Unit 1 FACT SHEET Bobby Massey
Production process
The production process is the making of and the stages involved in producing a
media product. These include three key stages in the production process which are
pre-production, production and post-production.
● Pre-Production - The pre-production stage involves doing research for the
media product. It also involves doing preparation and planning before
producing the product.
● Production - The production is producing and making the material for the
product.
● Post-Production - the post-production involves the construction of the
product and the editing. It also involves the finishing touches of the media
product.
Magazine Production Equipment and Software
The three main specialised equipment needed to make a magazine are: DSLR
camera, photoshop and desktop publishing software.
DSLR Camera
A DSLR camera is a Digital Single-Lens Reflex that has variable lenses and an
optical viewfinder. The camera uses a mirror system to reflect light from the lens up
to your eye which shows you what the lens sees in real time. A DSLR camera is
needed for magazine production because it has high image quality and
interchangeable lenses. A DSLR camera can be bought from multiple websites
online and usually in technology stores. This specific camera from Amazon costs
£212.
[Link]
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5a26ae1704bf6892a&hvocijid=7973840294519951348-B01M7R6T4W-
&hvexpln=74&tag=googshopuk-
21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7973840294
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=9046506&hvtargid=pla-2281435176698&psc=1&gad_source=1
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is an image editing software that can be used to add filters and
effects on the image, change the brightness and contrast, add text or edit text and
crop and resize images. Photoshop is needed for magazine production because it
uses text and image editing to enhance the quality of the product and visual print.
Adobe Photoshop can be bought from the Adobe website. Photoshop costs £9.98 a
month.
[Link]
Desktop Publishing Software
QuarkXPress is a professional desktop publishing software used for creating
complex designs for print and digital formats. It includes tools for graphic design,
image editing and advanced typography. It allows you to layout magazine pages and
arrange text and images. You can also make and save templates on it. A prepaid
annual subscription costs £251 and a perpetual license with one year of
maintenance and support included costs £524. There is also a starter pack for Quark
which will cost £811.
[Link]
Magazine Production Process
Pre Production - content
In the pre-production content stage, the editorial teams meet. This is where they
can share ideas and make decisions about the content of a magazine. The editors
will assign articles to writers. The writers will research for their designated articles.
This stage is important because all content decisions are made with votes and
responsibilities
⇩
Pre Production - flat planning
In the Pre Production flat planning stage, the team goes through the flat plan for
that magazine issue. A flat plan is a page by page breakdown of that issue of the
magazine. The editing team arranges the order and length of the issue. They can
adjust the length and the layout. They need to have an understanding of the text
and images.
⇩
Production
Research must be completed for the production stage. Articles are written,
photoshoots and taken and archived images are used. These are images that have
a long term utility.
⇩
Production - writing and sub-Editing
In this stage, the sub-editor checks all of the articles and checks all the spelling
and grammatical errors. If an article is too long, the sub-editor will cut it down or
ask the writer to cut it down. If it is too short, the sub-editor will get the writer to
write more. In this stage, desktop publishing software like QuarkXPress is used
where they layout articles, text content and photos. They might use pre-set
templates which link to the magazine's house style. This stage is essential
because this is where the magazine pages are constructed.
⇩
Post Production - Checking Printers Proof
In this stage, the final completed pages are sent to a mock up. Then, they are sent
back to the editors to fully check before publication.
⇩
Post Production - Completion and Distribution
In this final stage, editors give approval before publication. All copies of the
magazine will be printed and produced. Then they will be sent out to distributors.
Magazine Production Roles
These images show the production roles
from MOJO magazine
Magazine Job Roles
Editorial
The editorial role includes jobs like Editor in chief, writers and copy editors. These
are the roles that edit/write all content. They need to be high quality for it to be
published to everyone.
Writer
The writer role includes jobs like staff writer, creative writer and freelance tutorial
writer. These are the roles that require strong writing skills. The writing must be
formal and professional for it to be published.
Sub editor
The sub editor role includes jobs like polishing, fact checking and finalising
magazines before publishing them. They ensure that the magazine is accurate and
they often manage the layout and the house style.