Evaluation Questions

What have you learnt from completing this task?

From this task I have learnt a number of new skills. Firstly I have learnt how to use Photoshop. This was a new software which I have never used before. The thing I found the hardest on Photoshop was moving images. This is because I kept forgetting to select the layer first, before moving an image to a different place. Another thing I found hard on Photoshop was adding a layer style to my text. This is because this was one of my last changes I made to my magazine however by using this tool it made my text funkier. Secondly I have learnt what conventions are, for example a title is called a mast head and a competition is called a plug. For this I had to research three college magazines and analyse the positives and negatives of each one. I found this useful as it helped me to plan my draft of my college magazine.  Also, I have learnt how to meet a deadline; however this has been difficult as it has taken me awhile to get use to the new software. This is my first time working towards a deadline which is Friday 26th September 2014 at 4pm. Thirdly I have never used a blog before, therefore I found this hard to set up at first but once I had set it up I found it straight forward to use. The final thing I have learnt is what different camera framings there are. For one of my tasks I was given 10 different camera framings to take. I enjoyed taking these images as I learnt something new, such as how to take an image of an extreme close up.

How have you used technology?
For this task I had to use a variety of technology. I have found it difficult using some pf this new technology. This is because it is the first time most of it. The first form of new technology I have used is a Mac. I found it extremely difficult to work on them therefore I decided to use PC for most of my work. Another piece of technology I have never used before is Photoshop. I found this programme hard to use as it is different from Microsoft programmes such as PowerPoint. The piece of technology I most enjoyed using was my camera. This is because I love taking picture and experimenting with new camera angles. One of the things I have learnt and enjoyed is taking new shots, such as High angle shot. However, in order for me to make sure my images were safe I inserted an 8GB S.D card into the camera. Therefore I could take it out and insert it into a Mac which has a S.D card slot. I found this very useful as on a PC this function is not available. Once I inserted the S.D card I had to import all of my images onto a 16GB memory stick. The reason why I did this is so that I didn’t lose any of my images off the Mac. This has been helpful because, it meant that if by accident I deleted an image, I had a backup on my S.D card and my memory stick. Also I could then work on my magazine at any time because I had the images saved onto a portable device.

What conventions have you used and why?

In order to use conventions I did some research into what types of conventions you would find on college magazine. For this task I researched three different types of college magazines and wrote the positives and negatives of each. Then I created a draft with this knowledge. Some of the conventions I learnt were; a title is called a mast head, a competition is called a plug, text at the top of the magazine is called a skyline and a text at the bottom of the image is called a footer. The reason why I used these conventions is because they were appropriate to my brief.  For my magazine I used a large bold orange font for my mast head. I chose this because during my conventions analyse I found that a lot of magazines used a bold snappy mast heads to attract their audience. The reason why I used a plug is because I also found that a lot of college magazines use a plug as students like entering competitions to win the latest gadgets.

What would you change if you were to do this task again?

If I was to do this task again I would do a few things differently. One thing I would do differently is being more creative with my programmes. I used Photoshop which was a new programme for me however I think that if I used different programmes my finish product would have been my professional looking. Another thing that I would do if I was to do this task again is ask more questions to my teachers. This is because I fell behind as I didn’t start asking questions until my last few lessons. I believe if I had asked for extra help with my Photoshop task that I would have found it easier to make my magazine.  A final thing I would do differently is I would be more organised in completing work after my lessons instead of leaving it to complete in my next lesson. This is because I found it hard to catch up in some lessons. However overall, I think I did very well in completing the task on time and to a good standard. The one thing I am most proud of is being able to use Photoshop as I found this very hard in my ‘Introduction to Photoshop’ task.

College Magazine Front Cover

 This is my final product for my college magazine, front cover.

Contents Draft Page

 

This is my draft contents page. I wrote what I would include on the key pages on my magazine, as well as images as this is more eye-catching than words. The reason why I put social media links on my contents page is because it is a modern and easier way to inform students of important information.

Screenshots of progress

Draft Front Cover 2.

This is my second draft. The reason why I did a second draft is because I found my first draft too complicated to follow. However I didn't change all of my draft as I liked most of what was on it. Mainly,I had too many cover stories. Here is my second draft:

 

However even on my second draft I still didn't fully stick to my draft. This is because as I was making my magazine I came up with better ideas which worked and looked more appealing. 

Images for front cover

 

The reason why I didn't choose the following photos for my main image on my college magazine is written next to each image.



 

- No room for mast head
- Not landscape
- Folder in incorrect place
- Person not fully smiling

- Photo not straight
- Person not fully smiling
- Person looks uncomfortable

 

- Not a mid-long shot
- Bag in the image
- Paper falling out of folder
- Person not smiling

- Paper failing out of folder
- Not a mid-long shot
- Too much space to the right
- Hand positioning looks uncomfortable
- Not landscape

- Too much room to the left
- Left hand looks out of place
- Slightly blurry
- Taken on an angle
- Long shot

- Blurry
- Taken on an angle








- Sun in face
- Backdrop doesn't look like college










- Bicycles in the image
- Image of person doesn't fill the full frame
- Sun in person's face
- Backdrop doesn't look like college

 Finial photos to chose for my main image.

 I like this image because the Wyke sign is in the background and it is a mid-long shot. Also it is landscape and there is room for a mast head and cover stories. However the one thing I don't like about about this image is the sun in the corner. Fortunately I can change the brightness of this in Photoshop.




 I like this image because there is room for a mast head and stories. Also the image is landscape and the person is smiling. However there is a bag in the way which makes the photo look untidy. Another reason why I didn't pick this image is the girl's hair is in her face, so it makes the photo less professional.








I also like this image as it has the sign of the library in the background. However I prefer the images which involves the person holding a folder as this relates more to college life.

Camera Framing

 

These are my camera framing techniques.

Extreme close up

 

Close up

Medium close up

 

Long shot

 

High angle

Low angle

Two shot

Image framed to the left

Image framed to the right

 

Central image

Mood Board

Names, Colours and Feature Story Ideas

Draft Front Cover

Template - Draft Front Cover

Introduction To Photoshop

This is my first time using Photoshop. My task was to compose an image using sand dunes, a bear, an astronaut and the Eiffel Tower.

Setting up a file and selecting images
I had to set up a file (International paper- A4) which was 800x1000 pixels and had a resolution of 72 pixels. I then named the file as 'Photoshop Test'. After that I used Google to use find for images which were: Sand Dunes, an astronaut, a bear and the Eiffel Tower. These images needed to be more than 400 pixels each. Then I saved these images into a file named 'Photoshop Images'.

Opening an image
I opened up my sand dune. To do this i went on File-open-Photoshop Images-sand dunes-open.

Scaling an image
I scaled my sand dunes. To do this went on Edit-transform-scale. Then I clicked on the corner of the photo and held down the shift key. This helps to keep the photo proportional.

Layers
I named the layer 'sand dune'. I did this so I knew what it was called for when it came to layering objects on top of the background.

Adding an image
I opened the image of The Eiffel Tower. To do this I use the same principle as when I opened up my sand dunes. Once open you drag the image on top of the sand dunes.

Zoom
I then used the zoom tool to enlarge the image of the Eiffel Tower. To enlarge the image you click on the image however to change the magnifying glass to zoom out  you hold down the shift key and then click on the image.

Polygonal Lasso Tool
I used the Polygonal Lasso Tool to cut out the background of the image. To do this you click on the side on the image and then join the dots up together. The lasso then has flashing dotted lines on the outside, to then delete the background you click inside the dots and press delete.

Image Adjustment
To make an adjustment to an image you click on Image-Adjustments. Then you can choose from the following Brightness/Contrast/Hue/Saturation/Levels.

Feathering
To give an image a softer edge after I used the Polygonal Lasso Tool. I used the feathering tool. I set it to 1 or 2 pixels this then makes the image less blunt around the edges.

Saving a file
To save the file I clicked on File- Save- Introduction To Photoshop. The when I finished my Introduction To Photoshop I save the file as a JPEG. To do this I clicked on File-Save As- Introduction To Photoshop- JPEG.

Pirates Of The Caribbean (Semiotics)

This is a poster for The Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. This is the poster I used for my semiotics task.

Firstly the mist could imply the movie has an eerie/spooky atmosphere. Also the mist could suggest that the film will be full of mystery as the mist symbolises that you can’t see what’s always ahead of you. However, the mist could also imply that the film could have an element of death as the mist could appear to be covering over some terrible events. Even more so it might suggest that the film has a cold and sad atmosphere. This is because we can relate fog and mist to a cold, dark winter.

On the other hand the image of Keira Knightley appears smaller than the other characters. This connotes that the women have a lack of power in the film, which could imply that the film is set in the Georgian Era. However the name 'Keira Knightley ' appears larger than the other names therefore this contradicts these images of the characters. The film was made in 2003, when Keira Knightley was not as well know, hence why her name is the largest in order for her to become better know.

 

The image of Johnny Deep is effective because he is holding a gun and a sword. This matches the skull on the scroll as that has two swords through it. This can symbolise death of the skull and the main character. Also they are both wearing a red bandanna which implies death and blood.  However Johnny Deep’s character is looking very serious whereas the skull is smiling, which suggests that the death of the skull is an evil and horrific.

 

Conventions Analysis

Preliminary Task

To produce a front cover for a new school/college magazine and a mock up of the lay out for the contents page and double page spread.