Contents Page Numbering

I believed my contents page of my magazine would have to included a page number as I had seen from other examples I had looked at that they had also included a page number.

I labelled the contents page as "Page 1" because essentially it is the first page of my school magazine.

Issue Number and Date

On my front cover I decided to add an issue number and date as I had seen from other school magazine covers I had previously looked at, they also included those specific features and is clearly a key feature so the reader will know when the magazine was made and what time period it covers.

Masthead Effects

For the Masthead of my front cover I decided to use different effects on the text using blending options.

I used drop shadow, Inner shadow and Bevel and Emboss. I used each of the effects as I believe it makes the text really stand out and eye catching for the reader.

Finished Contents Page

This is my finished contents page where I have maintained my house style from my front cover and used the same actor for my photo I had taken previously during my photo shoot. I edited the image by using the Eraser tool and Magic Wand tool and leaving the parts of the picture, the actor and computer, I wanted to be apart of my Contents page.
I have listed what is included within the magazine in white and maintained the font that was also the font used on my front cover.
The school badge is another aspect of the house style that I used on my contents page.

Finished Front Cover

Here is my finished front cover for my school magazine.

I believe my front cover works well as I have included the school uniform colour, burgundy, as the background, using the paint bucket tool, because I think using the colour is a good way to indicate what school the magazine has come from.

The text font I have used is Bernard MT Condensed because I believe it is a very clear and readable font and I used the colour white for the text because the clarity of it against the burgundy background works well. I have used this font type for all of the text on the front cover because it gives the whole layout a very uniform look.  

I included "The Wedding Singer" picture to catch the eye of the reader as it is very colourful and will definitely inform the reader that Oldershaw are clearly going to be involved in something to do with the musical.

I only included two main stories in the magazine on the cover so the front cover didn't look too cluttered and busy.

School Badge

I have added the school badge on to my front cover as I believe it is a clear indicator of what Academy the magazine is coming from. I placed it in the top right hand corner as it is in a place that is obvious and readers will recognise exactly what magazine it is.

Front Cover Masthead

I called my magazine Academy News and used black for "Academy" and white for "News". I did this because I believe the lettering will stand out well against the burgundy background. I used a variety of effects on the text to also increase it's impact and how it looks against the background.

Editing Front Cover

Whilst designing my magazine cover I realised that my proportions for the front cover weren't correct. Therefore I had to save what I had already previously designed and then create a new front cover on Photoshop with the correct proportions and then drag my original design into the new space.

Front Cover Process 2

For my front cover I decided to use the colour of the Academy Blazer (Burgundy) as my background colour. This is a subtle indicator that the magazine is The Oldershaw Academy's school magazine and the colour of our blazers is very defining. I used the paint bucket toll to fill in the whole of the background that I previously removed.

Front Cover Process

Here I have used this lesson to take away the original background of my MCU front cover photograph so I will then be able to add a different colour for the background later.

I did this by using the Eraser tool and the Magic Wand tool. For me to zoom in on my photo to be able to erase the background as close as possible to my actors head, I used the Zoom tool.

Photo shoot Review

For the front cover of the my school magazine, I decided that my Medium close up shot would be of 2 students, that are apart of the Academy sixth form, stood either side of a large framed photo of a younger student of the school in full school uniform.

Therefore I used one of my Media lessons to take the photo I needed for the front page and I believe it was a successful shoot. I took more than one of the same shot so that I would have a few to choose from and have the opportunity to get used to the camera, ultimately leaving me with the best shot for my front cover. 

I believe where I have placed the actors in the photo will work well as I can place any text I would like on my front cover, not including the Masthead, in the middle of the two students which will hopefully also make the writing more clear and readable. 

(INSERT FRONT COVER PHOTO)

At another time when I had a free lesson I decided to take my contents page photo that included one of my actors that was previously in my front cover photo. I hadn't made a definite decision about where my contents page photo would be taken but I finally decided I would take it in one of the computer rooms in the sixth form base. My actor is sat at one of the computers editing in photo shop on the computers. I believe this was a a good shot as the background is not too busy so my text will be easily seen and read, and it has a good angle so that we can see what Danny (the actor) is working on on the computer. This shot is also a medium close up.

I believe my pictures represent the school in a positive way and I stuck to my photo shoot plan.

Mise en Scene

Location- For my school magazine front cover shot I have decided to take it in the Sixth Form building near a large framed photograph of a student, dressed in full school uniform, used to advertise the academy. I have chosen this specific place because I believe it is a good space to place my actors below the photograph and the front cover shot won't look to busy as there will be limited items behind my actors.
Actors- I have chosen to use two actors in my front cover shot. They are two male students from the academy's sixth form who are apart of my Media class. Therefore I won't need permission from any teachers because I won't be using any students from the lower school that may interfere with there lesson schedule.
Camera Shot- The camera shot will be a MCU (Medium Close Up) shot of both of my actors standing beneath, at either side, of the large framed photograph of the Oldershaw Academy student. This way I will use the rule of thirds in my shot.
Costume- My two actors will be wearing smart sixth form uniform in order to show that the academy has high standards and the students stick to the standards that are expected.
Props- No props will be used in my front cover shot.
Narrative- With my cover shot I am showing that the Oldershaw Academy students are happy within the academy, and they are standing below the photograph of the younger, high school student, as a way of representing that they were once in their place and they've worked hard through their school years and now have earned a place in sixth form.

School Magazine Covers

Examples of Medium Close up Shots