Steering the OCR Magazine Brief

Targets 60 posts on individual blog, each illustrated e.g. with a picture or a video embedded a structured process with constant (formative) feedback students knowing how to work the equipment A music magazine cover, contents page and DPS which look like they belong together and are fit for purpose a critically reflective evaluation on the blog with seven different creative tasks every student achieving their full potential

Step 1: assess what’s the task? what’s the assessment? what’s the timeframe? what’s the equipment?

Task and assessment Front cover, contents page and double page spread for a new music magazine All original images and text 20 marks Research and Planning 60 marks Construction 20 marks Evaluation

timeframe and equipment Time to build skills Time to research existing texts and target audience Time to plan production Time to research and write articles Time to do photoshoots Access to cameras, appropriate DTP and image manipulation programs, online resources

Step 2: structure set up blog hub set up individual student blogs set out timeframe structure series of tasks- mini-deadlines

Step 3: activity teaching students to use the equipment camera exercises: shot types and mise-en- scene Caption and headline writing Standfirsts and opening paragraphs (b)logging evidence and reflecting critically and creatively

Photography task Give students a brief with a number of images to take e.g. long shot conveying isolation; close up conveying anger; an extreme close up of time Image manipulation task Give students two images and ask them to crop one and erase the background and combine it with the second image to create a different mise-en-scene and meaning e.g. A close up photograph of someone pushing against imaginary walls (like the best mime artists!) combine with an image of a television set (Photoshop makes the impossible possible!) Writing captions Give students images and ask them to write captions for specific contexts Headline writing Writing standfirsts Opening paragraphs For all writing tasks give the students the text of an interview and ask them to write the headline, standfirst and opening paragraph. They don’t have to be original: you could lift the text from an interview in a music magazine and then show the students the completed article as laid out in the magazine on completion of the task.

Prelim Task Limit time Evaluate images Evaluate design, layout, fonts Consider appropriateness for audience Proof read

Roles a student must adopt Journalist Photographer Sub-editor Graphic designer Proof reader

Keeping it real? What’s on in the area? Gigs Local artists Use twitter and facebook to make contact?

Step 4: investigate structuring research activities- classwork and homework magazines: sub-genre, audience, institution, media language looking at examples of other student work- critiques and criteria re-make activities

Step 4: investigate Who is the target audience for a magazine?- look at the adverts in real ones! Look at different magazines and steal ideas- NOT JUST music magazines for FORM How do different fonts work together? Tracking, leading, kerning…

Research Conventions Magazine codes and conventions Front cover Images Coverlines Fonts and sizes Design and Layout Contents Page Column structure Images Categories How many articles? Design and Layout Fonts and sizes Double Page Spread Images Column structure Fonts and sizes Design and layout IDENTIFY HOUSE STYLE

BUY ACTUAL MAGAZINES AND TAKE PHOTOS OF THEM DON’T JUST GOOGLE THEM!

Step 5: helping the idea give some possible options for market niches moodboard pitch peer and teacher feedback realistic expectations about audience and genre, not personal preference!

Audience Focus groups over questionnaires Existing data Audience profiling

GENRE RESEARCH Make sure research is detailed and thorough Specific codes and conventions of the genre

Step 6: Planning experimenting with camera and lighting models and mise-en-scene examples of shots, costumes, props, etc onto blog logistics planning- including risk assessment

More Planning House style Draft designs of production Peer and teacher feedback on drafts Images, contents, layout, fonts

Step 7: production Have a photoshoot day with lots of models? ensuring process is recorded Upload all photos to blog keep comparing to professional production Constant feedback on work in progress Deadlines for each component

Step 7: production More than one shoot with main artist for variety of costume Enno found images or family/facebook photos! Some ‘motion’ in photos- don’t be too static Flatplan the WHOLE magazine

Step 8: on the page Layout, design, font Image, text, genre, audience Draft deadlines and peer feedback

Step 9: evaluation make time to do it properly opportunity to demonstrate creativity with digital tools beware style over substance- needs depth and detail Seven tasks, not seven written answers

Step 10: marking mark the blogs as you go along rank order the magazines benchmark against online support material best fit may = bottom of the level evaluation - covering all questions, critically reflecting, making good use of creative opportunity

Step 11: moderation prepare the blogs: final product at top, evaluation next label everything clearly, make sure links work, add candidate numbers on hub justify your marks with reference to criteria and candidate

Step 12: feel the benefit skills developed for A2 material stacked up for G325 1a/1b better marks for this unit

Steering the OCR Magazine Brief