21st May: Podcast Preparation

NEWSFLASH
AT 9:00AM ON THURSDAY 4TH JUNE, DURING OUR NORMAL LESSON TIME, WE ARE GOING TO TRY A 'LIVE' LESSON USING WEBCAMS, ETC. LET ME KNOW IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DEVICE WITH A CAMERA THAT CAN ACCESS OUR GOOGLE CLASSROOM VIA GOOGLE CHROME. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU HAPPY SMILING FACES AND HEARING YOUR VOICES (TBH, IT WILL BE NICE TO HEAR ANY VOICE THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO MY WIFE OR DAUGHTER!). TO ACCESS THE LESSON, YOU SHOULD VISIT OUR GOOGLE CLASSROOM AND USE THE LINK THAT I WILL PUBLISH ON THERE (WILL BE PUBLISHED JUST A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE LESSON).

PODCAST PREPARATION

The flatplans your print products that I have seen are looking good. Well done. If yours isn't finished, please finish it today before starting the podcast preparation.

Now for the podcast. Remember, the podcast should present an interview with the creator of the magazine (the print product and the audio product are connected!). The creator is you, so you will have to be interviewed! Obviously, you will need to find somebody to play the part of the host.

So, there are two ways to approach the podcast (audio product);
  1. Script the whole podcast episode
  2. Unscripted, but questions agreed beforehand
Last year, when students wrote the script for the whole episode, we found that the outcome didn't feel natural; it didn't feel like a natural, flowing conversation (a convention of podcasts). Students who tried to improvise the whole thing had to complete a lot of editing to remove................. pauses (that was a joke that would have worked better face-to-face), stuttering, repetition and repetition (another joke that work have worked better in the classroom environment). I would suggest that the following preparation is likely to result in a high-quality, natural outcome;
  1. Outline the sequence of events / podcast structure (with timings)
  2. Write the questions to be used in each event / part of the structure
  3. As the interviewee (the person being interviewed) consider your responses to the questions, maybe noting some key words or terms that you would like to include, but don't write your responses out in full.
Let me give you an example...

Sequence of Events
  1. Jingle (0:05)
  2. Host welcome in studio (0:10)
  3. Host introduces guest (0:07)
  4. Studio interview part 1
  5. Introduction of location 2 (0:05)
  6. Location 2 interview
  7. Return to studio
  8. Studio interview part 2
  9. Thanks and future podcast promotion (0:15)
  10. Jingle (0: 10)
Studio Interview Part 1 Questions
  1. How do you become the creator and editor of a successful, national magazine? What was your background and can you outline your journey?
  2. What aspect of the job is most challenging and which bits are most rewarding?
  3. Etc.
Response to questions
  1. University degree / rival product job as journalist / blogging / podcasting / print
  2. Deadlines / financial planning. Meeting like-minded people / shared passion.
  3. Etc
In today's lesson, you should prepare your podcast sequence of events and identify the questions you will ask in each section of the programme. Construct a blog post entitled "Podcast Preparation" and present your outline and questions.

Look forward to 'seeing' you on 4th June!

14th & 15th May: Print Product Detailed Flatplans

Morning. Hope you are all fighting fit and happy!

Today, we are going to start constructing our print products. You should have already identified a genre, magazine title, etc and now you should be ready to start constructing.

The first stage in constructing a print product, particularly a magazine, is to product a flatplan. There are two types of flatplan, both of which are produced, in this order:

  1. Flatplan: Outlines the content of each page in the magazine so that you can see how the magazine 'flows' from one page to another.
  2. Detailed Flatplan: Outlines the content and layout of individual pages.
Because we aren't constructing a whole magazine, we are going to focus on detailed flatplans. You can find information relating to flatplans below;


I thought I'd also provide you with some further content guidance:


Ok, hopefully you now have an idea of what a flatplan is and how it is used to plan and realise a great quality product. It is a vital stage in the construction of high-quality print products. You are going to need a flatplan for each of your magazine pages;
  1. Front Cover
  2. Double Page Article (remember to double the page measurements)
  3. Advertorial
Before attempting to construct your flatplan, make sure you are clear on all the elements you must include (as identified in the brief). Make a list and tick them off as you include them in your flatplan.

Front Cover
  • Masthead
  • Strapline
  • Cover price
  • Barcode
  • Main image
  • Additional images
  • Lead cover line
  • Additional cover lines (at least 3)
Double Page Feature Article
  • Space for copy (approx. 400 words)
  • Headline
  • Standfirst
  • By-line
  • Sub-headings
  • Appropriate column layout
  • Main image
  • Additional, smaller images
  • At least 2 pull-quotes
  • Folio (magazine title & page number)
Advertorial
  • Headline
  • Standfirst
  • Appropriate column layout
  • Images
  • Space for copy (150-200 words)
I thought, rather than write a thousand more words, I'd give you a quick demonstration of how to construct a flatplan. Here is my attempt (I apologise for all the sniffing; I have a cold):
WARNING: A MAGAZINE IS NOT A4! YOU WILL HAVE TO CUSTOMISE THE PAGE MEASUREMENTS!

Once you've exported your flatplans as images, put them on your blog, clearly labelled so I know which page I am looking at. You have one week to complete ALL of your flatplans.

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