Portfolio Critique

As I have split my portfolio into two sections, I shall critique each section individually then conclude with an evaluation of the project as a whole.

The Cosmopolitan section of this portfolio is the part I have been the most passionate about. I enjoy writing for women’s lifestyle publications and with strong personal interests in the topics I have written on I think it has brought the motivation to research thoroughly and produce some strong and interesting final pieces.

My initial thought and idea for this project was to create my own version of a women’s lifestyle magazine, using Cosmopolitan as the inspiration. I decided against this idea eventually as I felt that there were some aspects of the magazine that I would not be able to complete efficiently enough within the time permitted for this project, e.g. full fashion shoots, celebrity features etc. I also felt that this would make my portfolio seem quite limited in terms of style and variation, so finally decided on just creating a few articles

Is That Karma?

Wiltshire council have revoked the licence of Chippenham’s most popular night club, Karma

Police have felt that following prior warning and a licence review in August 2009 that the club has failed to adhere to demands. Karma owners were told to begin controlling the trouble caused by drunken customers.

Owner Mike Rosser and manager Jack Frost claim that they have made improvements and increased vigilance when it comes to drunken disturbances caused by their punters. However Wiltshire Council has been unsatisfied with the results and withdrawn their licence rights.

Rosser and Frost have confirmed they will be appealing the decision through the courts.

Is That Karma? Research

Wiltshire council taking away Karma Nightclub's licence.

Karma have previously been warned to control drunken customers behaviour.

Owner Mike Rosser and Manager Jack Frost believe they have improved and will be appealing.

Mike Rosser Quote
“Just to confirm, we are still open as usual. We have not been closed; we are going to Court to get this sorted once and for all.”

Mike Smith Quote

“I go to Karma whenever I am on a night out in Chippenham. It’s the best nightlife the town has. There are plenty of other places in Chippenham that have cheap drinks and people will get drunk there before heading to Karma.”

“Those places aren’t getting in trouble. I think the council will find that even with Karma shut, people will still get drunk and cause problems. They can’t close down every bar in Chippenham."

National News Story Indesign

I have combined these three stories into a standard national newspaper layout. Although the stories would not feature in the same issues or on the same page, it shows how they generically would look.
Click the link below to view it.

News Layout

Azerbaijan Win

Azerbaijan has won the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest with a remarkable 221 points.

Ell and Nikki performed beautiful duet ‘Running Scared’ which scored a giant 32 point lead ahead of runners up, Italy. They received 12 points from Malta, Russia and Turkey.

Although this quashed the UK’s hopes of winning the contest for the first time in 14 years, we can still claim partial victory. Nikki – full name Nikki Jamal – was born in Azerbaijan however lives in north London.

And it was not all doom and gloom for UK artists, Blue. They scored 100 points with pop song ‘I Can’, which is ten times more than last year’s entrant Josh Dubovie. After a brief glimmer of being at the top of the table with twelve points from Bulgaria, Blue ended up a respectable 11^th place, just missing out on the top ten.

Winners of Eurovision 2011

Azerbaijan winners - 221 points
duet by ell & Nikki = 'Running Scared'
Nikki is from North London.
12 points from Malta, Russia, Turkey

UK entry Blue scored 100 points.
12 points from Bulgaria
finished in 11th place

Irish entry Jedward finished on 119
8th place
12 points from Denmark, UK, Sweden

Booies fave France finished with 82 points

Nul Point?

Boyband Blue has been announced as the United Kingdom’s entry for this year’s ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ with catchy pop tune ‘I Can’.

The song, written by band members Lee Ryan and Duncan James, has been tipped to give the country its best Eurovision result for many years. The pop entry holds similarities to Blue’s pop style during their successful career which began in 2001.

The band was very popular after they began in 2001 and has toured the majority of Europe over the past few years. It is hoped that some established fan base and their experience will help us avoid ‘nul point’