Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt from technologies from the

process of constructing this product?

iMac

Throughout production I have been using an iMac, which is a very different experience to using a Windows Computer. Using the iMac has gave me an insight into how people in the professional media industry construct their productions, as in professional practise iMacs are generally used. I learnt a lot using the iMac: The first thing that I learnt was that Safari had to be used instead of IE; I learnt that all of my workspace must me stored in the “Local” area, I also learnt that the commands used on PhotoShop, differ from those on a Windows Computer. I think that using an iMac is beneficial as they run efficiently and smoothly which allowed me to create a product without any hassles such as the iMac crashing and losing work.

Blogger

I used blogger to record a journal of my production. Before beginning my foundation portfolio, I had no previous knowledge of how to use Blogger. Therefore I learnt how to create an account, through a Google account. How to create a new post, how to change the theme how to import images, how to embed videos, prezis, and animations via HTML mode. I also learnt how to edit the order of my posts by going to: set date and time and editing the date and time. I learnt that by using blogger, I can organise my work efficiently, and I also learnt how to do efficient research in detail, which is something that I have never really done before.

Scanner

I used a scanner to scan my flat plans of my product throughout the prelim task, and my main task. I learnt how to scan an image onto the Mac, which way the flat plan should be placed into the scanner, and where to locate the file on the Mac and scanning my flat plans on to my blog. By using the scanner, it benefited me as I could pitch my flat plans to my target audience and gain vital feedback on how to improve my product, when beginning construction.

Camera/Photo Studio/Lights

In order to construct my product, I had to take suitable photos of my models. This involved shooting my models on a location and on a studio. I learnt how to shoot photos in a variety of shots such as Medium Closeup which is used on the front cover of my contents page. I learnt how to place a grid setting on my camera which allowed me to take professional photos using the rule of thirds too. I also learnt when shooting on location, that I can change the settings on my camera to suit the location, such as the photos I shot under the bridge where it was dark, when I used the night time setting, the quality of photos improved. Using a professional camera has benefitted my production as by making my making my photos look as professional as possible, it therefore means that the magazine looks professional itself.

Adobe PhotoShop I used PhotoShop in order to construct my front cover. Before production, I only had

experience of basic photo manipulation techniques. I learnt many practical skills such as how to airbrush images professionally, without the model looking like a plastic mannequin. I also learnt how to position my model in front of the masthead, by using the magnetic lasso tool around her hair, copying it into a new layer and dragging the layer above the text. I learnt how to install brushes to Photoshop too, such as the paint splash effect which can be seen on my front cover. This helped make my product look unique and stand out. I also learned about the technical elements of Photoshop too, such as saving my work in a PSD file, when editing as I could still work with my layers; I learned how to make my canvas A4 size, by going to New>International Paper>A4. Having my canvas A4 size was essential for my production as if the canvas was any smaller, the image may have pixilated when printing my product. Additionally, I learnt that when I finished my product, it needed to be saved as a JPEG in CMYK mode. This was for two reasons, so my layers were flattened meaning that my image could be: printed, imported to my blog and imported to Adobe InDesign. Using PhotoShop benefitted my overall as it is a software used within the professional music industry today and it therefore allowed me to create a professional looking product which would appeal to my target audience. I didn’t really experience any overall problems using PhotoShop as I found the software fairly simple to use.

Adobe InDesign I used Adobe InDesign to construct my Contents Page and Double

Page Spread. I learnt that InDesign was a lot more practical to use for constructing a Contents and Double Page Spread as it is much more practical to use when working with text, whereas Photoshop was more appropriate for manipulating images. I also learnt how to import JPEGS to InDesign by going to File>Place. However one criticism I would have with this software is that when you import a JPEG it appears to be pixilated no matter what the resolution is, however this is only for display purposes so the software can run faster, however it does leave one wondering if the image will be pixilated when the product is printed, however this is not the case. I also learnt that products can be imported into a JPEG when completed and also how to set up a three columned page. This was particularly useful when constructing my Double Page Spread as I wished to use three columns in my text.

YouTube

I used YouTube for both my research and planning and for uploading my own videos. I used YouTube when looking at different social tribes, to decide which tribe would find my product appealing. By watching videos of different tribes I learnt how to make my product appeal to them. On a more practical note, I also learnt how to upload my own videos to YouTube, which consisted of a: focus group, pitch reflection and creative evaluations. Learning how to upload videos has benefitted me as It has allowed me to gather qualitative research which has allowed me to consider how to make my product appealing to my target audience.

FaceBook

I used FaceBook to upload my products so that my target audience could point out flaws and give me constructive criticism, but also tell me what they liked about my product. This benefitted me as I learnt how to improve my product by fixing the errors pointed out by my target audience.

Cyberlink YouCam

I used Cyberlink YouCam which a piece of software on my home Laptop, to record videos and embed them in my blog. I used YouCam to record my pitch reflection and I also used it in my evaluation where I used a special effect where It changed my appearance into a cartoon male. I learnt that I could upload videos directly to YouTube from YouCam without having to be in an internet browser. This was therefore a fast and convenient way to upload my reflections.

Windows Movie Maker

I used Windows Movie Maker to create videos which were then placed into my Blog. I used Windows Movie Maker when editing my research and planning focus group and I also used it to present some of my evaluations creatively, such as my question 2 evaluation. I learnt how to import images, how to change the duration of the image presented, how to add music, how to make the music fade out at the end, how to add titles and captions and how to add transitions. As mentioned before, using Windows Movie Maker benefitted me as it allowed me to present my evaluations creatively, but it also benefitted me by teaching me new skills which I can transfer outside of this AS course.

Prezi

Prezi was a form of software that I had never used before I started the AS Media Studies course. Although I did not use it for production, I used it a lot throughout my research and planning and evaluations. I learnt that Prezi can be used to create interactive presentations; I learnt how to change the theme, add text, import images and videos, and how to add pathways. I believe that using Prezi has benefitted me as it has shown that I am confident with using new technologies.

SlideShare

I used SlideShare throughout my research and planning and evaluations too. SlideShare is a website where you can upload your own PowerPoint presentations and embed them to wherever you please. In this case, I embedded my PowerPoint presentations into my Blog. By using this website I learnt how to create an account, upload a presentation and embed it into my blog. Using SlideShare to upload presentations has benefited me, as again it as shown that I can use technologies to deliver my work in a creative and interesting manner.

Pixton

I used Pixton for Question 3 of my evaluations. Pixton is a form of technology which allows the user to create their own comic. I used it to explain how magazines are produced and distributed as I felt it would be appropriate. I learnt how to create a comic strip, how to add characters, change their facial expressions, add text and how to change their location. Using this product has benefitted me as it shows my understanding of how a product can be produced and distributed in a creative manner.

PhotoBooth

I used the PhotoBooth application found on the iMac to construct my own focus group to benefit my evaluation question 5 when finding out if I had attracted my target audience sufficiently or not. Each member of my target audience recorded their feedback on PhotoBooth, I saved the video and then embedded it into my Blog. I learnt that recording feedback in this manner was quick and sufficient and it means that good qualitative data can be obtained which immensely benefited my question 5 evaluation.

GoAnimate

I used GoAnimate to convert my feedback taken from PhotoBooth into an animated focus group. Using GoAnimate has shown that I can use a variety of technologies creatively and efficiently. I learnt how create characters, import characters, create a scene, change the scene, change their actions (i.e walking talking). By learning how to use GoAnimate it has allowed me to present my feedback in a productive manner.