CONSTRUCTION OF
MAGAZINE:
Firstly the
front cover was constructed via adding a masthead, side articles, and other
conventions. It was necessary to manipulate text and image to “None” on the
image format as when this is not done it overlapped text and pictures. Then
after the photo-shoot and successful Photoshop editing around the photo using
the magic lasso i placed the main central image onto the front cover.
Before
images was added I ensured the text and page number were sized correctly and
aligned using the “guideline” feature on Microsoft Publisher. This
automatically lined up images for me. An editorial was also made using a
AutoShape rectangle and highlighted the text white to contrast well. Then I
proceeded to add the images on the page ensuring the cover artist was placed
properly and not inverted via the “Format Image” function.
Double page
spread was made via adding text and the interview with the exclusive article
and vital quotes. Text was highlighted to signify different people speaking in
the interview via the “Edit text” function on Microsoft publisher. I made a tombstone or end of article mark via
the rectangle tool on auto shapes. Then images were added some were taken in
other areas in the O2 arena (by myself) and others again from the photo-shoot,
using the same procedure ensuring it was aligned correctly using the
guidelines. Fact file was included onto the bottom of the page via the
AutoShapes tool as explained earlier. Image anchor was also created via a text
box tool on Microsoft Office placed in the bottom right of the image.
What I Have Learnt:
I have learnt a significant amount of Technological
knowledge whilst in the process of construction for this magazine, some small
and big. Without some of these discoveries such as certain editing features on
software, some parts of my magazine may not have been able to be produced.
PowerPoint was a major technological knowledge advancement
for me as the techniques i discovered whilst using this was interesting and
useful for almost any presentation. As i was presenting survey results i noted
that the backgrounds did seem very plain to me and i wanted to give the theme
of country music and integrate the theme throughout the presentation and that
is why i added a background as i learnt wallpapers can be applied to slides or
just one. Auto shapes which was prominent on all Microsoft Office applications
allowed me to add shapes onto my documents. In some cases the rectangle did not
blend well with document's background however this is when i discovered a feature
which was used called "fill effects" which allowed me to apply colour
well to my documents and still contrast and blend in well.
QuestionPro and various other survey sites such as
Survey Monkey was heavily useful and provided a massive learning opportunity
for myself. Via this software I discovered that not only could i create
thousand of types of surveys and questionnaires but produce them in a
professional fashion unlike creating a graph or survey from Microsoft Excel
which can have many flaws if not done properly, there were a selection of
templates for me to utilise and the general discovery of Survey sites like
QuestionPro taught me how to get Quantitative accurate information from a
selected sample, this can be applied in many areas in Media etc. which is why I
value the knowledge I obtained from this application and software whilst in the
process of manufacturing my magazine.
Web 2.0
significantly opened my eyes to its wide power. Once the questionnaire was made
it was a matter of reaching my demographic specifically American Country
Listeners which was a struggle however Web 2.0 with its ubiquitous reach to
people worldwide helped. Social Media Sites was the tool to reach out to my
demographic/sample. Facebook was utilised as I joined countless Country Fan
Pages, via this I knew that my respondents were guaranteed to be Country
listeners as the general sample area had already been pinpointed for me via the
fan page, it was just a matter of finding that page. I realised from this that
Web 2.0 can potentially reach out to anybody and I learnt how to reach out to a
desired target market. In addition I also utilised internet forums such as
"Save Country Music", this had the same benefits as Facebook's
country fan pages as I got the desired sample to respond to my questions. Via
the forums I learnt forums can hold communities of people with similar
interests like Country music as opposed to doing market research and sampling
just via Facebook and Twitter etc.
Photoshop taught me that once an image has been taken
there are numerous technique to perfect that image whether it be via
Hyperrealism or just a simple cropping of an image to fit nicely on a double
page spread. An example of the rare but useful utilisations of Photoshop was
when I wanted to apply Mise En Scene on my image of my model, I decided that
fading the legs and using the eraser tool to give a mystified effect to the
silhouette of the image helped.
An example of my utilisation of Photoshop can be seen below via the images where I have cropped out the background of the car park in the original photo and faded the leg outline to give a tranquil "heavenly" or cloudy look. This was a procedure and technique that I did not know before embarking on this project hence showing what I have learnt.
Finally I
learnt the full potential of Digital Cameras as opposed to a phone camera. I
discovered that a digital camera wields more higher quality megapixels than the
average Smartphone even though the sizes of the two devices told a different
story, the images were more crisp and gave models faces in images a defining
silhouette. Also I learnt how to integrate good photo shooting techniques when
equipped with a digital camera such as taking photos with the photographer's
back facing the sun as this avoids faded outlines and model facial features.
In conclusion I have learnt a good deal of useful, practical and interesting knowledge which can be applied both within and outside of Media projects.
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