The document discusses designing a magazine cover based on an original drawing. The author experimented with slight design changes and feels the coloring of the character could be darker to convey more fear. When comparing the original and new designs, there are some differences in added images and layout, but they are otherwise similar. The author also discusses challenges with including smaller images of other characters in the main character's eyes and ideas for the background, title text, and other elements to effectively convey the intended themes and attract an audience.

1. In order to fully understand what the magazine’s cover could look like, I felt that I wanted to put the design to
practice from the drawing I created. From what was originally meant to occur, there were slight differences that
were part of the newer design. Apart from that, I am happy with the look of the image and the layout, but I do
feel that the colouring of the character could maybe be done in another way if I were to do it again due t the
colour looking too bright as opposed a darker and fearful look. More features could be added, but I did this to
get a better understanding of how I could make the magazine cover look. When I look at both of the images, I
feel that there aren’t many differences, apart from the adding of images (for what is inside the magazine) and
certain layout designs, but apart from that it is fairly similar.
The eyes are similar, due to the
character having vessels spread
across both of his white-eye
sockets.
From this, we are able to
identify his stress and anger,
following his fear and panic. Sal
can’t sleep; he can’t relax
knowing that his life is in
danger. His eyes draw attention
from the audience; he is very
serious and requires help from
Dwayne.
As Sal is looking at the
audience, it makes them feel
sympathy toward him, as
though he wants our help. The images both look fairly similar, and I am happy abut this, but there are
differences that will affect the overall finished poster if I agree and complete it with this design. The idea was to
show the images of Carlo, Antonio and Dwayne within Sal’s eyes, but unfortunately, the eyes are as large as I
drew them in the practice design. The image will have to bee enlarged, missing other facial features which will
be needed in order to make the poster look more professional; without the full nose within the front cover, it
may not look as effective. I tried to add the images of the other characters, but they were too small.

2. The images are too small, especially in
the recent design. The opacity level had
to be lowered very much in order to
make the image look more realistic; this
made the character look unnoticeable.
This would make the idea challenging as
the audience may not be able to identify
the characters, which may ruin the idea.
The use of shadows over the protagonist allows the character
to seem smaller, suggesting his lack of power and strength,
therefore challenging stereotypes of a male character. Sal is
weaker than Carlo and Antonio due to their fierceness and
blackmailing personas; they are not as caring as they first
appeared to Sal when he was young. The silhouettes of the
characters are more of an emphasis that Sal is hidden away
from the empowering bodies that are in front of him; he isn’t
alone, yet feels smaller than ever. The shadows also put him
in the dark, emphasising his danger. The silhouettes show
two character; Antonio and Dwayne (as I need to add
another silhouette for Carlo) show the two sides looking for
Sal, between good and bad. Dwayne’s silhouette has a fedora
hat to identify him more easily. The characters are at a
distance and as Sal’s eyes are open, he is looking for them in
order for his own safety. The shadows show that even when
the audience don’t know what will happen next, Sal is more
aware of the danger he is in due to his experience with Carlo
and Antonio and the way they treated him, before he ran
away from them. I hope that the audience can identify the
shadows; if not, I will make them darker and larger over
Sal’s image.
The title of the film is very similar to the design shown from
before; the text’s font is bold and stands out, it looks fairly rough
and the colouring is more used within certain areas of each letter.
The text used on the magazine cover is associated with
fingerprints, suggesting themes of evidence, murder and crime
(within a crime scene). The text is covered in blood in order to
emphasise the violence that is to be expected within the film,
especially as it is part of the Crime genre; conventionally, very
harsh violence. The blood also looks gruesomely spread across
the text with more blood around blunter parts of each letter’s
shape. I would like the text to stand out and I hope that the
audience will like it; the violent context of the film and its story
is shown in the magazine cover to immediately attract the
audience looking for a Crime film with violence and danger
being present throughout.
The eye will also be one of the smaller images on the page, therefore the hardest to identify the characters within. Due to this
problem, I thought of another idea to show that Sal is looking out for other characters in order to protect himself; something
that I hope will work to show that he isn’t alone and that he is being in danger by more authoritative characters.

3. The images that are shown at the bottom of the page will be used to show and attract the audience what is inside
the magazine; this may also attract a wider audience. There will be many options that I could choose when
basing the content within magazine about, which includes films that have recently been released in cinema,
films that have recently been released onto DVD, films that haven’t been released yet, and films that are part of
the same genre; I could also mix the images around in order to attract a wider audience and show conventions of
a film magazine. The images that I have selected have been chosen from Crime genre films, three of a more
recent releases and one that is from the 1990’s. If the magazine was a special edition, I feel that this would be a
suitable thing to include, alongside older crime films from the 20th
century; this may attract a wider audience
with a love for older films especially within the genre. This may limit the audience members toward the
magazine as not everyone likes the Crime genre, but if they were the only audience (if it was a limited edition
magazine), then it would be suitable for them.
The use of shadows from the lighting is used to show the rough nature that Sal is in, consisting of his life being
in danger. The darker shades also suggest the feeling of dirtiness from Sal; dirt that he is unable to clean off due
to it being too extreme and life affecting; the dirt is his safety, once clean, yet now ruined. The different use of
lighting also makes the poster look more professional, but I feel that it could look older fashioned with a black
and white colouring to the character (which may not fully become the colour scheme, but will be very
noticeable. The rough skin also shows the rough life that Sal is part of when in danger, including his harsher
lifestyle when threatened by Carlo and Antonio. His character is traumatised, scared and entirely in danger. His
skin shows his stress and his eyes show his fear and vulnerability when alone.
The use f the text is used in order to inform the reader about the magazine’s content,
followed with the use of images. The exclamation mark is used to add extra emotion
toward the text making it sound more important and expressive.
The barcode is a convention within all
purchasable magazines, and will be shown
toward the bottom-right location.
The use of this text is shown to attract the
audience into reading the magazine due to
it being considered rare (with the content),
only available to some.

4. The poster shown for the film ‘LA Confidential’ sets
the tone for the trendiness of the police force within
Los Angeles, involving the richness and corruptness
of the city. The poster is interesting, showing a range
of characters and their differing statuses; celebrity
detectives to new detectives and a lover. This layout
could be used for the magazine cover, with Sal being
the main image (toward the front with a larger image
size), Carlo and Antonio within the middle and
Dwayne toward the back. This would show that all
of the smaller and less important characters are all
looking to find the important character who is more
in reason to escape. The audience will eel closer to
him and his reasons, noticing his fear and danger
after being searched for by the men behind him. The
background could be used to show themes within the
film; a dark background to suggest dark and hidden
truths between characters (such as the lies from the
Fibonacci brothers over the years), or an orange
sunlight to suggest that time is running out (before it
gets dark and all is revealed). Each character will
have an important part to show their individual
personalities and their portrayals of anger.
The magazine front cover reminded of the poster of the 2015 film ‘The Martian’; the use of colouring is
used to convey the emotion for the character, similarly suggesting the loneliness of each character. In
‘The Martian’s’ poster, the surrounding are shown coming off f the glass of the air dome, much like the
idea of the character Carlo and Antonio from Sal’s eyes. The close-up is used for both of the posters to
suggest vulnerability and entrapment of each character; they can’t escape something (a plant and
danger). Each character is looking toward the audience as though they want to communicate their
vulnerability and requiring of help from us. ‘The Martian’s’ poster doesn’t have the character filling the
whole space; this will allow me to try and find the appropriate size of Sal’s character within the poster,
in order to show a background which may relate to Sal’s feelings.