Print brief research and planning

Research and planning blog tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Print brief research and planning' and complete the following tasks to plan and prepare your print work:

1) Research magazine cover key conventions. Look over the magazine cover key conventions notes sheet and write which of these you will use for your magazine cover.

1. Title of publication 
2. Slogan
3. Central image
4. Bar code, Date and Price
5. ‘Flash’ / Cover Line / Sell Line

2) Find at least five culture magazine front covers (either current or former magazines) aimed at a similar target audience to your project (adults interested in popular culture). For each one, pick out one design idea that you could use in your own print work. Some examples you may wish to look at include the Guardian Guide, Sunday Times Culture magazine, Time Out, The Face, the Radio Times, Aesthetica, the move and Paper:

I picked this cover from the 'Culture magazine' because it has a colour scheme which I really like as it suits the feel of my crime drama. The colour scheme also looks to be aimed towards a more mature audience as it isn't bright or flashy just something that people of an older and more sophisticated demographic will prefer. In addition the colour scheme is very aesthetically pleasing which is  a key feature when making a magazine.


This cover is from the 'Time Out' magazine and the reason I picked it is because of how focused it is on the central image having barely any cover lines, going for the more minimalist look which I could implement in my own magazine but for me, I would definitely use more magazine conventions like cover lines, barcode and so on. This design is very effective as it allows the audiences main focus to straight away go to the central image. I'm not that much of a fan of the colour scheme though.



This magazine cover from Aesthetica is very aesthetically pleasing to look at as it is extremely unique and takes away from the generic magazine look. It also uses a long shot which you don't usually see in a magazine as the shot usually ranges from a close up to a medium. The use of a barcode in the bottom left adds a sense of professionalism to the magazine, additionally, a date of publication is used at the top made very small so that it doesn't 'compromise the integrity of their compositional work'.



This cover is from 'Paper magazine' and one thing I'd pick out is the minimalist look to the whole thing as all it's only a central image and title which somehow makes the audience want to know more as they are kind of drawing you in/teasing you to actually read the magazine. The camera shot is good as it is only from the shoulders, something I might implement in my own. 



This magazine is the 'Guardian Guide' and features J-Money on the cover. The way the title is assorted on the cover really gains the audience's attention as it very unique in comparison to the way  other magazines are designed. They also don't mind having it behind the central image by a bit as they know people are able to recognise their magazine very easily, due to the fact it's so popular.

3) Find at least three contents pages from culture, lifestyle or music magazines on Google images. How are contents pages designed? How do they use a combination of text and images to create an effective design?

These content pages blend together both pictures and textual information to give off an effective design to the audience that will supply them with knowledge of what they are being shown. We see how in the first content page there are multiple pictures used which is something I want to implement into my own contents page considering the fact that I need to have at least 7 pictures throughout my culture magazine. The text in these content pages pretty much sums up what the different pages are going to be about which allows you to recognise whether you'll be able to enjoy it or if you're interested in what it has to offer. They also make sure that they re aesthetically pleasing to the eye as it draws in the readers even more.


4) Find at least three double-page spread features from culture, lifestyle or music magazines on Google images. How are they designed? How are text and images displayed? What design tricks can you borrow from your examples?

I believe that these double page spread features  are very effective as they easily communicate the message they are trying to convey to the audience. I like the idea of having one big image that also crosses onto both pages as it adds professionalism to the magazine, therefore it may be something I end up implementing in my own double page spread. The minimalist look is also very aesthetically pleasing but it doesn't fit what I'm trying to go for, as I want to include a lot more text, for example maybe a slight synopsis or a little interview with one or two of the cast members.

Guardian review of The Morning Show - new Apple TV drama (500 words)

Time Out - The 10 Best TV shows of the week (1,500 words)

Benedict Cumberbatch hints at female future (250 words)

Planning, sketching and writing

1) Plan a title and slogan for your new, original culture magazine. Sketch out possible designs for the masthead - font, style, colour etc.
'The Phenom' is the title. The colour scheme I'm going for will be white and black as it adds a sense of professionalism and fits the detective theme as it adds enigma to the magazine. 

2) Plan the content for your magazine front cover. Your double-page spread will be the main story but what other cover lines, images and more will you include on the cover?
For my front cover I intend to use 4 cover lines that will range from things in the magazine itself to aspects of the TV drama. I am only going to use one image on the cover which'll of course be the central image, which I want everyone to focus on straight away.
 
3) Write a list of the all the features, regular sections and more that will appear on your contents page. If you've chosen to produce a different internal page, plan that here instead.

• Interviews
• Reviews
• Editors letter
• Culture
• Events
• Competition
• Quiz
• Q&A

4) Create a spider diagram or bullet point list of all the issues or topics your TV drama addresses. How can you use this information to create a main feature for your culture magazine about your TV drama that will appeal to your target audience?

• Challenging stereotypes
• Violence in London
• Youth Culture
• Race

I will address this by using a 'Question and Answer' section in my magazine so that I can explain all these different issues/topics to the reader

5) Write the text for your double-page spread feature. This needs to be a minimum of 400 words and be completely original and feature an aspect of your TV drama. Make sure you include a headline, subheading and any pullout quotes or sidebar contents. 

Today we bring to you an exclusive interview with cast member Kyle McLeod who plays the protagonist Isaiah in the TV drama Incognito which'll be airing on popular channel Sky 1. He is an upcoming young actor rising up the ranks hoping to make his name across the the country. 

So to start off I wanted to ask you what was your main motivation for getting into the acting industry?
"For me the the main thing that inspired me was watching a lot of movies as a child with actors like Leonardo DiCaprio etc who starred in many movies producing top performances. Straight away I knew 'yeah this is the lifestyle for me' and so from then I worked as hard as possible to get into the position I am, I'm eternally grateful to the director for choosing me out of the many other options and I hope I can repay him with an oscar winning performance hahaha"

What was your family's reaction to you getting the role?
"They were absolutely thrilled, the first thing my mother did was come and give me a big hug and a day after she invited the whole family over and we threw a huge party to celebrate my success, I felt over the moon to have everyone there for me. I think it was definitely one of my proudest moments.

What was your favourite scene to film?
"Well unfortunately I can't directly answer that question because of spoilers and I know the director won't like that but one thing I must say is that there are a lot of enjoyable moments and scenes that I am certain the whole audience will be awestruck by. Everyone involved put in 100% effort so that the audience has something to fully enjoy."

How was the chemistry between the cast members?
"Because we are such a young cast and all around the same age range we linked up really well. The chemistry between all of us was really powerful and by the end of filming we all really felt like a family because of all the memories and moments we shared. I've known Aran and Andi since High School so to be able to wok on such a project with life long friends is an experience that I couldn't be happier to be involved in, it's not everyday you get to act in a television drama with your boys you know what I mean."


6) Produce an A4 sketch of your front cover including the key conventions and design tricks you have studied in existing magazines and then planned in planning task 1 above.




7) Produce an A4 sketch of your contents page. This can be a single page of A4 or alternatively a double-page spread (A3).

8) Produce an A4 landscape sketch of your double page spread design now you have chosen the subject matter.

Photoshoot

1) Which of your main characters will appear on the front cove r of your magazine?
-Kyle
-Aran
-Hanad
-Andi
-George
-Hassan

2) What image or images do you need for the contents page?
I'm going to be using images of most of my cast members so that the audience can get to know and understand their roles and who they are exactly. 

3) What image or images will you use for the double-page spread? Remember, you need seven different original images across the print brief.
I am going to use one big central image on the left of my double page spread and hope to use a couple on the right side that has the text on it but smaller images.

4) Write a shot list for the photoshoot. Make sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium shots, close-ups etc.

Shot No.	Shot	Taken?
1	Close up of Kyle face	No
2	Close up on Aran	No
3	Long shot of Kyle	No
4	Medium shot of Andi	No
5	Close up of Andi	No
6	Long shot of Kyle, Andi and Aran	No
7	Medium shot of Kyle	No

5) What costume, props or make-up will you require for the photoshoot?
For costume I am just going to have my characters wearing jackets, jeans, tracksuit top and a turtle neck.