The first step in creating my poster was to set the white background to black. The picture that I used I was taken from a prop from an acting group.  I used a skull as it was a definitive symbol for my film’s genre.

I then added an effect on the skull, I de-saturated the image (Image > Adjustments > De-saturate) and then applied a Glowing Edges filter (Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges). This effect emphasised the skulls already supernatural and gothic motif.

This revised version changes the glowing edge effect, as the previous poster, when printed did not appear clear on the page, therefore I decided to intensify the light from the glowing edges slightly. This process took a while due to the glowing edge effect being very difficult to handle as the effect may take away emphasis from the skull.

The next step in the creation of my poster was to choose a font style and confirm any text I had previously decided to use on my poster.

I originally placed the title vertically down the left side to try and break conventions but feedback showed this was not a viable choice as readers were confused between tagline and title.

I moved the title horizontally below the skull after more research into genre posters, in a more conventional layout.

Then I burned the edges of the skull to make the transition from the black background to the skulls white less distinctive. Using the Burn tool (set to Mid-tones at an exposure of 37%) softened the edge that met the skull.

I was trying to give the effect of the skull emerging from darkness, a very gothic image.

The next thing added to my poster was release date and the presentation at the top. This was a short process as it involved no editing or effect.

The font I used for the presentation was changed from Arial Narrow to Steel Tongs as the latter font looked more professional, while the font used for the release date and the title was Trajan Pro; a simple yet smart font type.

The final touches to my poster was to add an ident, including a web address for the company and a logo as well as credits. I also added an outer glow effect to the title and release date.

Riddle Films is the name of my invented film company, its name relating to the psychological/thrilling side of films and to the genre my company focuses on.

I also added a website specific to the film as many other posters do; this makes the poster feel more professional and to stick to conventions.

After feedback I added an outer glow effect on the title and release date, to add to the supernatural theme of my film.

After feedback, I thought that adding colour to the outer glow would add to the supernatural element of my poster. However, I soon came to realise that the colour seemed out of place on the otherwise black and white poster. The white glow worked as a more ghostly effect and after more research on other posters similar to mine, I concluded that very few added colour and so I stuck to the convention of my poster styles.

The first step in creating my magazine was to set the two main titles in a conventional layout. I then added the image of my model, but because of his black suit, had to add glowing edges to the film title as otherwise the letters would disappear into his legs. After feedback, I added a shadow effect to the title to make it stand out against the white of the page. This glowing edge effect looked not only effective but added continuity from my poster to my magazine.

The skull is the same as used on the poster but taken from another angle. I initially tried to use exactly the same image of the skull to have a stronger link between my magazine and poster, but soon saw how ridiculous it looked when applied to my model’s body. 

So I took another shot of the skull from a different angle and tried to create a sort of Danse Macabre look. This design would look effective and stylistic, much like my poster.

I then positioned the skull on the page as if it were looking at the other secondary images, drawing readers’ eyes to them.

The next thing added to my magazine was the Plus stories, a “world exclusive” tag and applied a red bar and story revolving around my film release date and the presentation at the top. This was a short process as it involved little editing and use of effects.

The Plus stories section uses two colours to break up the text and make each story separate from the next; this is a very conventional approach. I also added a shadow effect behind some of the text as it became invisible on the white background.

I added a red bar with the main story for my magazine within. This draws the reader’s eye towards the story.

I also added an Exclusive article to the top of the magazine. This is again conventional as it is used to grab the reader’s attention.

The next thing added to my magazine was images for locations on set and the story underneath . This was a short process as it involved no editing or effects.

In my original version of my magazine I had one image in the black box, however, feedback showed that this did not fit with the rest of the magazine, therefore I added three images from location to fill in the space, this use of images is conventional and effective.

I then added a story underneath the images as feedback again showed that the amount of negative space was unconventional and made the magazine feel amateur.

The final touches to my magazine was to add required commercial elements, including a web address for the company, a promotional strapline and barcode with price and date.

These details help create a impression of professionalism and add a touch of realism to my magazine cover.

The barcode is situated in a conventional and inconspicuous position (bottom right hand corner).

The web address is positioned vertically as it is really for reference, so need not be “in your face”.

A number of film magazines use a position below the title to communicate information about awards and other special points about themselves. I have used this for a strapline.

Feedback indicated that this cover was effective in attracting readers attention. It’s a fairly simple design with a strong main image with supporting secondary images.

This, combined with the minimalist use of colour, helps it to stand out yet communicate key points about the magazine’s contents.