Unit 1 FACT SHEET Cecilia Beaufort-
Eaton
Production Process
The production process refers to the process and stages in the making of a media product.
The three stages includes:
● Pre-production which includes the planning of the production.
● Production stage is the stage where we produce the materials.
● Post-production this is the editing and the construction of the production.
Magazine Production Equipment and Software
There are a few things needed to produce a magazine
which include:
● DSLR Camera
A DSLR camera is a digital single-lens reflex camera and
allows the user to take pictures of what they want and for it
to come out clear and of high quality. The camera is used
for taking pictures of what the user wants and these can
be transferred onto a computer to be saved on there or to
be printed off. It is needed for magazines as the cover
shots and the pictures seen through them are taken with
the camera meaning without one the magazine would
have no pictures as there would not be a magazine if there were no photos to use.
[Link]
The camera Costs £249.99
● Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is the manipulation of photographs such as the colours of the photo, how the
main image appears in terms of shapes and appearances and how the background is seen
as well as the quality of the shot can be decreased or increased. People can use it for
changing the appearance for their own photos or for others and can be used to advertise
products to make them look more appealing. It is needed for
magazines so that the covers look more appealing to the
audience and can be used to make colours look brighter or
dimmer depending on the atmosphere that the front cover is
going for.
[Link]
A subscription to Adobe photoshop is £9.98 a month
● Desktop Publishing Software e.g quarkxpress
Desktop publishing software is software that can allow you to edit your projects. This is done
by being able to outline texts and change where you can see them on the canvas, being
able to design graphics and edit texts like documents helping your work to suit you and what
you intend. This is used in magazine production as it can make the articles that are featured
in the magazine to your own style by being able to move images around design graphics for
the page and moving texts around to create the pages more engaging.
[Link]
The annual subscription to use the app is £279
● Computer
A computer is an electronic device for storing data and
can be used for multiple reasons such as completing
or starting work, communicating, searching things up
on the internet, shopping and storing pictures etc.
However in producing magazines it can be used to
write the articles which are featured in the magazine
designing the front cover and saving pictures that can
be used for the magazine that is shown throughout the
magazine.
[Link]
The price for one is £569
Magazine Production Process
Pre -Production - Contents
In the content stage of pre-production The editorial team decides which writers are
assigned to which storys and then as well as this those writers must go and make the
necessary research for the story they are writing about. Overall this stage is essential
because it is where all the decisions are made and roles and articles are established.
⇩
Pre-Production - Flat Planning
During the Flat plan stage of the pre-production stage the editorial team create a flat plan.
This is the page by page plan of a magazine and helps to construct the order of how each
article will be laid out. It is important as it allows the editors to easily adjust the order and
structure for the content and identify what images are needed for the magazine. It is
essential because it helps to ensure that the next stages will be organised and helps to
make the whole team understand the contents
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Production
At this stage the team and writers conduct their research for the articles and will be written.
Photo Shoots would be arranged and conducted and if needed archive images would be
found and would be asked by the owners for permission to use them as their team would
not own them.
⇩
Production - Writing and Sub-Editing
In this stage the sub-editor checks through the articles and are checking for spelling and
grammar mistakes they either fix it them themselves or ask the writers to do it as well as
this they also look at the length of the article and if it is to short or to long the will either fix
it themselves or will again ask the writers to do [Link] will use the Desktop Publishing
software, to decide the layout of the article including the contents and the [Link]
may also use templates that are already made which would suit the house style of the
magazine.
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Post-Production - Checking Printers Proof
The final pages are sent to the publishers and then the publishers create a mockup which
is sent to the editors for their final approval, the editors will then give their approval after
checking if everything is ok to be sent to the retailers.
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Post-Production - Completion and Distribution
The completion and distribution stage starts once they have the editors approval for the
magazine to be published. The final copies are printed and assembled and then sent to
distribution so that companies are able to sell the magazines to the viewers.
Magazine Production Roles
Here is the production role panel from Grazia magazine
Magazine Job Roles
The Sub-Editor
The magazine sub-editor watches over the accuracy of the content and the layout of the
article in the magazine. They ensure that the articles are suitable for the target audience and
are well written.
The Magazine Graphic Designer
The graphic designer for the magazine designs the front cover and the layout of the articles
throughout the magazine and makes them visually engaging. They do this by arranging the
photos and text to the house style and the graphics and the advertisements to keep the
readers engaged.
The Magazine Photographer
The photographer takes the photos that are featured throughout the magazine as well as the
front cover photograph. Their role also includes finding the location and setting up the
equipment. With some photographers and depending what the article is about they can
specialize in different areas such as fashion, food or travel.