First Hurdle Extra Photos

The Band has kindly given us previous taken pictures of themselves to use in addition with the pictures that Kerri and I are going to take of them later in the week. These can be options to use on the double page spread or contents page.

First Hurdle Interview

Q1. How/Why did you get started in the Music scene and what have you been doing to get you to the point you are at currently?

Well, I have always been a big music fan and I have always thought how awesome it would be to be in a band. I think it was probably after last summer where I went to a ton of gigs when I just thought “fuck it, if I want to be in a band, let’s do it!”. So I got some mates together and started writing some songs. We have been through a few lineup changes since then but I think they were all for the better. After that I just spent entire days emailing venues until one or two would give us a gig.

Q2. Who are you influences and why?

I think as a whole the band is influenced by Nirvana, they are probably one of the bands we can all agree on. Apart from that we are all influenced by rather different styles of music. Will and Joe are influenced by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and more indie stuff where as Ryan tends to listen to heavier music and I listen to punk. I think that’s a good thing though because for example, with our old line up to be honest we just sounded like a Green Day tribute band which is not original. Personally though I’m influenced by bands like Sum 41, Foo Fighters and Green Day, not only because I think their music is great but I love what they are all about.

Q3.So what are you working on right now, is there anything we can look forward to in the near future?

Well, we are going back into the studio during the summer to record some of our new songs. Our old demo is ok, but we put it together rather quickly and like I said we sounded like a Green Day tribute band back then. The vocals for example sound 100 times better now so I’m really excited about getting the new tracks recorded. We are also set to be pretty gig heavy over July and September so I encourage anyone who lives in Surrey to come and check us out!

Q4. This is a two-part question:

a) One thing we’d like to know is how do you connect with your fan base? What platforms do you use and are these working for you?

The main thing has to be Facebook but Sound Cloud has also been rather essential. The other day we got a load of listens from Greece and Denmark which was rather un-expected. ReverbNation has also helped. We have a MySpace page but it is rather unloved. I think all the other sites that are available are a lot better than MySpace now anyway. We also try to talk to the fans after the gigs. I hate bands that even though they are still unsigned act all cocky and refuse to really talk to their fans.

And secondly

b) What are you doing that you believe makes you stand out from the crowd?

I think we have a sense of fun that not all bands have. We really like to show how we don’t take ourselves that seriously. We don’t think of ourselves as some sort of bad ass band. We just really enjoy what we do and I hope that stands out when we play.

Q5. Where are you currently getting exposure? How do you aim to increase/maximize this?

Most our gigs provided for us down at Guildford Community Centre by Theory Project Revolution have been great for exposure and we are very thankful for them. I think our local fan base is getting pretty good and so when we feel that has peaked I have been planning on launching a Facebook ad campaign. Hopefully that will get us some fans from all over the country. Apart from that though it’s really just about continuing to play gigs and continuing to play well.

Q6. Thank you for taking the time out to do this interview with us! Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers?

Please become a fan of us on facebook at www.facebook.com/firsthurdle ! You can listen to our old demo there but like I said earlier it is merely a shadow of what we are now. We will be recording the new tracks soon. If you live in Surrey please come down to one of our gigs to and come check us out! We would love to see you there!

KERRI AND I WILL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH THE BRAND AND ADDING MORE QUESTIONS AND DEPTH TO THE INTERVIEW

Extra Pictures

Below are pictures that Kerri found from festivals she attended in the summer which could be incorporated into our contents page.

ACM- The Academy of Contemporary Music

We were inspired by the style of images incorporated into the ACM website. Kerri and I want to try and get clear action shots as shown above to put on the magazine cover, contents page and main spread. 

Double Page Spread Layout

Here are two examples that Kerri and I liked due to the originality with the pictures/background.

NME: colour scheme black,white and red

The headline of this double page spread is a quote from the text from Lily Allen's interview which draws the reader in. The image of Lily Allen is very large and striking and direct address draws the readers in and captures their attention.

The article is split into 4 columns which is started by a drop capital which lets the reader know where to start reading. The article is aimed at teenagers as it is from the magazine NME. The stand first tells the reader what the article is about and the by-line tells us the journalist and photographer.

RWD MAGAZINE: colour scheme, yellow,white  and black

Code and Conventions of a double page spread:

• One large image - usually direct address
• Large quotes - on pictures / in headline / to break up text
• Drop capital and bold text - shows reader where to start reading
• Byline - gives credit to journalist / photographer
• Large headline 
• Simple colour scheme - magazine's colours 
• Easy to read font
• Stand first - introduces the article, positioned under the headline
• Strap line - very top, including subject matter
• Personality of journalist comes through - informal 

Fusion CoverPage Brainstorming

Forms and Conventions for Music Magazine

 Busy and Vibrant Colours

 Images tend to be large on the cover page and often masculine

 The masthead normally interacts with the model ( overlaps)

 Model must hold the gaze of the viewer( advertising the magazine)

 Short and memorable tittle

 Large and Clear Font

 Colour Scheme throughout

 

Contents Pages Examples

Here are three examples of Music Magazine Contents page. These can help guide us to plan out Fusions.

In Q's I like the look of having a big photo in the top right corner aligned with Fusions headline. Kerri and I will want to incorporate this style into our cover page with a picture of the First Hurdle.

In the Band Index I found it hard to follow along and differentiate which pictures go along with each headline. It was not well organised as Q's, however I like how they categorised the headlines into NEWS, REVIEWS, GIGS and FEATURES.

In Drummer the numbering and labelling is very clear by using a different coloured font, and labelling the pictures with the number of the headline to which it relates too. This is a technique that will be included in Fusion.

First Hurdle Photoshoot and Interview

Friday the 27th of January- Going to meet First Hurdle at 7:30pm to take pictures for the cover and contents page. We will also hold an interview that can be used on the first page spread, we will ask the following questions:

How did the band form? or Give me a brief history of the band?
This question will help the readers of Fusion to become familiar with the bands history.


How do you normally go about the song writing process. Is there a particular subject matter that the band sings about?
Gives the reader a deeper understanding of the personal sentiments and ideas of the band.


When and where was your last concert? Tell us about your fans


Who are your favourite musicians and why?
Give insight to readers of which artists inspire punk rock bands.


When is the next performance? Tell us about it
Gives the reader of an idea of what to look forward to from First Hurdle

Fusion Magazine Draft

Brainstorming the Layout for the magazine.
Experimenting with what topics to include on the cover page itself.
We do realise that these following covers are not detailed enough for a final product. These are examples of us playing around with the covers.

HANDWRITTEN and PHOTOSHOPPED VERSION

First Hurdle Image

This Image inspired me to have the same positioning in this photo for my cover page. The lighting and background would be changed however. This is the band being featured, 'First Hurdle'

Magazine Cover Draft-Fusion