Evaluation

1. Graphic Narrative
Evaluation

2. Use this template to help you evaluate your project.
You should give specific details about your work.
You should provide both written and visual examples to explain your project.
You should find areas to praise in your work. Be specific about why you think they are
good or why you are proud of them.
You should also find areas that could be improved. Look for areas that you could make
better if you went back to them. Be specific about what you would improve.
Add additional slides as you need to. Don’t be restricted by what is here.
Any blank slides should be deleted before submission.

3. Does your final product reflect your
original intentions?
• Compare your planning/digital flat plans/ storyboards to your final
product
There are lots of different aspects of my final product that strongly reflect my planning documents. One of the
things that I have kept the same from my planning document is my final script. In my planning document I started
off with a rough copy of what I was wanting to put on each page, I then began to finalise this and decided on a
script I wanted to use, and I stuck with this all the way through.
Another aspect that reflects my original intentions is the mood board that I created. My mood board reflects my
original intentions because of the characters that are shown it. The characters are all bears and a little girl wearing
a spacesuit, and I used all of these character in my final product. Also, on my mood board it shows two images of
the types of environments I wanted to create (shown on the next page). These reflected on my final product
because I managed to create something that was a mixture of both of the images, by rotoscoping an image of
actual space.
My idea generation also reflects my final product because I put on the mind map that I was going to put a twist in
the original story and that twist was going to be that it’s set in space, and I ended up doing this and I think that it
worked really well. Also, I said on the mind map that I was going to try and create quite realistic graphics by
rotoscoping them, and I said that I was going to use quite bright colours in order to attract the children (my
primary audience).
My digital flat plan is probably the biggest aspect that reflects my final product. This is because I practically
created my book, page by page by using clipart images so I knew exactly what I had to do. Therefore, the flat plans
heavily reflect my final product.
Overall, I think that my final product does heavily reflect my original plans and intentions and I think that is
evident in my work.

5. How well have you constructed your
images?
• How well have you constructed your images? You could talk about the
overall visual appearance and well as the use of texture and colour.
In order to construct my images, I rotoscoped them as I thought that this would be the best way to get the look I
wanted, which was fairly realistic . I wanted my images to look realistic because I thought that this would be more
appealing for my primary audience, which is young children, as they would be able to almost relate and
understand the graphics more. I also wanted to use quite bright colours because this would grab the audiences
attention more and make them more interested in the book, because children are attracted to bright, eye-
catching colours.
I think that my images have worked quite well in my children’s book, as I have achieved what I wanted to, and that
was to create something that looked professional and like an existing book. I took inspiration for the environment
that my book is set in from the space activity book shown on the next page. This is because I thought that it
looked really good, and that it would attract little children. In order to create something to the standard of the
activity book, I took an image of space and a planet from Google and rotoscoped it in Photoshop. I think that this
went really well and that my final image for the environment is of a high standard, and looks quite similar to the
space activity book (also shown on the next page).
Some of my original ideas for my images didn’t work. For example, on one of the pages towards the end, I wanted
to have the bears running up some stairs, and the angle be from the side. However, I couldn’t find an existing
image of some stairs at the right angle for me to be able to rotoscope them. This was the only bad thing about
rotoscoping all of my images, because I had to find the right image at the right angle, which was quite difficult for
some of the pages. So in the end, I had to change one of my ideas from the bears running up the stairs, to them
running down a corridor in the spaceship but this worked just as well.
I think that some of my pages, especially the first ones when it’s outside look very textured and have some depths
to them. This makes them look even more professional and like an existing book because it looks more realistic
and done to a high standard. However, I think that my characters spacesuits could have been done better,
because they don’t have any real texture to them, so they just look flat and not as realistic as they could be.

7. How well have you used text to anchor
your images
• You should talk about the combination of words, images and text.
I think that I have used the text in my children’s book to anchor my images fairly well. This is because on each
page I have saved a gap in my images for the text to fit in, so it’s not on a separate page to the images. I think
that this is better because if a child saw a lot of writing on its own on a separate page, it might put them off
as they are more interested in the actual images and what they are about.
I have also used the text well to anchor my images, because it gives the images context and explains what is
going on so my primary audience actually know and understand what is going on in them. However, I haven’t
written a lot, I have managed to explain what is happening in as few words as possible but for it to still all
make sense. I did this so there’s not a lot of writing for the children to read. I have also made sure that every
image has some text with it so the storyline is consistent and strong all the way through, this is so there is no
chance of any inconsistency or confusion.

9. Is your product suitable for your
audience?
• Reference your proposal
• Give an audience profile and describe suitability in reference to content
My primary audience for my children’s book is the children themselves. This is because they are the main
people who will be looking at the book, and it is important that they are attracted to the book because if
they are attracted to it, they will want to buy it and will enjoy it. The children of my primary audience will
be aged between 3 and 5. This is because I think they are the perfect ages for my book, as they will be
more appealed to it than other age ranges. My book is suitable for my audience because I have tried to
use lots of different bright colours so it’s more appealing to look at, and would catch their eye. This is
something I had noticed in my planning, because most successful children’s books use a lot of bright,
interesting colours in order to attract the children, and so I did this as well.
My product is also suitable for my audience because it’s not gender specific and appeals to both genders.
For example, the girls will be appealed to the book because the main character is a young girl, so they
might be able to relate to the character and I have also used a lot of stereotypical girly colours, like pink
and purple, this is to try and make them even more appealed to the book. The boys will be appealed to
my book because of the space aspect of it, due to it being set in space. The boys will also be appealed to
it because of there being a few bears in it, because the boys might think that they are cool.
I also have a secondary audience which I am targeting and that’s the parents of the children. This is
because the parents are the ones who would buy the actual book, and they are also the ones who would
decide if it looks good enough for their child, because they wouldn’t spend their money on something
that doesn’t look appealing. My product is suitable for my secondary audience because it’s completely
child friendly, it has a lesson to be learnt in it and it will be interesting for the children to look at it.

11. What do you like/dislike about the
techniques you have used?
• Reference specific tools you used with images
The main technique that I decided to use was to rotoscope my images, I did this by selecting an image off
Google that I thought would look right in my children’s book. I then opened it up in Photoshop and then
selected the polygon lasso tool and used this to select the part of the image I wanted, I then selected ‘layer
via copy’ and used colour overlay to chose a colour which I thought would look the most realistic. I then
repeated this process until I got the complete image and it looked almost like a cartoon version of the
original image. I used this technique all the way through my children’s book in order to keep all of the
images in the same style, and so they all looked similar.
I liked using this technique because it allowed me to find my own style, and so I created something that
looks completely original. I also find this technique more interesting to use than some of the other like using
shapes to re-create an image. This is because it allows you to add more detail into the images, therefore you
end up with a better quality image.
However, there are some pitfalls when using this technique all the way through the book. One of these is
that you have to find an image that is perfect, and was taken at the right angle, because you have to
practically copy it all using the technique for it to all match up. Finding an image on Google that is perfect
and is what you’re after proved to be quite difficult, this meant that I had to change a few of my initial ideas,
because otherwise it wouldn’t have looked good and it wouldn’t have worked. Another thing that I disliked
about the technique that I used is that if you needed a perfect circle for something, it was difficult to make
one with the polygon lasso tool. This meant that all of the edges didn’t look good, and it didn’t look like a
proper circle. In order to solve this issue, I had to try and warp the shape into a circle which took a lot of
time. However, if I had used the shape tool to create my images, I would’ve been able to make the perfect
circle.

13. What do you like/dislike about how
your final product looks?
I think that my final product looks quite professional and like any existing children’s book out there, which is
one of the things I like about it. I managed to get it to look like this through the technique that I used, and the
amount of time I spent on each image, trying to get it to look as good as possible. Another thing that I like
about my final product is how I’ve got the environment to look on the first two pages. I like these because I
think that they look really effective, and eye catching. This is due to the bright coloured gradient that I have
used on both the terrain of the planet and the sky. For this idea, I took inspiration from a stock image that I
found on Google because I thought it would look perfect for the background of one of the pages (the image is
shown on the next slide).
One thing that I dislike about how my final product looks is that I think I should have put some detail into the
spacesuits, because I think that they look a little bit too simple and plain, as real life spacesuits have a lot of
added detail to them. I think that if I added some more pockets and creases onto the spacesuits, it would have
made them look more realistic.
Another thing that I dislike about how my final product looks like is that I think some of the images look really
flat and 2D, whereas I wanted them to look like they stand out, and for them to look slightly 3D,because then
they would look more interesting for my primary and secondary audience. For this to have happened, I think I
should have added some shadows or different colour tones to the images in order to make them stand out
more; a bit like the second image shown on the next page.

15. Why did you include the content you
used?
• Images, fonts, effects, colours
The font that I have used for my final product is called ‘Verdana’. I decided to use this font because
I thought that it was nice and clear to read, so if the children try and read the book for themselves
they won’t have any problems reading it due to the font. I also decided to put the font at the size
12 pt. I chose this size because I thought that it looked perfect, as it’s not too big because it’s not
distracting and taking the focus off the images, but it’s still big and clear enough to be able to see
it. I also chose this size because when I looked at other existing books that are out there, they
seemed to use a similar font size, and it worked really well in them books so I thought I’d use a
similar one in mine.
I have used the colours that I chose because I think they all fit in and work perfectly with the rest of
the image, and the effect that I was trying to create. For example, on the first page I used an
orange and yellow gradient in order to re-create a planet terrain. I did this because I thought that it
would look really good and effective, and would create more depth in the pages, rather than just
using one colour and it looking really dull and boring. I have also used another gradient on the
same page for the sky, where it’s dark blue at the top and it gradually gets darker. I also did this in
order to add more depth and make the image look a lot more realistic.
An effect that I have used and that I think works really well, is on the second page there is a planet
in the distance in the top left-hand corner (shown on the next slide). I created this by making a
circle and used the gradient tool and made it yellow and green. I then changed the place of the
main point in the gradient so it’s just off center, I did this so it looks more like it’s in the distance.

17. What signs, symbols or codes have
your used in your work?
• Choices of colour, style, locations, character design and tone all give
additional meaning to your work.
I have used lots of different signs and symbols that help to give additional meaning all across
my book. One of these is that I have decided to set my book in space. This is because if I set
my book in a certain country, it would be more aimed towards the people who live there, and
people who don’t might not understand some of the cultural references (if there was any).
Whereas, everyone knows about space but no one lives there so most people have the same
knowledge on it, so no one will feel like they don’t understand parts of it. This is better
because it will then appeal to more people.
Another one is the colours that I have used, because they’re all mostly bright ones. I decided
to use mostly bright colours, because they’re more appealing to little children. I also chose to
use these because bright colours have connotations of happiness, and that’s what I want my
target audience to feel when they’re reading/looking at my book.
The final one is the characters I have chosen and the way I have designed them. I chose to use
bears, not only because that’s in the original, but also because they are known of in near
enough every country so everyone will be able to recognise them, and they’ll be aware that
they can be quite aggressive animals, which is why I designed the father bear to have an angry
expression on his face.

18. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
Media texts require us to have a certain level of cultural understanding to
be able to interpret them.
At a basic level, this could mean being able to read the language that a
magazine is written in.
At a deeper level, it means being able to interpret signs and symbols that
we use a visual shorthand to communicate ideas.
We recognise these signs in our own culture but find it harder to
understand when looking at others.
We create and attach meaning to signs and symbols in many different
forms.
18Creative Media Production 2012

19. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
What is this?
This is a Norwegian Pine tree, covered in
snow and with a red ribbon on.
Our cultural understanding allows us to
interpret its meaning.
To us, in British society, it means
Christmas, presents and family.
This is because we share a cultural
knowledge.
19Creative Media Production 2012

20. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
There are many other signs and symbols
that we attach meaning to.
A leather jacket can imply rebellion.
A sports car can imply wealth and power.
A cross can represent religion.
20Creative Media Production 2012

21. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
Visual representations of everyday objects are often the same the world
over. A car appears as a car, no matter what country it appears in.
What that car means however, can be very different depending on your
cultural background.
21Creative Media Production 2012

22. What representations can be found in
your work?
• How are men, women or children shown in your work? Does your work
feature different ages, races, social groups or religions? Does a lack of any
variety of character types create its own representation?
In my children’s book I have shown children to be mischievous, naive and a little bit foolish. This is
shown through the fact that she goes into a strangers home without knocking and without them
being there. This almost stereotypes young children into them all being like that, even though not all
children are.
The other characters are all bears, one of which is a father bear. I have shown this bear to be
protective, strong and courageous through him trying to protect his family from whomever they
thought the intruder was. This represents men to be almost like the typical alpha male who wants to
protect his family, and appear to be strong and courageous. Then on the other hand, there’s the
mother bear who has a polite, friendly word with Goldilocks rather than shouting at her and getting
mad. I did this to try and represent woman to be kind, caring and quite mothering because it’s a little
girl that they’re talking to, so I didn’t want it to all seem really mean and aggressive.
My work doesn’t feature any different races, social groups or religions. The only difference between
my characters is that 3 of them are bears and one of them is a human girl. I don’t think there is a lack
of variation in my characters, because I have given them each a different representation apart from
the baby bear because it doesn’t say anything due to it being a baby.

23. What style have you employed in your
products?
• Discuss influences/ existing products
• What visual style does your work have and why did you choose it?
For my children’s book, I took inspiration for the style of it from a lot of different existing products. One of
these is Beauty And The Beast. This is because I like the way they have created their characters due to
them looking realistic and detailed, but they don’t look too complex and hard to design. I took inspiration
from this because I wanted my images to look just as realistic and fairly detailed, but they don’t look
complex in the slightest which is what I wanted to employ in my product. I also took inspiration from
characters like Dora and Arthur because even though they look slightly realistic, you can still tell that they
are meant for a children’s book which is what I wanted for my characters.
I decided that I wanted to have a realistic style rather than it looking completely cartooned like other
children’s books out there, as this makes it different to other things out there so it’s more original. I also
chose this style because I enjoyed rotoscoping the images, because it allowed me to achieve the look and
style that I wanted to create.
Another reason for my choice of style for my product is that I think children will be more appealed to
something that they can recognise and that is realistic, because they will be able to relate to the character
more. Whereas, if I used completely abstract characters like those in ‘Hush, Little Alien’ I don’t think that
my target audience would be able to enjoy the book as much because they wouldn’t recognise them, due
to them being at such a young age.

25. What were the strengths and weaknesses
of the pre-production and planning
• How did the planning and research help
• How well did you manage your time
• Reference specific examples
The pre-production and planning that I did helped a lot when it came to actually making my
product, as I knew exactly what I had to do and when. This is because I created a production
schedule (part of it is on the next slide). This helped because I set myself separate deadlines for
when I needed to get each part finished by, which meant that I got all of my work done on time,
and my images were finished on time.
I think I managed my time very well during my project and I think that was mainly because of my
planning and research during the pre-production. For example, when I created the mood board for
my ideas, it helped me refine my ideas and gave me a more clear view as to how I wanted my book
to look and the style I wanted it to be in.
Another strength of my planning is that it enabled me to look into different ideas and explore them
in some detail. I did this by creating a spider diagram (as shown on the next slide), and I came up
with two different ideas that I would quite like to do, and explored them. This helped me because
by the end of it, I had explored two different ideas, and realised which one I would most like to do,
which was Goldilocks And The Three Bears.
A weakness of my pre-production and planning is that I had a lot of ideas that I put in my flat plans,
for example I wanted the bears to run up some stairs, however when it came to actually creating it,
it was impossible to do because I couldn’t find an image to rotoscope from. I think that I should’ve
thought about how I was actually going to create it, rather than just putting it in my plans and
hoping for the best.

27. Historical and cultural context
• How does your work compare to what has come before? What other
similar products have existed in the past? What current products exist?
My children’s book is very similar to one book that has come before mine, and that’s the original
Goldilocks And The Three Bears. However, I have changed mine so that it’s set in space and in a
spaceship, rather than it being set on earth. I did this so it wasn’t too similar to the original, and
so it’s something different because there are no other well-known books out there that feature
bears in space. I have kept something's the same from the original, for example I’ve kept in the
part where Goldilocks tastes the three different bowls of food, and the third one she likes and
says ‘this one is just right’. I kept this part in because it’s a well-known part of the original story, so
I didn’t think it was right to take it out.
A product that currently exists which is similar to mine visually is a book called ‘Galaxy Games:
The Challengers (shown on the next slide). This product is visually similar to mine because of the
colours used and the style of the graphics. The colours that they have used are bold and bright
enough for them to stand out, but they’re not too bright. This is something that I have also used
in my product, because I think they look better and suit the style of graphics that I have chosen to
do more than any other type of colour. Although the characters in Galaxy Games: The Challengers
don’t look exactly the same as those in my product, they are quite similar. They are similar to each
other due to the fact that they’re both realistic looking characters and have all of the normal
human features. Another thing that is similar between this product and mine is that they are both
set either in or around space. The existing book is set around space because it’s about some stars
getting too close to another planet, and mine is set on space and there are two planets; one of
which Goldilocks lives on and the other one the bears live on.
I think that in comparison to other existing children’s books out there like Galaxy Games: The
Challengers, mine is at a similar standard because of the visual aspect of the book, as the images
look professional and well put together.

29. Peer Feedback
• Summarise peer feedback and discuss
– Responses you agree with
– Responses you disagree with