Planning
Good research into similar texts. Some research into audience, but should try to use graphs to show analysis of findings. Some drafting of the front cover, but not of the contents page. Draft is a bit weird.
14/20
Construction
Proficient use of software to construct pages. Good manipulation of images and text on front cover. The contents page is too basic and should have incorporated photos.
44/60
Evaluation
Some attempt to address the seven set questions. Minimal critical analysis in places as the responses to each question are too short.
12/20
Overall
70/100 Grade B
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Evaluation of the Project
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My cover uses the media conventions of real covers by having a header, main picture and subheader. The contents page uses the conventions of the real contents pages by showcasing a list of the items in the magazine in an orderly fashion as well as conforming to those magazines that might not be so regimented.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My products represent the social groups of parents and teachers by providing a respectable cover that showcases the wonder of the school throughout the years and is disciplined in its approach instead of a cover aimed towards the students that would invariably feature a more haphazard style, common with most young minds.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I'd like to think that an institution of ordered, schoollike magazines would distribute my product as I believe my product reflects, simplistically, standards set my many of the competitors in the media world.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for my media product would be the parents of students and the teachers as it is a respectable school magazine which is normally read by the parents rather than by the students. Therefore the style of the cover was chosen to reflect the target audience, if it had been students, I would have gone for completely different stylistical choices such as brighter colours and more modern phrasing for the subheading, as it was parents and teachers I felt the antique style reflected this target audience.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I addressed my audience by making sure my choices would reflect that. In order to check this, I asked my parents and grandparents for their opinion to which they stated that a simplistic feel with little clutter would appeal to them more, whereas a garbled cover definitely appeals more to younger kids.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt how to use photoshop on Macs as well as InDesign and IPhoto, skills that I am sure will become useful again as this course progresses. I have also learnt how to use digital cameras in order to take clearer and better photos, how to edit photos and how to manipulate the photo to achieve what I want. Furthermore, I have learnt how the Macs work and feel confident using one again soon.
Audience Feedback
When I showed my cover to family they said that they liked it's simplistic styles and sepia tones but felt that some aspects could've been improved, which in hindsight I feel that they are completely correct. However, despite these minor grumbles, I feel that I made this project at the best of my abilities at this time as I'm still learning new skills and next time I am sure that I'll be able to do a lot more than when I first started the year.
In Conclusion...
It has been a lot of fun doing this project as well as a lot of hard work and I can only hope that my perserverence with this has paid off in my end results. I look forward to the next project and feel that I can leap at it with both hands!
My cover uses the media conventions of real covers by having a header, main picture and subheader. The contents page uses the conventions of the real contents pages by showcasing a list of the items in the magazine in an orderly fashion as well as conforming to those magazines that might not be so regimented.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My products represent the social groups of parents and teachers by providing a respectable cover that showcases the wonder of the school throughout the years and is disciplined in its approach instead of a cover aimed towards the students that would invariably feature a more haphazard style, common with most young minds.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I'd like to think that an institution of ordered, schoollike magazines would distribute my product as I believe my product reflects, simplistically, standards set my many of the competitors in the media world.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for my media product would be the parents of students and the teachers as it is a respectable school magazine which is normally read by the parents rather than by the students. Therefore the style of the cover was chosen to reflect the target audience, if it had been students, I would have gone for completely different stylistical choices such as brighter colours and more modern phrasing for the subheading, as it was parents and teachers I felt the antique style reflected this target audience.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I addressed my audience by making sure my choices would reflect that. In order to check this, I asked my parents and grandparents for their opinion to which they stated that a simplistic feel with little clutter would appeal to them more, whereas a garbled cover definitely appeals more to younger kids.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt how to use photoshop on Macs as well as InDesign and IPhoto, skills that I am sure will become useful again as this course progresses. I have also learnt how to use digital cameras in order to take clearer and better photos, how to edit photos and how to manipulate the photo to achieve what I want. Furthermore, I have learnt how the Macs work and feel confident using one again soon.
Audience Feedback
When I showed my cover to family they said that they liked it's simplistic styles and sepia tones but felt that some aspects could've been improved, which in hindsight I feel that they are completely correct. However, despite these minor grumbles, I feel that I made this project at the best of my abilities at this time as I'm still learning new skills and next time I am sure that I'll be able to do a lot more than when I first started the year.
In Conclusion...
It has been a lot of fun doing this project as well as a lot of hard work and I can only hope that my perserverence with this has paid off in my end results. I look forward to the next project and feel that I can leap at it with both hands!
Production of the Cover and Contents Page
The Long Road to Producing the Cover
Once the planning stage had been completed, I set to work on producing my cover for the Victorian. The first stage, take photos!
Photos
At first, I decided to borrow a digital camera from the school library, not having my own and being too late to borrow Mr. Winn's camera. With the library's camera, I set about taking photos of the school; I believe I first took five or six as I would sort out the best from the worst and combine the "survivors" into one good picture of the exterior of Victoria College's main building. The next hassle was finding a willing volunteer to be photographed for the cover in order to fill one of the tasks criteria. Eventually, however, I managed to get J. Hickling to agree to the photos and it seemed like everything was going to be great. With the photos taken, I headed back to the classroom to upload them on to any one of the free Macs left available in the room. Loading up IPhoto, I uploaded the recently taken photos to the EMac, however I soon had to leave as the lesson time had come to an end and due to having to catch a bus I was unable to stay on to do more work. Unfortunately by the time of the next media practical lesson disaster had struck as I discovered that I had lost all of my photos and with no photos I had nothing to do other than fiddle about with the different fonts on photoshop to decided on the best one for my cover. A saving grace came in the form of my birthday 4/10, where I was given my own digital camera and could now take my photos again and upload them knowing that they would be safe. So with only four days before it was due in, on thursday 8/10, I set to work on the cover with freshly taken photos. At last, it was beginning to take shape.
The Second Stage: Completing the Cover and Contents Page
Using a Sepia effect on the photos, I tried to give the cover a sort of antiquity feeling to fit in with the age and legend of the school throughout the years. Even the font was done in a sort of hand writing esque scribble in an aged brown colour which I felt would help sell what I was trying to achieve. With that all sorted and the text written, the cover part of the project was complete.
Next, it was time to set to work on the contents page. Borrowing a copy of the most recent edition of the Victorian to give me an idea on how the contents pages would be laid out, I loaded up InDesign on the IMac. With an idea formed in my head, I placed the Victorian to my side and set to work, going for a simplistic contents page to fit in with the simplistics styles of the cover. Earlier on, I had planned to upload a picture in the contents page, but when I did, I discovered that it didn't fit in with the rest of the layout and removed it. This may leave the contents page looking decidedly bland to some eyes, but I disagree. The production was now complete.
Screenshots
Once the planning stage had been completed, I set to work on producing my cover for the Victorian. The first stage, take photos!
Photos
At first, I decided to borrow a digital camera from the school library, not having my own and being too late to borrow Mr. Winn's camera. With the library's camera, I set about taking photos of the school; I believe I first took five or six as I would sort out the best from the worst and combine the "survivors" into one good picture of the exterior of Victoria College's main building. The next hassle was finding a willing volunteer to be photographed for the cover in order to fill one of the tasks criteria. Eventually, however, I managed to get J. Hickling to agree to the photos and it seemed like everything was going to be great. With the photos taken, I headed back to the classroom to upload them on to any one of the free Macs left available in the room. Loading up IPhoto, I uploaded the recently taken photos to the EMac, however I soon had to leave as the lesson time had come to an end and due to having to catch a bus I was unable to stay on to do more work. Unfortunately by the time of the next media practical lesson disaster had struck as I discovered that I had lost all of my photos and with no photos I had nothing to do other than fiddle about with the different fonts on photoshop to decided on the best one for my cover. A saving grace came in the form of my birthday 4/10, where I was given my own digital camera and could now take my photos again and upload them knowing that they would be safe. So with only four days before it was due in, on thursday 8/10, I set to work on the cover with freshly taken photos. At last, it was beginning to take shape.
The Second Stage: Completing the Cover and Contents Page
Using a Sepia effect on the photos, I tried to give the cover a sort of antiquity feeling to fit in with the age and legend of the school throughout the years. Even the font was done in a sort of hand writing esque scribble in an aged brown colour which I felt would help sell what I was trying to achieve. With that all sorted and the text written, the cover part of the project was complete.
Next, it was time to set to work on the contents page. Borrowing a copy of the most recent edition of the Victorian to give me an idea on how the contents pages would be laid out, I loaded up InDesign on the IMac. With an idea formed in my head, I placed the Victorian to my side and set to work, going for a simplistic contents page to fit in with the simplistics styles of the cover. Earlier on, I had planned to upload a picture in the contents page, but when I did, I discovered that it didn't fit in with the rest of the layout and removed it. This may leave the contents page looking decidedly bland to some eyes, but I disagree. The production was now complete.
Screenshots
The Print Task - Planning A Cover!
I decided against drawing a picture, as it would have looked far, far worse than the paint one I did already does. Another reason for ditching the pencil for the computer was the hassle of having to scan the drawing onto the computer so I decided to cut out the "middle man" and here is the finished plan. Beware, it's paint at it's worst!
The First Stage of the Project -
How I Made The Plan
First I decided against just inserting a picture of the College as it wouldn't have fit in with the rest of the ideas, so for complete authenticity I went about "painting" my own, terrible, version of it. Then I added windows, an archway, sky and grass and to finish off I made a stick figure drawing of the person used for the finished cover.
Being a preliminary plan to the project, some ideas weren't used in the end. For example on the plan I went for a decidedly more simplistic font type and layout as a basic setting for the project. However other ideas on the plan were used, which is why doing a plan is always useful and helps to keep your ideas focussed on the task as you're aware of where you're going and what your project is shaping up to be, even if you have to make small adjustments here and there so it resembles what you originally planned in your head, if you were unable to adequately put on to paper exactly what you meant.
The First Stage of the Project -
How I Made The Plan
First I decided against just inserting a picture of the College as it wouldn't have fit in with the rest of the ideas, so for complete authenticity I went about "painting" my own, terrible, version of it. Then I added windows, an archway, sky and grass and to finish off I made a stick figure drawing of the person used for the finished cover.
Being a preliminary plan to the project, some ideas weren't used in the end. For example on the plan I went for a decidedly more simplistic font type and layout as a basic setting for the project. However other ideas on the plan were used, which is why doing a plan is always useful and helps to keep your ideas focussed on the task as you're aware of where you're going and what your project is shaping up to be, even if you have to make small adjustments here and there so it resembles what you originally planned in your head, if you were unable to adequately put on to paper exactly what you meant.
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