Change Of Plan (CoP) -- Main Article

Taiye Selasi

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

  I've recently been inspired by the likes of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Taiye Selasi, both extremely talented and intelligent authors who I look at as great examples and ambassadors for west Africa. Two years ago I stumbled across Adichie whilst selecting a book to create a book report for, I was intrigued by the fact that she was Igbo (like me) and I decided to read her novel Purple Hibiscus. A few weeks ago I came across her TED Talk which I thoroughly enjoyed, I also came across the trailer for the film Half Of A Yellow Sun which is based on her second novel (Half Of A Yellow Sun), additionally I've selected the book I plan to read after I've finished reading the book I'm currently reading (Selasi's debut novel Ghana Must Go), it's Adichie's latest novel Americanah.

  The first time I came across Selasi was when I read her article in ELLE magazine's October issue (her article was my favourite feature of that issue). Whilst looking online for potential books to read I found Selasi's book and this prompted me to do a little research and by doing so I discovered that she's had a variety of articles and essays published. Most insightful was her essay "Bye-Bye Barbar (Or What Is An Afropolitan?)" which I admired as it defines the emerging generations of Africans or those of African descent who can, in the words of Selasi, be identified by their "funny blend of London fashion, New York jargon, African ethics, and academic successes.".

  With regards to my CoP, I'm currently drafting the concept for my main article. I want to stick to a more tradition style so instead of my proposed article, I plan to create a profile-piece centered on a fictional blogger who is inspired by the likes of Adichie and Selasi and others of the same calibre.

• Adichie: "Purlpe Hibiscus" Book
• Adichie: TED Talk
• "Half Of A Yellow Sun" Trailer
• Adichie: "Half Of A Yellow Sun" Book
• Adichie: "Americanah" Book
• Selasi: "Ghana Must Go" Book
• Selasi: "Bye-Bye Barbar" Essay

Test Shoot -- Main Image & Cover

  I carried out my first test shoot today and I'm extremely happy that I did because the test shoot has given me an idea I'd like to test at a later date.

  The test shoot was informed by the mood board below. Originally I wanted the hands and arms painted black however I like how the painted black gloves (in the test shoot) look and I also like how the camera captured the light that's reflecting off the gloves. My favourite shot from the shoot is the image in the centre and when I carry out my next test shoot I'd like to use longer gloves and possibly a different type of paint to see whether I can find a paint that looks better than the paint I used today. I also need to become more comfortable with the Digital SLR camera, as I got quite a few shots that are out of focus.

Media Language -- Interview

In preparation for my article I've started to look at print interviews and the language that is used. I've looked at two interviews from Time magazine featuring actor Terrence Howard and actress Whoopi Goldberg and picked out a few features that are techniques used when conducting or creating a print interview. I plan on using these feature when conducting my interviews and when writing up my article. For instance the use of open-ended questions or statements followed by a question (like the examples I've highlighted in the Time magazine articles above). I want to do this so that when it comes to writing up my article I'll have a good amount of responses to work with.

Target Audience Questionnaire -- TAQ

I've created a questionnaire made up of ten questions in order to understand audiences (most especially my target audience: young adults aged 18-24) and to collect information and opinions that I can take into consideration when in the production stage of my magazine. When creating the questionnaire I really wanted to know what people thought about magazines that are free. I know that I have my opinions on free magazines due to the fact I've read free magazines with good content (i.e. Fabulous and Live Magazine) and free magazines with not-so-good content (i.e. Lewisham Life). The question I asked was:  Do you believe that there is any stigma attached to magazines that are free? I asked this because I wanted a rough idea of how many people believed there was a stigma attached to free magazines and if so why? And what can I do to rectify this for my magazine?

Good Weekend -- Cover Layout Analysis

I like the use of contrast in colour for this cover. The darkness of the background and Annie Leibovitz's (cover model) shirt, against her skin connotes mystery and suggests that she has a good story. It makes her seem intriguing therefore the cover seems intriguing, so ultimately the issue seems intriguing, prompting anyone who saw this cover to pick up this magazine.

I like that the power of the main image is not overwhelmed by a lot of text, cover lines and colour which would make the cover too busy. The masthead and cover lines being on one side makes the cover look clean and makes it easy to read. Additionally, the use of the feature colour for the word "PLUS" is good as it differentiates the main article from the other articles that are in the issue.

Research: Brown Sugar -- Interview

The beginning of the film features an interview with hip-hop greats such as Common, Method Man, Jermaine Dupri etc. and they all answer the question "When did you first fall in love with hip-hop?". I like how the individuals interviews have been edited together because it produces one story - one narrative. I hope to achieve this when I begin to construct my article after I've completed my interviews.

Whilst watching the beginning of Brown Sugar and reflecting on the articles I've read that feature interviews with more than one person, I noticed a difference in the creation of a piece based on interviews for print and film. In film, when editing together what people have had to say, putting together clips of people saying the same thing/giving the same response, has an effect. It emphasises the prevalence of whatever is being said. However, I haven't seen this applied to print pieces or articles, suggesting that it doesn't have the same effect. Most probably because an audience can't receive the feeling, opinion or emotion that is trying to be put across by reading an article based on interviews, it may only be received when an audience is listening or watching something based on interviews.