Evaluation Activity 6

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

My useage of Blogger this year has been my first experience of blogging. Therefore learning how to post, embed items, assign labels to posts and install gadgets have all been helpful skills developed during this time.

Again, this project has been my first experience with Photoshop. It was used to create and edit my magazine. At first I found it a very complex programme to use, but gradually I became familiar with the functions and the challenges presented to me with them and was able to create something I am proud of, using it.

My laptop was used to post on my blog from home. I found this helpful as I was able to take my work home with me and also access it wherever I was.

Scribd was used to post any Microsoft Word documents I did work on, onto my blog, quickly and easily. Examples of this include my moodboard and audience profile.

Much like Scribd, Slideshare offered a simple way of posting Microsoft Powerpoint slideshows onto my blog. Examples of my useage of Slideshare are my analysis of existing products.

Animoto was another online programme I was new to. Initially I struggled to adapt to the programme's 'rules' (ie, limited text on each slide) but after practice and trial and error I was able to create a successful Animoto video in the form of my pitch.

Youtube was a good source of inspiration for me; I was able to look at hip-hop music videos for inspiration on the styles present in my magazine (eg, costumes, props, font). I found it very easy and enjoyable to use. In addition, I also created my answer for Evaluation Activity 5 on Youtube using the annotations and notes tools, which is another new skill I've learnt.

Tubechop was a tool I used to select a small part of a Youtube video which I wanted to post on my blog for inspiration. Again, I was new to this tool but found it very easy to use.

This is the camera model used for my test shots and final shots too. They were transferred to my computer via USB cable.

 

I used Windows Movie Maker as a means of answering Evaluation Activity 5. Through this I learned how to edit videos, add music/audio to them, and co-ordinate different events to happen at times on the video.

Evaluation Activity 7

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

I feel I have progressed extremely well from my preliminary task to my full product. Not only have my production skills developed, but my understanding of audience areas and generic conventions has also increased. This has made me able to focus the skills I have learnt on developing a product which is specifically well suited for a particular genre and target audience. The first area of my work I feel I have improved on is my camerawork. As you can see, the image on my preliminary task is blurry which decreases the quality of the picture. Also, the prelim picture taken looks more like a general photo - it lacks purpose. On the other hand, my final product's images DO have purpose and look well suited for the task I was asked to do (music magazine). Also, the quality of the image is better as it is not blurry; both pictures were taken using the same camera so this wouldn't have affected this, and therefore the improvement is purely to my more developed camerawork skills.

Another area of work I have improved on is my editing and Photoshop skills. My preliminary pieces are very simply put together with only 2 clear layers - it is clear this has been done by a beginner with Photoshop. There is only one image used, and all the text is the same; it’s not very adventurous. In addition, the editing is shoddy. My use of the magnetic lasso tool to ‘cut out’ the image is not good - there are some rough edges. The image seems to stand out from the background in a way such that it doesn't blend well into the page. On the other hand, my final piece’s images are cut out a lot better; after experimenting with different tools, I found the ‘background eraser’ tool was, albeit more time consuming, a better tool for ‘cutting out’ the image. Through my choosing of tools, I have been able to get a greater grasp of how efficient each tool is and how to use it in different situations, depending on the amount of time I had.

Also, my selection of images has improved. My Research and Planning helped with this, as I was able to find inspiration from existing pictures of hip-hop artists and, combining these with my improved camera work skills, I was able to make my own similar images which were befitting of the genre and task.

All these areas of development for me, add to the credibility of my final product which, undoubtedly, is higher than the credibility of my preliminary task. My improved skills areas (layout, camerawork, image quality/suitability, colour harmony, etc) have all made sure of this; my product is an improvement because of my more developed skills and understanding of the demands of the task.