Coursework: Print magazine research and planning

The Print aspect to our coursework brief is as important as the video work you are currently filming. 

It is crucial that you research, plan and design print work that could comfortably holds its own alongside professional examples. You will also need to include a short paragraph regarding your print magazine work in your redrafted Statement of Intent. A reminder of the coursework brief is here, with the key tasks as follows:

Print
You should create 4 pages of a culture magazine. The magazine targets adult audiences who enjoy the analysis and critical discussion of popular culture.

You should create a front cover and a two-page feature on the genre you have chosen to work in.

You can choose the focus of the feature article but for example, the feature could offer a history of the genre, an analysis of the genre’s conventions or offer a critical discussion about some aspect of the genre such as its gender representations.

The front cover and the two-page feature should relate to the TV show you are promoting in task 1 in some way.

The third page should be one of the following:

• a contents page
• a single page advert reflecting the potential interests of the target audience
• a single page feature on a contemporary cultural product
• a single page providing a summary of recent cultural news items

What do you need to produce?

1) The front page for a new, original culture magazine that you have created:

• Title and masthead
• Selling line
• Cover price
• Dateline
• Main cover image and at least two further smaller images related to the content of the magazine
• At least 5 cover lines

2) A contents page (or one of AQA's alternatives listed above):

• Content that is appropriate to the conventions of the genre of magazine being created
• Each page to use original images as illustrations (the main cover image must not be repeated but the smaller images from the front cover can appear on internal pages)
• Internal pages should reflect the design codes and conventions of the genre of magazine being created

3) A double-page spread feature linked to your TV drama production as outlined in AQA's guidance above:

• Content that is appropriate to the conventions of the genre of magazine being created
• Original copy (at least 400 words)
• Each page to use original images as illustrations (the main cover image must not be repeated but the smaller images from the front cover can appear on internal pages)
• Internal pages should reflect the design codes and conventions of the genre of magazine being created

Print brief - overall minimum requirements

• A clear house style should be used in the presentation of all pages.
• A minimum of 7 original images should be included in the submission.
• All copy should be original and a minimum of 400 words should be
• submitted
• Work should be presented on pages that are an appropriate size or in proportion to the size of paper used by magazines

We recommend that all of the above should be A4 page size (with the double-page spread doubling up so A3 size).

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.

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:

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?

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?

5) Read at least three example features from newspapers and magazine to learn the format, writing style and content for a culture magazine. You may wish to use the following to help you:

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.

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?


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.

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?

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. 

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 cover of your magazine?

2) What image or images do you need for the contents page?

3) What image or images will you use for the double-page spread? Remember, you need seven different original images across the print brief.

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.

5) What costume, props or make-up will you require for the photoshoot?

Use the next two weeks of lessons plus homework to complete these planning tasks - due date is your class's photoshoot (confirmed by your coursework teacher).