Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full
project?
Looking back at my preliminary task to create a school magazine, I like the colour scheme I have used for the front cover. I used the eyedropper tool to take the colour from the models shirt and use it in the font for the cover lines, which stand out over the neutral background. However, this lack of variation of font means that the masthead is also in the same font and colour so it is hard for the audience to differentiate this from the cover lines. Also, the size of the masthead is too small and is not bold enough to grab the attention of the reader. The image of the model is also a very standard mid-shot and the pose is not interesting or eye catching. The costume of the model does suggest that this is a school magazine as he is wearing a smart polo shirt and looks clean cut, reflecting the genre of the magazine as it is implied to be used in an educational manner. However, the mise en scene in terms of background has been edited out and the background design has no significance in the design overall, so looks accidental. Initially, the contents page on my preliminary magazine looks empty; there are not many page numbers or features, if I had spent longer on the contents page I would have added more and there would have been more detail present. I like the consistency, however, that Ive kept from my cover to the contents page with the font and the colour scheme. All four images on the contents page display little variation in camerawork, as they are all face-on-mid-shots, unlike the varied images that I have chosen to use in my final media product. The positioning of the images on the page looks untidy because they are dispersed on the page, with some images larger than others for no apparent reason. However, the poses in the photos look natural and fun, which is something that is needed in a school magazine with the audience of students. The mise en scene
includes props within these images to make the shots more interesting; however there is little connection between the props and the content.
Comparing my preliminary work to my coursework I can see how my Photoshop skills and ability have improved. In the preliminary magazine, little techniques were demonstrated in my editing and layout and I did not use Photoshop to the best potential as I did not use many tools in the process of creating it. In my final product, I have used a much more minimalistic approach as I learnt that this would prevent the magazine from looking cheap by using too many cover lines, which became evident after created my preliminary. The main image on my final product is still a mid-shot, however is at a slight angle for an interesting edge and I have used lighting effectively to create a
shadow behind the model for a 3D appearance something that was not considered at all in the shooting of the models in my preliminary magazine. My contents page in my final product has a significant amount of detail in comparison to my preliminary and I used the grid to view my document when placing the text so that there is a direct line for the text to follow in my article and contents page to prevent any untidiness. There is a variation in font throughout the pages in my final product, however there is still consistency between the pages as these fonts are used for separate roles as I learnt that I needed to make a distinct difference between the pages as these fonts are used for separate roles as I learnt that I needed to make a distinct difference between the masthead and headings, and the content such as the article, which could not be clearly seen in my preliminary. Overall, I have learnt that the importance of a correct layout, style, and effective images in making a professional magazine. I much prefer my final product due to its professional aesthetics, attention to detail, and distinctive minimalistic style.
