Magazine change...

However, having done this research on magazine front covers, having really considered my genre and the sort of actors I am using, I thought it would be more appropriate to do an independent style magazine with the director featuring heavily on the front page, so I therefore had to change some of my points and come up with a different director (made up).

Focus Group... Magazine names?

I conducted a focus group on my possible magazine names. I took a sample of 10 people, a mixture between male and female aged 15-24 as this is my possible target audience.

Blockbuster - 3
FIlm Buzz - 5
Flutter - 1
Hype - 0
Rolling - 1
My top chosen magazine name was 'FIlm Buzz'. I think this was a good choice, really catchy and definitley a name a mainstream magazine would be called.

5 potential names for my magazine front cover.

In this post I have thought of 5 potential magazine names appropriate for my film and written what sort of magazine it is and how it is appropriate for my type of publication.
1) Blockbuster
This title suggests it is a mainstream magazine. This could be appropriate as the name is quite catchy for readers.

2) Film Buzz
This title suggests it is a mainstream magazine, with a catchy ring to it. It is appropriate for my magazine as it straight away brings the reader in with its catchy name.

3) Flutter
This title suggests as well that it is a mainstream magazine, quite pretty and sweet. I think it could be quite appropriate for a film magazine.

4) HYPE
This title suggests it is a film magazine in the genre of 'street'. It is appropriate for movies such as; Adulthood, Kidulthood

5) Rolling
This title suggests it is a directors magazine. Appropriate for directors to express what really goes on behind scenes.

Three covers from a similar publication - analysed in terms of layout and content

This post is of 3 covers from similar types of publications. I have analysed them in terms of layout and content. The layout of all three magazines seem to follow the same sort of pattern. The content is pretty much the same too.

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

5 covers for different types of publications - (1)

The next few posts are different film publications in which I have annotated in terms of the conventions found on magazine front covers.

Magazine front cover.

 I am going to be annotating a magazine cover in order to gain an understanding of the conventions found on a magazine front cover.

The title is the biggest name on the magazine cover, it is bold and eye catchy. There is the magazine issue number and price, also includes magazines website. There is a central image, and it is an a list star - Leonardo Di Caprio (eye candy). The name of the film Leonardo Di Caprio is in is featured heavily on the cover in big letters (perhaps the second biggest title on the page). Also Bold cover lines 'Tron Everthing you need to know'. More cover lines surrounding the magazine front cover. Plus Bar Code.

 

20 existing film publications

In this blog post I have written a list of magazine film publications. Even though a production/distribution company for a film will not be able to control exactly what appears on the front cover of a film magazine, film magazines however still play an important part in a films marketing campaign. My first piece of magazine research will be looking at different types of film magazines that exists so that I can decide what style of film publication would be most appropriate to feature my film on their cover. I will be creating an imaginary magazine but it will be in the style of which ever magazine I decide is most appropriate for my film.

Box Office - Box office results, top ten, and movie reviews. Audience would generally be for people interested in the box office results and how well their film is doing – directors, producers etc:









Bright Lights - film magazine which is online and examines classic, commercial, and independent films from a wide range of vantage points from the aesthetic to the political. This magazine contains classic movies and independent films so the audience isn’t mainstream and would appeal probably to an older market.

Close Up – Online UK film magazine online. You can find reviews, features and interviews for new cinema and DVD releases, articles on independent, low-budget and regional filmmaking. Appeals to an audience who are interested in independent, low-budget films. 

Empire - Features news, reviews, top movies, upcoming releases, box office results (UK), forum, and more. Mainstream audience.











Film Comment - Quality magazine providing articles on films old and new, foreign and domestic, narrative and documentary. Would appeal to a variety of people, people who are interested in reading up about all sorts of films.


















Film Journal - Movie reviews, news, and interviews for Hollywood, indie, and foreign films. Mainstream audience.

Filmmaker Magazine - Presents an insider's perspective on the world of independent filmmaking including: interviews, case studies, financing and distribution information, festival reports, technical and production updates, and more. Audience would probably be for filmmaker’s not the people watching the film, quite a niche market.

Future Movies - British movie review guide features profiles of new movies, cinema releases and latest DVD reviews. British films are in this magazine, audience would be for the British market providing us with information on new movies that are coming out.

Hollywood Reporter - Newspaper providing movie reviews, box office info, entertainment and celebrity news, more. For a wide audience interested in celebrity gossip and movie reviews etc:

IiF Magazine - US magazine on indie filmmaking. Audience would probably be for indie filmmakers.

Inside Film - Provides news and information on the world's film festivals. People who are interested in film festivals and people in the film industry.

MovieScope - Magazine explores the various aspects of filmmaking from the perspective of the filmmakers themselves. Audience is small, for filmmakers and people who are in the film industry and interested in film. 

MovieMaker - Guide to independent film and filmmaking from around the world. This magazine is for independent filmmakers.

Sight and Sound - Well-known magazine from the British Film Institute. Features top ten movies, the best film music, in-depth interviews, retrospective articles and news. Magazine appeals to a less 
mainstream audience, however still features mainstream films as well as independent and low-budget.

Premiere - Features Hollywood movie news, reviews and previews, celebrity interviews and inside stories. Mainstream audience.

Preview - International magazine packed with information on the latest big screen movies. Audience would appeal to everyone, mainstream.

Screendaily - Daily film industry news from around the globe, reviews from the world's leading festivals and box office comment from every major territory. Wouldn’t appeal to everyone, people who are in the film industry would be interested.

Kamera - Intelligent UK magazine that mainly concentrates on arthouse and independent films. Would appeal to a niche market, people interested in lower-budget films, less mainstream.




Hotdog- News, features, reviews, interviews, chat, and more from the U.K. film magazine. UK magazine, would appeal to a wide audience.

Total Film - Features interviews, mainstream films, review etc: For a mainstream type audience.









When looking for images of each of the magazine’s some of them I couldn’t find the logo or a good image so I replaced it with an image close enough to what the magazine represents.  

Certificate for my film and why it receieved that specific certificate...

IN THIS POST I HAVE DECIDED ON WHAT CLASSIFICATION MY FILM WOULD BE RATED AT AND WHY IT RECIEVED THAT SPECIFIC CLASSIFICATION.

I would give my film a '15' certificate because firstly the guidelines say a '15' certificate as a whole must not endorse discrinimatory language or behaviour and I believe my film does not contain this. My film isn't violent but does contain elements that might spin you out therefore not in the '12' bracket more like a '15', I would say it could be bordelined for both, but it is more on the '15' side. My film is more scary than vicious, it is a psychological thriller which might put you on edge and therefore would be appropriate for the '15' classification.

Certificate guidelines.

In this post I have gone onto the BBFC website to get the guidelines for each classification in order for me to understand what bracket my film would be associated with.

'U'Discrimination - No discriminatory language or behaviour unless clearly disapproved of.
Drugs - No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless they are infrequent and innocuous, or there is a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable for young children.
Horror - Scary sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome should be reassuring.
Imitable behaviour - No potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. No emphasis on realistic or easily accessible weapons.
Language - Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.
Nudity - Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context.
Sex - Mild sexual behaviour (for example, kissing) and references only (for example, to ‘making love’).
Theme - While problematic themes may be present, their treatment must be sensitive and appropriate for young children.
Violence - Mild violence only. Occasional mild threat or menace only.


'PG'

Discrimination - Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of or in an educational or historical context. Discrimination by a character with which children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs - References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.
Horror - Frightening sequences should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.
Imitable behaviour - No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons.
Language - Mild bad langage only.
Nudity - Natural nudity, with no sexual context.
Sex - Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only.
Theme - Where more serious issues are featured (for example, domestic violence) nothing in their treatment should condone unacceptable behaviour.
Violence - Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).


'12' '12A'
Discrimination - Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.
Drugs - Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.
Horror - Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.
Imitable behaviour - Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language - Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent.
Nudity - Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet.
Sex - Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme - Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.
Violence - Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification.


'15'
Discrimination - The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.
Drugs - Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror - Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour - Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language - There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity - Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex - Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme - No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence - Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.


'18'
Sex education at ‘18’ - Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and educate in matters such as human sexuality, safer sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may be permitted.
Sex works at ‘18’ - Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material which may be simulated are generally passed ‘18’. Sex works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the ‘R18’ category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work at ‘R18’ is also unacceptable in a sex work at ‘18’.

Biography on Crew

DIRECTOR

Christopher Smith, born 16 August 1970 in Bristol, England, UK. He is a British film director and screenwriter. His four most prominent pieces of work are Creep, Severance, Triangle and Black Death. Smith was last working on a movie based about the UK children’s book series CHERUS. He will work on a werewolf movie with some qualities of Quentin Tarantino films.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Robert Humphreys, Zimbabwean-born commercial, fictional narrative and documentary cinematographer. His most notable feature projects include Tad Fettig’s PBS documentary e2 series, narrated by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, Mike Goorjian’s Illusion and The Shift, Eric Byler’s anti romance pics Americanese and Tre, and Rodrigo Gonzalez’s Entre Canibales. His feature work has taken him to Cameroon, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, China, Singapore, Bangladesh, India, the Netherlands, France, England, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and all over the United States. He shoots on every format from Widescreen 35mm, 16mm, Red one, Canon DSLR, Hi Def to mini-DV and super 8. He studied film and photography at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Emerson College and UCLA.

COSTUME DESIGNER

Arianne Phillips, born 26 April 1963 in New York City USA. Aside from being a successful costume designer for films, Arianne has also been Madonna’s personal stylist and has designed or styled her last four concert tours. She has also worked with Lenny Kravitz, Courtney Love and Justin Timberlake.

FILM EDITOR

David Brenner, born 4^th February 1945. He is an American standup comedian, actor, author and filmmaker. David married Elizabeth Slater of New York, the mother of his sons Slade and Wyatt, in the closing minutes of his Live from The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada HBO Special on February 19, 2000. They got divorced a little over a year later and fought two bitter custody battles, both of which David won. David was engaged to Olympian Pair Skater and skating Hall of Fame inductee, Tai Babilonia, the female half of Tai & Randy. In the 1989 romantic comedy Worth Winning (with Mark Harmon, Madeleine Stowe, Lesley Ann Warren) he had an appearance as a charity ball auctioneer.

COMPOSER

Allan Silvestri, born 26^th March 1950 in New York City USA. He was originally hired to score Mission: Impossible and has written roughly twenty-three minutes of music before he was taken off. He recycles the material he has written and used it for the score to Eraser. Bootleg copies of his Mission: Impossible score are in circulation.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Stuart Besser, is a film producer with more than 25 years of experience and has appeared as an actor in one film, Identity.
Chris Brown, he began his journey back in the UK in 1983 as Managing Director with Stephen Wooley of Palace Productions. During this time, he produced two fils with Neil Jordan, "The Company of Wolves" and "Mona Lisa!, which won two Golden Globes and was nominated for an Oscar. He also produced "Absolute Beginners", starring David Bowie, James Fox, Ray Davies and Sade, as well as "Siesta" with Ellen Barkin, Gabrielle Byrne, Jodie Foster, Grace Jones and Julian Sands. He also worked on the script development of "Scandal" and produced two other feature films as as three shorts.In 2004 Brown won Independent Producer Of the Year, from the Australian Producers Association. Brown is currently attached as producer on the Spierig Brothers vampire picture Day breakers to be shot entirely in Queensland early 2007.
Julie Baines, she has an extensive career in the film industry and founded the independent production company Dan Films in 1994. In 1998 she was named one of the Top Ten Producers to Watch by Variety. Since then, she has established herself as a leading figure in both British Films and international multi-party co-productions. Julie most recently produced Christopher Smith's Triangle, a psychological thriller starring Melissa George, which is being distributed worldwide by Icon. As well as producing with acclaimed directors including; Nicolas Roeg, Peter Bogdanovich, Frank Van Passel,
Michael Winterbottom, Mika Kaurismaki and Deepa Mehta, she enjoys discovering and working with new talent. Julie acts as the external examiner for the MA Producing course at the National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Mark Friedberg, previous films he has worked on Mildred Pierce, The Tempest, State of Play, Identity, The Ice Storm, Pollock, Kate and Leopold, In the Soup, Broken Flowers, Morning Glory, The producers and The Beaver.

Biography on Cast.

After creating my credits I had to create a fictional biography on my cast as they are made up actors.

CAST.

Birth Name: Melissa Sarah Fine (mother)
Nickname: Mel
Age: 41
Mini Bio: She is an only child. Born in South Africa and moved to London in 1985. She is the daughter of a nurse and a singer. Fine initially expressed interest in various forms of dance rather than acting. During her childhood, she studied ballet and modern jazz.
Existing films: Paradise Island, Sweet Spice, Foreign World

Birth Name: Johnny Paul Green (father) Nickname: Jay
Age: 44
Mini Bio: Johnny is the oldest of 4 children. He is born in Chicago and has built a successful career playing underdogs and odd men out—all the while avoiding the media spotlight. Green featured in a lot of commercials when he was younger, his dad is an actor and a filmmaker, and his other 3 siblings all are in show business.
Existing films: The world must end, The evil contact, The Road to nowhere, The Virus.

Birth Name: Tina Rose Fisher (Oldest daughter)
Nickname: Tina
Age: 15
Mini Bio: Tina is the youngest of 2 children. She comes from an acting family, her older brother is child actor Peter Fisher. Originally born in Miami. Rose has been in front of the camera since the age of four, making commercials and performing in theatre production.
Existing films: Hallelujah, Raise me up, Innocent child, Virginity, What I love about you and Drama.

Birth Name: Abigail Jay Nixon (youngest daughter)
Nickname: Abi/Abs
Age: 6
Mini Bio: Abigail is from California. She was born in 2006. She is the youngest of 4 children. She has been acting since 8 months of age. She starred in the McDonalds commercial at the age of 3. She was involved in the making of CSI Miami and loves to travel. Nixon has been dancing since the age of 2; she has initially expressed interest in hip-hop and modern jazz.
                                                                 Existing films: Little Girl, Find me please

My cast and crew!

Cast...
Mum – Melissa Fine
Dad – Johnny Green
Oldest Daughter – Tina Fisher
Youngest daughter – Abigail Nixon
Police officer – Jack George
Crew...
Director – Christopher Smith
Director of Photography – Robert Humphreys
Costume Designer – Arianne Phillips
Film Editor – David Brenner
Composer – Allan Silvestri
Executive Producer – Stuart Besser
Production Designer – Mark Friedberg