Magazine Critical Reflection
Spread 1:
Confessional interview
I decided to do a confessional interview for my first
magazine spread, as I felt that I already knew of a story which would be very
suitable for it.
I felt that the 1st person format commonly used
in confessional interview magazine spreads would be the best way to put across
a story, that is engaging and sad in equal measures.
It is written in the voice of a young University student
called Steven, who found his friend (Alex) dead in his own home, the day after
they had been out on a night out together, despite his friend appearing to be
in perfectly good health
I managed to set up an interview with Steve, and was keen to
let him know the style of which the article would be written, and promised that
I would make sure there would be no inaccuracies in the spread. The event of which the article was
based around was just a few months ago, so it was important to be sensitive at
all times during the interview, whilst still getting as much of the story out
of the interviewee.
When writing the article I was looking to build a bit of
background on how the interviewee knew the victim, before going into detail
about what they got up to together the night before Alex passed away. I did
this so the reader can begin to picture them both as people, so they are more
likely to be engaged in the story and read on.
The article was written in the style of magazines such as
‘closer’ and ‘Take a Break’ as I felt this was the type of story that you would
find in a magazine like that. This was reflected by the use of a tabloid-like
heading ‘I found my Friend dead...in my own home’ as it is shocking and the
sort of headline which wouldn’t look out of place on the front cover of a
magazine of that style. The headline was bold, and had a colourful base in the
top left of the page similarly to other confessional articles in ‘Take a Break’
magazine.
I wanted pictures of both of the people involved in the
story, and asked for some of Steven my interviewee as well as Alex. He gave me
a couple of pictures that they were his, and also sent me a picture of Alex in
his Tennis gear. I felt it was important to include the professional picture of
Alex, as you couldn’t see his face particularly clearly in the other pictures
and its important they reader can visualise them in the story.
I wrote the article in standard columns, but also used the
‘pullout quote’ technique which is typical of this type of article. I put
quotes which I felt were engaging, and important parts of the story without
giving everything away. This is because this will often be the first thing
people read when opening this sort of magazine spread.
If I was to do the interview again I would have gone into
more detail about Alex’s death as I didn’t describe how many people it happens
to which would have made the article more shocking. Use of more emotive
language may also have helped impact the reader more.
Second Article
Profile of an Athlete
When I decided to do a profile style article I worked to
find someone who does something unusual, but is also comfortable speaking
passionately about what they do.
I did this article on In-design as I was told this would
make it look more professional.
A friend told me about an ex-Winchester student (Mike James)
who competes in extreme endurance events, and is always happy to talk to the
media about it.
So I set up an interview in a neutral location (he lives in
Wales) where we could do an interview. I did background research of the
intervieweeso i didn’t have to ask questions he gets asked all of the time by
local press.
I thought that
I had the best chance of loosening up the interviewee by having a relaxed
conversation in a chilled out environment where he would feel comfortable
chatting about his feelings and experiences.
I decided to write the article so it would be suited to a
lifestyle magazine. I tried to put emphasis on the more unique and interesting
things he had to say rather than going into lots of detail about things that
the reader might not even be able to understand.
The article was written to present the journey of someone
who has dedicated their life to something which is very physically gruelling.
I started the article by describing Mike’s appearance and personality
as I saw it, followed by a quote to try and paint a picture of the scene.
I felt that the most interesting aspects of the interview
was why he is so passionate about what he does, as well as touching upon the
highs and lows of what he has done so far. This is because in a lifestyle
magazine it is the person who is most important, as it isn’t specifically about
certain sports or affairs.
I tried to put pieces of humour within the article so it
doesn’t sound overly serious, and keeps the reader entertained.
At the end of the article I tried to tie the article
together almost so it seems that it’s completed the full circle. The final
sentence contains a quote that sums up the personality of the subject and also
a final comment from me. This then leads into some text boxes which contain
bullet point information about James, which wasn’t included in the body of the
article.
This is typical of the type of magazine that this article
would be in, as they break down the informative parts of the interview so the
reader can obtain the raw information. I included his achievements to show why
he’s an interesting person, as this may catch the readers eye and make them
want to read the article, as well as a box relating to his diet, as this is
something that readers of that type of magazine might be interested in, but it
isn’t worth being part of the main article.
I used pictures that Mike sent me via email, although in
reflection i probably should have taken pictures of him chatting to me during
the interview as well. I had to be careful not to use pictures that he sent me
that were copyrighted by a professional photographer as this would potentially
have lead to legal issues.
I possibly could have asked for more detail about the mental
and physical pain as this would have made the article more interesting for the
reader.
I was pleased by the way the article looked, and using
In-design gave it a more professional feel to the piece.
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