Planning content.

In order to create a magazine that would ideally become an object of interest, the content it would include would need to be planned. This was a preliminary excercise set in which regular content and featured content of each magazine would need to be figured out. This was what I planned for my magazine.
Regular content-
A letter from Mr.Dyment congratulating last years GCSE results and welcoming new students.
Library notices
'All about the Arts'
Revision tactics
Entertainment section (Quizzes competitions etc)

Featured content-
Exclusive interview with Philosophy and Ethics teacher Mrs. Parsons
Interviews with sixth form students Katie Nicholson and Robynn Middlemiss
'Return of the Rats' Interview with Geoff
Sign up sheet for school play
Funny quotes from teachers.

Rough draft of my front cover

Shot types

In preparation for photographing images for our front covers and contents pages, we were given a fraction of a lesson to practice taking a range of shots. We had previously noted down types of shots and what was included in the certain shot types. We were also given a task to take pictures that presented emotions; stress and friendship. These pictures were to be without people in them. Here is the result of my practice:

Shot Types

Todays lesson consisted of the group being split into pairs and taking photographs representing a variety of shot types around the school. The tasks purpose was preparation for photographing the images we will later on use in our music magazines. These shots consisted of the following;
-Extreme close up, showing eyes and nose
-Medium long shot, showing body fromt the knees upwards
-Big close up, showing full face
-Long shot, showing full body
-High angle shot, the camera looking down on a person
-Very long shot, shows the full body in a distance and it's surroundings
-Close up, shows face and sholders
-Medium close- shows face and upper body
-Two shot, shows a shot of two people
-Low angle shot, taken from a low angle, looks up at the person
-Mid shot, shows upper body
-Over the sholder shot, taken from behind a person, looking over their sholder
-Tilted frame, picture taken on a slant

Contents page- Codes and conventions

In today's lesson we analysed a range of contents pages, this helped us notice what is typical of a contents page. We also discussed codes and conventions. These included the following:

-Editors letters

-Credits for front picture

-Page number before the story line it is connected to, in a different colour

-Usually consists of two main titles; regulars and features
-Subscription and contact information to increase amount of readers
-Occasionally editors letter included
-Page numbers on pictures to anchor them to the written text of the article they are accompanied by.

-Line gap inbetween stories to ensure they do not get mixed up

-Title on front cover also displayed on contents page to reinforce the brand

-Word 'contents' in large font

-Date, issue number and website all included within contents page

-Clear and consistent font used so that contents page is easy to read

-Main image must relate to main article, this article must be about music

-Colour scheme must be consistent to ensure the colours do not clash

-Sub headlines usually in roman font as it is clear to read

-Font size for coverlines usually 11 or 12

Codes and conventions of front covers

There are certain ingredients a music magazine needs to consist of to be considered good or conventional.

-The colour scheme usually consists of simple colours, preferably three or four to ensure they do not clash.

-The colours are supposed to reinforce the brand.

-Main coverline links to main image

-All font in same style
-Top/bottom strip to give further information about what may be included in the magazine
-Barcode/Dateline & Price to show the date the magazine is published and how much it is to purchase
-A masthead created with known typography to ensure the readers become familiar with what they are reading

-Text relating to image must be close to the image it relates to.

-Plain background if possible, this does not distract attention from the main image.

-Image of band or artist included on front.

-If the image is a band, the shot is usually a long or medium shot so that the whole band can fit in the picture.

-If the image is focused solely on a single artist the shot is usually a medium close up.
-Person or persons in main image usually make direct eye contact with the camera.
-Body language displayed in the image must fit genre.