Page 10 - Demo

Making a Magazine
An Exposé of FIS World
Frankfurt International School’s quarterly magazine, FIS World, was first published in 2003 with a goal of highlighting life at FIS. And while
the magazine’s design has changed many times since then, the overall mission has remained the same. But how does this issue of FIS World you are currently reading come into being? Is it put together by a dedicated team of hamsters who work for a fixed ‘celery’ under the floorboards of Old Main, or by a crack team of reporters looking for the latest political scoop? Surprisingly, it’s neither, but instead owes its existence to an editorial team of volunteers from the FIS community – and a process of seven stages.
Stage 1: Review and Story Ideas Meeting
Approximately eight weeks before an issue goes to press, a group of volunteer FIS parents and staff meet. During this meeting, the previous issue is reviewed, much cake is eaten, and story ideas for the upcoming issue are discussed. These ideas are often suggested by the magazine’s editor, Ryan Karr, (think Perry White from Superman but without the fierce temper and screaming), but many are also put forward by the writers themselves based on what has piqued their interest.
Stage 2: Writing and Photographing the Story
While many of FIS World’s writers have journalism backgrounds, none are currently professional journalists. Nevertheless, they spend the next few weeks hidden away from the world in their writing dens, furiously typing away. Occasionally, they surface for air, to see the sun again, and to interview people for stories or visit the school on fact-finding missions. Until recently, capturing images to accompany stories had proven difficult, but thanks to new parent, Yu Cao, and other photographers, the team is now publishing more top-quality pictures.
Stage 3: Format and Design
Articles and photos are sent to the Editor always, often, normally, sometimes before the deadline. Mr. Karr then makes or suggests edits to the stories before they are passed onto the magazine’s design and layout specialist, Beate (BT) Zimpel, who formats the magazine and constructs an initial draft using the submitted materials.
8 FIS World June 2018