Thursday, 12 March 2015

How did you attract/address your audience?

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

Equipment

 1. I used a video camera to take the images of my magazine, as this was the best option that i had access to in order to get the highest quality images. I have learnt that this may have not been the best method to use, because it was difficult to get a clear image, where as if i had used a DLSR camera, then the images i captured would have been to a much higher standard

2. I used some lighting when capturing my photos. From doing this i have learned that you can completely transform and image, by controlling the shadowing and tone of a shot, through the lighting used.

 3. The most import equipment i used throughout the created of my products was my laptop/computers provided by college. This enabled me to construct my magazine pages, through programs such as Photoshop. I was also able to collect a wide range of research through the internet, which would of been impossible without these equipment pieces. I have learned vast amount of skills in Photoshop, since the start of this project that will help me greatly in the future.

 Photoshop techniques

 -Blending options Throughout the construction of my products, i found that one of my main problems was making my text stand out on the page. One of the ways i overcame this problem was learning how to use the blending options in Photoshop.
 1. I selected the layer that my text was located on
 2. I right clicked this layer and selected the top option ‘blending options’
 3. Then i predominately went to ‘stroke’
 4. Finally i changed the amount and colour to my requirements
 The advantage of this is that i succeeded in making my text stand out on the page, and being more coherent. However if the stroke tool isn’t used properly is can make the magazine look completely opposite to how i want it to by looking amateur and messy.

 -Brush tool and colour picker When making adjustments to my front cover in my final products, i found that the image i had captured looked untidy and unprofessional. So through Photoshop i learned how to alter the image using the Brush and Colour picker tools
 1. Firstly i made a new layer on top of the image layer.
 2. Then i zoomed into the area i wanted to adjust
 3. Then if for example i wanted to change a redness in my models skin tone, i would select as closely      as possible the colour next to this with the colour picker
4. Then with the brush tool, painted over the red area. with carefully changing the skin tone slightly, it gave me a more flawless looking image.
The advantages of this are that it gives my magazine image more of a sophisticated connotation, by the model looking glamorous and beautiful. However a disadvantage is that if not done carefully then it can make the image look too false.

In terms of web pages, i have experimented with a variety. One of the first i was introduced to was Blogger, as this is where all my work is uploaded to. I also was exposed to many different ways of presenting my work including websites such as: Flip snack, Prezzi, ISSUU. These helped me during the project, as they have enabled me to widen my knowledge of presentation. I found Flip snack to be an easy way to make my work more enjoyable to read, and make it more coherent in the process.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Location, props and Costume


Location:
I am going to be shooting my magazine photos in a studio environment, so there is nothing to distract the view from the model I have used. Also it is conventional not to have a background for images used in high class sophisticated magazines, so I am going to follow this convention.

Props:
I am going to use props such as clothing items to convey the idea that my magazine has a hybrid genre of music AND fashion. This will position the audience to see that my magazine has a stylish and chic feel to it, and will help to represent the genre to the audience.  Other props I will use will include possibly a chair or something for my model to sit on; in order to give my images depth and use different poses and angles to photograph. I want my magazine to have a sophisticated mise en scene, so I will need the props I used to be a platform for my model to represent this ideology.

Model:

I am going to feature on main model throughout my magazine. I have chosen to do this in order to heighten her significance, as this is conventional to see in a fashion magazine. Also because stereotypically the model used on the front cover, has the magazine basically dedicated to them, so I wanted to follow this stereotype. I am using another type of image in my magazine as well, as the main model. I have used primary sources from a music concert in order to reinforce the ideology that my magazine genre is music and fashion.

Construction Schedule

Week 1 (18/11/14) – Target audience mood board
Week 1 (20/11/14) - Advertisers mood board
Week 1 (21/11/14) – Fonts mood board
Week 1 (21/11/14) - colours mood board
Week 2 (24/11/14) - work on drafts of three products
Week 3 and 4 (1/12/14) – construction of front cover
Week 5 and 6 (15/12/14) – construction of contents page
Week 7 and 8 (5/1/15) – construction of feature article
Week 9 (12/1/15) – Photo shoot of all three products
Week 10 and 11 (19/1/15) - Final changes to finished products