2. Fanzine
With my fanzine my time management was successful because I managed to finish the fanzine in time and have some extra time to spare, so this meant I could go
and and do another kind of layout and expand into different areas of the factual writing layout. As I went from start to finish with this project I felt that as if I have
evaluated my work all the way through making it, I did this by reading over and over the fanzine that I had wrote, comparing it to other examples of similar style
magazines or other existing fanzines. I also evaluated the fanzine writing by getting other people to read through it, getting a different perspective of my work to
see if the writing makes sense or if it could could be worded in a better way to make it sound more professional. I feel I did this well by regularly getting other
people to read my work and check it with every significant change I made. With the layout of the fanzine I also repeatedly showed other people when it was done,
getting comments on how it could be improved or be made to look more like a fanzine and not crossing the border into the fanzine looking like a magazine, for
example when putting the text into the fanzine page I had to make sure that I presented to text in a more interesting way whilst still being readable and subtle in its
style. Over the project this part I found was the hardest to create a layout for, because when reviewing the layout when I was making it in photoshop I found it
difficult to get an outcome that I was happy with, as I liked elements individually, but together I felt like they didn’t go, so I decide to make another fanzine, in a
similar style, and make it feel more put other and hand-made. To do this I tried to simplify this fanzine but still make it look hand made, but professional . I would
compare my zine to OWT fanzine because of the handmade feel of the fanzine, including art that has been submitted into the fanzine culture, making the zine
become more personal and special to the readers, the art also appeals to a certain age group which would focus on a target audience. Technically I tried to keep it
simple and not use too many tools that would make the fanzine look like a magazine. I created the layout of it on Photoshop as I found that InDesign was too
constricting and you didn’t have the freedom to move and edit layers like you can on photoshop. On photoshop I used a number of tools that I have experience
with and have used before, but I was using the tools on different kind of images, which were scanned in pictures of drawings, so I had to make sure that the
drawings looked like they were on the page, rather than sticking out, I did this by changing the layer type, changing it to multiply, so it got rid of the white
background and blended in with the background. Another tool that I used that I usually wouldn’t was the scanner, I scanned a piece of crumpled up paper into the
computer, then set it up on photoshop as the background for my fanzine, just to make it look more hand-made and like I have not created it digitally, this I feel
gives it a more original fanzine effect, because of them being created in the 70s, where they wouldn’t have had any computers to make the fanzines on, so this
gives it an authentic feel, same as the idea of making photos look like they have been stuck on the page with tape, or scanning in a handwritten title. In the written
part and the layout part of my fanzine I feel as if this has given me the most room to be creative, because the writing was more informal and the layout doesn’t
have any rules as to what it can look like. Over all I feel that my creative abilities have been different for each writing and layout. I think that my writing was creative
and successful, I felt pleased with how it turned out, and that it matched what fanzine writing is supposed to be about, informative but informal with attitude and
personality, comparing to other fanzines I feel the style in writing is similar even though the subject matter varies, the same principles still apply to the writing. I
feel as if the layout has not as been as creative as I would have liked to be. Reflecting on the page I can now see that a loose page guide would have been helpful to
build on to make my page look balanced and aesthetically pleasing, I could have then been creative within the guide, being creative and making sure the page
looked good, but with my layout it didn’t look 100% so the creativity wasn’t presented well and it didn’t come through. I think that the writing was presented well,
even though it wasn’t very creative, the creativity then can shine through in the writing as it is displayed clearly and simply. In my final product I feel my initial
intentions have been realised and I have managed to achieve what I set out to do. I think this because the basis for a fanzine is loosely determined. I set out to
create a piece of work that displayed information about a celebrity, in my initial ideas and research I stated about including fans art work that they have submitted
to the fanzine and I feel I emulated this by adding my own drawings in it. I made the fanzine entirely about Phil, so it is displaying that fans will read it and be
interested in it. The work is very appropriate for the target audience, as it is aimed at fans of Mount Eerie, so it is talking about his work old and new, so that age
isn't a barrier for the audience. This fanzine is also made for a niche audience, being a specialist subject matter where not many people are aware of this musician
and the people who are are passionate and require to read a lot of detail and want to learn more about other fans. So I wrote in an honest, respectful and detailed
way in which fans reading this would understand and would be able to accept my opinion. With the layout of my piece the theme I was trying to create was a lo-fi,
wooden, nature, hand-made feeling, similar to Mount Eerie’s music, including his photography to enhance this feeling. To emphasize the handmade feeling I
included drawings to make the fanzine feel more personal and fan-made. This style I used reminded me of the graphic narrative project I have done earlier in the
year, where I drew then to create a handmade feel also. So in this project I feel I mainly improved my drawing skills. I could improve my fanzine by rearranging the
layout of the pictures and text, I could change the background to experiment to see if that improves the dynamics of the page. The main problem I could improve is
the border around the main picture or change the actual photo by editing it, I could have changed the layer setting or cut the picture into a shape.
3. Here is where I improved the shape
of the text and edited the photo by
making it lighter and also making the
warmth of the photo colder, also
putting a drawing over the face so it
fits.
Here are the bones of
the layout of my
fanzine, showing the
simple guides and how
I placed the pictures
and text.
4. Magazine/Interview
For this part of my project the time management was really good, I completed this piece with plenty of time to do different drafts and perfect the layout and lining up of the text and pull
quotes. I even had contingency time so I had extra time to work on different drafts because I completed this in plenty of time. Here in this project I feel like my time management
has been used better, as I have been quicker in this project because I have been more aware of how long each task will take and I prepared things in my own time so I would have
more class time to get on with the main tasks. As I went along and created my interview I think that I reviewed my work and got my tutor to keep looking and suggest
improvements for my writing. To start with I started with a basic interview which my musician answered in detail, then I wrote the interview around it, including it in a piece of
writing which was informative and related to the basic interview. With constantly reviewing my writing I felt I knew where I was, and where I needed to be and how I could reach
the right quality of work for it to come to a professional standard, so I think it had a positive effect on my work. I feel this piece of writing has been one of my strongest pieces
throughout the course. When creating the magazine layout I used Indesign, which I have not used properly in a long time, so I had forgotten how everything works on it. From this
standpoint I felt that I worked it out with some help and managed to display the magazine in the way I wanted to without any restrictions because of technical difficulties. I
managed to end up with the main image in a very good quality which makes my magazine layout look very professional, I did this by saving the image in photoshop then placing it
in Indesign in a square then I made sure the displaying quality was high so the picture didn’t come out pixilated. Comparing to using photoshop getting images into Indesign was
difficult and that you can’t scale them larger without them losing their quality, where as in photoshop the quality holds up a bit more. The only problems I had was with the pull
quotes and the restrictions that the boxes around the text left so not all the pull quote area is even in space. For the magazine the most creative part I feel was the writing part as
the layout is very uniform and appropriate for a magazine. I feel the writing is creative because of how much time I spent on it and making sure it fit in with the interview with the
subject matters and how each question subject followed each other. I reviewed this a lot to make sure it was worded right and made sure it made sense. I think the most creative
part of my layout is the style of the side bar/shortened down interview, where I incorporated a shortened down version of the interview next to the real interview, to start with I
didn’t have a line to separate the two interviews, but when I was given feedback on it I was told that it looks like the two pieces of text are one, so I decided to make it more clear
that they were not connected. I was influenced in the clean style that music magazines take on some of their articles, as I felt it was important for the audience to want to read it,
even if they didn’t know the artist, they would still be attracted to read it. I think that my intentions have been realised and I have managed to achieve what I set out to do, which
was to create a magazine that was aesthetically pleasing and delivered the interview that was easy to read. Commercial practice will help me do this by using editors to double
check that everything is in order and that everything is okay. I think for my audience it is aimed at them in the layout especially, the colours, red and black are gender neutral and
this is complimented by the white, I feel it also may appeal more towards the younger fans because of the short sidebar, because younger people may not have the time or
attention span to read all of the interview , it is also a non-traditional way of writing out an article, which older audience members may be confused about, but the set out of the
magazine is simple and easy to read, so this doesn’t mean older audience members wouldn’t be able to read it, but it just might not appeal to them as much as a traditional set
out. I feel as if the layout and the choice of fonts and colours from a socio-economic point of view would appeal to the higher end of the scale, appealing to more wealthy people
level B to C1 as I have set it out like it would be in a magazine that is higher end and would cost more. The content of my writing is very informative and has some style to it, I
wrote an article around the interview to make it more interesting, rather than just sticking the plain interview in there, I made it into more of an article with quotes telling the
reader first hand information. In my layout I wanted to keep the design simple and clean, with a white background and bold colours to go with it, but still keeping it sophisticated.
The font is a classic style that is serif, so that it is easier to read and looks less modern to contrast with the side bar. The photo I used was from the internet, a photo that Phil had
posted on his website giving permission to use this for any press releases, with this photo I edited it slightly to make it lighter and cleaner so that it would match the theme of my
overall layout. I decided to use this photo mainly because of the quality of the photo and the colour, the quality was really good so this meant I could make it large so the page
would look like a professional magazine, the colour of the photo also helped me decide on a colour scheme for my fonts, which was black and red, and it made the page look
professional because everything matched so well. Skills I used were mainly on Indesign, adding text, lining up the boxes and adding pull quotes, I learnt how to add pull quotes by
adding some text in a separate box then making sure the text surrounds the quote. The photo I used I went on to saving it in photoshop at the right size, then placing it into
Indesign making sure that the photo had kept its quality. So here I felt as if I have developed my skills in Indesign because I started out not knowing anything and I learned how to
simply construct a magazine layout without my lack of knowledge hindering me in any way. But areas that could be improved on is the fact that I could have learnt more
complicated skills on Indesign then I would have been able to experiment more with my layout to see what looks the best, to compare and contrast, adding more photos, cropping
them, cutting them out into a shape or silhouette. With my writing, because I had a lot of feedback from my tutor and peers I feel that there wasn’t much to be improved on in
this section.
5. Here I was experimenting with different
shapes of pull quotes, to see which would
look best in the block of text, I found that this
square pull quote looked too bulky and messy,
so I decided to go with all the pull quotes to
be in one straight line, so the quotes would
look uniform and neat.
Here are some things that were in my
early draft of my magazine, but wasn’t
fond of because of the messiness, or
that it just didn’t go and match with
the theme of my layout. The ‘A CHAT
WITH’ after getting feedback I realised
that this didn’t match my theme and
looked out of place on the page. When
polishing of my layout I made sure that
all the text was in line and that it was
squared off and looked neat.
6. Press release
For this writing task (writing a press release) my time management was really good, I finished this task on time,
and maybe even with a bit of extra contingency time, so I could could back to it if I felt that the feedback I
got on it wasn’t as good as I’d have liked it to be. To gather information about this press release I used some
of my own knowledge as the basis, then I went on to searching the internet looking at different press
releases, how there were written, what kind of information they contained. I also looked at some
informative articles and even Phil’s website to gather truthful information that I could add into my press
release, like how many albums has he made or when he started making music. I also refereed back to my
own interview to get information, because this was from Phil what he had written so I knew the information
was true and not twisted. Throughout my time working on this press release I relied a lot on having
feedback from my tutor, my peers and other fans. This helped me a lot to improve what I have in my
release, what order it was in and the choice of words I used. It also helped me to sound more professional,
not including any grammar mistakes, spelling errors or even just making sure the sentences were worded
correctly. Technically the writing was new to me as I have never written a press release before, and by
looking into research and referring back to existing and professional press releases I learnt what was the
right way to present and word the writing, what kind of tone it had, formal but also informative with some
hint of passion, these were things I was learning as I researched looking at music magazines such as NME
and Q, looking at differences between them. Comparing this piece of writing to previous ones in my course I
feel my writing has improved tremendously, being able to write in a different tone with different intentions,
rather than just writing information down. Because Of the task set there was little room to be ‘creative’,
because you had a duty to perform and information to deliver to fans, that being when a new album is
coming out and also promoting the artist in their best light, making sure they sound perfect, so there wasn’t
really any room to be creative in a controversial sense, but I could be creative in my skills to describing my
musician in a good light, without it sounding cliché and over the top. I believe that my writing has realised
its original intentions and that it does its job and I have achieved what I set out to do, I think that it
represents Phil in a good light and that it encourages fans to buy his new album and also encourage non-fans
to start listening to his music, it tells them where to start in his discography. I feel that this piece of
writing would appeal to all age of my audience because of the way it is written everyone would understand
it, but not get bored of it because it is quite descriptive, more so than other press releases I have read. I
think because of some words that class would be a C1-B just because some of the words may only
understood by the majority of wealthier people with a higher education and reader level, which higher class
people tend to have, as the majority of these classes do attend higher education like university and college.
The content of my writing it quite simple, it is basically a informative piece about when Mount Eerie’s new
album will be released and how exciting and good it will be, it then also adds more information about past
albums, where to start in his discography if you have never listened to him before. The skills are writing
based and I have taught myself how to write in a certain way to sound excited about this new album and to
hype it up, whilst also maintaining a professional edge which is calm and informative. I also exercised the
skill of using persuasive writing, to persuade the reader to listen and buy Mount Eerie’s new album. In
previous projects I have never really had the opportunity to write in the style and obtain this skill. Obviously
because this is my first time writing in this style for a long time there could be some improvements, I think
especially in the tone of my writing which I feel could do with a bit more enthusiasm, with more practice
and writing exercise I feel that this would improve. In my project I did get a lot of feedback about the
placement of my paragraphs was was told that the press release didn’t finish on a final sentence but mid. So
I moved the paragraphs around and changed the order to make the press release make more sense.
7. Obituary
For this part of the writing task I had to write an obituary for Phil, including the reason for his death and how
much he achieved in his life, explaining what a great person he was and what a great lost it is. For this
part of the project, like the rest of it, my time management was really good and I got the task
completed in time, with contingency time, so that I had time to improve on this piece of writing even
more if I wanted to. As I went along writing this I feel that I reviewed it well all along, referring back to
other people’s opinions, especially my tutor’s, emailing back and forward to iron out any creases with
wording and grammar, making sure the piece celebrated the celebrities life, making sure to focus on
the positive rather than negative. I think this reviewing of my own work helped me to improve it a
significant amount, helping me see the own fault in my work and helping me to become a better
writer over all. Because I finished this early it then gave me time to work on the next piece of writing,
thus starting and finishing that early, setting myself up to finish every piece of writing early.
Technically for this part of the project it was very writing based, so I had to write in a different style for
each section, for the obituary I had to write in a very sensitive and positive way, making up a fictional
death for Phil, and make it seem as if it true. I had to show remorse, loss but also happiness and
celebrate his achievements. I think over all comparing it to real newspaper’s obituaries it is similar, and
has been written to a professional standard. In this piece of writing there was a small chance to be
creative, making up the death of the celeb, but I felt that to maintain a professional standard the
death story should be kept short and believable. I think I managed to be creative in my writing talking
about Phil’s achievements but I feel I could have been more creative with the story about how he died,
but I think that the was I wrote it was more appropriate rather than making up a ridiculous story and
concentrating more on the death, which is not what professional newspapers obituaries do. I feel as if
my intentions have been realised to as best I can, I think this because I had to make up a way for my
celebrity to die in a tragic way, but not draw too much attention to it because this piece of writing has
to be respectful. I feel that this piece of writing would be appropriate for the audience, because they
are fans and already have an understanding of what Phil had achieved in his life so will be able to
resonate with this piece of writing. The writing will match all ages of Phil's fans as it is pretty basic
language. I talked about his past work and made a big deal about the glow pt 2 because this is what
fans want to hear about as this is what the majorities favourite album of his is. I have made the
obituary formal because a lot of Phil’s fans tend to be older, so they wouldn’t understand some slang
or informal language that is used with younger people or just wouldn’t appeal to older people. The
content of my obituary I talk about the life and death of Phil, I start of with how he died, and how sad
it is he is gone. I then go on to talk about how good his life was and how much he achieved, putting
him in a good light. Throughout the project I have been writing and gaining skills and because this
writing task was further on in the project I feel in this writing I was developing my skills even further,
especially in my skill to write in a correct way which would not offend anyone. I feel that there could
be some improvement with the amount of times it was proofread and also the amount of feedback I
received on each section of this writing, it could have been improved by getting my tutor and peers to
review my piece more.
8. Tabloid
The time management for this part of the project was done really well, as I got the whole piece of writing written in
one session, then used the rest of the day to review my own work and read through it and check everything
was okay, out of the project this was the quickest time I completed a piece. When I was writing my work I
found that even though I was reading through it myself, I actual needed to get it checked by my tutor or
other peers to get a second opinion about it, or even reviewing it against other professional press releases in
tabloids, I just feel like I didn’t make enough drafts of this and that the style of the tabloid was a bit mixed up
and sometimes sounded more like a fanzine than a tabloid. I feel like this piece I had more scope to be
creative in writing, in the sense of, twisting a story to make it sound worse or better than it actually was, I
could even add bits to the story or take some away, but at the same time I had to make sure that this story
didn’t turn into 100% fiction or that it became one massive lie. For example in my tabloid I made out lie Phil
was cheating on his wife, but I never mentioned the other side of the story where his wife had been cheating
on him for a longer period of time, so this shows I am twisting information to fit my story and point of view,
which is pretty typical of a tabloid. I feel technically it isn't my best piece of writing because my style of
writing got mixed up especially at the start, where it sounded a bit to amateur and informal, like a fanzine,
rather than a professional tabloid. So because of this it isn’t a professional piece of work and doesn’t have as
high quality as I’d like it to, for example “From a recent interview he admitted that he had cheated on his
wife, not once, no! An uncountable amount of times starting from 2011 and in fact he couldn’t even
remember how many times”. In this tabloid there was a bit of scope to be creative with the writing, with the
chance to be able to exaggerate or make little bits up in the stories. I feel like I maybe could have been more
creative in the amount of detail I explained my story in, as I feel maybe what I have written is not enough
and I could improve on it. In other parts of this project I feel my writing was a lot better and that compared
to them the tabloid doesn’t match up and it looks out of place. I think for this piece my intentions have not
been realised 100%. I think the basics are covered, but this piece of writing is not consistent and doesn’t
show a solid kind of style, it is just a bit flimsy. Where as in real tabloid newspapers they have a specific way
in which they have to write, so initially I should have done more research to really be clear about how tabloid
writers present their pieces of writing so then I could get a clear idea on how to write. In this piece of writing
I feel that my skills have developed for the stance of this was an unsuccessful piece and that now I have
reflected and learnt what I need to improve on and to keep my style of writing correct and consistent all the
way through a piece, but I think that has helped me and I will be more aware of writing a piece in the correct
style all the way through and not wandering into a different style. So now the areas to improve on my
tabloid piece will be to produce more drafts, do some research into how tabloid writers go about setting a
tone for their piece of writing, depending on what the subject matter is, in order for me to make my piece
more professional.
