Flat plan planning

A crucial part of the planning process for any printed publication (or indeed any publication at all) is the flat plan. Ensuring your work is as professional as possible, as well as grounded in design theory and drawing inspiration from your research, will mean you having to put a little effort into actually thinking about element placement on the page. Your magazines should ultimately aspire to look like a genuine product.


Success criteria for your flat plans

• A3 landscape created
• Page numbers on both pages
• Magazine name on both pages
• Drop capital used to start article
• Minimum of two photos on double page spread
• Basic page layout followed
• Basic layout improved using intermediary page layout

STEP 1 - Basic page layout

A nifty trick is to draw out all the elements you want to include in your flat plan, and then cut them out. You can then lay these out on a separate sheet of A3, moving them around to see how the elements would work together to create different styles / designs for your magazine. Take pictures of these different layouts and upload them to your blog.

STEP 2 - Intermediate page layout

You must have a minimum of two columns per page within a single rectangle. Your article and image should be within the rectangle. If you're aiming for band 4 you MUST ensure ALL your designs have template lines visible.

Using these 'guide' lines try and ensure all of your flat plan 'design' fits within these areas. More info on layout out using these 'harmonious' guidelines can be found on the Memonic website.

STEP 3 - Alternative page layout: the grid systemThe grid system is an elegant yet simple way of designing your page. It too builds on the fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc.

Try dividing your page into columns as seen here, then you can decide how many columns will suit your page. Visit this site for further information.

Flatplans

Examples of flatplans that show it's a valid way to begin the whole design process. Brainstorm ideas for your cover, contents and double page spread. Get them down on paper and then move on to PhotoShop.

 If you've started on PhotoShop then that's fine too, just make sure you save jpegs of your initial mock up.

See also Know Your Onions pages 9-11 by Drew de Soto (we have a copy in H2). He explains the point of working out the initial idea on paper.

Magazine names - getting creative!

You need to think about your magazine name carefully to ensure you are not duplicating what already exists, that you're hitting the right target audience, and that the name matches the aim of the magazine.

Here's a handy list of some example titles you could use BUT you really want to try and come up with your own. Double check your title with your teacher - we don't want it to be lame!

• Drone
• Reverb
• Deadline
• MMM (Modern Music Monthly)
• Resonate
• The Mix
• Frontman
• Riff
• X
• Vox
• Rumpus
• Turntablist
• Freak Out!
• Invisible Jukebox
• Amok
• Fred
• Whoa
• Haute
• Light Fantastic
• Folk You

Magazine fashion and styling

In order for your magazine to successfully appeal to your audience and to meet genre expectations for your style of magazine, you need to research the fashion and styling of the models you will use for your photographs.

You need to therefore produce:

• Mood boards that cover male and female (where appropriate) fashion
• Explanation of how your styling reflects the genre of magazine you're creating

Some examples of good work are on Hanna Burrows' blog and Harry Butler's blog.

Fonts and colour pallettes

Fonts Exemplar – Jojo Downing 2014

Pallette Exemplar – Phoebe Williams 2014

Portfolio schedule

As Foundation Portfolio Schedule

Examples of analysis on double page spreads and contents pages

Magazine Contents Page

Magazine Double Page Spread

Analysis

Magazine and newspaper glossary

Magazine and Newspaper Glossary

Design Layouts: Gutenberg Diagram, Z Pattern & F Pattern

Several layout patterns are often recommended to take advantage of how people scan or read through a design. 3 of the more common are the Gutenberg diagram, the z-pattern layout, and the f-pattern layout.

The pattern applies to text-heavy content. Think pages in a novel or a newspaper. The pattern isn’t meant to describe every possible design.

The Gutenberg diagram describes a general pattern the eyes move through when looking at evenly distributed, homogenous information. Read that last part again.
The pattern applies to text-heavy content. Think pages in a novel or a newspaper. The pattern isn’t meant o describe every possible design.
The Gutenberg diagram divides the layout into 4 quadrants.

• Primary optical area located in the top/left
• Strong fallow area located in the top/right
• Weak fallow area located in the bottom/left
• Terminal area located in the bottom/right

The pattern suggests that the eye will sweep across and down the page in a series of horizontal movements called axes of orientation. Each sweep starts a little further from the left edge and moves a little closer to the right edge. The overall movement is for the eye to travel from the primary area to the terminal area and this path is referred to as reading gravity.
Naturally this is for left to right reading languages and would be reversed for right to left reading languages.
The Gutenberg diagram suggests that the strong and weak fallow areas fall outside this reading gravity path and receive minimal attention unless emphasized visually in some way.
Important elements should be placed along the reading gravity path. For example placing logo or headline in the top/left, an image or some important content in the middle, and a call-to-action or contact information in the bottom right.
Designs that follow Gutenberg are said to be in harmony with natural reading gravity.
The claim is these designs improve reading rhythm, by being in harmony with the natural reading rhythm, as well as improving reading comprehension, but there’s little empirical evidence to support the claim.
Again Gutenberg describes large blocks of text with little typographic hierarchy. As soon as you create a visual hierarchy the diagram no longer applies. Keep this in mind with the other patterns described here.

Year 13 - generating solid ideas

Task:
Brainstorm items or situations that scare people.

Narrative theory
Narrative conventions for trailers are similar to films - Todorov's narrative theory.

• Stage 1 - the state of equilibrium is defined
• Stage 2 - disruption to equilibrium by action or crisis
• Stage 3 - character(s) recognise problem and set goals to solve it
• Stage 4 - character(s) try to fix problem, but there are obstacles
• Stage 5 - equilibrium is re-instated, problem solved, conclusion

Film trailers follow similar patterns - however they can vary in which stages they employ. For example, many trailers will remove stage 5 to build appeal.

Task:
Pick ONE idea from the brainstorm - map out a rough 5-stage narrative for that idea.

Horror narrative structures
3 part play:

• First act focuses on central characters beginning ventures into strange or new and ultimately threatening settings
• Second act focuses on what is unleashed as a result of being in this new and strange environment - violence is rife leaving many/most protagonists dead. Survivors become worn down, fear and tiredness starts to break the group down, people who want to raise the alarm often get laughed off
• Third act is the climax, involving dramatic/apocalyptic showdowns with varying outcomes

Task:
Now fit in the horror narrative structures into your 5-stage narrative (if you haven't already)

Propp characters

• Villain
• Hero
• Donor
• Helper
• Princess
• Dispatcher
• False hero

Task:
Now define the characters in your story - you may need only some or all of these. Who are they in your story?

Task:
Watch three different trailers from your chosen genre. For each trailer identify the different stages of Todorov's narrative theory - use screenshots and explain how it demonstrates the stage in the narrative theory.

Now link the stages of a horror trailer to your own idea - which elements from your narrative structure would you include in the trailer?  Which characters? Which stages and characters would you exclude? Why?

More idea generation suggestions:

Pictures ideas from Sarah Ghost

 

Introduction to year 12

Welcome to year 12!

Things you should have completed in preparation for today:

• Set up your own blog
• Customised your blog
• Researched 10 examples of music magazines
• Find front covers of each
• Read three different types of music magazine and completed a case study on them (see the summer homework PDF for guidance)

This work should have been completed and uploaded to your blogs in preparation for today.

5x5 instructions

1. Choose five areas of the media that you like (see my attempt for guidance)
2. Within each area pick your five favourites
3. Add a description/explanation/justification
4. Add images to illustrate
5. Post on your blog

Preliminary magazine examples

 

AS Foundation Portfolio Brief

Print

Preliminary exercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. 

Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.

Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.

All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate, minimum of FOUR images per candidate.

Excellent student work 2014

5 x 5

Radio comedy

• The Goon Show - classically funny and completely bonkers comedy from the 50s with the legends of Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe. 
• Whose Line is it Anyway? - a quick-paced improv game that was so successful on radio they made it for TV.
• Just a Minute - a show with rules that are often broken and challenged with ensuing hilarity.
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue - a comedy panel game with a variety of mini-games and most recently hosted by Jack Dee.
• The News Quiz - topical comedy show and inspiration for Have I Got News for You.

Symphonic metal and rock

• Within Temptation - Dutch group gaining notoriety across the globe for their symphonic and gothic rock; The Heart of Everything is beautifully crafted.
• Nightwish - a symphonic power metal group from Finland, possibly the pioneers in the genre, with a cinematic and epic feel to earlier albums; Once, the last album to feature Tarja's operatic vocals, is easily their best.
• Lacuna Coil - from Italy, one of the most successful gothic metal bands mixing male and female vocals; recent album Broken Crown Halo is the peak of their triumphs.
• Delain - another Dutch symphonic metal group formed by original keyboardist from Within Temptation; April Rain is still their best piece.
• Evanescence - not strictly symphonic but heavily based on gothic metal and rock, one of the few bands to appeal to mainstream listeners; original album Fallen is a perfectly rounded creation.

American TV shows

• NCIS - one of my favourites, as Gibbs is an intriguing and brilliantly-played lead character. The team works brilliantly as an ensemble on some interesting Naval crimes. Easy to see why the show is the most watched on American TV.
• Modern Family - mockumentary-style comedy about an extended family and their shenanigans; Phil Dunphy is one of the most loveable and hilarious characters on TV.
• Grey's Anatomy - taking over the medical drama mantle after the end of ER, Grey's is still as moving 10 seasons on as it was when it first aired in 2005.
• The Big Bang Theory - situational comedy about science geeks and comic-book nerds that has reached a significantly wider audience than those niche groups.
• The West Wing - political drama that finished airing in 2006 and focused on the fictional presidency of Martin Sheen's lead character. Noted for developing the long Steadicam tracking 'walk and talk' shots that now seem common-place.

Film musicals

• Calamity Jane - one of my early childhood favourites, about a frontierswoman and scout known for fighting indians and being friends with Wild Bill Hickock. Favourite song: The Deadwood Stage
• Mary Poppins - another childhood favourite (and still an adulthood favourite!), not least of all because Dick Van Dyke is a legend. Favourite song: Let's Go Fly a Kite
• The King and I - Oscar-winning film with some catchy tunes and romantic overtones set in a far off exotic land (and some teaching thrown in!). Favourite song: Shall We Dance
• Sister Act - although not strictly a musical, this is still one of my favourites of all time. Whoopi Goldberg is utterly brilliant (even if she can't sing to save her life). Favourite song: I Will Follow Him
• Moulin Rouge! - a typical Baz Luhrmann eye-fest extravaganza of colour and costume, with some excellent star turns from Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman and cleverly reworked modern music. Favourite song: El Tango de Roxanne (best watched for the majorly awesome dancing!)

Monty Python sketches

• Meaning of Life: Sex Education - one of the funniest and most awkward imaginings of teaching ever.
• Four Yorkshiremen - a very well-known sketch that still resonates today, particularly with those people who like to out-do others.
• Wood and Tinny Words - utterly silly but still one of my favourites because I love words - and men dressed up as women.
• Nudge Nudge - a brilliant example of sexual innuendo and the ridiculousness and complexity of Eric Idle's delivery. Also one of the few Python sketches to have a punchline.
• Life of Brian: Biggus Dickus - had me in stitches when my dad reenacted it on a family holiday to Italy. Some of our fellow tourists weren't quite so impressed. Watch closely for Michael Palin almost losing it.

Year 12 - summer homework 2015-2016

To prepare you for the AS level in Media Studies, you should complete the following summer homework booklet.

CBA Asmedia Summerhomework1516

Year 12 preliminary genre task

Task 1 - Present your trailers to the class
Today is the deadline for presenting your re-worked trailers to the rest of the class. You should:

• Upload the original trailer to your blog
• Upload your new trailer to your blog
• Email your blog address to Miss Ghost and Mrs Hurcombe

Your presentation must include:

• How you decided on the trailer you picked and why you picked it
• Why you chose to adjust the genre of your trailer to the one you picked
• How you assigned roles (if you worked in pairs) and why those people were given their particular role
• How you went about the production of your trailer (editing, sound, etc.)
• Time management of the production (did you meet deadlines, etc.)
• Whether your roles changed, or whether you supported more on task than another
• Problems that arose during production and how (or if!) you overcame them
• What you have learnt from this process and how you will improve for next time

Task 2 - Written evaluation
Once you have presented to the class and have received feedback from your peers and the teacher, you will need to write up the questions from above as an evaluative piece. This is good practise for your production portfolio, which includes marks for evaluation.

As part of your evaluation, you should also answer the following questions:

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
• How effective is your media product? Is it good/bad? Why?
• What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Post your work on your blog.

Task 3 - Planning and research for your own product
You should continue with planning your own idea for your film trailer. If you are stuck for ideas, go to IMDB and watch some existing movie trailers. Or alternatively, use Youtube to watch some A grade media studies trailers like this:


If you have an idea in mind, then your next step is to do some research.

1) Produce a comprehensive guide to your genre. It should include:

• Key theories associated with that genre
• Camera angles
• Key terminology (amplification, illustration, etc.)
• Examples of existing movies in that genre (and sub genres)

2) Analyse 3 movie trailers from your genre. Your analysis should include:

• Camera angles/movements
• Sound
• Editing
• Effects
• Mise en scene
• Lighting
• Genre codes and conventions that do/do not feature in the trailer

All of this work should be posted to your blog before your next media lesson for myself and Miss Hurcombe to comment on.

Genre theory

Task 1:
Watch the videos above and analyse how the original trailer's genre has been repositioned in the re-edit. Make sure in your response that you look at and discuss:

• Cuts (speed and type)
• Non-diegetic sound
• Effects (post-production, text, graphics, etc.)

Produce a written analysis of the re-edit and post it to your blog.


Task 2:
In order to produce a good film short for your own portfolio, you need to acquire editing skills and practise using the relevant software.

Select a film trailer of your choice and re-edit this to change its genre - try to go for something completely opposite for maximum effect. You should use the Mac suite and Final Cut to produce this work.

• Start by selecting the trailer and storyboarding the existing trailer, including shot types, editing, etc.
• Investigate your chosen new genre and conventions
• Research existing film trailers from that genre - select one and analyse it in detail
• Cut up your original storyboard and rearrange it to create your new genre trailer
• Edit the original trailer (there are some free software packages online where you can download trailers from YouTube)

You should post all of your research and work onto your blog. Be prepared to show your new trailer to the class. Deadline: Friday 3rd July 2015

Postmodernism - Jurassic Park/World

Genre - conventions and iconography in Star Trek

Editing representations - classwork

TV Drama revision booklet

Tv Drama Revision Booklet

Game of Thrones - editing task

In order to improve your knowledge and application of editing, look at each of the clips from the Game of Thrones mock exam video. For each section of clip, complete the following tasks:

• Watch the clip
• Identify the editing techniques used in the clip
• Use your glossary
• Don't forget about post-production editing (soundtrack, sound effects, etc.)
• Explain the purpose of the editing technique in relation to the representation of gender. Does it reveal anything about:
• Stereotypes/anti-stereotypes?
• Relationships?
• Characters?
• Is it manipulating audience perception? What perception? How?
• Don't forget about other purposes of editing as a whole - narrative, pace, rhythm, etc. How can these link to gender? 
• Look particularly at characters 'thinking' and 'fighting'.

• 0:00-0:27 - start of clip to where Jaime Lannister says "Which will she choose?"
• 0:27-0:36 - Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister walk along the bridge to where he sits down in the middle of the bridge
• 0:48-1:00 - Jaime Lannister says, "I never used to get corns!" to where he steals Brienne's sword
• 1:03-1:22 - Brienne removes her sword to where they look at each other over their swords eye to eye
• 1:39-1:50 - Jaime Lannister attacks Brienne to where he pushes Brienne backwards over the bridge
• 2:00-2:30 - Jaime Lannister holds his sword towards Brienne to Brienne kicking Jaime in the gut
• 2:31-2:48 - Jaime says "If you were willing to hurt me..." to Jaime leaning back on the wall with his sword out
• 2:49-3:11 - Jaime strikes out from the wall to Brienne standing over the fallen Jaime
• 3:13-3:42 - Jaime gets up off the floor to Jaime looking back at Brienne
• 3.45-4.05 - Jaime says "Let us go..." to the men on horses proceeding over the bridge

Mock exam - year 12

Game of Thrones

Yr12 Mock May15

Editing - revision

Task 1:
Discuss the following with a partner.

• What is the point of editing?
• What does it achieve?
• What effect does it have in TV drama?

Task 2:
Brainstorm all the different types of editing you can.


Task 3:
Now write what each type of editing does - and importantly - the effect of the editing.



Task 4:

Look at the editing hand-out - have you missed any areas of editing? Have you misunderstood any areas, what they do, and their effects?


Task 5:
Get into pairs - enough for seven groups.

In your pair you are going to analyse a clip for editing - looking at specific area of representation. You have 20 mins to watch the clip and produce a short presentation for the rest of the class (of no more than 5 mins).


In your presentation you should include:

• A brief introduction that rounds up what impact the editing has on the ENTIRE clip
• Screen shots of editing features you have found
• Terminology
• Explanation of the effect of those shots IN RELATION TO REPRESENTATION

Areas of representation and clips:

• Age - Skins
• Gender - Wire in the Blood
• Sexuality - Queer as Folk
• Ethnicity - Spooks
• Disability/ability - The Street
• Class and status - Shameless
• Regional identity - Our Friends

Independent revision 
Excellent website for revising editing - including clips and explanations.

Areas of representation and music videos:

• Age - Modestep (Sunlight)
• Gender - Pink (Stupid Girl)
• Sexuality - Beyoncé (1+1)
• Ethnicity - Offspring (Pretty Fly for a White Guy)
• Disability/ability - Eminem (Without Me)
• Class and status - All American Rejects (Gives You Hell)
• Regional identity - Fat Les (Vindaloo)

Sherlock - exam practise

Task 1:

• Get into 4 groups
• Each group is responsible for one area of textual analysis
• Watch the clip
• Write down every feature for your area of TA that you can see in the clip and when it is used
• Swap your paper with another group
• Annotate your new sheets with how the TA feature has been used to represent gender
• Swap your paper with another group
• Add to your peers' discussion with further ideas/different interpretations
• Swap your paper with another group
• Add any theories you've covered in class with relation to gender/representation that you could use to support the arguments on the paper
• Return the paper back to the original group

Task 2:

• Spend 10 mins preparing a short presentation on your area of TA
• Take notes and ideas from your peers' work on representation in the clip

Task 3:

• Using the notes you've made, write up an exam answer to the question: How is gender represented in the clip from Sherlock Holmes?

Examiner's report - Media Studies key concepts G322/3

Examiner's reports are really helpful as they can reveal what the examiner is looking for when marking your exam answers. Some key points from last year's examiner's report:

• Those candidates achieved well offered sustained and detailed responses.
• Responses were frequently punctuated with detailed reference to contemporary and relevant examples.
• Fully rewarded for some insightful and academic use of key media concepts
• Candidates who did not meet the highest levels often lacked detail in arguments and offered a basic response.
• Candidates struggled where they failed to manage their time.

Representation and textual analysis:

• Integration of terminology
• Variety in representations - not just focused on one type
• Fluctuation in representation - not the same all the way through the clip
• Sequenced ideas - work your way through the clip
• Balanced and integrated analysis - covering all areas of TA
• Biggest area of development in all responses is editing
• Links need to be made between areas of TA and the representation

Areas of representation:

• Gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, class and status, disability/ability, regional identity

Areas of textual analysis:

• Camera shots, angle movements, composition
• Establishing shots, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, variations.
• High angle, low angle, canted angle.
• Pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
• Framing, rule of thirds, depth of field, deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.
• Editing
• Shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway, insert.
• Dissolve, fade-in/out, wipe, superimposition, long/short take, slow motion, ellipsis, expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.
• Sound
• Score, incidental music, themes and strings, ambient sound
• Diegetic and non-diegetic sound, synchronous/asynchronous, sound effects, sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective.
• Mise-en-scene
• Production design, location, studio, set design, costume, make up, properties
• Lighting
• Colour design

Work to complete 23rd - 27th March

Evaluation:

• Read the feedback for your question 1 and question 2 drafts.
• Complete final versions for both questions (both must be presented using a different creative format-look at the ten examples I posted for help).

Blogs:

• Ensure your coursework is posted on your blog
• Upload images from your photo shoot to Flickr (create a gallery and embed on your blog).
• Save each layer of your magazine as a jpeg (to show how the project evolved). Do this for the cover, contents and double page spread. Compile the images on Photoshop and post to your blog.
• Label every post correctly.
• Account for any gaps in the blog.
• Postdate new blog posts where appropriate.

Example evaluations 2014