Model Release Forms

My Weekly Monotoring Blog – 26th January 2012

I did not set myself a huge amount of work for this week due to the fact that I had two big exams in other subjects. This meant that I had to give myself time to revise and prepare, as well as including the time of media lessons that I have missed due to the exam and lesson times overlapping. The tasks I did leave myself in my schedule were experimenting in Photoshop with my images and creating a rough draft of the layout for my magazines. I was meant to carry on working on the layouts all week, ready for insertion of text and images.

I have struggled to keep focused on my media project this week, in all honesty because of the pressure of my exams for other subjects. However, I have managed to create rough drafts of the layout and inserted some images to get a better idea of what the pages overall will look like in the end.

I feel confident that I will be able to keep up to date, as once my exams are over, I will have complete concentration on my media work. The Northern Echo may be concerned about my progress, that may result in me being left behind. However, I am sure that they will understand and am determined to meet my deadlines.

Front Cover and Contents Page Photoshoot

Here are the images taken for my front cover and contents page. The pose of my model is essential to the overall image of my magazine and to attract my target audience. My model needs to be confident and looking directly at the camera. To make sure I was ready for this photoshoot, I researched some poses and got my model to recreate them in my photoshoot for the front cover and contents page. Here are the poses researched against the poses of my model. I was happy with the outcome of the image.

I particularly liked Katy Perry's pose on the front cover of Cosmopolitan. This magazine is a magazine that I aim to be similar too, with a very similar target audience to mine which suggests that this image is a success with the audience. The model looks very confident and very sure of herself, which is something my target audience will be looking for. The pose is also flattering to her figure and will encourage my audience to aim to be like her. My model matched this pose very well and also looks like someone my audience will aspire to be like. I took photos of this pose in both outfits, to give myself a choice.

The second image was also from Cosmopolitan. This model looks very confident, looks directly at the reader, helping to intergrate them into my magazine. The hands on the hip stance is very effective and is flattering for their figures. I like this image.

I like this pose as it is quite fun and flirty. My model recreated the olden days pose well and looks good. My target audience would admire these images as the models look confident and have good figures in their costumes.

This pose is for my contents page. The image that I chose to model the pose off was infact from a contents page itself and I thought it looked very effective. The text will wrap my model on the right-hand side which I think looks very trendy and stylish. I took some other photos similar to this which may also be used, as they look quite good. I am pleased with all of these photos.

I like how my models hair is laid out on the floor. I particurlary like the bottom image as it is more from a birds-eye angle. I believe my front cover, contents page will be very effective in the end.

My Weekly Monitoring Blog – 19th January 2012

In my schedule I had left some time available to make any contingency photoshoot times. This was a good idea as it turned out that I did have to use this time to capture more material for use in my final product. I had to organise another photoshoot for the images I will use as my front cover and contents page. My homework was to decide if contingency shoots were necessary and arrange them. I had to make new call sheets for my model (this only required one model), so that she was aware of what was happening in this photoshoot. Because this was later, it gave me time to do more research into the image I want, the type of poses I want and the front cover styles that I want.  Because this is an hour and a half lesson on Monday, I also did the basic editing on the images, rotating and cropping them, so that they are ready to work with. On Tuesday I said I would begin more in-depth photographic post production and on Wednesday, I was going to cut out my images from their backgrounds and create my masthead creation. Due to the change in the order of events, I decided to wait until I had all of my images to create contact sheets. I have now finished this, this week too. Unfortunately at the end of this week, I had an exam in a different subject so I had to focus on that and give some time for revision.

I feel I am getting on top of my work and just need to completely finish everything so far. I feel that I am on track and have enough time to complete my project. I believe that The Northern Echo would be pleased with how my work is developing as I am staying on task and have given myself enough time, so that the set back of having to rearrange my photoshoot has not affected my production.

Throughout my project and when looking at my flat plans, I was always unsure as to what colour I want my front cover to be. I have decided to go with a black background and black clothing with white and red writing to create a three colour scheme. I thought this would be very effective on a young and stylish audience but wasn't sure if it was a bit too dark to catch my target audience. However, after some research, I discovered that fashion magazines in fact do use black backgrounds with the colours white and red to contrast and it is actually very effective. I even found this style of magazine published by Vogue and Cosmopolitan, my two role model magazines. This has given me the confidence to go ahead with my original idea and the confidence that it will be successful when going into publication. I originally liked the idea because it was different and looks very sophisticated and dramatic. I would definately buy these magazines based on their looks.

and if I decide that the red is a bit too dark and not very feminine, I could always swap it for pink, like the magazines below. This doesn't lose any effectiveness.

 

Comparing the flat plan of my magazine to the above, it does not look out of place and looks just as good. This research has really made me happier with my product.

Contact Sheets - 'A Night To Remember' Location Shots

 As you can see, I have numbered the photographs I intend to use as first choice in my project. Numbers 0-2 are close up images of the details on the dress and the jewellery that will typically be worn at prom. I took these images so I had options when it came to creating my double page spread. Numbers 3 and 15 are images with a grassy background, which is often the case in prom photos. I like these photos as they show the dress style off but also look fitting for my article. 5-7 are all images with my models against a car that could be longer than it is on the way I have taken the photo, potentially being a limousine, the type of car commonly used at proms. Images 10 and 11 show my model in a white dress against a black shiny door. I think this is quite effective and is inkeeping with my colour scheme. I am particuarly proud of images 8, 9, 13 and 14 as they look proffessional, exciting, bright and also represent Britain, connotating a proud sense of our country.

Contact Sheet - Sunway Runway

 

a)     As you can see, in the first couple of photos I took for my “Sunway Runway” photo-shoot, the lighting needed adjustments as it was simply too bright, especially on the left-hand side of the image. This was good for me assessing the lighting and altering it so I could get the photos I wanted from there-on out.

b)     Whilst I managed to get the lighting better for the following images, I realised that the ‘scene-setters’ used in the background weren’t going to be very effective and would only reflect the light and look unprofessional so I decided to take them down and do without.

c)      I particularly like this image as each of my models are at a different height in the picture, reasonably close together and set out in a way that I think works. They are smiling and looking at each other in this image so it does not look unnatural or posed and will help give my target audience the impression desired.

d)     I particularly like this image of Beth on the towel as her pose is nice and relaxed, showing off her outfit and using the colour yellow throughout the props (towel/flowers)

e)      I like these photos mainly for the poses of my model. Ashleigh looks relaxed, happy and excited. I like that her arms are in the air and it reflects the exciting summer party time that I am after. This is a potential image for my final document.

f)        I tried to capture Ashleigh throwing her hat in the air. I was advised that this was almost impossible to do by my lighting technician but I tried and this photo was actually quite successful. The hat is a bit blurry but I could easily Photoshop the hat in separately if I choose to use this image in my final project.

g)     This is another image of all of my models that I particularly liked. The spacing between my models, their poses at different heights and the higher angle as I stood on a ladder make it look very effective and will probably be used on my final product.

h)      I really liked the natural feel of this image as I caught my model laughing. This would be good for my final project and would work well on my target audience

i)        These photos and the ones previous are images that will make the cutting out of my images easier when I separate the clothes so they can be on their own on my double page spread. Having my models stand like this definitely makes my job easier when it comes to editing in Photoshop.

j)        I will probably use this photo in my final project as my model looks natural and there is a particular good use of props as the set is emptier. Also, this is an essential item of clothing that I plan to include in my article

Article Planning Sheet – A Night to Remember

Article target audience: 16-24 educated females in the “B, C1, C2” socioeconomic groups.

	Planning Comments
article genre	The purpose of this article is to inform my audience of the different choices for dress types when dressing up for special occasions. I will provide my audience with all the information I possibly can about the different types of dresses and how they fit different body shapes, so that you can make an informed decision and get the dress that is right for you. Overall this is a fashion advice article and I plan to provide as much information as possible in a quirky step-by-step guide.
Narrative voice	I will use 3rd person for this article, although people will not be mentioned in this article as a “he/she”, the tense will still be 3rd person, talking about people in terms of “their” body shape and what would be best for a person with a similar shape. I will also include a bit of 2nd person as I will be addressing the audience directly, as I offer them advice.
Register	The tone used in this article will be quite informal, whilst also informative. Whilst it is informal it will still maintain certain standards, keeping clear of taboo words, as it is not necessary for my target audience and doesn’t reflect well on The Northern Echo.
Stylistics	I will not use too many stylistics in this article as its purpose is to inform my audience and not so much as to entertain. I will however use strong adjectives and make sure my article has good rhythm throughout.
Tone of address	The tone of address will be helpful and friendly but not too ‘matey’ as such. I will be using an informal tone but this will not become too overwhelming which would lower the tone of my magazine to a younger, more niche audience.
Structure and pace	The structure will be set out in blocks as a step-by-step guide. This makes the paragraphing very logical and the navigation of my article very easy for my target audience. It will have some connectives keeping my article going at a steady pace.

Outdoor Risk Assessment

Location Visit: 6 Karles Close, Newton Aycliffe

Project Title:      A Night to Remember                   Shooting date:  17-18^th Oct 2011

Location: 6 Karles Close, Newton Aycliffe

Photographer:  Rachel Aspey                                      Date: 15^th Oct 2011

Tick all hazards that apply at this location.

o    Access

o    Animals / Insects

ü  Audience / Public

o    Cables

o    Communication Failure

o    Confined Spaces

ü  Costume / Make-up

o    Derelict buildings / Dangerous structures

o    Electricity

ü  Fire / Flammable material

o    First Aid

o    Food Hygiene

ü  Glass

o    Heights

o    Hostile / Remote environment

o    Machinery

o    Lighting

o    Lone working

o    Manual handling

o    Mines / excavations / quarries Night operation

o    Noise

o    Radiation (phone towers, transmitters)

o    Person with special needs

o    Roads

o    Slipping, tripping, falling

ü  Smoking on set

o    Vehicles

o    Weather

o    Weapons

o    Other:

Hazard Evaluation

Hazard: Smoking on Set and Flammable Materials.

What could cause harm? The dresses worn by my models were in fact flammable and as one of my models smoke, this is a potential hazard, if she were to drop the cigarette or lighter on her or my other model’s dresses, it could cause it to light up, leading to burning of the dresses damaging them for my photos and more dangerously, could lead to the burning of the girls themselves.

What is the likelihood of this happening? As one of the girls does in fact smoke, this could be quite likely to occur.

How much harm? The harm could range from only a slight mark on the dresses to serious skin burning if they were to catch fire.

Apply the following priorities, how will this risk be managed (provide detail)?
(1) Eliminate.    (2) Reduce or substitute           (3) Isolate.        (4) Control.      (5) Personal protective equipment
I will eliminate the risk by banning smoking during my photoshoot and making sure my model doesn’t carry lighters etc on them whilst the dresses are present.

Hazard: Audience/Public

What could cause harm? The location for this photoshoot is in a street with quite a few children that are often playing out in the street. These children range in ages from very young up to almost our age and might become hostile especially as we will be taking photos in dresses out the front of the house.

What is the likelihood of this happening? This is quite unlikely as harm is probably not going to occur caused by children in the street of my photoshoot.

How much harm? The harm will not be a lot unless the public become violent, in which case it would probably be minor harm, such as bruises at the most.

Apply the following priorities, how will this risk be managed (provide detail)?
(1)Eliminate.     (2) Reduce or substitute.          (3) Isolate.        (4) Control.       (5) Personal protective equipment

To avoid this risk I will control the situation, choose a day or time that people are less likely to be out in the street. For example, I wouldn’t choose midday on Sunday. During the week at a time when most people will be at school or work would be best. I will also control any situation that begins, by not reacting to comments and continuing with my photoshoot.


Hazard: Costume / Make up

What could cause harm? As my models have high heels on and long dresses, especially with the tight fishtail dress, it could cause trips and a lack of movement that could potentially lead to my models gaining injuries.

What is the likelihood of this happening? I will try to minimise walking around and pushing my models
to keep moving. I will warn them and have people on hand to help them with their dresses. I will also make sure that I have the right equipment to look after my models if they do trip, such as a first aid kit.

How much harm? The harm from this risk will not be major, probably only ranging from cuts to bruises. A sprained ankle/wrist is probably the most harm that would occur.

Apply the following priorities, how will this risk be managed (provide detail)?
(1)    Eliminate.   (2) Reduce or substitute.          (3) Isolate.        (4) Control.      (5) Personal protective equipment
I will reduce the risk by having people on hand to look after my models and help them get into position, as well as having a first aid kit available on the location at all time.


Hazard: Glass

What could cause harm? As my photos are outside and my models will be sitting and lying on the grass for my photographs they could get cut on glass on the ground, whether they sit on glass, lean on glass or step barefoot onto glass.

What is the likelihood of this happening? This could be quite likely especially in a housing area, where people will be recycling and carrying things to and fro, potentially dropping glass objects.

How much harm? The harm could range from minimum cuts to infections, depending on where the glass has been and how the cuts are treated.

Apply the following priorities, how will this risk be managed (provide detail)?
(1)    Eliminate.   (2) Reduce or substitute.          (3) Isolate.        (4) Control.      (5) Personal protective equipment

I will check the area I plan to use and make sure it is completely clear and safe for my models, eliminating any potential for injuries due to glass.

My Weekly Monitoring Blog – 13th January 2012

According to my schedule, firstly my homework for the weekend was to test out my equipment, different techniques and experiment with the software and hardware that I will be using throughout the production stage of my product. This includes Photoshop, InDesign and practising using the camera to take shots of people. The time in lessons this week were meant to be focused on the photo-shoot that should have taken place on Monday 9^th January. I had planned to take two days to capture all of the shots needed so Tuesday would have been photo-shoot time too. Because this is one of the most important parts of the project in getting the photos, the only other tasks I had planned this week was creating my contact sheets and creating a copy, along with writing all of the sell-lines.

Here are some of the different images I took when practicing my skills. I feel much more confident with the camera and its different settings. Obviously, I could not get the complete experience at home, as I lacked my own lighting but getting familiar with the settings of a camera and being able to edit the photos from my "A Night to Remember" photo-shoot a bit in Photoshop, re-familiarising myself with its features was a helpful and worthwhile activity.

Here is an example of a photo taken by me of two of my friends and edited using Photoshop. This gave me practice with use of colours, the cropping tool, the blur tool, the gradient tool, filters and adding adjustment layers for Brightness/Contrast and Photo Layers. This gives my photo the summer look and helped me to get used to Photoshop again.

Unfortunately, I could not book my cover and contents page photo-shoot for this Monday, so I have had to make some changes to my schedule. This alteration however has worked out reasonably well as it has given me the chance to catch up and complete all of my planning work so that I feel more prepared for my photo-shoot, which is now booked for Monday the 16^th January at 9:00am. I have now completed all of the necessary planning documents and even had some time for some extra research into appearances for features, contents page and front cover. This has given me the opportunity to prepare in more detail and get myself completely up to date with all previous work, as well as making what would have been a rushed photo-shoot, into a well thought out photo-shoot, prepared for success, with completed photo-shoot plans and call sheets etc. This has also taught me how to manage my time more effectively and gives a real example of when contingency planning is useful. I decided to leave my contact sheets until I had all of the images taken so that they could be looked at together.

Although my client might be disappointed that I could not complete my second photo-shoot, I am sure that the Northern Echo would be glad that all planning documents were done to a good standard and that I have organised myself so that I am up to date and better prepared for the photo-shoot on Monday. I am not worried about this set back as it was an earlier date for my photo-shoot, so having it a week later will still mean that I am keeping up and will have plenty of time. Also, the largest and longest photo-shoot has already been completed last week instead, so I believe that I am on track.

A Night To Remember Photos

These are the images I captured for my “A Night to Remember” feature, some in the studio, some outside on location. As you can see, I used the telephone box; the black car and the black door in my photo shoot and found that it looked very effective with my models.

Here are both of my models with the telephone box. Whilst red and white are different colours,  I believe that the red dress against the red telephone box surprisingly, looked a lot better and made more of a statement. I will definitely use one of the images below.

To make the black car look longer, I only photographed the front of the car with my models. This worked and I would say that the white dress looked the best against the car…

…as it did with the black door.

                 

Of course I took some plainer images too; to make sure I got the range of dresses and hairstyles.

In the studio, I didn’t use any props and the poses were not too complex as the focus of this article is on the dresses. Again, these dresses and the models’ hair helped to add to the variety for my article. I managed to collect one of each dress mentioned, minus a huge dress, due to pragmatic reasons.

INSERT IMAGES HERE

I even took some photos of the dresses' details and some silver jewellery, which is more popular for proms. This gives me more choice with my imagery for my feature and looks quite professional. I am happy with my images and although they may need some brightening and editing before I use them in my feature, they have the potential to make a very effective and professional appearance to my magazine.