Question 1 part a presentation

AS Preliminary Task

AS Final Magazine

Question 1a• Digital technology – is a form of electronic media where data are stored in digital, as opposed to analog,

form. It can refer to technical aspects of storage and transmission (e.g. hard disk drives or computer networking) of information or to the ‘end product’, such as digital video.

• Creativity – The use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.• Research and Planning – Research, by definition means to study something thoroughly in order to gain a

wider knowledge on it or collect information about it. Planning is the process of making plans for something.

• Post-production – All of this planning and filming leads up to this. Post production turns individual scenes, called raw footage, into a finished motion picture. Editors cut footage together, composers add music and special effects are added all during post-production.

• Using conventions from real media texts – Using typical features of other media products.

Digital Technology1. In order to incorporate digital technology into the production of my magazine, I used a digital camera to take

the images I included. This benefited the overall outcome of my magazine images because I could use special effects like adjusting the focus of the camera, which I could not have done if I used for example a polaroid camera.

2. During the production of my magazine, the main tool I used was Adobe Photoshop. I used a card reader to transport my images from the digital camera to my computer. I then edited the images (e.g. cropped the images, changed the brightness/contrast). An example of how I used this technology was when I changed the colour of the image on my contents page to black and white.

3. Another creative decision I made was to make a ‘behind the scenes’ video using Adobe Premiere. In this video I put together all of the images taken of me while conducting the outdoor photo shoot in order to show the production of my magazine in a more personal way.

Creativity1. Where and how I used the camera equipment when doing my photo shoots required creativity. I decided to do an indoor photo shoot and an outdoor photo shoot because I thought this would provide more variety. I had to be creative when choosing where to shoot when going outside. I used my creativity to decide that I wanted to include nature and foliage. I also used creativity when taking the images because I adjusted the camera to focus more on my model and less on the background to give it a more unique look.

2. When using Adobe Photoshop, I had to be creative when thinking about how I wanted the layout of my magazine to be, and what colours I wanted to include. I also had to be creative when using my Photoshop skills. I also had to be creative when using different font effects and when using effects on my images, like making the creative decision to change one of my images to black and white to make it more effective.

3. I had to be creative when choosing what my model was going to wear. The colours and designs had to represent the indie/rock genre therefore I had to choose clothes which I knew could do this well. I found inspiration from other indie/rock magazines and then asked my model for creative input. I gave her guidelines as to a few specific pieces of clothing I wanted to see (like the checked shirt and biker boots she wore) but then also gave her some creative control because she fit the indie/rock genre.

Research and Planning1. In order to research before making my magazine. I spent lots of time looking at other indie/rock magazines

and spent a lot of time on their websites to gain more information about the layout of the magazine and the overall tone of how I would need to present my magazine. I also looked at the magazines for inspiration for the outfits indie/rock artists wear.

2. In order to plan for my magazine, I first did a few drafts of my front cover, double page spreads and contents page. This allowed me to know what colours I wanted to include in my

magazine and also what type of layout I wanted to create. I researched other real music magazines’ layouts to make sure I used typical conventions.

3. I also planned how often my magazine would be published. I decided it would be publishedmonthly, which meant I had to make sure my contents page reflected how packed full of information this magazine would be. Since it would be published monthly, realistically it would be very full of information and have a lot of pages. Therefore, I used this planning well to determine the number of pages I would have.

Post-production1. For the post-production process, we had to complete an evaluation of our work. This allowed us to

determine our strengths and weaknesses in our magazine. One of the evaluation points was related to codes and conventions and how we used them when making our magazine. I included information about how I used the conventions of a clear masthead, barcode and button.

2. Also, I got lots of feedback from my target audience, general magazine readers and others. This allowed me to understand what I did well and what I didn’t. I spent a lot of time showing audiences my magazine and filmed their comments and reactions.

3. After receiving feedback, I made the necessary improvements to my magazine before I submitted my final piece. This allowed me to make good use of my feedback and to make my magazine the best it could be. I filmed my target audience while I asked them questions about what they liked/disliked about my magazine and put it on my blog so I could refer to it constantly.

Using conventions from real media texts

1. There are several typical codes and conventions for real media texts which needed to be incorporated into my magazine. For example, a convention from a magazine used widely during production is a clear masthead at the top of the magazine front cover. I did this with my ‘BASS’ masthead.

2. Another typical convention is having a barcode on the magazine. I also included this on my magazine front cover. This use of a barcode made my magazine appear more realistic and believable as a real media magazine.

3. Another typical code/convention from real music magazines is to have a button/plug. This makes the magazine seem more realistic and makes you believe that it could be a real media product. Therefore I chose to include a button on my magazine.