Plan for the front cover and the contents page of my school magazine

Plan for the front cover and the contents page of my school magazine

In todays lesson we were asked to sketch a rough plan of what our school magazines will eventually look like, this is so that when we come to produce the magazines we have something to refer to, although things about the magazine will change and the final product will not be the exact same as the plan.

Preliminary Exercise

Plans for the front cover

• The title im going to use for my new school magazine is going to be; Class Time.
• Details of the mise-en-scene for my magazine; the central image is going to be a picture of a pupil with their GCSE results, the coverlines will be around the central image, each coverline will be in the same font, the masthead will be at the top of the page in a unique font, i will use a puff to premote a free student planner to attract readers and there will be a barcode with the issue number and the price in the bottom right hand corner.
• The coverlines i'm going to use on the front cover of my school magazine; this years best GCSE and A - level results, stressed out about school work already? we're here to help, help classes, ice radio goes on air, ever wanted to be on tv? now's your chance and need some entertainment in your life ... an insight into this years school production.

Planning content

• Regular content that will appear in my new school magazine; Quizzes, 10 top tips for pupils, help classes that pupils can attend, student achievements, charity news, upcoming school events, upcoming school trips.
• Feature articles that will apear in my new school magazine; How to help stressed out pupils, , A - level and GCSE results, this years school performance, sports awards, news about the school, Ice Radio hits the air, Weatherhead TV.

Screen shot of the shot types

Shot types

In today's lesson we were given match up cards with a picture of the shot on one card and then the name of the shot on another card, we then had to match them up. After we completed the match up cards we were given a task sheet and we had to go off and take pictures of different types of shots.

Codes and Conventions of a magazine contents page

Today in class we analysed some magazine contents page so that we could come up with the codes and conventions.

• The masthead is also on the contents page in order for the audience to familiarise themselves with the rest of the magazine and to advertise their publishing brand
• 'Contents Page' is at the top of the page so that it is clear it's the contents page
• 'Contents Page' is in a different font and bigger than the rest of the text on the page
• Page numbers are used so that it is easier for the readers to find what they are looking for
• They are also page numbers in the corner of the images which correspond to the right page
• The page numbers are usually in a unique font
• There's usually one main image of the band or solo artist which the article is about which corresponds with the central image off the front cover
• All the pictures relate to the stories inside
• There are usually captions underneath the images
• There are under 10 images on the page
• The date and issue number is repeated on the contents page
• Contact details; the website; telephone number; email and fax
• The website is usually in the bottom right hand corner of the page, it's the last thing the audience reads because it is the least important
• Subscription details are shown on the contents page
• They often credit the photographer for the central image of the front cover
• The contents page is usually layed out in 2-3 columns
• Between each section is a line gap so that it is easier to read
• The colour scheme is consistent to the front cover of the magazine
• The contents page uses 3-4 colours so that it is easy on the eye
• A consistent font is used with font size 11
• There are usually 20 regular and feature articles
• Contents page often have an editors letter to welcome the readers and give them an introduction as to what's inside that issue
• The website is included so that the reader can find out more information about the music magazine. This is usually at the bottom of the page as it's not the most useful piece of information for the reader

Codes and Conventions of a magazine front cover

Today in lesson we analysed some magazine front covers so that we could work out the codes and conventions.

• The masthead should be bold as its main job is to draw in the attention of the audience
• The masthead should be in a unique font so that it stands out
• The masthead is there so that it can clarify the genre of the magazine
• The masthead should either be positioned in the top left hand corner of the page, or, across the top of the page because it's the first thing the readers will see, the title of the magazine suggests the genre and target audience of the magazine
• If the magazine is well known, the central image can cover part of the masthead, as people will still know what it's meant to say, however if the magazine is new or not as popular the masthead covers part of the central image
• There's usually a positioning statement above or below the masthead
• The central image takes up most of the page
• There is a picture-text cohesion, the colours used in the text matches the colours used in the central image so that there are no colour clashes
• The central image uses a direct mode of address so that the reader feels involved
• The angle shots used for the central image are usually close ups, medium close ups or sometimes, if it's a band, medium long shots are used
• A plain background is used so that the central image stands out more
• The main cover line on the page is usually bigger than the other cover lines
• The main cover line goes with the central image
• All the cover lines are in the same font
• About 5 cover lines are used which also link/relate to the genre of the magazine
• Puffs are used to promote free gifts
• Buzz words are used to attract the reader for example "plus" and "free", these words get the reader to buy the magazine
• The text is placed around the image and it anchors the central image
• Smaller pictures on the page correspond to the other stories
• A simple colour scheme of about 3-4 colours is used
• The colours used are 'easy on the eye'
• The bar code is usually in the bottom right hand corner
• Around the bar code is the issue date, issue number, price and the website
• Only a few fonts are used either; Serif (with hooks) e.g. Times New Roman, or Sans (without hooks) e.g. Arial