Powtoon Ta research on final pages

Organisation of costumes, make-up and props for photo shoots 1,2 and 3

For my first photo shoot my model wore a black t shirt, denim jeans and a belt with a large buckle. I used the plain black t shirt and denim jeans because I thought it was very conventional and modern for a country magazine. I used a belt with a large buckle because it is very conventional towards theme of western magazines. The props that he used was an acoustic guitar which is an indexical sign for country music, because usually people relate an acoustic guitar to country music, so the guitar keeps conventions.

For my second photo shoot my male models wore a plain t shirt, denim jeans and a check shirt over the top and my female models wore either denim trousers/skirt, a fury coat or a check shirt. These clothes are very conventional and modern. The girls had their hair platted or curly because these hair styles are conventional and will appeal to a male audience. The props that were used were a a banjo, a microphone and an acoustic guitar. The banjo was my favorite prop because it was different, fun, conventional and could relate to my TA a lot.

My third photo shoot has a male in it and he is wearing a check shirt, denim jeans and a plain white t shirt. I felt these would be very conventional and would suit my TA because the check shirt was colourful and appealing. He had an acoustic guitar and a bit of straw in his mouth, which are both iconic signs of country and western.

Organisation of models for photo shoots 1,2 and 3

For photo shoot 1 (front cover) I used Olly because he is a very stylish person so he can relate and appeal to males but also his looks can appeal to females so there would be a mixture of genders buying the magazine. The photo was taken at the wreck in Brigg because it had a lot of open space and it had trees that I could use for my background so the image would focus on Olly. I wanted Olly to gaze at the camera so my magazine would support the theory of Mulvey "the male gaze" so his look would appeal to a female audience.

For my second photo shoot (contents page) I used a mixture of studio and outside picture so it is a bit different and not all the same. I have used a mix of male and female models so it can relate to both genders male and female. The poses that my models are pulling are different in each picture so it shows a range of different skills and shots. For my contents I use a couple of the models twice because I use them as solo artists and them in the same image in a group.

The photo for my DPS is taken in a studio and will fill half of my DPS which follows conventions. I will cut around the image and have the picture of Olly with no background. I have Olly looking over his shoulder gazing at the reader, which creates direct address with them because it is like they are looking right at them.

Equipment for photo shoots 1,2 and 3

For photo shoot 1 and 2 (front cover and contents page) I used the:

• Camera tripod- I used this because it keeps the camera steady so the quality of the picture is better.
• Camera- I used a top quality camera to take the photos so the picture quality is perfect.

I booked the camera and tripod out a few days in advance for both so I made sure I had a camera ready for when I needed it. However for photo shoot 2 I also used artificial lighting because it was taken in a studio so I wanted to make sure the picture was lit up correctly and so it looked more appealing.

Photo shoot plan 3 was taken in a studio so again I used artificial lighting, a camera tripod, a camera and a blank white wall so there was no distractions from the main image. Also it was easier to take photos from different angles, which made the image look more effective.  

Official front cover draft 1

This was my first draft of my front cover. I have changed this because I did not like the masthead; it was not detailed enough and I do not like how all the letters are not filled in with colour. I also feel that it is not detailed enough to suit my TA because my TA is aimed at teenagers. I also feel that the colour of the headline does not suit the style of the magazine. I also think that the background should be blurred so the main focus is on Olly. Finally I don't like how his face is not airbrushed because it does not follow conventions. I decided to change the image idea that I had in my plan because I thought that if I wanted to connect with a female audience then I need to focus on Olly's looks more than anything.

contents background

I like this as a background for my contents page. It develops the country rustic feel of the magazine and creates synergy with the front cover and dps. 

Dps write up draft [plan]

Media

Dps plan

1. New group[4]
2. Upcoming star[3]
3. Girlfriend tori Kelly[17]
4. Background [1]
5. Tour dates[7]
6. New album[14]
7. Interview quotes[9]
8. Dropped capital
9. New single[13]
10. Gone solo[6]
11. Sings and plays guitar as well as drums[19]
12. Awards [5]
13. What country he performs in [8]
14. Where he performs [9]
15. Quotes from other people[11]
16. Idols
17. Fan base[18]
18. Social media[16]
19. How he came to fame[2]
20. Family [10]
21. Pull quotes[12]

Actual dps

Oliver Tandon or should I say Olly T! is the new big thing in the country music industry. He is an Indian lad who was born in England. He became fascinated with all music when he was 7 years old and pushed himself to play the drums. He grew up in a small unknown town, in North Lincolnshire and attended the local school where he improved on his drumming skills. He took music at GCSE and overall got an A* mainly because of his drumming and guitar playing skills which inspired him to become a musician.

He went on to become the number 3 guitarist in the country and got a job singing and playing his guitar and drums in a local pub called The White Horse. He then went on to Manchester University to study music for two years, until he finally got his degree. This just shows anything is possible. Oliver joined a band called ‘Different Oceans’ where he was the drummer. They won 3 awards including breakthrough band of the year 2015. After two years of playing in the band he decided that he wanted to pursue in his guitar playing, so he went solo singing. He was taken on by ex-country star Billy Ray Cyrus who described him as “The next me [Billy Ray Cyrus] but better!” Over the past year Oliver Tandon, who goes by the name of Olly T, produced the number 2 Country Album of the year, which included hits such as “Cowgirl” and “Passionate Summers”.  

When asked “Who inspired you to become a country singer?” he replied “Well all my life I have been intrigued by the work of Johnny Cash. The song Ring of Fire gave me chills and in my room when I was alone I would dance and sing to his whole album! Haha”

This just shows that you can live up to your idols and your dreams. The interviewer Ben Foster had this to say about him “Oliver…I mean Olly T haha is such a great guy, he is very down to earth and shares the same interests as any teenager. I hope that he goes on to do great things, because I really do believe in him” This just goes to show that this kid has great potential.

Olly is in the line up to get the award for the best country musician. He is up there along with Carrie Underwood and pop cowgirl Taylor Swift. However even though he is new to the country singing life, he is leading the race to the number one spot. He is the most talked about on Facebook, Blogger and Twitter where big stars such as Gary Barlow who tweeted “OMG! You need to hear this new lad called Olly T. He is only 17 years old and he blows my breath away. I mean I have never felt so much emotion in someone’s singing. This guy WILL GO FAR! #OllyTalltheway” This got 2000 re tweets and 4570 likes, which tells us that he has the public behind him.

One girl posted on Facebook a picture of her and Olly T hugging after one of his gigs and post title was, “I love Olly, can’t believe I got to meet him. He is well fit, his cheeks are the most adorable things ever. We will get married someday haha”. He is not only famous from his singing but from his looks as well, very cheeky!

Now listen up! Particularly the girls. Olly T has released his tour dates and where they will be. He is performing all over the UK between the 1st of March and the 21st of January. He will be performing at amazing places such Manchester Arena, O2 arena and Wembley stadium. He has acts such as Arctic Monkeys, The Vamps, Train, Tori Kelly, Disclosure and many more big names. He has been named as a “must see!” act by The Daily Times and even The Sun has given him 5 stars for his performances. So you must go!  This will be his second solo tour of his career and he aims to do twice as good.

Even though Olly has risen rapidly to fame, we found out from his interview with ITV he still goes back to his home town and performs in local pubs and parks. “Even though I am going up in the world, I never forget where I’m from and I catch up with the lads and even perform back at home. Then my mum cooks me up a toasty roast dinner haha”.

He has even performed for the Duchess of Cambridge, who said “I am not a huge fan of country music, but I was fascinated by this young boy. He blew me away”. There is even talk of him performing on the X Factor next year. So far he has only performed in the UK, however in 2016 he will be performing all over Europe in countries such as Germany, France, Spain and even outside Europe where he hopes to make it big in the USA!

The second name Tandon is not unfamiliar; his dad was also a star in the music industry. Pav Tandon, was highly known for his Bhangra music back in India. He also won awards for songs such as “Punjabi Skies” and “Praying”. He met Olly’s mum when he came to England to pursue his career as an author. His mum’s name is, Sue who is a teacher at the local primary school. They met when Mo went into her school to talk to the children about one of his new books, then had their first child Rory a year later. Rory is now 25 and is studying at Manchester University, preparing to become a journalist. They had Olly 8 years after Rory and his father was a big influence on him getting into music.  

Olly has just released a new music single “Sunshine in the rainforest” which he hopes will be top of the country music charts by the end of the week. The song is currently placed 5th in the charts behind the likes of Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton. In a previous interview we asked Olly about his new song and he had this to say “The song is about me really, how the unexpected happened. I didn’t expect to be sitting in a chair talking to you a year ago and now hear I am”

This song is just one of many from his new album “Broken Ladders” which again reflects his journey. The album consists of 13 songs and is available to pre-order on ITunes. Even though it has not yet been released, it is number 3 in the album charts. Wow!

Billy Ray Cyrus noticed Olly T after he posted the song “Cowgirl” on YouTube and it got over 3000 likes in an hour! He also had a page on Facebook where he would post himself doing covers of other songs like “The cave” by Mumford and sons, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift and “Bruises” by Train. These songs were often shared by his friends and family on Facebook so the videos quickly spread around the country for others to see.   

If you thought it couldn’t get better for this lad…then you’re wrong. He also has his own fan page and is going out with pop princess ‘Tori Kelly’ who is famous for her work with Professor Green and the song “Lullaby” which was popular in the UK charts. Olly and Tori have been going out for about 4 weeks now and there is even rumours that they are preparing to release a Christmas song together. So sorry girls he is taken.

Pull quote

“No matter where you are in life, you can still fulfil your dreams”

“If you thought it couldn’t get better for this lad…then you’re wrong”