Create Production Materials [U3: P4, M3]

Learning outcome 3: (U3) Be able to create production materials for a media product to a client brief [P4,M3]

Justification:

My magazines goal is to entertain and inform, by taking difficult topics and songs and breaking them down for curious readers. For the first issue I wanted to tackle a very dark indie pop artists song focused on the grieving process. The song is calming, but meaningful and I believe the meaning behind the lyrics are very interesting, so on article within my magazine will be analysing 'Death With Dignity', whereas the other articles in my magazine will be more light hearted and funny. This will keep an upbeat mood for the magazine, while also showing the range Indie pop music reaches. 

Body Copy:

The song:

Death with Dignity

Spirit of my silence I can hear you
But I'm afraid to be near you
And I don't know where to begin
And I don't know where to begin

Somewhere in the desert there's a forest
And an acre before us
But I don't know where to begin
But I don't know where to begin
Again I've lost my strength completely, oh be near me
Tired old mare with the wind in your hair

Amethyst and flowers on the table, is it real or a fable?
Well I suppose a friend is a friend
And we all know how this will end

Chimney swift that finds me, be my keeper
Silhouette of the cedar
What is that song you sing for the dead?
What is that song you sing for the dead?
I see the signal searchlight strike me in the window of my room
Well I got nothing to prove
Well I got nothing to prove

I forgive you, mother, I can hear you
And I long to be near you
But every road leads to an end
Yes every road leads to an end
Your apparition passes through me in the willows
Five red hens – you'll never see us again
You'll never see us again

My Article: 

Last week we had the honour of talking to Steven Darwin about his new song, ‘Death with Dignity’. After being questioned constantly by the media for a reaction to his mothers passing, Darwin released this song dedicated to her and today we’re going to break it down, line by line. “Death with Dignity” is full of deep meaning behind every line; natural imagery, metaphors and the stages of grieving, and we at Bonanza want to share Darwin’s artistic song with world.

Verse one:

As the last verse of the song suggests, the direct address of ‘you’ is directed to Darwin’s mother. Darwin tells us that the ‘spirit of my silence’ is her, however his silence isn’t due to his mother, but the grieve her death brought. He highlights his fear, which is yet to address deeply, but makes us aware of this fear from the start, which carries the song. The repetition of ‘I don’t know where to begin’ accompanied by the soft melody of the guitar is reminiscent of a lost child, calling out for their mother- we can infer that, after his loss, he’s lost without her, thus doesn’t ‘know where to begin’.

Verse two:

Here we see the start of the natural imagery- he describes his struggles as being in a ‘desert’, knowing there’s an ‘acre’ of forest somewhere, but he’s struggling to reach it. This desert is a metaphor for the grieve after death, with the forest being the hope of something better to come at the end- but once again he doesn’t ‘know where to begin’, emphasising how lost he feels.

By starting the next line with ‘again’ shows the ups and downs of grief, that he’s struggling, over coming and falling back- loosing his ‘strength completely’. The exclaimative ‘Oh be near me’ shows another form of grief, bargaining, desperate for her back, with the tinge of sadness that she can’t return to him.  He refers to his mother’s spirit as a ‘tired, old mare’. A mare, meaning a female horse, suggests a wild presence about her sprite.

Verse three:

‘Amethyst and flowers’ connote feminine beauty and hold a sense of childhood wonder to them. This childish aspect is continued through the idea of ‘fables?’ There’s a level of anxiety and fear that comes with death, a tone Darwin’s carried through the song, and the rhetorical question suggests another sign of grief- disbelief.  

Darwin told us that his mothers death was caused by Pneumonia which is ironically referred to as an ‘old mans friend’. The ‘A friend is a friend’ takes on a far darker meaning in light of this. Stevens’ mum was very ill, so there was a slight relief in her passing- “we all know how this will end’, suggesting her end, also ending her suffering, adding a very bitter sweet tone to the song.

Verse four:

‘Chimney swift’ has a double meaning; the more abstract is that of a chimney sweep. Hinting at his mother cremation. The second is the bird Vaux swifts- small birds that fly in large groups. We see the nature motif continued with ‘Silhouette of cedar’, suggesting that he’s approaching the forest hidden within the desert.  Darwin explained: “The forest is a metaphor for affirmation of her death; the eventual acceptance and life after the grieving process. Similar to the idea of the light at the end of the tunnel, I’ve used the forest at the end of the desert”

The repetition is continued, however this time Darwin addresses the birds- ‘what is the song you sing for the dead?” leading to the next stage of mourning, reasoning, asking difficult questions in hopes of something that can’t be answered.

Darwin informs us that the ‘signal searchlight’ was a symbol for the media, after his mothers death, the media bombarded him with questions. The repeated line “Well, I got nothing to prove” shows a sense of defeat or reluctance to speak on the matter, eventually leading to this song.

Verse Five:

The final verse shows acceptance, “I forgive you mother”. We explicitly learn it’s his mother who passed, showing a level of acceptance for his loss, and the forgiveness that comes with that acceptance. ‘I can hear you’-

“She’s no longer the reason for my silence, and I will gladly listen to her now” (Says Darwin). The line- “I long to be near you” is in relation to Darwin’s depression through this difficult time, leading to drinking and drug misuse and a disregard for his own safety. The repeated line ‘road leads to an end’ is Darwin coming to terms with his own mortality, reaching a whole new level of acceptance.

“The willows’ suggests he reached the forest, the journey is over and he’s reached a place of peace. “5 red hens” is in reference to a fable, which Darwin links to him and his siblings- “You’ll never see us again”. By the end of the song, Darwin sees the struggle on the other side, he won’t see his mother again, but she won’t see him or his siblings either, accepting that her death wasn’t a selfish act.

Overall, Darwin’s heartfelt ballad to his mother deserves more recognition in the public eye. It’s a beautiful send off to her, and he truly had handled her passing and the medias incursion with ‘Dignity’

Document set up:

Front cover:

First I opened file and selected 'New'. I then selected 'international paper' and the 'A4'. This page will be the front cover, as my magazine will be A4, so the cover needs to be A4 portrait. 

Double page spread:

I then went on file, new again, selected 'international paper' 'A3'. Looking at the measurements for A3 I swapped the width and Height to make the page landscape. This is because it will be the equivalent of two pages and when folded, will fit into an A4 magazine. 

I've saved it as PDS on both the desktop and my USB so that I can use it on this computer and my home computer, while being able to edit it with ease.

Asset list:

Codes and Conventions

My fonts fit the codes and conventions as they are sans serif typeface, which is commonly used in indie pop album covers, they're bold and stand out while complementing one another.
I took my photos in the Jcoss secondary school art room on the 16th of May 2019. I chose this location as it had a black screen and a light source so that I could take professional photos. The black screen allows me to easily change the background colour without loosing my subject. My model was my artist, Steven Darwin and his grandmother signed off on his model release form. 
I've chosen to use image 0006.jpg and 0028.jpg as they were the strongest out of all of my images. I will photoshop the skin at my models request and play with possible background colours, but other than that there will be little photo manipulation. These photos portrayed my artists the best in light of indie pop, as most pop or indie rock covers have quite masculine figures. By extenuating the neck, broadening the shoulders and focusing on his blue eyes, my model looks assertive and masculine, befitting of the genre and the serious tone of his song.
On the right there are photos of me taking photos for the cover and DSP in the art room. Overall I took 24 images, despite only needing two. I experimented with head angles, facial expressions and the location of his eyes. I wanted a stern, more serious expression in order to reflect the song. He wore a blue shirt for two reasons, one it matches his eyes and two, my idea on having a yellow or pink background, it will nicely contrast. 



Both photos (unedited):

Final photos edited: