This document provides guidelines for students to create a film magazine cover promoting their film project. It must be completed by December 10th and is worth 10% of the total project marks. The cover should be in the style and genre of the student's film. It must include the key elements and conventions of a magazine cover, using an appropriate layout, mix of fonts, images, and text. Examples of magazine covers are available to help students. The cover will be evaluated on its appropriate use of design, images, and language to effectively promote the featured film. Students are also expected to continue regularly blogging about their project's progress and influences.

1. Ancillary Task
Film Magazine Cover

2. Guidelines
 Due December 10th - Only 2 weeks!
 Worth 10 marks (from a project total 100)
 1 Magazine Cover per group needed

3. Format
 The format that this should take is similar to
the poster:
◦ It should be an extension of your trailer – the genre
should be clear.
◦ the settings and characters must be from your film
(although again they don’t have to be taken directly
from your film).
◦ You must think about what would be appropriate for
the cover of a magazine – regulations are a bit
looser than posters but not much.
◦ Your work must include all the features and
conventions of a film magazine cover, there are
examples saved on the computer desktops to help
you.

4. Mark Scheme- Level 4
 Using IT appropriately for the task set
 Showing understanding of conventions of layout and
page design
 Showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts
and text size
 Accurate use of language and register
 Appropriately integrating illustration and text
 Framing a shot, including and excluding elements as
appropriate
 Using a variety of shot distances as appropriate
 Shooting material appropriate for the task set
 Selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure,
lighting, objects and setting
 Manipulating photographs as appropriate to the
context for presentation, including within text, within
particular IT programmes, cropping and resizing

5. Conventions of a magazine cover

6. Magazine cover terminology
 Masthead – The top of the magazine which
includes the Title, cover price and Tagline.
 Tagline – Not all magazines have this, is like
a mission statement summarising the focus
and brand image of the magazine.
 Sell Lines or Teasers – These promote the
articles and features in the magazine, the
focus will be on the film featured in the cover
images but additional articles will be
included.
 You should produce an A4 cover

7. Blog expectations
 Your blog should continue to be used to
track the progress of production, weekly
updates should be continued and any
draft work should be added and
contextualised.
 In addition I have set a task for you to
complete…

8. Blog task – genre and influences
 How does the cover effectively promote the film?
◦ Describe the cover image. How is it framed? What type
of shot has been used? Describe the lighting and mise en
scene.
◦ Discuss the issues of representation and any
connotations of the images
◦ What is the overall effect of the image? How effectively
does it target its audience?
◦ How is the lead article promoted on the cover? What
devices have been used (i.e alliteration, mode of
address) and what effect do they have?
◦ How strongly does the cover focus on the film promoted
by the image, consider the size of the other teasers?
◦ Do the articles and image on the cover enforce or
subvert your expectations of the genre?