Front Cover First Draft

This is the first draft of my magazine cover advertising my new superhero television show "Divinity." I decided to use a striking image of my model that I edited using Pixlr in order to create the impression of her powers, as well as to immediately distinguish a difference between my product and the expected images of women in superhero franchises. I settled on a darker colour scheme with the uses of blues and blacks to fit with the typical conventions found on sci-fi magazines, with the bright burst of the tag line to grab the audiences attention. For a first draft, I am happy with the overall effect of the design, especially with the typography and the overall editing of the main photo, although I will be open to any changes or critiques that could be suggested by my target audience.

Typography

These are my typography designs for the front cover of my magazine. I decided to go with the metallic, darker style for the main title "Sci-Fi Weekly" in order to give it a more mechanical, scientific style that reflects the genre of the magazine. I decided to use the tagline of "Fallen Angel" in bright fiery colours that sharply contrast with the darker colour scheme in order to bring it to the centre of the image, as well as to emphasise the general ideas and themes of my advertised TV show.

Final production idea

My final idea is to create a 3/4 page magazine spread, including a front cover and a double page spread containing an article and interview, advertising a brand new superhero television show in which the cast is pre-dominately female. The majority of the major roles (hero, villian, sidekick, love interest) will be portrayed by women, whereas only smaller minor roles will be cast by men, in order to subvert the typical stereotyped roles and gender typecasts found within the superhero genre. I will also try to give it a much more gritty, realistic focus, with the use of low key colours and styles in order to make it seem darker.

Image mock-up

This is an image I've mocked up using Pixlr as a practise run for my actual magazine cover. Whilst it is very basic, and doesn't include certain elements, the overall effect is one that I think works for the style that I am aiming to replicate.

Magazine covers

 

I decided to look at a range of different covers that cover a variety of formats - namely, film and television, from broad genre to specific niche magazines. By looking at these covers, I can see an example of the usual composition styles and features of a magazine cover, as well ways in which I can present my new show. As my genre is that of superheroes, I feel that the sci-fi style cover, crossed over with features from the other covers, would help to create a strong, vivid image that would compliment my production idea.

Target 15/1/13

My target today is to research different magazine formats and covers in order to find a layout that I feel would work well with my production.

Production schedule and proposal

Project proposal form

Product description ( subject, genre, purpose)	A 4 page magazine spread (front page/contents/double spread) that advertises a new “superhero” TV show that subverts the typical representation of gender in the genre according to my research that includes an article, a mini interview and a “behind the scenes” promotion for the show – for the purpose of entertaining and informing the audience of the show.
Documentation needed	Health and safety issues Legal and ethical issues Consent forms from individuals used in images Storyboard for images
Resources needed	Camera Computer People/props for the images Photo editing software - Pixlr
Size time space( approx)	4 page spread for a magazine that includes: front page, contents page, double page spread that includes articles/interviews/images etc.
Production timescale	Planning to take 1-2 weeks; photos to be taken over the space of 3-4 days; production to take around 4 weeks not including contingency week.
Legal ethical and representational  issues	Don’t alienate audience, copyright.
Locations, permissions	In and around Hastings for outside images Permission needed for use of locations and images of people
Target audience	18-25 year olds Fans of the “superhero” genre People who read cultural/lifestyle magazines
Similar products researched	TV shows on the genre: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Heroes Magazine covers

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

Date Started	Task		Date completed
8/1/13	Research into the codes, conventions and the layout of magazine covers; refresh how to use Pixlr for my production piece.
22/1/13	Start to produce the layout for my magazine cover and internal contents: magazine cover, contents page, double page spread advertising a new superhero show that includes article/interview/images/timelines/ ‘behind the scenes’/opinion polls etc.
29/1/13	Photo creation – take images to be used in the production piece for the front cover; use Pixlr in order to edit the photos to make them more appropriate for the genre/representation/magazine format.
12/2/13	Continue to edit the photos and layout for the production; begin to write up the content of the articles/interviews for the production.
26/2/13	Finish writing up the articles/interviews for the production; finish assembling the layout and content of my production; starting making notes to be used in the evaluation.
5/3/13	Contingency week – Use this week in order to go over all aspects of my work and review; rectify any mistakes in the production; begin to write up the evaluation.
12/3/13	Finish writing up the evaluation; finish rectifying any final mistakes that are present in my research and production; print off and hand in by the deadline.