Monday, 29 March 2010

Preliminary Task Evaluation and Double Page Spread

Preliminary Task Evaluation...

For my tasks I had to make a magazine with a front cover and contents page. For the video task I had to make a short sequence including someone walking through a door onto a chair and exchanging dialogue.



I preferred doing the magazine task, as it is something that I might like to do when I am older. As I had never done a video before, I found it quite hard to use a camera and the editing equipment, and software. I did find it a good experience though as otherwise I would have never used those things.


For the magazine task, I started off by using desk top publishing but I found it too hard to use for what I wanted to do. It was making simple tasks quite strenuous. I went on to use Photoshop which I had never properly used before. It was fun getting to grips with it and I would like to get more used to it to see what I am capable of. For the film side of the project, we used two different kinds of camera, as we thought we had finished filming when we hadn’t. To be able to edit the software we used iMovie and it allowed us to sort out the clips we had to how we wanted them. However the process was very confusing and time consuming at first.


For the first time I used a digital camera and the software to be able to edit it. I did my work in a group and I didn’t do much with the iMovie software however it was hard to get to grips with it. We almost lost all of our work at one point, but we managed to find it in the end and made sure we saved it all the time afterwards so that nothing would happen to it. Photoshop was another piece of software which I had not used before, but that I had to, to make the work that much better. Photoshop is new to me but it really does amaze me as to how much you can manipulate the images. I think that our work ended up quite well for our first project as media students.


For the magazine task I stuck to the brief quite well I think. However it is one bit where we didn’t stick as a group on it, we came up with the name of it together and the pictures but that was about it. I went on to use what I think is a medium close up image of two people for the front cover. Then I had the contents where I put in some more pictures to liven it up. All the pictures I manipulated some how. The pictures I had in the contents page I changed the filter of the image, and the on the image on the front cover I changed the contrast. Throughout I made it a blue theme, including the background of the paper and some of the titles. I used the same fonts, and colours to make sure that none of it looked out of place. With the video we made I’m not sure if we stuck to the rules of some of the things we were supposed to put in like the 180 degree line rule. Saying that we put in everything else, someone walking in through a door to sit on a chair and exchanging dialogue with another character. We did use the 180 degree rule however we are not sure if we used it correctly.


With the magazine, I was and am really pleased with it and how it turned out. I’m not sure that it looks really professional and how a real magazine would look like but I was pleased with the end results, considering I had never used Photoshop before. The video task I am also pleased with but I do think that it could have been better in places. As the software and equipment was new to me I didn’t completely understand what I was doing with it. If I choose to do a video task again I think that I would read more into it to be better informed with the software.


For my main task I am more likely to choose the print based one. This is because I would really like to learn further on how to use Photoshop. From doing this task it has made me think about maybe doing a job in something to do with graphic designs.


For this task when creating it, I didn’t particularly think of a target audience. If I was thinking of a target audience, it was mainly being aimed at me or my class and if they would like it. Using myself as the target audience isn’t right and I know this now as my opinion isn’t necessarily anyone else’s. Even though I was thinking of my class a target audience I never asked any of them their opinion, looking back I should have done.


I did work in a group, and my contributions for the print when we were talking about it I feel was quite a bit as I was generally more interested in it. However we didn’t all do the same thing for our magazine which we should have, but this has made us think of working in different groups now to do it separately and get all our points across. All of our magazines however did end up good as they were all how we perceived them to look. When it came to the video task, I don’t think that I contributed as much as I could have which looking back probably annoyed my group. Even though I didn’t contribute as much I think that it ended especially well for a first time attempt. Overall I think we did work well as a group.


When I am approaching my own main task, I need to know and research it appropriately. I need to think of a target audience and keep them in mind of what would interest them and what they would like. I need to research influential music magazines of all different types of target audiences to see how they lay it all out. I will also need to research bands and read up on magazine articles and interviews they have been a part of to see how I should write.

 

 

 
 How I Want my Double Page Spread to be ...



  • The bands name needs to be big and prominent and bold


  • everyone needs to be able to know and see who it is about


  • need to incoporate pictures to show who the band is


  • i think that i want a black and white theme in the pictures, then one picture in colour to make it stand out


  • The type of article needs to be what the magazine is about:
    Gossip magazine - so a one on one interview
    - a reader of the magazine gets to ask a question for the ''celeb'' to answer


  • the article needs to be interesting and not boring


  • it has to bring in the readers


  • Fonts - same one that i have used throughout 'Orator' only now used in different sizes and boldness to emphasise different things about the article


  • Colour scheme - over the two pages it should be one colour in different shades (like the front page)
    - Blue maybe? it wouldn't be too out of place with the purple from the front  
  


This is my favourite layout for my double page spread.  It's my favourite because the mast head is big and prominent in the top left corner.  Then the pictures copy the mast head with the blue bars around it, to keep in theme of the page.  It has use of black and white pictures as well as one colour picture.  However the heart picture i think should be involved some how around the text.  So i think this shall be the starting point for my double page spread.


I like this idea for the double page spread, with the mast heading being their band name.  I like having the photos in the bottom as it keeps them out of hthe way of the rest of the writing.  So you aren't just specifically keeping focussed on the pictures.  I like use of the lines to keep everything seperated as well it makes it a lot clearer and easier to find things.  I don't think that this one is right for my double page spread as it seems messy and as though their hasn't been much thought put into it.

Having everything on the right hand side of the page, allows you to free up the space on the left for the article.  I like the way the pictures are again in the bottom, and the use of the colour blue.  As their is one main picture in colour it lets your eye look their first and lets you take notice of the colours they have because of their accessories.  However for what i have to write I do not think that this would be the best one for my double page spread.


Pictures I am Using in my Double Page Spread...




I chose these as they are not all of the same picture. I think the one of them coming out of the wardrobe really represents what they are, and is a play on their band name. I also chose to change this picture into black and white as I don't want it to be the main photo the readers will look at.

The photo of them both looking directly at the camera, looking at them, I think is quite a friendly and inviting picture. It shows them as happy and not threatening in anyway. Which is what indie/pop is against. I also made this picture into black and white as i didn't want it to be the main feature.

The picture i chose coming from above looking down, which is quite a high angled shot. It has them in their dark clothing, but highlights aspects of the rainbow through their accessories and conveys emotion even though you can not see their faces.

The last and what will be the smallest photo that there is i chose to go inbetween the writing of the article. The picture is a close up of their faces through the hearts they have created with their hands. It acompanies the test within very well with what i have planned. To show a togetherness, and that they are really good friends, and to the audience i am targetting it means a lot at that age.


Methods that could be used for the article...

- expose - in regard to the media expose is an article, book, or statement that discloses a scandal, crime, etc.
- exclusive - mainly talking about something which hasn't been known or seen before by the public.
- a day in the life of - tell you about someones typical day, why you would want to be them.
- profile - told the basic facts and interesting things about an artist.
- one on one interview - the writer talking to the artists getting to know things they don't know and things the readers of the magazine will want to know.





The Questions I Might Ask For My Double Page Spread




As I am going for a kind of gossip music magazine, in the indie and pop genre i thought the best way to entice the readers was to ask questions that would appropriate.  As the genre is an indie pop magazine, the questions that i was going to ask couldn't be to outrageous.  Especially seeing as though the target audience that i have chosen were starting at younger teens.  It can not be too explicit either.  As it is a gossip magazine, the questions that needed to be asked needed to be that were appropriate to the band as well.  As the band are fairly new as well the questions that need to be asked are things like how did you get were you are, and then go onto ask more personal things to the band.



The Answers...

I made all of the answers up myself.  Using the genre of music of the magazine i created what i think are going to be the best answers for the readers.  The answers aren't all laughs and giggles but it also has the seriousness note behind it.  It lets you know about being in the industry which is harder than you think and a priviledge.  To make the bands image better in the interview i:

- name dropped - teenage girls like to know irrelevant celeb goss.
- made them on the same level - taked about Primark which is a cheap shop and a lot of teenage girls shop their.
- made their ambitions believable.
- made them not that far off your average girls.

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