Thursday, 10 April 2014

Evaluation Activity 7 FINAL



Full Answer

I feel as though I have learnt a lot from the first task that I set to now. The evidence to prove that shows my skills on Photoshop that have improved and my skills in using different cameras and lighting which will help me for when I need to use that sort of equipment again in the future. I did know some features of Photoshop that could help me through this process, but I learnt other important aspects that I didn’t know before. I think that I able to full achieve what I was asked to do throughout this project by using these different programs due to the facilities on offer.

During the process, I didn’t have any problems with the programs that I encountered which made the project run as smoothly as possible when creating the magazine pages. And as I look back on my first draft of the task that I was set right at the beginning, it truly proves the professionalism that I had put into making my real and final product look as neat and tidy as ever, in a sense that people would actually want to read it.
When I was creating my preliminary magazine cover and contents, the only theme I stuck to was incorporating the school colours to that the text would match with the logo. I think that this decision and the font choice I made looks tacky and the fact that I tried to make the text over the image look readable may have needed some adjusting.

I had always has conventional magazine covers in my mind, so I knew how to create something of a professional state, but using my skills and trying to get to that standard was a long process. I learnt that I had to keep to a specific layout, such as the examples above. I noticed that on my final preliminary magazine cover there is a lot of ‘negative space’; I think that I possibly could have filled this with an appropriate background so that the attention of the buyers isn’t taken away and so that it is still on the Centre of Visual Interest. Also, for the contents page, I didn’t really take into account where to put the text because I didn’t really follow a layout like I should have for the front cover, for instance, maybe an Alley should have been considered so that there was space given between the text and the border so that it looked a lot neater.

The layout examples that I have written down are in connection to the front cover and I decided to go with the ‘E’ layout considering I thought that it looked the neatest and that I was able to place the information that I wanted to in the right place in regards to my chosen magazine theme and I thought this would be suitable.
What I learnt about conventional magazine styles is that I should most defiantly keep a layout or theme style when making something like this. 

By looking at my prelim task and my final magazine covers, it is obvious that by sustaining a layout, I have made great improvements. It is important that the photos stand out from the rest, the colour scheme is continuous and that the text can be read. I think that a ‘Deck’ was used in regards to the headline at the bottom of the front cover to summarise the article that is to come. In connection with this, a lot of ‘Filler’ text, placed at the top of the cover, was used to fill the negative space that was created from not filling the cover totally with the chosen image.

I believe that using a house theme/style makes a magazine unique, which is something I also stuck to when creating my final magazine due to the fact that I wanted to create something new and different. These factors mean the most when attracting the sort of audience I’m looking for so that everything on the page has to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

In conclusion, I think that Photoshop is the best program to use when constructing a project like this; it enables the user to use various tools and filters to create a good and professional piece of work. The work that I produced at the beginning of the project shows huge progression from where I was then, to where I am now and shows the amount of consideration and hard work that has been put in to improve such a thing.

Evaluation Activity 6 FINAL



Evaluation Activity 5 FINAL

Evaluation Activity 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my target audience in many ways; I was firstly able to do a lot of research into what they would enjoy reading and what they would aesthetically find good to look at. I think that the most important factors into creating a good vibe for the magazine would have to be deciding on the colour scheme, photos and layout. They all contributed, and by taking suggestions throughout, helped to make my magazine pages look better to the eye and it helps me adapt on my skills on attracting the right audience towards what I am trying to sell.

The colour scheme I picked for the magazine was black, white and pastel peach which was continuous throughout the pages. I think that these light colours match the colours in the model’s hair and links so that the picture won’t blend in with the background, only in contrast with one another. I think that the dark font stands out from the rest and would attract the reader quite clearly. The colours link with the chosen cover photo and give the model a lot of superiority and attention due to the fact that she is the starring image. 
I had to accurately use a grid on Photoshop to align all of my photos so that I had a correct sized border around the frames of every page I created. This ensured that not only did it keep to the theme/layout style; it made the pages look a lot neater. I wanted to overlap the images with a block colour background to make the photos stand out more and I think that this decision worked. The photos were taken in a studio with three main source lights used. Before shooting, I took a lot of test shots and moved the lights around so that I got the best possible shots for my designated pages.

The clothing choices made for the two shoots that I scheduled for my model, I made sure that she looked neat and as sophisticated as possible, so I made her wear a lot of black dresses, to which I used only those photos with her in them on the final product. It doesn't look at all inappropriate due to the fact that her personality is very ‘risk-taker’ like and wanted to ‘break out of her shell’, but I decided to stay in her comfort zone in regards to her style, and only express personality in the double page spread.

I took over 100 photos for each session so I was able to collect a lot of them and go through and have a look to see what works and what doesn’t. I was able to put the image in the place on the layout and use them as templates so that I could see directly how they would look on the page before deciding on a final image. I wanted the images to look as professionally as possible due to the fact that the magazine needed to be looking as realistic as possible and the shots needed to be at a high standard and well thought out. 

I decided to only use mid-shots and close-up shots when taking these photos due to the fact that I wanted to get a lot of her clothes on show and to show off her make-up style because it isn't just a music magazine, her style influences the way the readers can take advice from what they have read and take a liking to the new artist that they have discovered. I think that I followed most of the requirements when trying to attract the right audience and keeping in mind what people like myself would want to read/discover.

This image was one of many mid-shots I used (the actual photo for the double-page spread) taken using a Nikon D3000. Before actually taking some professional shots, I tested out the settings and was unable to fully zoom in and remove the Black background from the image. I think that I decided to use this shot a lot, although the full image isn’t particularly that decent, due to the fact that I tried mostly to focus on what she was wearing from the waist up and that what shoes she was wearing weren't exactly my main focus. Most of the magazines that I had looked
at for inspiration only had these type of shots E.G. Wonderland. I also think that I tried my hardest to focus on the make-up that she was wearing and got a various amount of close-up shots the second round. For instance: I think these shots are appropriate for my Contents page instead of my front cover due to the fact that I wanted to show va
riety and explore from one shot to another, and because it is also a Fashion magazine, a close-up on what clothes she is presented in because I had put a lot of research into what sort of thing relate to the audience I am trying to persuade. I like the close-up shots that I used for my final magazine mainly because I wanted to focus in on attention to detail and mainly considering that my model has ‘dip-dyed’ hair and that it creates a lot of emphasis and brings out the colour while wearing the dark dresses.

Evaluation Activity 4 FINAL



Evaluation Activity 3 FINAL



Full Answer

I think that the most suitable media institution to distribute my media project would have to be PLASTIC Media, a company founded in 2003. They are a less mainstream institution than a company that although does have the same themes as what I have chosen, E.G. VICE. I think that what I have chosen to distribute my media project with will ensure that what I am trying to sell it appropriately sold to those that would benefit and will attract an audience who are interested in both the indie/pop music genre.

A publishing company gives independent magazine companies an opportunity to produce their projects and distribute them to a wide audience, giving them a chance to adapt their target markets and advertise what they have to sell. Publishing includes the stages of the development which includes graphic design, production and printing.

PLASTIC Media create and produce magazines, look books and catalogues for various clients, from international brands and companies to independent designers. I think that this is a publication to consider due to the fact that I am trying to put a unique selling point out into my chosen genre, so I think it would be appropriate to use a publication that helps out less mainstream companies such as INDIE magazine. I think that it would have a lot of success with connecting with the social media society due to the fact that it already has distributed more than two successful magazines that have connections with the web and that they would do the same for my media project.

I think that although PLASTIC Media isn't particularly well known, I think that it can live up to the potential that a company of higher understanding and popularity has. They already have connections with INDIE magazine which is deemed popular to my target market and spreads further with people that are interested in high-end fashion and discovering new upcoming music. Saying this, the institution works with them to connect with the female audience, which is a factor of the people I am trying to attract into reading my media publication.

Also, I think that PLASTIC Media have the type of technological knowledge to adapt their publication by making the issues more digital so that it connects with the social aspect of attracting new readers. This can be from selling issues on stores such as iTunes. This gives viewers to ‘subscribe’ to us and instantly receive new updates so that we are not forgotten about. This opportunity is able to expand the genre that I am trying to grab the attention of the reader.

Evaluation Activity 2 FINAL