Plan of Action

Firstly to sum up the progression made today:

Alexia's Feedback

Of our three ideas the urban vs rural idea was by far the most popular, however Alexia was keen for us not to separate the two sides too much; our magazine still needs to be a true reflection of Kentish Town.

With this in mind we have come up with the idea of creating a standalone magazine about Kentish Town that has an urban feel with a pull out magazine reflecting its urban side in the centre. This shows the way in which Kentish Town is a pocket of calm within a big city and how the rural elements of the place sit alongside its urban nature. Initial ideas have the pull out magazine being around A5 in size, rustic, organic looking and very 'rural' in feel, with the urban magazine being around A4 with a much more modern visual identity.

Alexia also brought up the idea of TEXTURE being important and using texture in our magazine to reflect the feel of Kentish Town. Further research needs to be done into the practicalities of this and an idea of interactivity but of a professional (and affordable) nature.

Name ideas

We are still searching for a name and thought about the idea of two things working together and the idea of one thing within another.

This in mind I liked the idea of something along the lines of 'bread and butter' - two things that need each other in this way. Perhaps it could be two things that you wouldn't necessarily think to put together (e.g peanut butter and jam) but that work and are well known. The main magazine would then be called the first thing and the smaller magazine the second. If it's a foodstuff it needs to be something traditionally British.

I'm not suggesting we use these but here are some ideas to demonstrate the idea:

- Toast and Jam
-Mash and Gravy (thought Gravy would work particualry well for the rural magazine)
- Beans and Toast (or Toast and Beans)
- Pepper and Salt <-------- Thought it would be interesting to switch around a well known phrase to show how the mix of urban and rural is unexpected but still works. You don't expect to hear pepper and salt - the natural order would be salt and pepper - yet it still makes sense because you know that pepper and salt go together)
- something and Spuds
- Apples and Oranges / Oranges and Lemons
- Marmalade and Jam (different but the same...)
... ok so I can't think of any more right now but will keep thinking and please do too!

Content Ideas

Everyone has been allocated different sections to cover, that will fit into either urban or rural:

The sections are as follows:

URBAN:

Music / Talent
Fashion
Art
A day in the life

RURAL:

Food
Pubs
Life: A day in the life (of someone who works at the farm)
         Religion

ELLIE: Rural, FOOD - focusing on wholefoods, organic etc. Interview deli / restaurant owners?

Rural, Fitness - review of a Gypsy belly dancing lesson!

TOM: Urban, Music: find up and coming talent in Kentish Town, bands based in the area? Recording studios?

Rural, Pubs: Do a pub crawl with friends - write up your experience - about the stories, the atmosphere, the people etc

Urban, Celebs: to contact celebs that live in Kentish Town to try and get a '20 seconds with' interview

ZADRIAN:Urban, Fashion: to focus on the tailor's and the womenswear shop

Rural, Religion: to talk about the role of the church within the community

LIBBY: Urban, Art: to contact the galleries / interview the artists in Kentish Town 

Rural, A day in the life of the farm

Other page ideas:

A day in the life - for each section (urban and rural) I would like to have few 'A Day in the Life's which we can split amongst us - I will assign these at a later date but if in your research you find someone interesting who would make a good candidate, let me know

Shopping page - the weird and wonderful things you can buy in Kentish Town,

Contact details for all businesses mentioned

To be assigned at a a later date


Editorial ideas:

Urban - using clothes from the womenswear shop Zadrian found - either style ourselves or get them to style an outfit / outfits to show how they view fashion and to reflect the fashion of Kentish Town.

Architecture

Rural - a photoshoot on the farm combining high end, urban clothing with the farmyard surroundings. e.g a man in a suit shovelling manure, stilettoes on cobbles etc

At a nearer date Zadrian to organise clothes and models.

Magazine Plan of Action

In the handbook it says drafts of our pieces need to be all finished by the 9TH OF MAY

I know this is unrealistic as some of us are away over Easter, but that first week back (commencing the 3rd of May) I would like to see from you all a detailed plan of your pieces. By that stage if you haven't managed to conduct any interviews you may need for your piece you should at least have chosen and contacted your interviewees.

In the meantime it would be great if everyone could continue researching their specific areas - keep in touch with me if you have any queries about what you're doing / to pass ideas by me as well as keeping your brains ticking over name ideas for the magazine.

By the time we come back after Easter I will also have made a rough flat plan to show to Alexia.

Also when we come back we need to be able to discuss the visual identity of the magazine so between now and then if everyone could collect any imagery that relates to the look we want - pages from magazines and digital images but if everyone could have at least something to contribute to a group folder of inspiration.

Broadcast Plan of Action:   

I will be borrowing a camera and tripod all throughout the Easter holidays. Tom and I will go to the farm on Saturday the 9th of April to do some initial filming.

Then we will all meet there on the weekend of the 30th of May to film May Day. This will be an early start but I will let you know the times soon.

Also today Annie recommended a link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8411746/Kate-Humble-countryside-walks-should-be-mandatory.html

Please look at it as it is very relevant. I am going to try and contact Kate Humble to feature her in our programme as I think what we are doing is so relevant to her.


Summary of what everyone should be doing:

- keep thinking of magazine name ideas
- detailed drafts including details of either conducted or scheduled interviews to be given to Libby week of the 1st of May
- Tom and Libby to film Saturday 9th of April
- Everyone to film Saturday, Sunday (and Friday??) of the 30th and 31st of April
- Everyone to find sources of visual inspiration to hand to Libby week of the 1st of May to put into a group inspiration folder
- Keep in contact with me about the progression of your ideas

Hope this is all clear. :)

Libby