Front cover
1) Research TV listing magazine front cover key conventions. Find at least five examples of TV listings magazine front covers and post them to your blog. This will give you a good idea of the type of magazine you need to produce.
2) Note down the design elements you notice in each front cover example you research and look for aspects you can use in your own work (e.g. camera shots, page design or cover lines).
3) What key conventions can you find across different types of front cover - e.g. title placement, cover lines, main flash or cover line, date/price/barcode etc.
-Cover stars obscuring masthead.
-Red and white colour scheme. -Main flash- '65 shows you must not miss in 2024!'
-List of actors at the bottom of the page
-Date issued
-Bright background colours to catch attention of readers.
-Sans-serif font
-Actors and main flash the main element of the magazine.
-Possibly aimed at a more older audience due to the characters being shown on the magazine being older predominantly white actors.
-Bright neon yellow and red colour scheme.
-Smaller images of actors- insight on the inside feature pages.
-Price tag- 79p aimed at a working class demographic.
-Date issued of week.
-Barcode.
-Main flash- 'Horror Crash!'
-sans-serif font.
- Possibly aimed at a white, working class due to predominantly white actors featured on the cover- lack of diversity- 2 black actors featured on the cover.
- Barcode and price of magazine
-White, red and yellow colour scheme
-Sans-serif font
- Only white actors- aimed at white, working class demographic
-'The nation awaits'- aimed at a UK audience
-Smaller images of actors- insight on the inside feature pages.
-Cover star obscuring masthead.
-Title
-Cover star obscuring masthead
-Barcode
-Dark colour scheme to match the vibe of the film franchise (Twilight)
-Sans-serif font
-Advertisements on cover.
-Only one cover star. -Main cover stars
-Cover stars obscuring masthead
-Cover lines with images hinting at what's included in the magazine.
-Sans-serif font
-Date of issue
-Colourful red,white and yellow colour scheme
-Mainly white cover stars
Inside page feature
1) Now research inside page features from TV listings magazines. Post at least five images of magazine inside page features (they can be from different magazine genres if you are struggling to find TV listings magazine inside pages).
2) Note down the design elements you notice in each inside page feature example you research and look for aspects you can use in your own work (e.g. use of main/secondary images, page design, pull quotes, picture captions etc.)
3) What key conventions can you find across different types of inside page feature - e.g. headline, subheading, main image etc.
-Usually filled with images of cover stars featuring in the product.
-Headline
-Subheadings
-Main image
-Some of the magazines have the image spanning over two pages
-Some of the magazines have multiple images
Planning and sketching
1) Plan the content and cover lines for your front cover:
- Title (must be NEW original TV listings magazine you have invented): Mega Film
- Slogan: 'Take a break from reality and jump into fantasy'
- Cover image: The protagonist of my TV show- Taylor Smith.
- Main cover story/main flash: EXCLUSIVE! Find out the depths of 'Family Lines'
- Additional cover lines:
- 1. Check out these unreleased behind the scenes photos from the set of 'Family Lines'.
- 2. Top 5 crime dramas coming in 2024 we're excited for.
- Additional two smaller images: BTS shots of characters and props used.
- Font style / colour scheme, additional design aspects: Sans-serif font, black, white and red colour scheme. Cover star taking up most of the page, cover lines on the side, main flash at the bottom of the page.
2) Plan the images you will use for the front cover - use CLAMPS. One main image and two smaller images required to meet the minimum content in the brief.
Main image: Low-key lighting- half of the main characters face being shadowed, all black clothing, slight dirt on face, basic make-up on character, hair in a half up half down hairstyle, medium shot of cover star.
Smaller Images: BTS shot of James- low-key lighting, windbreaker jacket and jeans, messy hair, in the right corner on the magazine page.
3) Plan the content for your inside page feature:
- Subject of feature: Interview with the director of Family Lines- What was the thought process, entering into the crime drama market etc.
- Headline: EXCLUSIVE! Find out the depths of 'Family Lines'
- Subheading: Julia Rej on creating a twisted family tale and exploring a new genre.
- Main image: Protagonist again but close-up this time.
- Smaller images (need minimum of four across the three pages): BTS shot of James that featured on the corner of the front page. Props- 1. corkboard used in my 3 minute extract. 2. Camera used in my 3 minute extract.
- Font style / colour scheme, additional design aspects: Sans-serif font, red, white and black colour scheme.
4) Write the copy (words) you will use for the inside page feature - headline, subheading, article text.
EXCLUSIVE! FIND OUT THE DEPTHS OF 'FAMILY LINES'
Q & A WITH THE DIRECTOR OF 'FAMILY LINES'
What was it like creating a TV production in a genre you've never worked in before?
It was extremely exciting being able to take on a new project and explore within a new genre but also nerve-wracking as it was something completely new to me that I was responsible for that needed to exceed our audiences expectations and grasp their attention from the pilot which is a lot of pressure for sure.
What was your inspiration or thought process behind creating the show?
My thought process behind creating the show was to create something that would subvert common female stereotypes in crime dramas but still maintain similar conventions of the genre to keep our audience engaged. I wanted to create a twisted family tale that was rooted in secrets becoming uncovered that would be aimed at a teenage audience as growing up, I would love listening to true crime stories and became inspired to venture into producing crime dramas myself.
Why did you want to draw attention to female representation in this crime drama?
I felt like it was needed in the crime drama genre to have more female characters being represented, especially as the villains. I noticed throughout my research before starting this project that many females in crime dramas were portrayed as the 'damsel in distress' that needed saving and were inferior to men. I wanted to change that and represent women as independent and capable of committing violent crimes.
What can we expect from "Family Lines" without spoiling too much
Ooh, well you can expect secrets, plot twists, cliff hangers, betrayal and action. I can't reveal anymore or else it would spoil too much unfortunately.
How did you handle showing violence despite the age rating of your show being 12+?
It was difficult to communicate violence to a young audience, therefore portraying violence through the use of props and committing crimes in non-physical ways really helped to allow young audiences to still enjoy crime dramas.
What creative strategies did you use to build tension and suspense?
In my production, I used many enigma codes throughout to create suspense and mystery, of course I can not mention which ones as that would spoil too much! The use of non-diegetic sound and low-key lighting being used throughout also helped me to create tension and suspense in my production as low-key lighting is a common convention used in crime dramas that audiences can recognise easily.
What was it like on set?
Everyone got along well on set, and especially enjoyed using the props such as the digital camera by taking pictures which made us capture great memories to look back on.
5) Plan the social media content you will include in your print work to create opportunities for digital convergence e.g. hashtags, social media details etc.
Tiktok reels of audiences retelling true crime stories- interest and expanding world of crime drama.
#twistedtale
6) Research and select the font or typography you will use for your print work. This is a critical element of your print work - the brief requires a consistent house style running through all of your pages.
Sans-serif font, Montserrat typography.
7) Produce an A4 sketch of your front cover design and scan it/upload a picture to your blog.
8) Produce A4 sketches of your inside page feature with clear layout of where headline, subheading, images and text will appear on the pages.
9) Create a new A4 portrait document in Adobe Photoshop (or Adobe InDesign) for your front cover design. Start to add text, check your font choices and put in the elements you have already planned/sketched.
10) Create an A3 landscape document plus an A4 portrait document in Adobe Photoshop (or Adobe InDesign) for your inside page feature. Add the elements you can - headline, subheading, text etc.
Photoshoot
1) Who do you need to photograph for your front cover and inside page images? Remember, you need seven original images across the whole print production.
Multiple slides of myself as the main character, my brother as James, and the props that were used in my production such as the camera and detective board.
2) What camera shots do you need? Write a shot list for your photoshoots. Make sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium shots, close-ups etc.
Close-ups, medium shots.
3) Plan the mise-en-scene. What costume, props or make-up will you require for your photoshoots?
Slight feminine make-up for myself, dirt on the side of my cheek, all black clothing-zip up hoodie for main image. Smaller image of my brother- colourful windbreaker, messy hair.
4) Finally, note down the time and date for your photoshoots. This may be inside or outside school (or a combination of both). You will have Media lesson time for this after the mock exams.
Outside of school during halfterm.
Statement of Intent
1) Once you have completed your print research and planning, go back to your statement of intent and make sure you have included the print brief in your final draft. Then, submit the final draft statement of intent to your teacher.
Comments
Post a Comment