Evaluation: Representing-Constructing the "Real"

I felt strongly that I had firstly secured a strong representation of my audience in regards to a reflection of college life, especially in relation to a display of utilization with technology and how students today are surrounded to great extent with such appliances. More importantly, my objective mainly in both tasks revolved around the positive use of technology and how such engagement can transform mere hobbies to serious careers. I would without apprehension confirm that I have achieved such a task, and I would at the same time hope to think that my relevant audience would take upon such a message and incorporate it into their frequent use of technology, whether it be in relation to film or music.
Drawing stronger reference to my music magazine, I would also comment that this achieved a further reflection of the related genre of music and how young aspiring talent can be seen to be positively influenced by the capabilities of computers and how one can produce outstanding music. The fact that my design of my front cover, content page and double page spread strongly featured a use of graphics relevant to the feature raises the understanding that my work amounts a strong similarity as to how a magazine of the same genre may in fact carry out such articles in a tailored manner. Heavy use of graphic design being of lightning bolts, sparks and grunge brushes would be a way of highlighting a reflection of how the visual style of electronic indie could be captured (and the very truth that young people implicate this into they’re display of culture, whether it be in the way in which they wear their clothes or hair). I strongly believe overall that through my images taking upon the style of “indie” and its sub genre of “electronic” through graphics, I have put together a fair reflection of how one engaged in such a format of media would view such a style of music in its entirety.

The involvement of a heavy crossover of different age groups (being of adults and teenagers) in relation to my music magazine strongly raises the question as to whether I have fairly catered for both age groups. Although colouring may be bright and graphics rather “youthful”, I would argue that a level of maturity remains present when over viewing the written columns and the overall structure of the magazine. Such sustainment of this mature treatment I found was of great vitality, as from learning from self experience, a person more then anything of teenage age hates being patronised by informative revenues.

Evaluation: Using Technology-Creative Tools

Use of creative tools in both my preliminary task and main task helped to great extent to gather my final product to industry standard. Throughout use of Adobe Photoshop helped me to sustain graphics and other standard editing routines when configuring both my images and templates, more importantly allowing me to take into account the work subjected to professionally produced media formats such as magazines in the modern day workplace.

When in the photo-shoot stage of my project, the viewership of taken images could be significantly increased through the instant preview of possible layouts and sizes in accordance to how my images would compliment my designed template and background. This I found gave me improved clarity in my vision as to how I would go about constructing what would eventually be my final product.

Seemingly straight-forward appliances such as printing technology evidently became a critical part of my progress in regards to how I could critically review my work and establish further a well received piece of work. By utilizing the availability of printing before and after completion of both my college magazine and music magazine, I could perfect aspects such as colouring and font size step by step; ensuring a well evaluated final outcome in the production of both tasks.

Use of computers not only allowed access to creative image editing programs, but to resources pivotal to areas such as my research; being the internet. It is through this that I could freely examine numerous magazine covers to pick up upon industry practice and other frequently used techniques. The very fact that I could utilize all these brands of technical appliances under the control of one computer in a single location more then allowed me to be increasingly organized and of more pace carry out overdue work.

Use of Adobe Photoshop in both tasks greatly gave me the ability to produce graphics and customize the appearance of captured images. Although such a program proved pivotal to the progress of my work, the version of such a program present in the school IT areas did not allow me to work with much flexibility concerning how and what I could create within the program. Specific features were absent in this addition, meaning I found myself working with Photoshop to a greater extent at home, rather then school (due to my computer holding CS4, a much more advanced and capable version).

When editing my images, I corrected frequently imbalances of colour and saturation, making use of both the burn tool (darken) and dodge tool (lighten). By doing this I found I could shoot images with less concern and draw more focus to the subjects on camera, and not the camera itself. This customization of lighting within the image was of great convenience to me, as the concept for all pieces of work contained elements of shadow and increase of lightness. This was especially in relevance to my music magazine, where the implication of lightning graphics (of which too were allowed through the use of such software) meant a slight overlay of lightness around the skin area became vital to maintain slight realism. A clone stamp tool was also used to a degree in both tasks to abbreviate an understanding of the practice taken within the media industry when models are “photoshopped” to perfection. Due to this, I took the opportunity to highlight this point and remove areas of spots, red eye and other possible glitches present in the image due to the environment.

Evaluation: Working in Media Production Contexts-Proffessional Practice

The way in which I approached both tasks (being my student magazine and music magazine) differed to a slight extent. The very fact that both projects required different numbers of pieces (Student magazine required only a front cover and a content page, where as the music magazine required four pieces, being a front page, content page and double page spread.) This significant increase in required work led me to planning for consistency to great extent, preparing through set dates to complete work on and by, with it well in mind that a timetable of sorts would greatly set a level of organization and reduce the risk to some degree of falling behind (although this clearly did not guarantee me doing so). My music magazine due to this required a significantly increased amount of research to allow an equal amount of professionalism to each and every page. It was vital that I would capture my target audience through this due to the fact that I would be instantly displaying a knowledge of both existing forms and they’re audiences and key-features in relation to how one indefinitely sell a targeted magazine to a wide demographic audience.

Regarding the school magazine task, I found that I was of more benefit due to the fact that I already had extensive experience as a student and in a school environment. I therefore approached this task in a highly more casual manner, implicating both my interest in media related formats (film), and a placement in an educational background. It would also be noted that this task was largely carried out in a school environment (mostly of course due to the entire piece demanding photos in such a pace). This led me to plan extensively for photo shoots in order to not clash with lessons and other activities, and at the same time make use to great extent the IT equipment present in the building. I also was benefited by this very presence in technology not just because it allowed me to instantly begin working on newly taken images, but because I could implicate rows of computers, keyboards and other equipment in the actual images I would insert into both my front cover and content page. When confronting such a task however, I knew that a sole image of a student making use of a computer (of which would be my editing suite), would be vital, meaning if I were to sell the concept of an availability of professional editing programs at the college I would have to duplicate an actual image of the editing program I use myself upon the school computer. This was settled however through use of Adobe Photoshop and print-screen capabilities.

I found my approach to my music magazine was a strong contrast to what perspective I took in the College Magazine piece, now being a degree of naivety towards how I would put together such an intensive piece of music-related production. I managed to settle my apprehension toward this through my research to gain a throughout understanding as to how an industry standard music magazine would be produced. This more importantly allowed me to extend my capabilities within core-production in regards to both my graphical awareness and knowledge towards the media industry (in this case, more towards critical analysis of music), positively challenging me in more ways then one.

Due to the now much more liberal approach to the way in which I conducted my new task, I felt strongly that I was dramatically less restricted in regards to how I would produce my images, graphics, and basic layout. Although I was now following The way in which I approached both tasks (being my student magazine and music magazine) differed to a slight extent. The very fact that both projects required different numbers of pieces (Student magazine required only a front cover and a content page, where as the music magazine required four pieces, being a front page, content page and double page spread.) This significant increase in required work led me to planning for consistency to great extent, preparing through set dates to complete work on and by, with it well in mind that a timetable of sorts would greatly set a level of organization and reduce the risk to some degree of falling behind (although this clearly did not guarantee me doing so). My music magazine due to this required a significantly increased amount of research to allow an equal amount of professionalism to each and every page. It was vital that I would capture my target audience through this due to the fact that I would be instantly displaying a knowledge of both existing forms and they’re audiences and key-features in relation to how one indefinitely sell a targeted magazine to a wide demographic audience. I found that I could in fact produce these images regardless of me being in school or at home, as long as I had the relevant subjects to carry out my photographic process. Costuming relied heavily on both the input of myself and my model, being that I would suggest numerous colours or patterns in accordance to what my ideal reader would relate to. This could be described as a slight disadvantage, as numerous factors would restrict what my model would eventually be able to bring upon the day of the shoot. The actual availability of my model on the day of the shoot proved to be more then generous; allowing me with great flexibility to take the images required and at the time review such work in real time (due to myself being in close reach of IT technology within the sixth form area).

I attempted to manage my time through simple estimates via a timetable available through my blog, significantly prioritising certain days and the work required to establish further my magazine. This I found greatly helped to organize my priorities and objectives throughout particularly hectic weeks in which the scale of my task became ever clearer.

Although convenient, such a time table unfortunately did not to great lengths impact upon my main work, as I found that a more in-depth timetable or organization would have been required when in relation to a task such as one concerning four pieces, rather then two. This was evidently of truth due to me finding use of a timetable successful upon my preliminary task, an objective of smaller scale to what I would confront when concerning my official main task. By using such a timetable identical in scale, the realisation that a router of less vagueness and more detail would have been of more pivotal eventuality.

Evaluation: Working with existing forms and conventions-Reworking the Familiar

In the early stages of developing both my college magazine and my music magazine, I knew that before commencing any major construction upon such work, intensive research would have to be prioritised in order to carry out a professional approach to both magazines. By looking at highly marked school magazine projects and existing genre related magazines which to a degree focus on specifics such as electronic indie, e.g. Clash Magazine, I could take away a degree of knowledge concerning what audience I would be targeting when producing graphic and literal design such as front pages, content pages, and double page spreads. I did this by concentrating primarily on the age of the models used, range of colours, fonts and to what extent creative tools are implicated upon specific features and areas. By looking over such key construction areas, I could already put together an early image of my ideal reader and how they would approach my created work. Ideally, I believe this was pivotal to my understanding of how to construct an audience specific magazine, and more so I feel such research affected to great extent the approach I would later take to both my preliminary and main task.

More then this however, I made it my objective in relation to my research to look at magazines irrelevant to my selected format of both college and music magazine, such as Heat or Classic FM. By looking at either of these, I knew primarily how NOT to set out my magazine, being which a pivotal list of do’s and don’ts concerning fonts, colours and layout. Although these may be considered obvious, I had unaware to myself already made simple mistakes when designing my Film College magazine; meaning I could not afford to over look such factors when arriving at my main, final task. It became common knowledge to steer clear of an over use of whites, times new roman, and the occasional italic.

I finally put to work my overview of existing forms and conventions and utilized a professional perspective to the work I undertook. This became pivotal to how I would criticize aspects of the construction of my work and what elements I would see fit to edit. It became obvious to me that a contemporized format of photography heavy in “money shots” would perfectly fit the criteria of my magazine. Such images would be relevantly striking, engaging and above all enticing, prioritizing capturing the attention of my ever so aware target audience (16-30). A blend of low angle shots and tight close ups seemed to utilize such categorization these magazines affectively displayed.

To successfully align with both the graphic template I had in mind and the use of such design in related music magazines, I made it important to blend these combinations of colour palettes and backgrounds to great extent. For instance, striking blue and white electric sparks would be affective up-against a vivid backdrop of black (much alike to how magazines confined in heavy uses of whites in double page spreads and content pages, I reversed this and used this primarily on my front page).

In almost all areas in the construction of my magazine/s, research aided greatly to maintain an industry standard perspective to both the outcome of graphic design, literacy, and justification of images and other aspects in relation to my ideal reader.

Front Cover, Construction Process

As you can see, the front cover is well and truly finished. Throughout this post, I will unpick and justify my decisions made during the process of producing my front cover and hope to make apparent the detail I have included.

Front Cover

Before embarking on producing my magazine, I knew instantaneously that by using such a genre as Electronic Indie, use of graphics mainly concerning that of lighting bolts and smoke brushes would be ideal for the particular style I would attempt to achieve. The genre of such music can be visually described as amplifying a highly contemporized and vibrant display of checkered whites and blacks, blues and ideally another colour which in a successful approach communicates the rebellious and alternative nature of the described genre. The very fact that I would at first be constructing a front page, highlighted to great extent a justification of exaggeration in regards to my use of colours, graphics and layouts. After learning from my preliminary task in which the matter of my front cover was focused on intensely, I knew instantaneously that capturing the genre of both the music and magazine acted as a pivotal aspect, being due to it of course standing as the main selling point of my magazine and informative visual “show” of sorts which would indefinitely decide on whether a perpetual consumer would become, officially, a consumer. It is due to this that I decided to take into account my themes, what graphics and colours I could possibly use to communicate such, and to what extent I would do so. And being that it was in fact a front cover I was working on, I knew that I had to take this opportunity to sell my magazine and mentally “wow” my audience. Ideally, align with what most picture the sub-genre of electronic indie to be; the strive to be unique and bold. The strive to be rebellious.

I began the production of my front cover with a distinct vision for what I liked to call my “million dollar shot”, the image which would primarily stand out as the visual to enforce that more than a suttle glance is achieved when standing on the magazine rack. Distinctly, my magazine required a subject to instantly enforce the overall vibe of my chosen music genre, capturing an image of youthfulness, rebel, and charisma. I drew back to my research, in which I focused on who I would picture as my ideal reader. What did they wear? What would they picture as “cool”? And more importantly, how old were they? When considering how my model would be presented upon my photoshoot, I prioritised all of these questions and took into consideration that this piece of work would of course stand-alone. I pivotally couldn’t afford to take risks and use image which would be defined as unlike the genre I was attempting to capture, meaning that a stereotypical visual of what again my ideal reader would be related to became all too important. It seemed significant that my ideal reader should be able to connect to my magazine, extending their attention and drawing in to greater degree the audience who would be deemed suitable to frequently read such a genre of music magazine.
More of a point to evidently make use of common industry practice; I decided to demonstrate use of the clone-stamp tool within Photoshop to edit and smoothen out areas on my models skin (although such areas were of course already perfect!). Doing so helped me withhold a professional perspective upon the construction of my front cover, and keep in the mind of what an actual editor’s approach would be to differing such an image. More than this, I wanted to make clear a distinct level of detail and practice put into to the construction of this work, and appropriately make evident how even the most irrelevant imagery or seemingly un-needed work can and will in actual fact take place and be tampered with.

The following is a before and after of my subject

-Removal of red eye

-Straightening of eyebrow

-Darkening of hair

-Removal of forehead spots

-Overlay of shadow (burn tool) upon models neck and forehead to implicate lightning effects

-Softening of skin upon certain areas

-Lightening (dodge tool) of certain areas to again realistically implicate lightning effects

Front Cover, Almost Finished

On Friday, I sucessfully managed to complete the task of taking the majority of images for my front cover, contents page and double spread. It was a fairly straight forward task ideally. I knew the images I wanted to take and I would like to say I more so managed to get them. That evening of the shoot, I began scowering through my images to find "the shot", and working on what will conclude to be my front cover.

Cover Shot

Cover Shot Edited (Unfinished)

When the front cover is well and truly finished, I'll make sure to post my justification of choices and make evident the construction process I took to produce my Front Cover design.

My Ideal Reader

This is Cassie. At 18, she's well and truely of the "Rebel" stigma, wishing to stray away from the crowd and stand as above all unique. Very much intouch with the Indie genre of rock, she sustains a great admiration and liking for new, striking music. It is due to this that Cassie above all takes liking to the electronic sub genre of Indie; engaged with escapisim and expression presented in such a form of music.

Highly social and engaged in friendship, she regulary participates and often plans group outings, organized frequently with her highly acessed Facebook account. It through use of such networking sites that Cassie remains "in the know", remaining a regular guest at public or often private events hosted by both unknown and mainstream bands. She also at times performs in her own band, named "Untitled", announcing and making prevelant various pieces of there own music through use of Myspace Music.

Highlighting her free-spirit character, un influenced by the lifestyle choices of others, she regulary shops at Charity shops, putting together outfits of her own tastes to conform her own tailored style. Of course being a student, Cassie is yet to break the bank, meaning she makes regular trips to places such as Soho or Camden Market-being of high convienence due to their value for money, alternative style, and ease of accessability via transport (meaning her Oyster Card comes in especially useful).