Magazine research - significant progress

I have almost completed the second page of my magazine article and everything seems to be on track

Although I'm happy with the way things are going I think I could have chosen better pictures to use, although the pictures work well as an important part of the plot line there are more attractive photos I could use to draw attention to how well the project was films so I will have to go back to college and collect more appropriate stills to use on the second page of my magazine article.

magazine article - first draft

This is a screen shot of the first page of my article so far, I have been working to put everything in place to make it look as professional as possible, a sufficient amount of work still needs to be done with the writing and a few fine points need tweaking but everything is coming along well so far and I'm positive that I will be proud of the end result.

magazine article - finishing touches

I have created a few boxes to put at the end of the text from my article to wrap up the article and give a little more information on my project, this will show at the bottom right hand corner of my article to provide a clear end to the article itself.

This text shows the rest of the basic information that I couldn't it into the text box I created at the start of my magazine article which turned out to be beneficial to this project after all providing me with an extract to add at the end of my article.

magazine article -

I have added a few text boxes in and amongst my main text to accentuate certain parts of text that might appeal to the reader, this is a technique often used by journalists and magazines to draw in an audience.

I used a few of these boxes and used a different font and colour of text to make the text stand out from the background script.

magazine article - star rating

I have infused a star rating with my article and have given it the best star rating as it is my film and I believe in the quality of the work put into this project. Star ratings are a key part of reviews and articles especially when referring to media.

Magazine article - header

Its important to introduce the article well so I have created a text box to insert in the top left hand corner of my article, introducing the article as part of the FILM WORLD 'entertainment bible' this also helps it look more professional and like more of once piece out of a collection.

I have added a few more small pieces like this to the article to imitate a real article as well as possible

magazine article - featured artist

I decided to hold an interview with one of my actors/actresses, I chose my main actress as she is featured most on screen and is very talkative so I felt she would bring what I needed to the article.

Magazine article - extract

I have created another text box featuring other films with similar themes or characteristics to my film to offer the reader a choice of other films they may be interested in that I will integrate into my magazine article.

These films featured in this extract from my article are taken from the research I did into short films during the beginning process of my project which appear to have influenced my short film more than I first realized. 

Magazine article - breif

From looking at my research I have noticed it is common practice to have some brief information on the featured film, I have put together a text box with including the basic information to include in my article...

Magazine article - script

A large part of my magazine will be taken up with information and writing about my project, I noted down a few key points and have put together a first draft of what I want to include in this piece of my work.

it will need a significant amount of editing however I now have a basis to start my magazine and can edit it to fit the specifications of my template of Microsoft publisher.

Practice on writing my magazine article

I have chosen to proposition myself with the task of writing a review for a Hollywood film in order to prepare myself to write my own article and get some hands on practical work behind me before I complete the important task of writing a magazine article for my own film.

BRIEF REVIEW:
I chose 'Machete', a recent blockbuster as it has iconic themes and characters as well as a famous cast with plenty of action, drama and emotion over the course of its 105 minutes of running time.

'He knows the score, He gets the women, He kills the bad guys' Danny Trejo throws himself into these words as his character in Machete as an old school, hardcore Mexican with a violent history and increasingly violent present. The tale unfolds with clips from his past to his present status as a worn out middle aged immigrant searching for work and keeping his head down. However after a predictable run in with his previous arch nemesis from his history as a federal he shows a merciless, ruthless side to him that the audience have been anticipating since the start. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino bring their own style as an auteur, from camera work to editing its overdone, tacky and predictable but in a way that is Tarantino’s style, coinciding with Rodriguez’ experience in films with south American settings including ‘Dusk till Dawn’ a film that gives the meaning to the word ‘cheesy’ overall this film offers everything it promised, it caters to the needs of its predetermined audience and more than doubled in grossing total compared to the budget.

What to include in my magazine article

From studying other film magazines and analyzing the articles I have come up with a method of writing my own article using the articles I have read as a loose guideline.

These are the options of aspects to include from the articles I have studied:

1. Brief synopsis of film
2. Q&A to cast and crew
3. Quotes about the film from cast and crew
4. Discussion of preproduction/ post production
5. Analysis of genre and theme
6. Over all verdict of film

I will carry on to refer back to these points when completing my article to keep focus and have a solid base for the context and content of my writing.

Publishing Programmes...

After looking through endless copies of film magazines yesterday I decided now that I have an idea of what I need my article to look like that I would need to decide on the software to use to create that look.

I spoke to my teacher and class who came up with a few options

• PHOTOSHOP

Is a highly respected piece of software for projects like this however it can take a long time to learn how to use it propery and I have almost no experience in using the programme.

• MICROSOFT PUBLISHER

I have a vague knowledge of how to use Publisher however I am not completely fluent so I will have a go at creating the look I want and see if I can pick up enough information to use it to complete my project.

• MICROSOFT WORD

Microsoft Word is the easiest option however getting the desirable look and theme of a magazine is not so easy and alothough it may be accessable it could end up looking mundane and uninventive if I use this software.

After much consideration and trying my hand at each programme I have decided to use Microsoft Publisher to create my magazine article, I want the option of getting my magazine article to look as similar to one from a real film magazine however I don't have the time to learn enough about Photoshop to be comfortable producing anything from it however Microsoft publisher is designed for projects like these, its also an easy transition from Microsoft word and so far have found it easy to work with.

Initial Magazine Preparation

To prepare myself to write my own magazine article about my production its important to think of my target audience, who am I writing to? Who would appreciate an article about this film? and how do I make this article seem professional?

First I have decided to compare film magazines to try and get a basic idea of what is entailed and what is being asked of me, these are some of the most successful magazines in the business

• EMPIRE

• TOTALFILM

• SIGHT & SOUND

The best idea seems to be to attempt a double page spread taking elements from all of these magazines to try and create something that looks professional, I have collected some pictures of some of the articles from these magazines to get an idea of what I need to include in mine.