Researching further into shoot ideas relating around the concepts of Japanese culture, what would be better than reflecting on Rihanna’s recent shoot for Paper Mag. Her looks defines the stereotype of Japanese culture; anime, kawaii, lolita etc..
Continuing, what i was most interested in was the location set. This being a convenience store. The store allowed multiple vibrant colours to shower through which all link between the main colour scale made for the BREACH mood board. The photographer plays with depth of field and various angles allowing Rihanna’s signature attitude to follow through. The styling may be more commercial than what we aim for, but i think this reference should be held throughout the magazine because of the cultural significance – especially on typical English depiction.
With the development of the final media pack arising, I will use this shoot to maintain a straight focus for the magazine and the advertisement through the pack. In addition, we have found a range of Japanese snack shops in Brighton, which will be useful for our first shoot location.
To try and stimulate imagination and a thought process for future illustrations to use in the mag, researching into Japanese or cultural imagers specifically would benefit me greatest. To understand how Japanese artists create their work and the concepts behind their ideas is always needed so i am able to experiment with my own techniques, but also capture their history and almost show another dimension behind the designs.
Shintaro Kago is a Japanese guro, manga artist who first debuted in 1988 with the magazine COMIC STRIP. From first sightings, these imagers are darkened by this idea of inner emotion and visually obtain a sense of inspiring fear. This is something i definitely do not want to have perceived from my work within this theme of magazine, but what really drew me to the designs was his use of hidden message. Hidden meanings behind drawings / illustrations, i feel, is a playful and catching aspect to with hold in a magazine as it is a rarity to find in “trendy” read.
The term breach stands for an act of breaking – in terms of code or law or conduct. However, breach can also mean to make a gap in and break through – exactly what ourselves and the magazine intends to succeed in. The mood board visually describes the magazine in the early stages of development, initiating its predictions for the content, such as unconventional objects supplied to the body or in ways of styling leading to the futuristic, nonconservative clothing ideas. It supplies a basic colour swatch – but the specific shades could vary of course and even a prioritised brand we intend to promote.. Weekday.
From my own opinion, simplistic covers work best: ones which prioritise the masthead and tagline whilst also managing to promote the theme inside. These layouts act perfectly for a base where the font is bold and statement – all in the same colour – so the front image is shown through. The colour swatch is made clear for the inside of the magazine by its little use of either bright, bold or dark shades. Undoubtedly, i will take how each magazine adjusts to a target audience because of this – presuming a range of 18-30 years which is similar to my own.
Our conclusion of topic for the magazine is to push the idea of unconventionalism, throughout the eyes of Japanese culture. Within the magazine, we will portray elements of fashion that do not prioritise the everyday wear and so we can completely break the boundaries of standard styling. Hopefully, the final product will highlight our experimentation within androgynous clothing, unusual objects and obtains an all over reach for the alternative. A main aim is to push acceptance onto our audience and for them to understand that our magazine is for anyone. Therefore.. Blade Runner. The film explores the “future” with the use of dark backgrounds enhanced with vibrant lights and specifically, the styling. I don’t want to prioritise this as the main reference for the magazine, but it is certainly useful to relate the shoots, illustrations and even the imaging as a whole back to. There are a multitude of elements i could take from the film also; make up, filming and lighting just being a few.