1. Making a school magazine
-In this task we were expected to produce a cover and index
and school magazine. We had to do research in order to find
out what other school magazines looked like and analyse their
features. We also had to carry out a survey to find out what
people would like to see in our survey. Following that we had to
produce a school cover and contents page by planning it and
then producing a final product on Photoshop.
2.
3.
4. Mast head clearly shows
who the intended
audience of the magazine
is.
The main image is of a student
in causal clothing standing in
front of the school. This
suggests tat the school is
relaxed about the students as
they are not required to wear
a uniform. The image also
does not obstruct an of the
other information.
Strap/sell line. This entices the
reader into buying the magazine
and also gives the reader an
indication of the stories that are
included. In this particular
strap/sell line it says ‘Have your
say!’ which includes the
audience. Also they are
questioning whether to have
doughnuts in the canteen which
indicates that the school is
healthy.
Teaser story. The teaser story in
this is the school prom. This story
relates to a large number of
students which means that it is
appealing as I will interest the
students who went to the prom
This magazine also uses a
serif font which is often
related to formality and
maturity which could suggest
that the school wants to
portray its students as being
mature.
The size of the price of the
magazine is also quite
large and in a different
colour showing that they
think the price is a selling
point of the magazine.
The issue number also shows
how recent the magazine to
the reader so that they can
make sure the information is
still relevant.
5. Main Image. The main image is of a
boy and a girl. They are both
wearing suits which implies that
the school wants their students to
be smart. The use of a boy and a
girl also shows that the school
wants the students to be equal and
this is also shown by them having
similar uniform. The image is
successful as it is inviting because
both of the students are smiling
and this also gives a positive image
of the school to other audiences
other than students such as
parents.
Strap/Sell line. This is
very effective as it
gives students an
incentive to taking
the magazine and
reading it. By making
the competition
exclusive to the
magazine reader it
makes the magazine
much more
appealing as the
reader can get
something of value
from it.
The word free is in a larger font than
the stories which is effective as this is
what persuades people to take the
magazine. By drawing attention to
the free text it makes it a main
attraction of the page which could
persuade people to take it.
6. AS Media Studies Preliminary Task – School Magazine Front Page Proposal Form
Target audience:
(age range, interests)
Although it is a school newsletter you still have to think about your
audience and how to appeal to them.
School students. Reviews of things such as new music and films. School life and events. Has
to appeal to both a younger audience (year 7 and 8) and an older audiences (Rest of the
school and parents)
Possible title ideas:
(masthead / title block)
What is your magazine going to be called?
Priory update, update
Main image:
What will be the focal point of your front page, remember, your
work “must include a photograph of a student in a medium
close-up”
Medium close up of student with priory school logo outline in the back ground.
Main cover line:
What will be the main story?
Halloween or Christmas themed. Something related to an event that has happened in the
school e.g talent show.
Additional key images:
What other images will be on your front cover?
Remember, it is a school magazine.
School logo, images relating to stories, medium close up of 6th form student.
Additional cover lines:
Other features, stories or selling points which will be inside the
magazine, these need to be audience appropriate.
News story of the week, music reviews. Student achievements, announcements.
Typography:
(style, size, colour of copy)
Think about the writing and the style of the writing on your front
page.
I will use a sans serif font. The mast head will be the largest of all the text and will be black
with a red outline. The main story will be white with a red background. The rest of the stories
on the front page will be much smaller and of different colourings.
Background colour/image:
What will be in the background, remember you don’t want to take
the focus away from the main image.
Background will be red. Possible gradient.
Technical considerations:
(equipment, setting, props, costume, lighting)
Be realistic and creative, think about what you have access to and
how you could use it.
Camera, white background, 6th form student, computer, Photoshop.
7. Preliminary exercise: produce a front page and contents page of a school magazine. Front covers must include a
photograph of a student in a medium close-up with appropriately laid out text and use of an image manipulation
programme (Photoshop).
Below start to sketch what the front cover of your newsletter will look like.
8. Preliminary exercise: produce a front page and contents page of a school magazine. Front covers must include a
photograph of a student in a medium close-up with appropriately laid out text and use of an image manipulation
programme (Photoshop).
Below start to sketch what the contents page of your newsletter will look like.
9. Feature Demand (number of people)
Sports results 2
Message from the head 3
Reviews of music 6
Reviews of films 0
Editorial 0
Shool life 3
Events 4
11. How I made the mast head on my yearbook
Firstly I entered the text that I
wanted which was “Priory date”
I did this by using the text tool
and changed the colour to
black. I used a sans serif fort
called “Swis721 BlkCn BT” as I
thought it looked modern and It
would looked appealing to
younger audiences.
Next I added the effects to my
text. I added the following
effects ; bevel and emboss,
stroke, satin, colour overlay and
outer glow. I combined these
effects to make my text grey
white and red to resemble the
colours found in the school logo.
The final addition to my mast
head was the arrow. I found an
image on the internet of a red
arrow and placed it in front of
the word date so the arrow
represented the word “up”
12. The main image
I chose this image for my year book. The
main reason that I picked this image was
because it it would be easy to edit. The
background of the image is white which
means that the black suit of the student
contrasts we with the background
meaning that selecting the background
and area to delete would be very easy. I
also thought that the image was suitable
as it was not too light or too dark.
To edit the image I first removed
the background. I did this by
using the quick selection, and
magic eraser tool. I then added
feathering and blur to the image
edges so that it would blend in
better with the background
slightly better. Finally I lowered
the contrast slightly.
13. What I have learnt in this task
In this task I have learnt about the main features of a magazine,
their names (mast head, strap line etc) and what their purposes
are. I have also learnt a number of skills in Photoshop. I have
learnt how to use things such as the featuring and blur tool to
merge photos and make cropping look less obvious. I have also
learnt how to choose the best photos to crop and have learnt
how crop effectively and well to make the image look as
professional as possible. Lastly I have also learnt how to set up
a blog on blogger and make posts.
