Media evaluation question

1. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE
PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?

2. ◦ I used many different technologies due to the fact that I had easy access to them at school on the computers.
However, due to extra research I managed to find out how to do extra tasks that made my end product just
that little but more niche and professional in order to attract my target audience and widen my skill level.
This application proved to be
very helpful when watching
online tutorials for specific
technologies such as
InDesign and Photoshop.
A way in which I expanded
my knowledge was by
receiving extra help from the
teacher. As well as
exchanging help from peers
in class.

3. The camera...
The basis of achieving good quality images was the camera that I decided to
use. Ensuring that the resolution was high meant that when the images I had
captured were blown up onto a larger screen they did not appear to be of a bad
quality. The Sony technology has a variety of different settings that can be used
in specific situations. Some of these include:
Shutter speed
Apperture
ISO
Portrait mode
Low light
Flash strength
Sport mode
A lens that can be zoomed in and out of focus
There is also the option to review each image after you have taken it, which is
good because it then meant I could judge what I thought of the image and then
change my positioning so it is therefore, improved.

4. Apple photo…
Apple photo was really helpful when editing each image however, depending on how drastic the
changes needed to be as Photoshop proved to be a lot better for the more obvious adaptations
needed on an image. To smooth out the models complexion the 'blur' tool was very good to use in
Apple photo. Due to having looked closely at other magazines, the models have flawless
complexions and this is a look that I wished for the models (especially on the front cover) to have. In
addition the tool I used the most was the ‘brightness’ option. The genre of my magazine is known for
being presented with very bright colours so if my images also go along with this convention then it will
lure my target audience in as the issue will look so interesting.
These are the settings that were
available to use, it is therefore, easy to
navigate around and improves the
image a great deal. The application also
allows you to revert back to the original
which means you can visually see the
difference that has been made.

5. Blogger...
Blogger enabled me to present my media task in many different creative ways. It made
documenting my work easy and efficient to carry out, meaning all of the content is easy to
interpret.
In addition this, I found it helpful to refer back to previous research that I had carried out to help
ensure that I remained on track with the task. This research being posts such as looking into
the history of sub-cultures and the analysis of previous music magazines.

6. InDesign…
◦ InDesign was the basis of what I mainly used in creation due the software making it easy to
piece together the actual layout of the magazine.
◦ Inserting columns on the double page spread.
◦ Drop caps at the start of specific paragraphs. Meaning the forms and conventions of already
existing magazines were possible to create.
◦ The shape producing tool came in very handy for me as I included a lot of overlapping shapes
especially towards the bottom of the front cover.
◦ Furthermore, it was also easy navigate how to place the images that I wished to use into the
document.
Therefore, being able to achieve
the overlapping look which I have
taken inspiration from ‘TeenNow’
for.

7. Photoshop…
◦ Another major technology that I used was Photoshop. YouTube came in very handy at this point
because up until this point I was not very familiar with the application and needed guidance in how to do
certain things. It also encouraged me to push myself regarding skill and discover more and more new
things. I created the personal Instagram posts that have been placed on my contents page in this
technology, making it look as real as possible went really well using the wide variety of tools available.
One of the reasons that Photoshop was not used to actually create the magazine was because it is not
so good with the amount of text that needed to be included where as InDesign is a lot better with this
aspect. A specific tool that I used was the ‘rubber’ which meant that each image could then look well
suited and up to a good professional standard.
This application came in very handy when
forming the banner at the bottom of my
magazine. Removing the background from
the images using the ‘magic wand tool’ to
allow more of a professional look.

8. Da Font…
I ensured that I used fonts consistently throughout the whole of my media product, meaning
that therefore, a house style was formed. The two fonts that I decided to use were:
’Prisma’ and ‘Bellrose’
This is an incentive to my brand due to the fact that not many people will have used these fonts
due to them not being as obvious to get hold of. It was not easy to gain access to the font types
directly from InDesign due to having to download them each separately. However, once this
was done then I feel as though it really pays off in terms of how the end product looks.

9. Google Forms...
◦ This was another smaller technology that I used. It came in really helpful when communicating with
the focus group that I had chosen to ask any questions to during the period of research and
production. This application allowed me to create a questionnaire and attach images as well, to then
email it to the selection of people for them to fill in.
◦ An example scenario when I used this was when I was unsure on which image looked best for my
front cover, so after creating a suitable question it allowed me to make a final decision. There is also
an option for the focus group to put together a longer more detailed answer, which proved a lot of
help for me. A screenshot is presented below of an example question that I asked during the
research period.

10. Overall...
◦ In conclusion, out of all the technology that I have used in order to create my final media
product, I believe that the internet was the most beneficial source. It allowed me to have easy
and quick access to pop music magazines that already exist and compare them to my product
there and then. As well as using the internet as my main source of help when discovering more
about either InDesign or Photoshop. Furthermore, Google Forms also requires WiFi to work, as
well as communicating with the focus groups through Office 365.
◦ If it got to the stage of marketing my final product, the internet (social media platforms) would be
the most effective ways in which to promote my creation as all of my chosen target audience
have easy access to this application too.