MEST2 Print brief

Your MEST2 Print brief is as important as the video work you are currently filming. 

It is crucial that you research, plan and design print work that could comfortably holds its own alongside professional examples. Our AQA MEST2 brief is here, with the key task as follows:

Print
All entrants have been asked to create pages for a promotional booklet which will demonstrate the variety of local film-making talent and provide information on the shortlisted entries. Each entrant is therefore asked to create their own pages for the booklet. You should create two to three A4 pages. You are encouraged to be creative in your approach and try to make your pages distinctive and visually appealing. You should include information about you, your production team and the film itself.


What do you need to produce?

1) A5 Little Picturehouse programme front cover featuring YOUR film
2) A5 Double-page spread contents page
3) A5 Double-page spread feature on YOUR film

Now complete the following tasks to plan and prepare your print work:

Research

1) Key conventions. Look over the magazine cover key conventions notes sheet and ensure you can confidently identify the key aspects that are found on a magazine cover.

2) Write an analysis of this BFI Film Festival programme front cover. How many of the 12 key conventions of magazine covers can you see? In what way does this print product differ from a traditional magazine cover? How have the designers made this programme visually interesting?

3) Find at least 5 arts centre or cinema programmes/brochures aimed at a similar target audience to your project (arthouse cinema). For each one, pick out one design idea that you could use in your own print work.

4) Find at least 5 contents pages from arts programmes or magazines. How are contents pages designed? How do they use a combination of text and images to create an effective design?

Planning and sketching

1) Create a spider diagram or bullet point list of all the things your target audience might be interested in. How can you use this information to create a main feature about your film that will appeal to your target audience?

2) Produce an A5 sketch of your front cover including the key conventions and design tricks you have studied in existing programmes and then planned in planning task 1 above.

3) Produce an A4 sketch of your double-page spread contents page. In terms of the text for your contents page, you will need to find out the names of the films of other groups in your class. The other films in the class will make up the rest of your contents page.

4) Create a spider diagram or bullet point list of ideas for your double-page spread feature. Write a list of potential headlines and sub-headings for the article you choose to go with.

5) Produce an A4 landscape sketch of your double page spread design now you have chosen the subject matter.

Photoshoot

1) Which of your main characters will appear on the front cover of your programme?

2) What image or images do you need for the contents page?

3) What image or images will you use for the double-page spread?

4) Write a shot list for the photoshoot. Make sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium shots, close-ups etc.

5) What costume, props or make-up will you require for the photoshoot?

Use the lesson to complete these planning tasks but you'll need to finish for homework - due date is your class's photoshoot (confirmed by your coursework teacher). 

Immediate homework
In Microsoft Word, write the text for your double page spread feature. Plan it out carefully then write a headline, sub-heading and around 500 words for the main article (depending on the type of feature you have chosen).

Due date: confirmed by your coursework teacher.