SOME POINTERS ON THE MAGS TASK

The marking criteria would be a good place to start - I summarised all aspects of this in http://a2mediablogs.blogspot.com/2009/11/final-deadlines.html

some of the more unsual covers here are actually from Thai film mags, source: http://blackholereviews.blogspot.com/2007/03/movie-magazines-in-thailand-spoilt-for.html

If we take the specific criteria for PRINT products, this is how an excellent, A-grade product is described:

Level 4

The candidate is expected to demonstrate excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:
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 to the task set;
selecting mise-en-scène 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.
Where a candidate has worked in a group, an excellent contribution to construction is evident.

 A few quick thoughts then on how to arrive at this exalted level:

STAGE ONE: RESEARCH CODES, CONVENTIONS, INDUSTRY, AUDIENCE TARGETING

1. research actual film mags, noting aspects of layout/design/colour and balance of image/text, plus aspects such as use of fonts, font size, breakout boxes etc
   
   
2. try to include some data on the size of the film mags sector - ie ABC data (see the earlier posting on mags for useful links here) - and some detail on what challenges face it (oh, say the threat/opportunity that new media/web 2.0 presents! But also the democratisation of punditry: through blogs and websites, and reading user comments on amazon, YouTube and many others, we no longer rely quite so much on the expertise of professional print and broadcast journalists to form our views of new movies)
3. make sure that you're thinking about target audience as you take notes; look for obvious signifiers such as plentiful shots of scantily-clad ladies and smutty humour/double entendres in mags with a primarily male target aud (HotDog, an otherwise rather good film mag, was an example of this - not to be confused with the curious canine mag!); reviews of rom-coms will often say much about the target audience too. The style of language used is critical: informal, slang for downmarket/mass market publications, perhaps more formal and complex language for a more sophisticated, film literate audience - it would be useful to make some reference to Sight and Sound as an eg of an upmarket film mag
   
4. pick out an actual magazine publisher - this could be one without any film mags currently - and do a little research; explain how your concept for a film mag would fit within its profile 

Okay, so you've researched the codes and conventions, and looked a little at mag publishers too...so what about the creative side?



STAGE TWO: PRODUCTION - TITLE, IMAGES, TEXT, and the little details

1. Be clear from the start: who are your target audience? Age, gender, social class, education, possibly ethnicity and sexuality are all factors
2. Is this a publication which is likely to be favourable towards your movie, thinking especially about the genre? Don't be afraid to produce a review page which slates your movie, especially if you can reflect your knowledge of the genre/s and its perceived shortcomings, referencing a range of movies, recent and historical, and industry trends, when doing so!!!
3. Title? You can't use an existing mag name, so make sure you research your proposed name - and write clearly on why you went with this idea. Perhaps you tried a spot of market testing (ie audience feedback) when deciding on this (asking not just if people think its good, but what it actually makes them think of)
4. Masthead? This is taking your title and adding the design aspect to it. You've got to consider font, case, colour/s and whether to incorporate any shapes or images within the logo - and whether each choice is appropriate for your target audience.  For the cover, is there a selling line (a statement that sums up the mag's outlook/philosophy/attitude)? Barcode, price, publisher's logo, date, issue number, web address, perhaps prices in some other currencies? Frequently you'll see the main cover image obscuring part of the masthead.
   
5. Is this a mag simply covering mainstream Hollywood movies, or one which is maybe hostile to Hollywood and favours Indie productions?
   
6. Is this a monthly magazine (read my mag blog for some pointers on this)? Weekly? A one-off? A4(ish) glossy, or one of the emerging handbag-sized A5 efforts? What are you basing the price on? Who are the publishing company (make one up, but show some knowledge of actual companies)?
   
7. Cover lines? What other stories are featured on your cover? Try to make these based on real films/film-makers, reflecting your good research and grasp of your chosen genre especially (this could be a special edition, with things like a poll of your top ten slashers etc as a lead story). Are you using the left third?
8. For a film review page, basically read pages!! Two facing pages would make sense; its going to be hard to get 10 marks for this otherwise. Look closely at how a variety of mags do this - many will feature breakout boxes, with facts or interviews with cast/crew, or even comparisons to other movies and how this one fits into the genre tradition. Do not hesitate to interview yourself (just don't be daft and credit J. Doe as the interviewer for J. Doe), though you could get someone else to actually interview you, recording the audio/video, and using the resultant material! Images will most likely be stills from your work, but behind-the-scenes shots might also be a consideration. Don't forget page numbers, issue date and mag name, typically on the opposing bottom corners.
9. Are you using a star rating system? Is this the first page of a reviews section? (If so you would typically explain what one star etc actually signifies)
10. Have you included a release date (in cinemas from...)?
    

You might find the following useful:

Magazine Front Cover Analysis