Friday, 30 March 2012

Evaluation: Question 7




Question 7 Script.

Skills Audit:
Looking back on the skills audit taken initially I had some strong skills to build upon when using the new programs like InDesign.  I have previous experience with Mac computers however in the beginning I wasn’t as confidant as I am now with using the programs.

*Show the skills audit*

By producing the preliminary task it allowed me to have the chance to develop the skills to transfer to InDesign.  I created flat plans like I would in the final piece which helped my view my magazine before producing it.

Research and Planning:
Although the preliminary task was only a ‘rough’ front cover and contents, you could tell the first task wasn’t planned as efficiently as the final piece. The target audience could have been clearer and this could have given me the chance to find out what would have liked to have seen feature on and in my magazine.

*Screen Shot of Blog on Task Five and then planning for final piece.*

Here is the example of the only research tasks I had done to produce my preliminary task compared to the vast difference in planning for the second piece.

Improvement through Photography:
In the preliminary task I started to build skills in editing imagery, for example the South Downs in the imagery and the student magazine have been removed.

*Show the changes*

With my new photography I considered all aspects, the pose, image styling and how the image would work in each section of my work. For example I knew the double page spread layout therefore I had taken photos using and expanding on that plan. After producing the preliminary task I have developed upon these skills so I could achieve the image of the magazine I was looking for.

*Compare poster and girl holding the book*

I have also taken skills from my student magazine for example the book in the student magazine and the cigarrete, although the second prop is controversial the prop matches the styling of the magazine. The skills develop would be from the PhotoShop and it has been apparent in my final piece.

Improvement through Colour Schemes and Font:
In the first attempt at a magazine I have produced the colour scheme has been roughly taken from the imagery, however doesn’t seem to link and flow onto the contents page. The use of the font is a little bit scattered and doesn’t consider the technicalities of sans serif and serif font.

*Show Student Mag Clearly*

The final piece has developed those evaluative points and developed them onto a following well linking product to produce a professional product. Also working closely with the conventions and forms of a music magazine. The skills I have developed in InDesign are also apparent through experience in using the program.

Improvements through Layout:
*Showing the student and final*

When comparing the layout in the first and the second task you can see the clear demonstration of improvement, with the cover it is less cluttered and placed with care. The contents page layout from the student magazine is safe and conventional and in the final is experimental and busy, however carefully thought out making the combination work.

Improvements through Linking Genre:
The improvements in my music magazine include how I have communicated my genre and target audience. In the student magazine the genre was wide indirect with taste and style as student life covers many different people, whereas the music magazine covers a particular style, genre and target audience.

*Show magazine behind me*

Conclusion:
In conclusion I think I have developed and progressed well to create the full product. The progession from the preliminary and final clearly shows a stronger sense of the media product and its industry through production and construction.

Evaluation: Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In the world of publishing, most peoples understanding of software they might use to develop their final product may be complicated and expensive however they use the Adobe programs available to any member of the public and this is where the independent distributors get their clients from. The programs used over the whole period of work included; Blogger, Prezi, Slideshare, YouTube, Microsoft Word, InDesign and PhotoShop. 

The importance of publishing I strong passion of mine being a media student, I enjoy the media industry from all angle however publishing is the foundations of where the industry came from. For an average person the media is everywhere in different forms, that you may not even realise. The technology being rapidly produced means that the ‘old fashioned’ publishing industry is considered to be slipping away. However the advantage to this technology means that you can reach information at any time, whether it’s an app on your phone or an article on the internet. The disadvantage to technology may mean that people are not buying the actual published product. In my opinion I think that the publishing industry will not go down without a fight and will take many years and many leaps in technology to make it become extinct.

In this project I used a number of new programs however the most key program would be from Blogger; this is because it is the basis to all my work that I have completed in this unit. The technology wasn’t very difficult to master as being a teenager I have grown up around technology and have learnt to adapt. This program has been very user friendly and allowed me to display work that I have created in completely new way.
Another new technology I came across was in Adobe’s InDesign and this was from my student magazine which allowed me to produce a high quality design work for my student magazine final piece. When using this program it took a longer time to adjust to as it was different to other programs like Microsoft Publishing, which I had been using at school. To create a text you had specifically click on the ‘T’ and change to the arrow, this was a complicated concept to adapt to. However with the rough test run with the student magazine, it gave me the skills I needed and could develop upon for my final piece. It was important for me to adapt to this more advanced technology as it is always changing along with the progression of the media industry.

When editing my imagery, a key part of the project, I used familiar software and this was PhotoShop. Previously, I used this software to school to edit photos in different software and this gave me the opportunity to expand on skills that I used within this project. PhotoShop is a great program and I enjoyed working with it as it is used in the media industry today as the program is brilliant program. By using a program significant to the media industry this gave me the opportunity to understand the media world itself and the technologies they have used.

Also for my other evaluations and research I used YouTube to help me display my work in different ways. Previously I already had a YouTube account therefore I didn’t find expanding my knowledge the extra bit complicated, and this allowed me to produce work faster. YouTube also became helpful to help me develop skills in PhotoShop and InDesign through tutorials of skill I didn’t possess, as previously mention in an earlier post. YouTube is key for the media industry and for my music magazine as on a website to a magazine, like nearly all magazines have, to show the bands featured in live clips and maybe live interviews etc.


Prezi and Slideshare are both ways to display presentations. Prezi is different and allows you to become more creative in the layout of your work and Slideshare allowed me to add a PowerPoint presentation to my blog. Prezi was initially complicated however after a short time playing with its controls became easy a new extremely interesting way to display work. Slideshare was simple however in my opinion isn’t at the same level that Prezi is because it moves along with new technology whereas Slideshare allows old technology work in new technology with no comparison to my Prezi presentations.

Evaluation: Questions 4 & 5.

Evaluation: Question 3.


The audio couldn't be displayed in any other way because of it's format.

Monday, 26 March 2012