Magazine Write-Up

This is the writing I will have in my magazine spread: 

DECA is an international organization that teaches business, finance, marketing and hospitality to high school and college students around the globe. These students can compete at the national and international level during annual conferences (CDC and ICDC). Cypress Bay High School in particular boasts the largest DECA chapter in the entire world, with over 1,000 members. 

Within the Cypress Bay DECA chapter there exists an executive council, or ExCo for short. This is the student-lead team in charge of planning the clubs events, fundraisers, workshops, etc. The team consists of various executive officers and 7 supervisors, aka Top 7. There are 2 co-presidents, 4 Vice Presidents, including vp of finance, competition, communication, and DLC (DECA Leadership Council), plus a Manager of Chapter Assets. 

This docu series seeks to shed light on these often overlooked and underappreciated student who work extremely hard to make their DECA chapter the best it can be. They pour their heart and Somali into a job that gives very little in return, without pay and little gratitude. 

One big concern of Top 7 is the future of the chapter, always. Since most of them are seniors who will need to leave the chapter in someone else hands, most of them take on an assistant that they wish to train to take over their position. The image above shows Dani Mandelbaum the vp of finance (left) working alongside her assistant Manuela (right), who will be taking over the position next year. 

That process of taking underclassmen under their wings and teaching them is one of the core practice of DECA. It not only happens within the officer team, but within competition as well. It is a collective experience of people who really truly care about this chapter and wish to continue the legacy and see the chapter flourish even after they graduate. This docuseries wishes to pay it forward as well by showing this side of DECA.

Print Component Final Design

    This is the final design/layout for my print component, the 2 page magazine spread. Now I just have to do the actual writing that will be on it and it'll be done. 

Here are some cool/important features that I included:

- Page numbers 19 and 20

- A header saying "Up-and-Coming in Film," which is meant to be like a recurring column in the magazine that shows new film projects that are quickly gaining popularity

- A Q&A section with the director of the docu series (me) to break up the rest of the blocks of text 

- Various pictures of Top 7 in action and the Cypress Bay DECA chapter in general

- The font I used for the titles is pretty boring by itself (I chose it because it is the official DECA font - Gotham) so I made different words blue as an accent color that sticks out but matches the rest of the spread 

- Very clearly blue themed which is the main color that represents DECA as an organization

Top 7 Website

    I decided on using Webador for my official website. This is what it's looking like so far... Once published, I will be linking it on the Top 7 Instagram. I have it so that multiple pictures are shown right at the beginning, I think adding that visual interest and intractability is a nice touch. I want to add the official logo somewhere, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. 

    So far, Webador has been very user friendly however. It's pretty simple and easy to use. 

The Sound

    So I'm in the process of figuring out the background music to put in my documentary excerpt. I learned from the documentary project we did in class, that some soft, royalty free, non-diegetic, background music really makes the difference in a documentary that would otherwise feel kinda empty without it. 

    I know I want to make it upbeat, but still soft so that its not too distracting. So I hit Youtube. And I found this video by the account Music & Gene that has many different option for great upbeat music right in the same video. This poses a bit of a problem because I am incredibly indecisive but it really does have some very good options. 

    I think so far my favorite is the one called "Happy," i think it's the most perfect mix of soft and still energized that I'm looking for but we'll see. Considering my excerpt has three different sections I may end up using more than one of the soundtracks. 

    Here is the link to the full video: 

https://youtu.be/DC7Y6sC7Ae4

Print Component... Start!

     I think it's about time to start my print component... I'm doing a 2 page magazine spread. As I mentioned before, a big focus of mine is the aesthetic of it since I think it would be more successful in attracting my viewers and catching their little short-attention span eyes. So I'm using Canva obviously, it's the only answer in this situation. 

    I started with a template so I had a guide to start with and Canva has some really pretty templates so it's perfect for the job. I'm focusing on the design first, the layout and spacing, and then the content (writing and pictures). That may be the wrong way to do it, but it's the way that works for me, I'm a visual person so...

    This is what it's looking like so far: 

    This is by no means the final version! I'm still thinking of different colors to use, I want to make the title less boring, and I'm also thinking of adding a heading at the top that would make it like a recurring column of the magazine called "Up-and-coming Film" or something like that. So far I think its a healthy balance of images, which I have to make sure are captivating, and writing. I also love the idea of having a little interview section, perhaps with the director, and making it little bullet points of question and answer to break up the monotony of the blocks of writing. 

I Want a Website

    So.... It may not be necessary, but it is to me, I wanna make a website for my documentary. To justify it, I feel like many other productions make websites, and I would hypothetically plan to sell merch like stickers and maybe a shirt or hoodie with a funny/iconic quote from the docuseries. A website is also good to gain attention and be able to link to other resources so people may familiarize themselves with DECA and maybe want to join the organization. 

    I've built a website before and I used Wix, but I wasn't a big fan of it. So I'm looking for a new free tool I can use to make a great website. I stumbled across some articles and watched some Youtube videos as well. I ended up liking 2 websites, Webador and Webnode. I will try both of them out, look at their templates, and see which one I like better. So far I'm preferring Webador, its simplistic but effective looking. 

These are the articles:

https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/best-drag-drop-website-builders-no-coding-required/?gclid=CjwKCAjwoIqhBhAGEiwArXT7K6KbXf9t-g9Jxk54mS6cgJnOUjpkVQzQqKLn0uLGfYybH4zf2iiyyRoCekkQAvD_BwE

(I especially liked this article because it had a big chart at then end that showed if the tool offered free plans and some of their best features. It also individually states how many templates each tool had. Overall easy to read and very informational.)

https://www.top10.com/website-builders/free-comparison?utm_source=google&kw=website%20free%20online&c=593522594384&t=search&p=&m=e&adpos=&dev=m&devmod=&mobval=1&network=g&campaignid=16949362712&groupid=135121126705&targetid=kwd-23660351868&interest=&physical=9011990&feedid=&a=M220919&ts=&topic=free&utm_campaign=&nodeID=&test=google_us_broad_free_free&clicktype=&gclid=CjwKCAjwoIqhBhAGEiwArXT7K3fjE2LG2EtQappnA7v53fybR0vQY_2iC0plwzJ8Xvqq6k16WKhehRoC9XYQAvD_BwE

This is a useful and short Youtube video I found by TechGumbo:

https://youtu.be/v8hXtgY0KCI

New Editing Tool

    Being like every other teenager my age and really person in my generation, I have Tik Tok. I also have just a very teeny tiny addiction to it. However, despite what some adults think, I think Tik Tok can be useful and teach me a lot, and this is a prime example. I found a new editing tool I'm really excited to play around with!!!

    It's called CapCut and I'm not entirely sure what it is or how it works yet, but I'm sure I can find tutorials. So many people use it to make edits on Tik Tok and people are making some really cool and good-looking stuff on it. So I want to take a stab at it.

    I think it will be especially useful for the teasers I will be posting on my insta since they need to be short and appealing. My main excerpt is still gonna be primarily Premiere Pro (my love I have not abandoned you I promise). It looks super user friendly and I think I can slay. 

Insta Page Update

     I haven't really come up with a solid plan for my Insta page, I mean I have in my head because my head is constantly running at 80 mph, but I haven't written it down anywhere. So far the idea is to make two posts for each episode. I have my initial like "teaser" postings introducing the series and whatnot, getting viewers excited. Then, in theory, as episodes start coming out they would have teaser as well beforehand. 

    To integrate multimedia I thought of having one post be a still image of the subject or anything relevant to the subject, then there would be a video showing a part of the episode that would be eye catching or interesting. It could be a quote from the interview subject, footage of them doing what they do, etc. 

    Of course this is just the baseline, 2 post for every subject/episode, but i could add more posts in between if I deem them necessary, such as behind-the-scenes footage. 

It's Editing Time! Why? Cuz I gotta!

    Now I shall start my nightmare. Editing!!! 

    For now my plan is to do the first half of my excerpt, using my voice over and all of the footage/visuals I got at state competition and other big deca events. Then I will start working on the intro sequence which I will be showing. The finally, putting together the first interview that would be shown with complementary b-roll. My excerpt will be showing the first ~5 minutes of the pilot episode of my docuseries. 

    I will be using Adobe Premiere Pro primarily. I may or may not use other editing tools I find for the intro sequence since I plan for there to be some animation, I will need to do further research, which I will document of course. 

VO Script

    The first part of my excerpt will be the hypothetical beginning of my pilot episode. In which there will be a voiceover explaining what DECA is to the audience while various clips/b-roll of DECA activities (probably states footage) will play. I have the footage. I just need a script. 

    DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe... that's what the website says anyway. But DECA is so much more than words and images on a pretty website. It's an organization with clubs in high schools everywhere who get the opportunity to learn more about the business/corporate world and experience it through competitions. 

    Cypress Bay High School boasts the largest DECA chapter in the world (that's actually). And even with over 1,000 members, it still manages to feel like a family. Such a large chapter requires a dedicated team in the background running the entire operation. So, Cypress Bay DECA created the Executive Council, or ExCo for short. Said council contains a management team of 7, extremely unique, individuals who are the glue holding this chapter together. It's time we pull back the curtain and give them the spotlight. 

    This is Top 7. 

    This is what I have for now, it's likely to change but its the basic concept. For now, its like a minute long when I speak it. 

Print Component Inspo

    In order to capture the eye of my target audience, young teens to young adults, I plan to lean more towards the visual aspect of my magazine spread, obviously still including the written component and other magazine conventions as well. I used pinterest for my research, thinking that would be the best option to find visually appealing, aesthetic, attractive, colorful, magazine spread examples. 

These were the examples that caught my eye: 

    This first one is a more collage style, with multiple different pictures spread all around the pages with text in between, this particular example is focusing on dublin's up-and-coming music artist. The spread contains a title that pops right at the top (with an accompanying note right under it which states the purpose of the article), page number in the bottom corner, blocks of text with colorful subheadings, calling attention to the different sections/points of interest/artists, and many captivating images that fit the writing associated with them. 

    I thought this could be a good option for my project since it focuses on multiple subjects and I may have many images I want to use. I also just like the way its formatted, it's interesting, fun. The dotted lines separating the different sections are a very simple but effective way of helping the viewer follow along while not being too distracting. The vibes really match the subject matter too, grungy, starving, young artists that are making a name for themselves. I want my spread to truly embody the feel of my docuseries as well. 

    This next example is a completely different style that I would also like to explore, mainly if I decide that my magazine article will have one subject. So this would mean my article focusing on the director (me), or maybe a specific subject from one of my episodes. It also includes the big title, imagery, page number on bottom corner, and even a quote of the person that clearly sticks out, bringing interest to the subject and what they have to say. 

    This specific article focuses on the interview of the disgraced artist Mark Ronson, who apparently no one likes now, and it's pretty evident why in his answers. I like the writing in this one because the reporter makes it a little more personal, like by explaining how they got to talk to Ronson (when no one else wanted to). I find the crossing out of the cursing especially charming. 

    I would love to have the one big image be the focus of one of the pages, the other one being mostly writing with maybe one, smaller image. The title would be big and loud, I'd also love to have it be cool like this one that stands behind the subject, I like that effect... it adds that needed spice and visual interest, making up for the lack of other images. Also integrating a quote from an interview and making it be bigger than all the other writing is essential in this case. 

    This final example is really blurry, I couldn't find a better version :'(. However the main takeaway from this one is the use of bright, bold, multiple colors. I also really love the use of different graphics, like those bars at the top left of the second page. I think that a really creative way to create visual interest that's not just a picture. The titles also being fun and colorful is perfect and something I think my target audience would really gravitate to. Also the pun in the title "Having Snow Much Fun" is appreciated hehe. 

Official Logo

    I've been working on my brand logo for the documentary. This would be used in the title, instagram, intro, and any marketing tools I feel need it. I know I want to keep it simple so it's adaptable but stays true to the brand. I used Canva. I LOVE CANVA. 

    This is what I'm at for now: 

    It's still susceptible to changes, but this is the general idea. I'm not too too happy about the colors but inspiration hasn't struck yet. For now this is the profile picture of the Instagram account. I plan to also make an animation with it that shows the title of the production. 

Insta Page

    I have decided that an Instagram account would be best to advertise my project. It fits with my target market of mostly teenagers to young adults. I also thought it would be best since I will be posting still images as well as videos (sneak-peaks of upcoming episodes). The "reels" feature on Instagram would work nicely for this. 

    The username is @top7doc, since top7 was already taken hehe. I've already made my first post. I made it pretty ambiguous as it's supposed to "set the stage" and get viewers interested and thinking about the upcoming docuseries. 

    Eventually I plan to add a link to a website in the bio of the account. for now it's pretty barren.