My First Digital Plan

Silver ScreenPutting Britain in the

Spotlight

Ferry Port:Proof that the British Independent films are not dead yet.

Academy Awards 2014How has the UK done this year?

Behind the ScenesOn the set of new film ‘Down and Out’

Exclusive InterviewRalph Fiennes

Short FilmsThe top ten cinematic shorts ever

Latest TechnologyAll the new equipment coming out this year.

Issue Number 128

£2.99

Why I have done this?I have decided to create this digital plan as, like my

hand drawn plan, it will help me when creating the magazine cover as it will provide me with a more clear idea of where everything will go. However, I also believe that by creating a more realistic plan, it will help me to see what ideas of mine work and which ones will need changing. For instance, some

ideas that may look good on paper may not translate well.

My Decisions Explained

For my masthead, I decided to name my magazine ‘Silver Screen’ as it has links to the cinema so the audience will instantly know what the magazine will feature. Furthermore, I felt that it would look professional having it actually coloured silver: a colour that I tried to incorporate throughout in aspects such as my tagline and issue number.

This is the main image that I previously mentioned was the best that I have taken. However, I have increased its size so that it fits the page and easily stands out. Despite this though, I have removed the background which I stated would remain to see what it would look like considering it is only a digital plan.

I decided to use a dark background for this plan so all of the text can easily be read and stand out. Furthermore, I tried to make it look more professional by having the silver background fade darker towards the corner.

I have decided to use two separate font colours on my cover so that the audience can clearly define what the main topic is before reading about it further which I feel makes it look more professional.

For the bar code and price, I have decided to make them quite small as they aren’t drastic selling points in terms of the magazine and wont attract anyone to buy it. However, it is important information hence why I have included it in the bottom hand corner.

I have identified the other content of the information here so the cover has more selling points but I have made them smaller than the main headline so they don’t attract the main attention.

What I liked?

One aspect of my first digital plan that I liked was the decision to use different colours in my cover lines for the main information and attractive elements: as shown here because the ‘Academy Awards 2014’ part is the main selling point. Furthermore, it is a feature that is prominent in most independent magazines' as shown in the example.

One aspect that I will definitely keep is the inclusion of the bar code, issue number and price on the magazine. By doing this, it helps the audience to clearly identify it is a magazine: something that Is useful especially for an independent magazine which more people are less likely to have heard of.

In terms of the overall layout of my magazine, I feel confident that I choose the right one when compared to the other hand drawn ideas that I produced. This is because, it manages to clearly get all of the information on it without causing anything to become squashed or distorted. Furthermore, I feel the ‘simplistic’ look works well as most independent magazines have this type of style – as seen in the example.

I was a fan of pricing my magazine at £2.99. This is because, firstly, it is a realistic amount for a magazine but it also makes it competitive as I would not be able to charge as much as the more mainstream, well established magazines like ‘Total Film’ or ‘Empire.’

What I will change?

Silver Screen

When I come to actually creating my first proper draft, I will change the actually title of my magazine to simply ‘Screen.’ This is because, as identified by others as well, ‘Silver Screen’ sounds quite old and has connotations of more classic cinema: something which wouldn’t sell the magazine as well today. Therefore, by simply shortening the title it will maintain the implications that it is a film magazine but sound more modern and eye catching.

One minor change that I feel will help to give my magazine cover a more professional finish is to move the actual main image over the masthead. This is because it a key feature of magazines that almost every cover does as it makes it look more tidy: as seen in the example.

One of the main changes that I will make to my poster is the font as, at the moment, it is just a simple font chosen from this software. However, in order to make my magazine cover look more appealing and professional, I will chose a more exciting font which will require me testing and styling differing fonts on sites such ‘1001 free fonts’ and ‘Dafont’ as they offer a much more diverse range. Furthermore, the results of this testing and searching will be shown on my blog at a later date.

What I will change?

When I come to actually creating my first draft for this magazine cover, I will be keeping with my original idea of having the background of the main image as the overall magazine background. What I found out here is that having a generic coloured background, the magazine appears more ‘childish’ and less professional.

Another change that I will make to my magazine front cover would be to actually organise all of the cover lines properly; here they looked jumbled and rush – through reasons such as the text going over the image and the way the lines start and finish at different points. Therefore, by making the cover lines look neater and more structured, not only should the cover look more professional, but all of the information should also be much easier to read. This example of an

independent film magazine shows how all of the cover lines are much

more organised and simply set out.

Also, I should look at some of the cover lines, such as the one with Ralph Fiennes, as they unrealistic as, normally, these types of people would be the main selling point of the magazine