Location Planning

Pros and cons:

• Not at the same level as the camera as we climbed on top of the frame. This could make the shot look uneven or potentially 'out of place'. 
• No artificial lighting so it was bit risky and unpredictable. This natural light could have meant the shot was too dark. 
• If the fence or lamp post was in any shots, this wouldn't be very aesthetically pleasing. 
• Overlapping branches could get in the way, and they don't look very nice either. 
• On the other hand, you could suggest that the difference in levels shows diversity and a unique shot in contrast to our other locations. 
• Blue contrasts to the surroundings of the frame e.g. green grass, grey concrete, orange brick wall etc. This makes the object our models are sat on stand out, and thus, the models as well. 
• When the shot was taken in the correct position, you could only see the models, some of the frame and the sky in the background, which was good, natural lighting; at the time. 

This location is appropriate for our genre because it's on the street, and this where hip-hop originated. Hip-hop is a genre known for rebellion and it's non compliance with the law. Our models climbed on top of this structure, conforming to hip-hop expectations. Furthermore, it is appropriate to our audience as this is a potential location for teenagers to 'hang out'. It is situated near a skate park and it is shelter. hence why our audience could potentially be interested in this location.

Pros and cons:

• Our audience could have an interest in skate parks as it is a frequent hobby for teenagers. 
• Connotations of hip-hop are elements of street art such as graffiti and creativity which is what artists strive to present to the world. 
• Urban culture is also shown here, and if it is being applied to hip-hop then it is more accurately street culture e.g. skate boarding, street art etc. 
• Hip-hop artists also wear skate boarding/street wear brands e.g. Palace, Supreme etc. 
• The unique graffiti patterns and colours contrast to the costumes that of our models. 
• Not all hip-hop artists like skate boarding or wear its brands so it isn't 100% accurate. 
• Natural lighting can negatively effect the shot if it is dark. 
• The debris in some of the shots isn't aesthetically pleasing.

This location is appropriate for our genre due to the location itself originating on the street. Hip-hop was found on the street too, meaning they are relevant to one another. In addition, hip-hop artists also like connotations of skate boarding such as the brands and clothing associated with it. More specifically, examples of artists that skate board are Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne. For this reason, the location is relevant to our target audience as they are possibly admirers of these two artists and aspire to be like them. Our audience themselves might like skate boarding too, however this isn't guaranteed, yet they could still like the idea of it and its surroundings, like street art.  

Pros and cons:

• The lack of artificial light means that the lighting can potentially be too dark, and hence then models wouldn't be very well visible or presented. 
• Doesn't really have many/any connotations or relations to the genre of hip-hop. 
• A brick wall is quite boring as it doesn't have any vibrant colours or anything eye catching; it's just quite plain. 
• The only connotations is it's street aesthetic, which is where hip-hop originated. 
• The different levels show diversity and an inclining rate of the models positioning. 

This location doesn't really represent our genre, we just did part of our photoshoot here sporadically to test our options and see if the outcome was any good. However, the lack of creativity is thoroughly subverting the idea of hip-hop, yet it is still relatively 'street'. This location is also quite boring for our audience. Teenagers are quite difficult to engage as they either love something or hate something, and they are difficult to entertain too; a brick wall is likely to fail at dong this. 

Pros and cons:

• The wall isn't very aesthetically pleasing due to the cracked bricks and its uneven layout. The leaves also don't look very nice either. 
• The absence of artificial lighting also means implications could occur on the shot as it could be too dark.
• The big lawn and huge building in the background illustrates a hip-hop artists lifestyle and their tremendous wealth as this could be seen as their home. Our audience is likely to aspire to have these kind of features to their lifestyle when they're older as it is signs of success. 
• By standing/squatting on the wall, it provides us with the opportunity to have a worms eye view of the models. This would be even more significant if it was taken from closer to the wall, showing the domination of our models as they would be looking over the land. The sense of domination is what hip-hop artists love to possess due to their lifestyle of doing what they want when they want.  

Conclusion: 

To conclude, my group and i have decided to incorporate 3 of the 4 locations presented in our magazine. The stair case is the least representative of hip-hop due to its lack of connotations and associations related to the genre. In addition, a stair case with very mutual colours is extremely plain and boring in contrast to a skate park with vibrant graffiti. The other locations are more unique, diverse and more related to hip-hop.