Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The main aspect I have learnt from the preliminary task to the final product was the use of technology in the production of magazines in the industry and my own task. I had limited knowledge of Apple products and had only used Microsoft in my youth so I had to bridge the gap in my knowledge. This can be seen in my preliminary task as my cover is less conventional and the colours are very bright in contrast to my final piece as I used different programmes and the target audience and context were different.
The target audience of my preliminary task
was college students; therefore I made a college magazine with a student as the
cover photo. I took a few photos in different places to find the setting that
would show the student in a happy environment to appeal to my readers.
Therefore I chose a tree to the right of my model with the college building in
the background of the image. This was due to market research of other magazines
I had looked at. I did not have a digital camera so the images were taken using
my phone making the quality less than that of my final task photos. The scene
was colourful and bright as it would appeal to the audience and the scene and
props link to that of the context of the magazine. The cinematography of a
medium shot showed the costume of my model and therefore more to the genre.
They are holding the magazine that they are posed on which, in turn, had
another of the magazine inside it. This made it seem like the magazine is seen
by everyone and is in everything. The masthead also passed through the head of
my model as they were the main feature other than the magazine title. My final
piece was contrasting in colour as it was much darker to appeal to the rock
genre and target audience. The cover again was a medium shot but I chose not to have a prop as it was distracting to the cover lines. The image is still above the masthead but it is more realistic to an actual magazine as I used Photoshop instead of Microsoft paint, therefore my image and my use of technology has advanced, also linking to that of my skills audit.
The tag line and cover lines are
completely different as the genre has changed from college magazine to music
hub. In the aspect of the cover photo difference, I have learned that the main
image must reflect the genre and content of the magazine otherwise the target
audience will not be reached. The use of less colours in my final piece also reflected
the mood of the product as no longer being represented to a huge group, such as
all college students, but to a much smaller demographic but achievable and it
makes my product more appealing.
My
preliminary task went through a lot less research for production than my final
piece. This is due to the niche market of the music magazine needing to appeal
to a wider audience than that of college students. There was less information
for my initial ideas in the preliminary task as I had already created a good
idea so had less research to conduct. I had a cover idea and what to include
already created, unlike my final piece where I had to make a lot of changes per
draft. My model idea group only had five possible candidates whereas in my
final task I had more than fifteen names. From this I have learnt how to make a
quick decision on who I work with as I had less time. I had my final products
masthead name much quicker than I did my preliminary task due to the programmes
I had used to create it. I learnt using a more professional programme to make a
masthead was a better idea than using something like Microsoft Word as it looks
better and is easier to use. When producing my preliminary task I used InDesign
but as it was the first time using the programme the result was less
professional and took a long time. A lot of the production was completed on
Microsoft Word and Paint then put into InDesign which made it somewhat pixelated.
Therefore the production was different than that of the final piece.
In my
skills audit I could only use Microsoft products, emails, and internet and
apply minor changes to images. I could not use a Mac or other Apple products
and I did not have my own digital camera other than my mobile phone. Since the
preliminary task I have progressed on my understanding and usage of Apple and I
can now use a Mac and manipulate images successfully. My knowledge of
technology and its uses has expanded as I used it or researched for my final
piece. I have learnt the use of different camera shots and what my target
audience prefers and also a large number of media terminologies which can help
me expand on my creative work in years to come. In the skills audit the
question “Do you currently have a blog?” only applied to my Tumblr blog rather
than blogger.com. In the tasks I have learnt the use of blogger and can
continue to use it through media works as it is useful in the industry. Therefore
my preliminary task and final tasks have helped with my understanding of the
media environment.
In
conclusion I have learnt a great deal from the preliminary task to the final
piece in the way of technology and the media industry. My skills in design and
research work have improved over the course of the work and my knowledge of the
industry has been developed as before I knew very little of the inner workings.
Overall I feel I have learnt a lot from the beginning of the work to the end
and can use the skills I have acquired in later life. I also know a lot more about the institution and audiences of magazines and the issues surrounding them such as products not appealing to the entire social group or not fitting to the audience. The choices I have made throughout my pieces has come from the information I found in my research and planning and the outcomes came from my audience feedback which affected my product as the audience felt it could be better. I have successfully created a media product that appealed to my target audience and could be found in the media industry.
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Eleanor Wemyss
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