Friday, 29 June 2012
SUMMER PRODUCTION TASK
LIP SYNC
The first exercise we had to complete was to produce a lip sync video, and so in groups we had to film people singing and then join it to the sound, below is my lip sync activity:
I thought that the planning of the lip sync exercise was very unorganized as it had to be done in a very short amount of time, and therefore nobody knew what they were doing. Because of this, the production of it wasn't as good as it could have been and was very time consuming which left very little time for editing the music and the video together.
The editing itself was quite hard, a lot harder than expected because many problems occurred, for example the actors were lip singing instead of actually singing so their mouths didn't exactly match the singing voice over which made it look quite unrealistic.
Cutting different clips to match the correct timing was also very difficult as it took a lolt of time and effort to match accurately, in every single clip.
Finally, in the chorus of the song the singer has literally just belted out a song, and so in the actual music videos you can see their emotions and it actually looks like they're singing it, whereas in my exercise, the actors didn't look like they were getting into it enough and so the actual voice didn't really match the singing voice - hence, not looking at it's best.
Unfortunately, my lip sync isn't great, mainly because we spent way to much time filming the piece instead of editing it, and so I didn't have a lot of time to put it together and match it correctly. Part of the video we filmed also got deleted, which again meant even more time working on the production, and so organisation could be key to producing a top product.
The first exercise we had to complete was to produce a lip sync video, and so in groups we had to film people singing and then join it to the sound, below is my lip sync activity:
I thought that the planning of the lip sync exercise was very unorganized as it had to be done in a very short amount of time, and therefore nobody knew what they were doing. Because of this, the production of it wasn't as good as it could have been and was very time consuming which left very little time for editing the music and the video together.
The editing itself was quite hard, a lot harder than expected because many problems occurred, for example the actors were lip singing instead of actually singing so their mouths didn't exactly match the singing voice over which made it look quite unrealistic.
Cutting different clips to match the correct timing was also very difficult as it took a lolt of time and effort to match accurately, in every single clip.
Finally, in the chorus of the song the singer has literally just belted out a song, and so in the actual music videos you can see their emotions and it actually looks like they're singing it, whereas in my exercise, the actors didn't look like they were getting into it enough and so the actual voice didn't really match the singing voice - hence, not looking at it's best.
Unfortunately, my lip sync isn't great, mainly because we spent way to much time filming the piece instead of editing it, and so I didn't have a lot of time to put it together and match it correctly. Part of the video we filmed also got deleted, which again meant even more time working on the production, and so organisation could be key to producing a top product.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Before starting this task, I did a preliminary task which was to create a student magazine cover - after creating this and being marked on this, I wrote myself some targets, which can be seen below, and at the very start of my blog, titled 'Targets' -
"When evaluating I used word instead of using a presentation which showed proficient use of ITC, and so in my proper task I will take more time to present it in a better way and I will include pictures and arrows.
I am going to try and cover more of the mark scheme when I write what I plan to do and I will put in more evidence of research.
I will take the picture with a background that I want so I don't have to photo-shop the background as much as that made the overall magazine a little tacky and not professional.
In my evaluation I will try and cover more of the mark scheme as I left a few bits out which could have increased my marks."
When producing, researching and evaluating my music magazine task, I took these targets into account and this abled me to develop the experience I had from the preliminary task, to then go on and create a more successful main task.
Below is a video of myself explaining what I feel I have learnt in the progression of the whole task, in order to create the full product:
Below is the script of what is spoken in the video -
"In my preliminary task I didn't do much planning and preparation, mainly because I wasn't taking it very serious - however as I didn't get very good marks for this in that task, it made me try harder in the main task, it also showed me that it really does matter, as when making my student magazine cover I wasn't really sure what I was doing as I'd not planned it properly and this then made the design of the magazine not as good, as I was just making it up as I was going along. In my main task however I planned my magazine cover in a very detailed way, so I knew exactly what I was doing, when I was doing it, and when it had to be completed by. This meant I drafted the designs, on paper and then again computerised which meant I had clear knowledge of what I was doing; and this also made the whole process a lot quicker as I knew what I was doing!
I did a lot more research in my main task, basically because I put a lot more time into it, I wanted to get a clear idea of what went in to music magazines as I don't read them myself, and to do this it was incredibly important that I did a lot of research so my magazine was recognisable as a real magazine and had the features that a real magazine had.
Referring to question 6, I organised my time constructively by using Time Toast and this was very beneficial as it was an interactive way of telling me when things had to be completed by which made me obey all of my deadlines - I didn't do this is my preliminary task and in the end all the work load got left to the last minute which is why I wasn't happy with my student magazine cover at all - so it was very important to plan and structure what I was doing in a very organised way, and to leave myself some time at the end as well, incase I needed to make any changes.
In my preliminary task I basically just had no idea what I was doing with the pictures, what shot types, angles, lighting etc, and I wasn't happy with my finished product at all as there were leaves in the background and i wanted her to be in a clear background so I had to cut the model out which ended up looking very tacky and non realistic. So I learn from this, that the background I was going to be shooting, had to be what I wanted for my magazine, like in my cover with the black wallpaper, however if I wanted the model to be cut out, I needed a clear background so it was easier to cut them out, like in my double page spread model - this relates back to my targets and I feel I have improved this and learnt it throughout the process of the task.
The conventions of magazine front covers and content pages and double page spreads are basically the same on both my preliminary and main task, as each magazine effectively has very similar things, such as reversed out cover lines, the main title (mast head), a magazine header, main cover line, website, barcode and the main image. After my research of music and rock in particular magazines, I put some smaller images in my main task as I found many rock magazines do this to make the cover seem more busy as more is going on, to therefore increase sales.
I created both my preliminary task and main task cover in photoshop and this is mainly because I knew how to use it from previous occasions, however I then went on to use In Design for my double page spread and throughout creating this I kept learning how to do new things, add effects, import pictures, and even simple things like text and how to create a double page instead of a simple A4. And I also learnt how to use new programmes, such as SlideShare and TimeToast, which I didn't know how to use before and so overall I've learn how to use a lot of new technology throughout the main task which i didn't know how use before I started this task.
Something i've learnt thoroughly throughout this process, is how important the target audience is; I referred back to my focus group on almost every decision I had to make during the process of my magazine, as they are the people who are going to be reading it - and so they are the people who matter most when is came to my decision making. I found that the more I was aware of my target audience, the more effective my magazine became, as the more advice I got from a 'rock chick' herself allowed me to understand what features, stories, pictures etc I needed in the magazine to attract them, which is inevitably what my aim is. Therefore, there advice really affected the outcome of my decisions that I made during the production process of my magazine, for example I tried out many different fonts for the masthead, and I came to a decision - I then thought about this again, and asked my focus group what they thought, they came back to me with a different font style, and after trying that one out I agreed that it looked a lot better, and it would attract a lot more people whom are in my focus group. another example is when deciding whether or not to put a dark background on my double page spread, I had no idea what to do and my focus group assured me the darker one has a classier yet rock look to it, and again, I was very fond of the final decision, and confident in my choice that it would appeal to my target audience itself, like it has done for my focus group.
From this whole task, the biggest thing I have learnt is that if you leave yourself a lot of time and plan what you are going to do efficiently, it is a lot easier to carry out a task and get it done successfully, in order to make a really good end product. I have also learnt that it is very important to follow each step of what you need to complete in order to get good marks in this task, and not miss anything out - as this will hopefully then increase my grade. This relates back to my targets, as I have tried very hard not to miss anything out, and complete each task given to me, and also giving myself a lot of time to complete it in. I also used a lot more technology in my evaluation, and in my blog as a whole, which again hopefully has increased some of my marks where it didn't in my preliminary task."
"When evaluating I used word instead of using a presentation which showed proficient use of ITC, and so in my proper task I will take more time to present it in a better way and I will include pictures and arrows.
I am going to try and cover more of the mark scheme when I write what I plan to do and I will put in more evidence of research.
I will take the picture with a background that I want so I don't have to photo-shop the background as much as that made the overall magazine a little tacky and not professional.
In my evaluation I will try and cover more of the mark scheme as I left a few bits out which could have increased my marks."
When producing, researching and evaluating my music magazine task, I took these targets into account and this abled me to develop the experience I had from the preliminary task, to then go on and create a more successful main task.
Below is a video of myself explaining what I feel I have learnt in the progression of the whole task, in order to create the full product:
Below is the script of what is spoken in the video -
"In my preliminary task I didn't do much planning and preparation, mainly because I wasn't taking it very serious - however as I didn't get very good marks for this in that task, it made me try harder in the main task, it also showed me that it really does matter, as when making my student magazine cover I wasn't really sure what I was doing as I'd not planned it properly and this then made the design of the magazine not as good, as I was just making it up as I was going along. In my main task however I planned my magazine cover in a very detailed way, so I knew exactly what I was doing, when I was doing it, and when it had to be completed by. This meant I drafted the designs, on paper and then again computerised which meant I had clear knowledge of what I was doing; and this also made the whole process a lot quicker as I knew what I was doing!
I did a lot more research in my main task, basically because I put a lot more time into it, I wanted to get a clear idea of what went in to music magazines as I don't read them myself, and to do this it was incredibly important that I did a lot of research so my magazine was recognisable as a real magazine and had the features that a real magazine had.
Referring to question 6, I organised my time constructively by using Time Toast and this was very beneficial as it was an interactive way of telling me when things had to be completed by which made me obey all of my deadlines - I didn't do this is my preliminary task and in the end all the work load got left to the last minute which is why I wasn't happy with my student magazine cover at all - so it was very important to plan and structure what I was doing in a very organised way, and to leave myself some time at the end as well, incase I needed to make any changes.
In my preliminary task I basically just had no idea what I was doing with the pictures, what shot types, angles, lighting etc, and I wasn't happy with my finished product at all as there were leaves in the background and i wanted her to be in a clear background so I had to cut the model out which ended up looking very tacky and non realistic. So I learn from this, that the background I was going to be shooting, had to be what I wanted for my magazine, like in my cover with the black wallpaper, however if I wanted the model to be cut out, I needed a clear background so it was easier to cut them out, like in my double page spread model - this relates back to my targets and I feel I have improved this and learnt it throughout the process of the task.
The conventions of magazine front covers and content pages and double page spreads are basically the same on both my preliminary and main task, as each magazine effectively has very similar things, such as reversed out cover lines, the main title (mast head), a magazine header, main cover line, website, barcode and the main image. After my research of music and rock in particular magazines, I put some smaller images in my main task as I found many rock magazines do this to make the cover seem more busy as more is going on, to therefore increase sales.
I created both my preliminary task and main task cover in photoshop and this is mainly because I knew how to use it from previous occasions, however I then went on to use In Design for my double page spread and throughout creating this I kept learning how to do new things, add effects, import pictures, and even simple things like text and how to create a double page instead of a simple A4. And I also learnt how to use new programmes, such as SlideShare and TimeToast, which I didn't know how to use before and so overall I've learn how to use a lot of new technology throughout the main task which i didn't know how use before I started this task.
Something i've learnt thoroughly throughout this process, is how important the target audience is; I referred back to my focus group on almost every decision I had to make during the process of my magazine, as they are the people who are going to be reading it - and so they are the people who matter most when is came to my decision making. I found that the more I was aware of my target audience, the more effective my magazine became, as the more advice I got from a 'rock chick' herself allowed me to understand what features, stories, pictures etc I needed in the magazine to attract them, which is inevitably what my aim is. Therefore, there advice really affected the outcome of my decisions that I made during the production process of my magazine, for example I tried out many different fonts for the masthead, and I came to a decision - I then thought about this again, and asked my focus group what they thought, they came back to me with a different font style, and after trying that one out I agreed that it looked a lot better, and it would attract a lot more people whom are in my focus group. another example is when deciding whether or not to put a dark background on my double page spread, I had no idea what to do and my focus group assured me the darker one has a classier yet rock look to it, and again, I was very fond of the final decision, and confident in my choice that it would appeal to my target audience itself, like it has done for my focus group.
From this whole task, the biggest thing I have learnt is that if you leave yourself a lot of time and plan what you are going to do efficiently, it is a lot easier to carry out a task and get it done successfully, in order to make a really good end product. I have also learnt that it is very important to follow each step of what you need to complete in order to get good marks in this task, and not miss anything out - as this will hopefully then increase my grade. This relates back to my targets, as I have tried very hard not to miss anything out, and complete each task given to me, and also giving myself a lot of time to complete it in. I also used a lot more technology in my evaluation, and in my blog as a whole, which again hopefully has increased some of my marks where it didn't in my preliminary task."
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I took all of my photographs on a Fuji Fine-pix S2950 which has a wide angle lens, 14 megapixels and 18 x zoom; to upload them onto the computer, I simply took the memory card out of the camera and inserted it into the computer I was working on. I then went to Start, Computer and it appeared under my Hard Disk Drives. I then clicked on this file, and copied the pictures I needed into My Documents, allowing me to access the pictures on any computer.
To darken the images of my cover model, giving the magazine a more edgy, darker and therefore 'rock' look, I drew a box around what I wanted to edit, clicked on effects, and then brush strokes on one and sumi-e on the other which created the dark, mysterious look.
I also changed the colour of my double page spread model to make him black and white, to add a more classy yet rock-like tone to the magazine. I did this by creating a box around the model and adjusting the colour tone, I could lighten and darken the tone to whichever preference I preferred. As you can see in my image, I have also cut out the model from the original picture so he is stood alone with no background and I did this by using the Magic tool, and it cut around him perfectly making him a single image.
When in InDesign, I needed to wrap the text around the image so that the writing would go around the image and not under or over it, I did this effect by clicking on text wrap which is on the right hand side, and selecting 'wrap around object shape' which created the very magazine look-a-like effect of the article.
InDesign also had many other features which I could use to make my magazine look efficient and realistic, such as import artistic fonts from the internet, create reversed out cover lines to enhance a statement and make it more clear, write the text in clear columns and create interesting backgrounds to make the double page spread look more captivating, which is what I've done on my finished piece, shown to the right.
Blogging
As I researched magazine's, and then went on to produce my magazine, I blogged my progress on Blogger.com which is a very useful and efficient site that kept me up to date with what I was doing, when I was doing it, and when I had to complete tasks by.
I also used some other websites to help put my research and planning together, one was Slide Share and the Other was Timeline.
Slide Share
Time Toast
Time toast was used pre planning and researching for my magazine as it allowed me to create an interactive time line to show when I needed each task to be completed by, this made it easy for me to see where I was up to in the process of creating my magazine and when I needed to complete each task by. This made me stay on track with each task, and allowed me to reach all of my deadlines. Again it was very easy to create my time line, as I just edited the time zone which the magazine had to be created in, and what needed to be done at each date, I then saved this and copied the embedded code into blogger.com - much like I did with slide share.
Facebook
My focus group was based on Facebook and I got many Private mails through Facebook from my focus group telling me what they thought of certain things I had created, any ideas they may have had etc, I also planned when I was going to meet my models on here. To upload this information on my blog I simply print screened the messages.
The camera was very important when I was capturing the images so that the standard and the quality of the pictures were that of a real magazines, the fact I was able to get them onto the computer and then access them quickly and effectively saved me a lot of time and made the whole process a lot easier and made it run a lot smoother.
Adobe Photoshop
I made my front cover in Adobe Photoshop as I have used this before at high school and so new the basics of what I was doing to get me started. First, I went to file, new, and created an A4 blank page, for the basis of my front cover. I then imported the picture that I was going to use for the cover. I had to duplicate this layer, which is shown in the picture below, this was so I could get the title of my magazine behind the cover model, to get the real affect of a real magazine. Which can be seen on the right. I did this by right clicking the layer, and clicking duplicate. I did this various times during the production of my magazine with a few different photographs.
To darken the images of my cover model, giving the magazine a more edgy, darker and therefore 'rock' look, I drew a box around what I wanted to edit, clicked on effects, and then brush strokes on one and sumi-e on the other which created the dark, mysterious look.
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER EDITED |
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| AFTER EDITED |
I also changed the colour of my double page spread model to make him black and white, to add a more classy yet rock-like tone to the magazine. I did this by creating a box around the model and adjusting the colour tone, I could lighten and darken the tone to whichever preference I preferred. As you can see in my image, I have also cut out the model from the original picture so he is stood alone with no background and I did this by using the Magic tool, and it cut around him perfectly making him a single image.
InDesign
After making my model black and white in Photoshop, I then needed to transfer him into InDesign so I could create my double page spread. To do this, I duplicated the layer, (as shown above) and dragged the duplicated layer into a blank InDesign Document.
InDesign also had many other features which I could use to make my magazine look efficient and realistic, such as import artistic fonts from the internet, create reversed out cover lines to enhance a statement and make it more clear, write the text in clear columns and create interesting backgrounds to make the double page spread look more captivating, which is what I've done on my finished piece, shown to the right.Blogging
As I researched magazine's, and then went on to produce my magazine, I blogged my progress on Blogger.com which is a very useful and efficient site that kept me up to date with what I was doing, when I was doing it, and when I had to complete tasks by.
I updated every stage through the process of producing my magazine, which included showing my work to my focus group and collecting audience research and decisions which were made, and the reasoning as to why they were made, an example of the blog can be seen in the photograph. It was very easy and quick to upload a new blog post, as all you had to click,'New Post' It was also easy to add photographs, change colours and fonts,and also create bullet points, paragraphs etc as all the options are set out clearly along the top bar. To embed something was also easy, as all you has to do what get the embedded code, click HTML instead of Compose, and copy in the embedded code. - I did this for videos and time-lines etc. Not only did it help me keep track of what I was doing, but it also helped me keep track of what I've learnt as I can refer back to my earlier work quickly and easily, and it is sectioned into each different month and year I updated the posts, so I can get to where ever I need to get on my block easily. - for the same reasons, I feel Blogger.com helped me present my research and planning in a clear and coherent way.
I also used some other websites to help put my research and planning together, one was Slide Share and the Other was Timeline.
Slide Share
SlideShare was a website which I mainly used to create a stimulating and interactive evaluation, it is a site that allows you to turn power point's into a short movie and then embed it onto my blog, this is very quick and simple, as all you need to do is click 'upload' and find the file you wish to upload onto the website to therefore create a movie-like power point in order to share it, and copy the embed code into blogger.com. a screen shot of this is below:
Time ToastMy focus group was based on Facebook and I got many Private mails through Facebook from my focus group telling me what they thought of certain things I had created, any ideas they may have had etc, I also planned when I was going to meet my models on here. To upload this information on my blog I simply print screened the messages.
YouTube & Adobe Premiere Pro
In the evaluation of my blog, particularly in question 5 and question 7, I have embedded a video of either myself, my focus group or other students at college, so that I have answered these questions in a more interactive and interesting way. To do this, I firstly created the video, by also adding titles describing who was speaking and why in Adobe Premiere Pro, I then saved this, and then exported it into a FLV file in order for me to then upload in onto youtube. This can be seen on the right.
In the evaluation of my blog, particularly in question 5 and question 7, I have embedded a video of either myself, my focus group or other students at college, so that I have answered these questions in a more interactive and interesting way. To do this, I firstly created the video, by also adding titles describing who was speaking and why in Adobe Premiere Pro, I then saved this, and then exported it into a FLV file in order for me to then upload in onto youtube. This can be seen on the right. 
Next, I had to uplaod this on my youtube account, and then click on embed, so it gave me the embed code, which I could then easily copy onto my blog, like embedding anything else I had to click on the 'HTML' button instead of teh 'Compose' button when embedding a file onto my blog.
- all of this technology had enabled me to create a very interactive and interesting blog, and I think it helped me to make my blog different, and also to get my points and ideas across in a easier and more effective way, which also makes it easier for people looking at my blog to understand it. So overall, I think the technology that went into my blog post and the process of producing the magazine was very successful and helpful.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
I think overall, my magazine was a success. I think the main reason for this is because it has been heavily linked to my target audience and the whole way through my production process of the magazine I have referred back to my focus group, so ultimately, they will be attracted to the magazine in order to buy it. I feel I have done a good job attracting my audience of young females, who are slightly mainstream, however have a classic edge of rock,. Although I feel I have created an ideal magazine for this genre, it is important to collect some audience feedback, to ensure I was/how successful I was in attracting or addressing my audience. For this, it is ideal to ask my focus group what they thought about my magazine, as they are ultimately my audience. I wanted to video each member of my focus group with them giving their opinion of the magazine, however I am unable to see the whole of my focus group before the deadline of this task, and so I have resulted into sending out questionnaires to those who I am unable to see face-to-face, so I still have a good idea of what my target audience thought of my overall magazine, and whether it was a success or not.
Below are various questionnaires that were send back to me, and the feedback I received:
QUESTIONNAIRE ON 'GLAM' MAGAZINE CREATED BY SAMM SLINGSBY
1. How real do you think the magazine looks?
Yeah very real, I like the colour scheme throughout it makes it look very realistic – and it also has like, all the main conventions of a real magazine.
2. Do you think the contents are appropriate for my target audience?
Urh, yeah I guess so, because although it has articles about rock music, it also has a main story about a good-looking guy and his story, which adds the mainstream effect to the magazine and helps attract the audience.
3. Do you think the mode of address speaks convincingly to my audience?
Definitely yeah, the front cover isn’t formal which shows edge, it also uses rude language such as ‘sex’ and ‘drugs’ which is exaggerated by the capital letters, this could suggest it’s very important. It also shows it’s in the with kidsss
4. Do you think the font styles are appropriate for my target audience?
Yep; especially the double page spread title, really affective as it makes it stand out a lot and it would defo make me want to pick it up and give it a read.
5. Do you think the colours are appropriate for my target audience?
Yeeeeeer, Its like got a black white and pinky redish theme which mixes the classic theme of a rock magazine with females
6. Do you think the layout/design is appropriate for my target audience?
Yeah the front cover is very busy and even has other smaller pictures on it which is very common for rock magazines, i read kerrang and it has that on nearly every week
7. Do you the pictures are appropriate for my target audience?
Yeah like i was just saying about kerrang... I also like the way the double page spread guy has his top of as that is a common way to attract youngish females
8. Ultimately, do you feel the magazine was successful or not?
Yep yep yep! Would defo buy this if I saw it in a shop, looks lush
COMPLETED BY PHOEBE HARRIS
___________________________________________________________
QUESTIONNAIRE ON 'GLAM' MAGAZINE CREATED BY SAMM SLINGSBY
1. How real do you think the magazine looks?
Looks real yeah, I recs I'd see it in a shop, its got the main things a magazine has.
2. Do you think the contents are appropriate for my target audience?
Yeah it's got loads about like rock music and stuff, and like gigs, and tours, and festivals, standard sorta stuff.
3. Do you think the mode of address speaks convincingly to my audience?
Yeah its not too serious, quite like, informal and its got like capitals in places which like makes things stand out which the audience might like I guess
4. Do you think the font styles are appropriate for my target audience?
Yer I like the professional ones, like on the content and double page spread, look super cool, and tbf I also like the front cover title cus although its not as like WOW its got a classy look to it, which like connotes feminine I guess, which is mennnnnnar relate it to the target audience i think, but yep does it well
5. Do you think the colours are appropriate for my target audience?
Yah its got pinks and stuff, girly colours
6. Do you think the layout/design is appropriate for my target audience?
it looks just like a magazine so yeah, and the black out whiteness is like gothic rockish almost, no it looks good yeh
7. Do you the pictures are appropriate for my target audience?
yeah its got girls and boys, the front cover models face looks really moody and i think that relates to the rock thing, especially with the star and the way shes quite darkish, looks spookay, and the red lips, looks like she's baaad and like mysterious
8. Ultimately, do you feel the magazine was successful or not?
Yeah i dooo, it all looks really good and professional, I'd buy it! looks fun!
COMPLETED BY AMY EDWARDS
After receiving these questionnaires, I found that the magazine got some positive feedback, and overall, I received a preferred reading of the magazine as these 2 people seemed to understand the magazine as I intended it to be read and I was very happy about this. In these questionnaires I found that certain features of the magazine helped particularly when I was trying to attract or address my target audience, such as the title and masthead of the magazine, as although it is quite a subtle font, which isn't usually associated with 'rock' it is still effective in the way it's used, and with the other features on the page such as the main image, and reversed out cover lines, it goes very well, adding the feminine touch to the rock magazine well - and therefore attracting my audience to the magazine itself. Phoebe also pointed out that the double page spread related very well to the theme of the magazine, as it ties in the femininity and the rock together, especially with the mainstream, as the topless model would attract younger females and the story itself, as he is a rock star would attract the rock audience, linking the two in a very effective way. Again, Amy said that the cover model connotes moodiness, which links to the audience as rock chicks are known as being quite moody when not getting their own way - she realised that the subtle effect of darkness creates a Gothic yet also a rock effect, which again relates to the moodiness of the character, and the magazine cover itself, once more linking to my audience - and this can also be connoted as linking to the rock music itself as well. She touched on the red lipstick worn by the model too, suggesting it looks 'bad' and 'mysterious' and this is what I was aiming at, giving a devilish effect, and a passionate effect, which relates to the dominant ideology of women, being feminine, which could also suggest passion and lust.
- after this, I also recorded the interviews of the other 3 members of my focus group, these can be shown in the video below:
Again, I seem to recieve a preferred reading and each member of my focus group appeared to understand what the features of the magazine were connoteing, they also understood the theme of the magazine thoroughly, the things that was picked up on the most was the continuous colour scheme of black, white and pink/red throughout the magazine, as they thought the black connoted a rock and gothic image, whereas the pink showed the feminine side and together they worked very well as they clashed, much like the personality of my audience themselves. They also seemed to like the fonts I used, as they were unique and original, and they also made the writing stand out which was my main aim as this ultimately, attracts the audience - and this also relates to the originality of my audience, yet the mainstream feel of them as well. All all of my focus group understood the magazine as being a magazine, and they all thought it looked very professional, mainly because of the layout and design of the magazine, such as the background on my double page spread and also the key features and conventions of almost every magazine, such as the masthead, reversed out cover lines, cover image etc. Each member of my focus group said that the magazine was successful and better yet, said that they would buy the magazine if it was to appear in a shop, and so overall, with this preffered reading, I feel that my magazine relates directly to my target audience and I have confidence that other people would understand that the magazine is aimed at 'rock chicks' and is ultimately, themed 'feminine rock.' To prove this further, I asked a few other people at college, who aren't classed in the caterogorie which is my target audeince, who they think the audience of this magazine would be, the answers are shown in the short video below:
To conclude, I feel the magazine has been a great success, and I think that the fact that I have taken onboard my focus groups advice throughout the production of this task, it has been majorly important towards the outcome of my final product, and this proves the importance understanding the target audience themselves and the things they want to read about and look at, in order to attract them to the magazine that I have designed.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Referring back to question 2,
My magazines is challenging rock magazines, and so I have created my own magazine which is themed ‘feminine rock’ which is aimed specifically at the social group of females. My magazine has a state of sophistication however will it is aimed at the younger generation, around 15-30 and it appeals to people in the B, C section; this is because they aren't overly upmarket however they aren't overly lower market - they are just in-between, because of this I have priced my magazine at £2.10. In the life-stage categories, my audience is either ‘decision pending’ or the older section of ‘kids’ as they are free to do whatever they desire and have not gotten to the stage of settling down yet, and are just focussing their life on having a good time, hence they are be hedonists. They are also a contrast between traditionalists, listening to some sorts of mainstream music, however also bordering on radicals as they have their own unique sense of music as well, which is rock. They have a glamorous image, wearing lots of makeup, stylish clothing and listening to mainstream music; however they also have an edgy look about them, to make them unique. They like to sing along to rock music, on devises such sing along games and I Pods, they are also attracted to good-looking people and they like general mainstream things.
My magazines is challenging rock magazines, and so I have created my own magazine which is themed ‘feminine rock’ which is aimed specifically at the social group of females. My magazine has a state of sophistication however will it is aimed at the younger generation, around 15-30 and it appeals to people in the B, C section; this is because they aren't overly upmarket however they aren't overly lower market - they are just in-between, because of this I have priced my magazine at £2.10. In the life-stage categories, my audience is either ‘decision pending’ or the older section of ‘kids’ as they are free to do whatever they desire and have not gotten to the stage of settling down yet, and are just focussing their life on having a good time, hence they are be hedonists. They are also a contrast between traditionalists, listening to some sorts of mainstream music, however also bordering on radicals as they have their own unique sense of music as well, which is rock. They have a glamorous image, wearing lots of makeup, stylish clothing and listening to mainstream music; however they also have an edgy look about them, to make them unique. They like to sing along to rock music, on devises such sing along games and I Pods, they are also attracted to good-looking people and they like general mainstream things.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My magazine can be easily recognised as a real magazine as there are many features on the cover which are also on a magazine which is on sale in shops, such as KERRANG. In the picture, I have taken my magazine cover and labelled all of the key conventions which make it recognisable as a magazine, for example, it has a masthead of the title of the magazine so my audience will know what they are buying, and the simpleness yet the large feminine white bold text will be recognised each time they buy the magazine. There is also many magazine conventions to make it clear that it is a magazine, such as a strap line, main image, cover lines, bar codes and the address. 
the key cover lines on the cover stand out more than the rest of the magazine, helping to catch the audiences eye increasing sales, I have done much the same as this, automatically getting a 'rock' theme to the magazine itself.My magazine cover is also very busy on the page however I didn't want it to look 'too' crowded, and so with some of the cover lines and splashes I angled them so that it made it more interesting to look at rather than just a lot of writing on a page, this also gives the magazine an edgy feel, much like my audience themselves, relating the magazine to my sub-genre of feminine rock.
The colour theme is very edgy, as red and pink are usually colours that clash against each other and so using them together has challenged original colour themes and I have done this because it could connote the rebellious audience, as 'feminine' and 'rock' aren't things which are usually associated with each other and can be frowned upon by frequent mainstream rock fans, however this magazine is aimed at women who are quite glamorous and like mainstream things, however they also have a unique edge which is linked to rock music, style and attitude. The attitude in itself can be seen through the main image on the magazine cover, as although the model looks very glamorous with red lipstick, this also contrast with the colour of the writing on the page, however it also connotes sexiness and devilish, proving to the audience that rock can be linked to mysteriousness; and the model also has a dark black star on her face which, along with her facial expression (which is very similar to most other rock artists on magazine covers) gives of a very rock-chick vibe, possibly suggesting the model doesn't care she is unique and goes against the original trends, which again can relate to my audience, hence making this magazine recognisable to be sub-genre in a subtle yet unique way.
On most magazine covers the masthead is positioned behind the main image, however as shown in the 'classic rock' cover, the masthead has been put in front which makes the title of the magazine stand out a lot more suggesting it is possibly more important or influential that the image. As in most magazines, the masthead is positioned behind the image, I have decided to do this with my cover, mostly because it increases the likeliness of it looking like a proper magazine cover, but also because in all feminine magazines such as cosmopolitan or sugar, they position their covers in this way and these are the magazines that my mainstream yet edgy audience will be used to, hence it will sway them to this magazine. Likewise, my image is a medium close up, which is very common in many magazines, however with rock magazines images can be very different and unique, so really anything goes, however I have decided to take this shot because it shows power for the female in the image, as she is standing very confidently yet moody and this connotes power in a very subtle way, this can be linked to my audience as although the women my magazine is targeting at are quite mainstream, they are also very bold with their feelings and attitudes to what they like and enjoy doing, hence relating to the powerful aspect, as it's putting this group of people above everybody else, especially men who may not believe females are strong or in any way related to rock. The bold writing throughout my cover also does this, making it very bold and clear to the audience, this also related to rock artists as a lot of rock music is quite bold and loud, and so this relates to the cover itself.
Friday, 3 February 2012
Time Management
Today it is the 3rd February and I have just finished my Content Page for my magazine, hence I have completed my target of completing all 3 tasks before the deadline which is also today.
Audience Research 8
I have decided to change the drawn up 1st draft for my content page slightly, as instead of using my 4th model, Jess Kelly, I have decided to do a photo strip of lots of photo's from the model on the cover page instead: Livv. I thought this linked the magazine together and added a type of theme through the magazine.
In the same way, I have decided to change the way my model is positioned as instead of the model lying on a table I have decided to do a standing shot as the shoots for the table shot didn't go very well and didn't look very good/profession. For this reason the shot is a similar shot to my double page spread shot, behind a brick wall for effect.
I asked my focus group what they thought of the pictures I took and which would be better, and the majority said that they didn't think the lying down shot was going to work because the model was too small and the position in which the table was made it hard to get a clear good shot for my content page. The majority thought that a standing up full long shot was the better option.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Planning 5
As you can see on my first drafts which I drew up, there are two images of my male model on the page, and on my final piece there is only one. This is because after looking into my research further, I came across various other double page spread such as the ones below:
I felt that to make my magazine double spread more realistic, I would only put one picture, giving more room for the feature writing and the article itself, as with 2 I would be stuck for room. Hence why my finished cover is slightly different from the original first draft.
I felt that to make my magazine double spread more realistic, I would only put one picture, giving more room for the feature writing and the article itself, as with 2 I would be stuck for room. Hence why my finished cover is slightly different from the original first draft.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Time Management
Today's date is the 31st January and I have completed 2/3 of the pieces, which are my double page spread and my cover of the magazine, and I am half way through my content page. This means I am on track to finish by Friday which is my deadline.
Audience Research 7
I have finished my Double Page spread however I have decided to try and put a background over it to make it look more like a professional story.
The before and after are below:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I had a vote with my target audience to decided which was best, - again I took part in the vote:
BEFORE: 1
AFTER: 5
Because of this, I am going to keep the background in my double page spread.
The before and after are below:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I had a vote with my target audience to decided which was best, - again I took part in the vote:
BEFORE: 1
AFTER: 5
Because of this, I am going to keep the background in my double page spread.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Audience Research 6
For my double page spread, as shown in my sketched draft, I want a lot of the page to be covered in some big funky writing to really catch the readers eye, I have had a look on 'dafont.com' and have narrowed it down to the following 4:
I showed all of these to my focus group and had a vote about which they feel would be best - I also took part in the vote (1 being the font at the top of the page, 4 being the bottom font) the results are as followed:
Font 1 - 1
Font 2 - 2
Font 3 - 0
Font 4 - 3
This meant my final decision was to go with the 4th font, which is called 'Capture It' by Magique Fonts .
Font 1 - 1
Font 2 - 2
Font 3 - 0
Font 4 - 3
This meant my final decision was to go with the 4th font, which is called 'Capture It' by Magique Fonts .
Monday, 23 January 2012
Time Management Update
Today it is the 23rd January and I have completed my Magazine Cover, which means I am on track with my previous time line of all my deadlines - I am now going to start my Content Page.
Friday, 20 January 2012
Audience Research 5
I have decided to name my magazine cover either 'GLAM' or 'GLAMOROUS ROCK' ..I asked my focus group which they thought would be more appropriate/which they preferred, and took a vote (again, I took part in the vote):
GLAM - 5
GLAMOROUS ROCK - 1
The main reasons for this was because although GLAM seems to sound less like a rock magazine, I am going to make it look like one with the way it is set out and the content of it, another reason is because it is short and easy to type across the page as my masthead and it will be easy to read, along with the fact that this still aims my magazine at a mainstream audience as well as the rock audience which is - 'glamorous rock.' The reasons against GLAMOROUS ROCK was mainly because it was too long to write across my masthead, although it would have been good as the word 'rock' is in the title of the magazine enhances the point that it is in fact a rock magazine. Weighing up all the pro's and con's, and especially looking at what my focus group thought of the two, I decided to call my magazine 'GLAM.'
GLAM - 5
GLAMOROUS ROCK - 1
The main reasons for this was because although GLAM seems to sound less like a rock magazine, I am going to make it look like one with the way it is set out and the content of it, another reason is because it is short and easy to type across the page as my masthead and it will be easy to read, along with the fact that this still aims my magazine at a mainstream audience as well as the rock audience which is - 'glamorous rock.' The reasons against GLAMOROUS ROCK was mainly because it was too long to write across my masthead, although it would have been good as the word 'rock' is in the title of the magazine enhances the point that it is in fact a rock magazine. Weighing up all the pro's and con's, and especially looking at what my focus group thought of the two, I decided to call my magazine 'GLAM.'
Planning 4
On the previous blog post, I suggested to my focus group that I add more photographs to the magazine cover. After doing this, I also have decided to add more things and stories, to make it yet again, more busier on the page as this is exactly what all the other rock magazine's do to achieve good sales and a professional looking magazine cover.
KEY:
The 2 black boxes represent other pictures of Livv, as posters
The straight lines represent writing
The circle represents my models face
The star represents the star which is on my models face
The different colour long boxes represent extra information
The line up the right hand side of my magazine represents the website
The white box at the bottom right represents the bar code
The big pink box across the top is the masthead
Below is a more detailed and final plan/design of my final magazine cover.
KEY:
The 2 black boxes represent other pictures of Livv, as posters
The straight lines represent writing
The circle represents my models face
The star represents the star which is on my models face
The different colour long boxes represent extra information
The line up the right hand side of my magazine represents the website
The white box at the bottom right represents the bar code
The big pink box across the top is the masthead
Audience Research 4
After getting my original feedback from my focus group and agreeing it was okay, whilst actually producing my cover I found that compared to most for the other rock magazine's I have looked at, it seemed pretty plain seen as most of the rock magazine covers generally had a lot going on, some of them even had alternative pictures (for example in a 'poster special') Two of these are shown below:
to Samm Slingsby
Fortunately, I took an extra 2 photographs of the cover star, and so I suggested to my focus group that I add these 2 photo's to my front cover, (however editing them quite dramatically and cropping them) to add a poster special and to make the magazine cover a lot more busy, hopefully making it look more similar to the rock magazine which are on sale at the moment.
Below is some of my feedback: -
6:06 PM (30 minutes ago)
 | ||||
Sounds good!!
Hannnnns xxx
Liv Rose
11:13 PM (1hour 41 minutes ago)
|
Hii, yeah sounds good, I think it will look a lot better all busy yano xxx
Livs x
7:13 PM (21 minutes ago)
| ||||
GGood plan I think, I think it should defo be busier than the 1st draft anyway seemed a bit plain xxxxxxxx
After reading these emails, I decided to put the two photographs which are below in to my magazine cover as well, as an additional add on poster special on the cover of my magazine.
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