DVD cover research

This is an example of a cover most like what I will be aiming for as it has a similar audience to 'drama club'.

The font used on this DVD cover is very distinctive and childlike. It is also used during the credit's to the show meaning the title will be recognisable.

The images surrounding the main image of Tracy show her interests and add colour-they are also things that the target audience would be interested in.

The cover is overtly feminine with pink background and images of rainbows and hearts etc. the addition of the football contradicts this and suggests there may be something it it that appeals to boys too. It also shows how her character may be a tom-boy. I could consider doing something similar for my cover and have the items I used in the title sequence that linked with the characters such as microphone, camera etc. around the main image.

The title/logo of the show is placed at the top, very recognisable. This is also on the spine of the dvd and the same font in the title is used for the rest of the text on the cover.

The main image is of the main charcter (Doctor) and his companion, there is usually a medley of images as can be see here with the heroes and the villains together.

On the back is a list of the episodes on the DVD, as well as images from various episodes. A positive review is placed at the top, presumable as it is the first thing people will look at as they turn over. The white font against the purple background also draws the eye to it.

The certification is at the bottom and on the spine, as well as the institution (in this case the bbc).

Codes and conventions of mag covers

usefull website: Magforum

From looking at various magazine covers, i have picked up on some codes and conventions which i will need to consider when designing my own. The masthead is always bold, with a distinctive font that acts as a logo or symbol just as much as a title. I will need to create a logo or something similar for my TV show 'drama club' to include on the cover. The covers seem to follow the same outline, but vary in style. Children's magazines seem to be more cluttered and colourful however there is always a main image with text bleeding onto or around it. There is nearly always some kind of give away or 'exclusive' to entice readers, and the font aside from the masthead is very simple and consistent to keep it from being to confusing. A popular colour for this is white, red is also used a lot but a simple colour scheme is something i will use for my cover.

Ancillary task research: Magazine front cover

The most striking thing about the cover is the masthead, as it is a logo for the show as well as the magazine title. It is big, bold and stands out at the top of the page and is instantly recognisable.

The image of the two leading characters takes up most of the space and bleeds onto the title further emphasisng the image and the well known logo.

There is also a prize give away, key words such as 'win' 'plus' and 'exclusive' are made bolder or bigger making them stand out and drawing the readers to the tasters of whats inside.

The bold white font of used on the tagline 'Never forget' makes it stand out from the page as it differs to the colour scheme on the rest of the cover. Its positioning over the main image makes it the first thing you look at.




Again, the masthead jumps out the page with recognisable font and bold red colour. This time it over laps the image, increasing its importance.

The main image itself is clearly from the 'Harry Potter' movie the magazine is premoting. Its dark, sinsiter look adds a more dramatic feel and draws the reader to the cover.

The headline 'massive preview..' is big and white making it stand out against the dark background, the use of wording again very inticing.The tagline beneath the masthead, although smaller may aslo intice readers as it boasts the magazines importance calling it the 'worlds biggest' of its type.




This cover would be more similar to the type of cover i would be making as it is clearly aimed at younger readers. Its bright pastel colours again highlight a more female audience as well as the pink and feminine text on the masthead.

Simple fonts are use for the rest of the text, with white being the predominant colour. Its more cluttered than the others, with more going on and more tasters about whats inside.

The main image is fun and eye catching as the red clothing stands out against the light background with the text bleeding over the top.

Photoshop

In preperation for our secondary tasks, as a class we learnt the basis of photoshop during our wednesday lesson. This meant learning how to use google effectivley first, and how to find better quality pictures that were suitable for photoshop use. Our task involved finding an image of Tom Cruise and placing his head on the body of an animal. To do this we had to cut out his face from the original picture and place it onto the image of the animal. We learnt what tools to use, and which were more effective as well as how to use layers and build up layer upon layer adding more detail as you go. On reflection, this will definatley help me when it comes to designing the DVD front cover and magazine cover.

(PRINT SCREENS NEEDED)

Developments/Filming

Having gone through what I have done so far with my teacher, one issue with my stop frame is that i included 'Starring' in every title which would not normally happen in a title sequence as it would only appear once at the beginning. I have re-done the stop frame for a third time, and corrected this mistake. The overall quality of the lighting was good enough, and the use of the hand seemed effective and feedback from my class mates showed this would be good to keep in my final cut.

FILIMING: TUESDAY 26T JAN (PERIODS 4/5)
During this session, i need to complete filming all the characters in thier rols for around 8 seconds to include in my title sequence. The end shots will probably be only around 5 seconds.

> Gemma will be singing/bowing (need micophone)
> Sophie will be telling a joke (reading the joke book)
> Amber will be directing someone (clapper board?)
> Andy will be taking a photo of the whole group...this photo may feature on the 'created by' credit-plannign to use an over the shoulder shot of andy taking the photograph.
> Sehb will be wearing a drama mask-will take it off and (will then be bowing)

further stop frame/mini rough cut

I have completed some more stop frame of better quality having slighty re-arranged the layout of the letters and objects ect. I have imported these into a new premier pro project and have begun editing for my final cut. I will upload the shots i have taken as another rough cut to show how the design of the titles has changed, the main aim now is to complete the filming of each of the charcters which i have decided to include. This will be a short clip, 5-6 seconds in length showing them in their role for the drama club. For example the director will have a clapperboard and the singer will be performing with a microphone ect. These will be slotted in between each section of stop frame. The photos I took oringinally will be used at the end of the title sequence were a 'created by...' title will appear. I may create a quick mock up of this to see if it is effective. I plan for the filming to have been completed by the end of next week, it is relativley short filming task so this should be achievable. I am still happy with my choice of music, there wont be any dialog although i may have the actors speak but thier voices will not feature.