Contact Sheet for Photo-Shoot

Questionnaire Results and Analysis

The results I collect were from 12 different responses of a variety of answers. Question 1 showed that there were 8 out of the 11 that answered were all female; so I had to acknowledge that the other answers were from the female majority. Nearly half of the responses said that they read magazines often and the rest, not at all. Some answered that they would not read a magazine about dance. This showed me that the themes and topics that I should involve shouldn't solely revolve around dance. The responses to question 4 determined that most people like a different colours to be shown; but the majority like to see white and black which I adapted to my Double Page Spread. Everyone said that they would like to see freebies and discounts within the magazine in which I included competitions and chances to 'win' within one of my cover lines. The majority of people said that they would like to see the magazine to be of a simple layout which I adapted in my final pieces. 

Construction Schedule

Locations, props, costumes

Locations
For my magazine cover, I decided to take my photographs in a room with a brick wall as well as a white curtain. I therefore had the opportunity to take photos on a plain background as well as a patterned background. The wall gave it a unique feel which made it different from other magazine images. It made it look old fashioned to prevent the magazine from looking too much like a dance theme rather than a music theme. 

Props
I used a lamp shade to create a strong orange/yellow light on the models face which made it look higher in quality. I also used Pointe shoes to represent the magazine's name and to also highlight that the model was a dancer. I used makeup on the model to make her face look high quality on the camera as well as a dark lipstick which created a womanly vibe which I also used my Photoshop skills to have the same colours as my masthead and parts of my cover lines. 

Costumes
I used two different costumes for magazine's images. One costume consisted of a purple leotard. This was to indicate the context of the model being a dancer. It also highlighted the model's figure; to make it look more professional. The purple colour also gave me an indication as to what colours to use as cover lines and the masthead. The second costume was a dancer's dress. This cannot be seen within my pictures; if only slightly. However, as it was a strapless dress it made the model look older and to show a clear target audience. By the model's upper chest being on show it made it look slightly seductive but also kept it classy.  

Media Kit

First Draft of my Magazine

The left hand picture was my initial front cover design for my magazine. After talking to peers and my teacher, it was decided that my magazine revolved slightly too much around dance. The picture was captivating but I felt a medium close up of the model would of made it more personal and effective. The colours were a little bit too 'tacky' and unrealistic. The genre conventions of the cover lines being on the left third were also not there and I wanted to change this but struggled to do this around my picture. After deliberation, I changed the main image which instantly looked better and moved around my cover lines and adjusted my colours. In all, my changed magazine looks a lot better and provides a wider audience with more reference to music. This drastic change helped me as it made me realise that other peoples feedback is very important and that despite trying to make the magazine exactly how I wanted; I had to think about my audience more so. 

Looking back at your preliminary task (the college magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

How did you attract/address your audience?

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Before creating this magazine, I had not used Photoshop before, so this program in general was a huge learning process for me. This technology benefited my hugely when constructing my magazine.

Firstly, the Eyedropper tool taught me that matching colours within images was easy and can be done just by this tool. This helped match the clothing of the model to some of my text. 

Using the Adjustments within Photoshop made my image look more realistic. I have learnt that you have to 'play around' with the settings and different levels and contrasts to get the perfect balance for you image. It is also taught me that you need to be patient and that there are many different ways Photoshop can change your image, you just have to work with the tools.

Similarly to my previous statement, I created a shadow of my model by playing around with the different tools within Photoshop. By duplicating my image and having it as two separate layers, I was able to create a shadow like image by lowering the opacity and changing the blending options. This really made my front cover look more appealing and as if it had been taken from inside a studio.

By using Blogger, I have learned to upload everything relevant for my task in order for my blog to look consistent and organized. I have learnt that it is easy to upload and embed from sites such as Issu and Prezi. I have also learnt that it is easy to go back and analyse your previous plans for the task on your blog rather than having them on paper which may become messy and have the risk of losing them. Blogger has benefited my construction of the magazine with it's use of labels; another thing I have learnt in this process. By labeling your posts, it allows you to find previous posts easily which have benefited me when referring back to ideas I had about my front cover and also made it easy to refer back to my collage about my target audience; helping me stay on track with my content and not sidetrack to a different audience type.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Double Page Spread

Contents Page

Front Cover