In order to explore the options/ideas I put forward for a name of my magazine, I created a prezi, presenting my 3 most favourite ideas, whilst discussing what I liked/disliked about them and why. This allowed me to weigh out my options and determine which one would be best suited over the others and why. I have embedded this press below:

Choosing a Font

I have browsed both the internet and the computer for font that will be used as my masthead. As the name of my magazine is Velvet, this will be the font that presents this title. I will paste below the several fonts that I have selected:

Once I had selected these fonts, I decided that it would be best to acquire the opinions of my peers, who fit perfectly into my target audience. Therefore, I placed an image into a group conversation on  Facebook with some of these people and requested them to select their favorite option. I will paste screenshots of my results below:

It appeared that the most preferred fonts were the 2nd (Code) and 4th fonts (Vonique 92). Therefore, I inputted them into the image that I'd like to use on my cover and edited them in order to create the appearance of the final product. This is what I produced:

Overall, I particularly liked both fonts for a variety of different reasons. I believe that Vonique 92 appeared to have a diverse feel and added an interesting element to the magazine, however, Code was clear and simple whilst completely fitting the target audience of my magazine. Therefore, I believe that, unless I find something more in favour than my current selection, I will be using the font, Code.

This Session...

This session I plan on continuing to edit my images from my photo shoot in order to achieve the red, white and black theme that I desire for my magazine, however, firstly I plan on finding a font in order to prepare me for creating a realistic cover. To do so, I will find several fonts that I like and narrow it down, with the help of friends, in order to tailor it to my target audience.

January Plan

Last month was reasonably laid back, due to my focus being on getting my product perfect. From here I will be focusing on my evaluation questions and ensuring my blog is up to date:
- Evaluation Question 1 Research and Answer
- Evaluation Question 2 Research and Answer

Both answers must be media rich.

Photoshoot Planning: Practice Images

Photoshoot Planning

What emotional impact do you want your photography to have upon the reader? how will you achieve this impact? why have you chosen this particular impact? what effect will it have on the reader?

I want my photographs to connote a dramatic feel. I also want the model to look intense to portray that serious feeling, allowing them to believe that they are going to get a serious and thorough insight of the artist. I also want them to feel emotionally effected by the way in which the images will relate to the DPS article, this will create a connection between the artist/artist's music and the audience, allowing my magazine to feel like a gateway into gathering an enhanced understanding of the lyrics. When the audience observe the image I use, they will bare in mind the article and will view the face behind the music, creating this connection and making them feel more in touch with the music that I use. This will be a desirable quality of my magazine, as they will be encouraged to purchase further issues of the magazine in order to create this connection with artists in these issues.

What personnel do you need? who are you going to photograph? why have you chosen this person?
I have chosen to photograph one of my close friends. My friend has a history in modeling and belongs to an agency, meaning she is the perfect fit for a model as she is experienced and maintains a professional look. I believe her model physique also gives her a different look to other people who I may have photographed. She is very beautiful, creating a desirable feel with the females of my target audiences through aspiration, and with the males of my target audience through the male gaze.

What props will you need? why have you chosen these props? how will they be used?
I have not chosen a prop to use. In terms of my magazine's theme, something within the image is generally going to be red, so I am currently considering if a prop is required for the image. I if decide that I'd like to use a prop, I will most likely use something in the shade of red, for example, a rose. However, I believe I will choose against using a prop as I already have a plan for the use of red within the image and I'd imagine a prop along with what I am planning (will be explained in next question) will create a crowded and undesirable feel.

How are you going to emphasize colour? what color are you using? what areas of the photos will be this colour?
The main color theme that is going to run through my magazine is black and white with areas of red. This means that the image I am going to use will be in black and white, differing to other magazine's with their normal colored images. However, my magazine's images will incorporate some areas of red to fit to it's own theme and to add something different to the magazine. To add this area of red, I am going to be using red body glitter around the model's eyes. This glitter will then be dragged out to the hairline above the ear. This alongside the harsh brow make up and facial contouring will add a dramatic feel to the make up look. The image will be printed in black and white but the glitter around the eyes will be red. I believe this adds a lot of attention to the eyes, which will be looking directly at the camera, addressing the audience with a chocolate box pose. This creates an inclusive feel, encouraging the reader to purchase the magazine. Also, this area of red will be alongside the important areas of the magazine, for example the name of the magazine, and cover lines. This sense of importance associated with the red color will transfer across to the eyes of the model, creating a sense of importance in the model, therefore the magazine, a quality that I desire my magazine to have.

Have you briefed your personnel/models? how have you organized the photoshoot? 

       

What lighting will you need? any equipment?
I am going to be using a low key lighting for my image as I believe this fit in with the black and white theme and adds a really dramatic feel, like the feel I want my image to portray. I believe this will fully contrast the red glitter, and make it stand out against the rest of the image, drawing the audience's eyes to the artist's eyes. To do this I will need to maintain a set up like the image right, and also turn the flash right down so that the lighting does not blow out my model. In terms of my camera, I must minimize the light entering the camera whilst not making everything look dark. This will involve setting a low ISO, in order for the flash to incorporate the more desired areas of the model into the image.

Where will you shoot? will you need a backdrop?
I have booked the photography studio in the David Puttnam Media Center at Sunderland University (St Peters Campus) as it is a professional venue, with equipment that will aid me in taking the ideal photo. The suite is booked for an hour on the 27th November from 3pm-4pm. I will use a plain backdrop in the shoot as this will be ideal for my image.

How will the model appear? make-up? costume?
My model will be wearing a larger black blazer, with a black bralet beneath it. She will then be wearing plain black trousers and black heeled boots. I believe this adds an element of class, glamour and femininity, whilst incorporating a dominant facial expression to portray the feeling that females are powerful. In terms of make-up, I have briefly covered the use of red glitter within the model's make up, but I am also going to us harsh contouring in order to define her face and create a serious expression. The model's brows are going to be considerably prominent in order to add to this dramatic feel. I am going to wet the model's hair and have it straight, slick down an damp, to create an older, sophisticated and dramatic feel. 

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