Evaluation 7 – Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in progression from it to full product?

Preliminary task

Flat-planning

Survey

Research and gathering ideas (blog + time management)

Appropriate camera shots

Editing

Layout and contents

Flat-planning

Flat planning is one of the most critical stages of producing my media product. It helped me realize how much it helped my concept to be easily done and developed visually. I learned how important it is to visually see my ideas and how certain camera shots would look and where I could place my texts conventionally. In result, it made my progress smoother and organized. It helped me to have a better understanding and idea of how I would like my music magazine to look like which I could later on develop during the real process of creating my media product.

Survey

During the whole progress of creating my media product, I learned how I could easily identify my target audience as well as their interest by providing them a survey. The result of this survey really helped my magazine a lot. The survey developed my ideas which affected the topics and contents that I wanted to include in my music magazine. The opinion of my target audience developed my music magazine to be more conventional. These findings were all then stored in my blog.

Research and gathering ideas

Before I started to create my music magazine, I researched and gathered a lot of information about existing media products (music magazine). Not only it inspired me to think of new layouts and designs for my own music magazine, I learned how it could strengthen the foundation of my

own concept. It allowed me to broaden my ideas, to mould my magazine in to a more conventional product and also developed my understanding about real music magazines in terms of their layout, contents, and designs; why and how they do it. Moreover, I realized how important it is to store these information and research that I gathered on my blog. I realized how essential it is as they come handy and very useful whenever I need to go back and use this information I gathered in order to develop my music magazine. Due to this, I learned to organize my time better. I realized that storing all the research I gathered in to my blog is very important, therefore, I never lose any information; it allows me to update this information and add more details/written work.

Appropriate camera shots

Through research, I gathered different ideas for certain magazines or theme. I learned that camera shots may affect the message or atmosphere it creates towards the audience. Through research, I also learned the conventional camera shots that music magazine commonly use for their cover photos (mainly strong mid shot or group shot), double age spread and contents. I noticed that mid shots are commonly used as it lets the magazine to have a huge impact towards the reader due to its strong and powerful effect that medium shots create. For that reason, it influenced my choice of shots/photography. However, I learned how to ask for feedback or suggestions about the photographs I have taken. I made sure to ask people who may be interested in my music magazine. I did not limit the feedback by asking a person who has better knowledge about media and camera shots. In addition, I learned how to use props (mise-en-sene) in order to represent my target audience as well as my magazine’s objective.

Editing

Although I had knowledge in editing, editing a real media product like a music magazine is different. I learned a lot of new things that I could do using photoshop. It was a struggle for me to get the photograph to be perfect. With the help of online research, I figured out how to use quick selection tool/magic wand correctly and more efficient. I also developed my understanding about the proper use of layering in photoshop – especially when creating a music magazine that contains many text layers as well photos. I also developed my understanding about the right sizes that photoshop provides and how I could fit my double page spread. Throughout working on my media product, I realized how I could use ‘shapes’ to create borders for my magazine which improves my magazine visually. I also learned how to manipulate the text on photoshop (how I could warp the font or even add shadows to create a 3 dimensional effect). Furthermore, during the process of editing, I learned how to use liquefy properly and also adding another photos on top on another image. I also learned how important it is to show the whole image on the magazine since it happened to me for my first cover photo. However, I fixed this by adjusting my image canvas’ size.

Layout and contents

Since I researched different cover photos and contents page as well as double page spread, it helped me develop my ideas – how I created my own layout and design and what I included in my magazine. Before I started, my ideas were very simple and I did not have the right idea about ‘borders’ however, by getting a feedback about how I should use columns and borders, it impacted my magazine’s layout tremendously. It enabled my magazine to be visually organized therefore, it was easier to read my magazine’s contents/sub-headings and titles. By looking at other music magazines, it made me realize that they put similar features on their contents. By realizing this, it gave me ideas of conventional topics that I could also put on my music magazine however influenced by my audience’s opinion (survey).

Cover photo

Feedback: “The title can’t be read. The image is too big; it should be zoomed out in order for the title to be visible. Also, the top head of the image is cut and what’s going to happen at the

bottom of your photo?”

This is the two version of my cover photo. By taking the feedback I received, I decided to improve the idea of my first cover photo. I made sure that my magazine title is visible by zooming out and adjusting my image’s canvas. Also, I filled in the gap by adding a border which was inspired by Kerrang and illustrated other bands. By adjusting these certain areas, which forced me to adjust everything (font size) therefore it would look balanced and fitted. Furthermore, since my photograph’s original photo is what it is on my first cover photo; I had to think of a way of how I could create the missing top head. In result, it improved my editing skill; I figured out how I could clone-stamp, quick select and paste it on the image to make up for the missing pieces.

Contents page

Feedback: “I don’t think the main photograph is really great, I don’t really like the background. Why are your photographs all female? Is that deliberate? Also, it would be a good idea if you create your own signature in the editor section. The editor’s section’s texts should be bigger. ”

This is my before and after version of my contents page. While creating this contents page, I slowly realized how my first contents page main photo isn’t really great. Therefore, after I received the feedback, it reinforced my temptation of replacing this photograph. I developed another idea which manifested from the stereotype of my magazine’s genre’s readers. By taking

note of how my magazine only shows females on its photographs, I decided to include men because my magazine’s target audience are both men and women. Therefore, I placed new photographs that show male artists/bands for my contents page. Moreover, I developed my layout and its contents/index by looking at NME and Kerrang which developed my ideas. By using the tablet, I was able to embed the signature on my editor’s section. I also made the fonts bigger as suggested so that it can be seen properly.

In terms of choosing my main photo for my contents page, I decided to use a medium shot/3 shot of 3 males based on the idea of the type of band I imagine them to represent. I decided to use these certain models because they contrast each other pretty well; the leader of the band is obviously the first in the row then the second model and the third (importance in role was portrayed by positioning). Also, I deliberately framed them to be somehow tightened in order for the photo to have a strong impact and unwanted background can’t be seen. The natural lighting from the sun made me realize that it created a cool shadow effect which resulted to a stronger photograph. My choice of background is also deliberate. I decided to place them where the grid fence and the vibrant blue sky could be seen (originally this was inspired by how the place is a route for the train) because it creates a ‘grunge’ atmosphere in my opinion. It creates that funky feeling towards the viewers and I think it works with their personalities and the whole photograph itself.