Media Studies A-Level Evaluation question.

1. How did you use media
technologies during the research
and planning and production
stages of your coursework?
Ryan Quinn

2. Year 13 Research
 For my Year 13 Production, I used a iMac Computer, an example of
hardware to access the internet. Using Web 2.0, contrastingly software
displayed by hardware, assisted me in researching as it enabled the
contraction of information which would then be used to bolster either my
blog and/or my main production.
 Research from the internet which I conducted included the codes and
conventions of football magazines, as well as statistics relevant to the
games annual audiences. I would then combine information gathered of
this sort, with knowledge of my own to produce PowerPoint’s which
presented my findings coherently. To add, this form of research is what is
known as secondary research, which means to collect data that is digital
and already exists elsewhere. Retrospectively, I also completed
questionnaires via the use of a sound recorder, which allowed for variety
in how my research was presented on my blog; the recordings would be
uploaded to SoundCloud. Questionnaires undertaken are considered as
Qualitative, or Primary research.
 Ancillary tasks, which assist the main production also require research
and planning. I conducted research on the codes and conventions of
billboards, as well as comparing/analysing different music deriving from
royalty-free websites. Music would bolster the effectiveness of the
message being exerted from the advertisement.

3. Year 13 Planning
 My first actions of planning were done while opting for traditional methods,
drawing the prototype of a potential layout for the front cover Then, photographs
of the designs were taken by an SLR Camera, which would allow for the designs
to be uploaded onto my iMac computer. Photoshop was called into action, as it
allowed for the designs to become digitalised and offered a clean, aesthetically
pleasing look.
 The planning of my magazine article was spearheaded by the specificity of the
topic itself. I took an admirable amount of time in deciding on what to write about;
my final decision was how the increasing impact of finances in football has
changed the ideology of the game over time, and this choice was supported by
my target audience research and the following aims;
 - To meet the most generalised target audience possible.
 - In order to replicate the aesthetics and features of respected football
magazines.
 - Implementing both generic and thus accepted opinions within the footballing
community and my views on particular matters.
 All of the following was conducted on WordPress. The website, which is used for
the blog posts as well, allowed for me to discuss potential topics I could revolve
the article around, as well as writing an initial draft of the article.

4. Year 13 Production
 Throughout the completion of this coursework, I have
undertaken many photo shoots, which required the use of
an SLR camera. This specific type of camera offers a
more preeminent image quality, due to having more
“megapixels”. When taking different photos for different
parts of the article, such as the front cover photo, or a
long-shot portrait of a acting football coach, settings on
the camera were used to adjust the type of shot taken.
For example, continuous shot was used to capture
different quick movements to have multiple options of
shots. An SD Card was necessary for importing photos
taken onto the iMac computer.
 When writing the article of my main production, I used
both WordPress and Microsoft Word to construct drafts of
my article. WordPress showcased the original
construction, whereas the Word Document was improved
and altered on many occasions before finally being
implemented onto the production template.

5. Year 13 Post-Production
 After completing the first draft of my article, I
continued to use Photoshop in order to construct the
actual magazine itself. This allowed for me to be
creative when completing my production in the sense
that I was able to add different effects and such to
enhance the articles representation of a renowned of
what is expected of a football magazine. This is
primarily due to an important component of the article
is its aesthetics. Upon beginning to complete the
article in full Photoshop, I used dafont.com to
observe and vary the fonts used within my article.
 The main production was subsequently followed by
two separate ancillary tasks. The use of technology
thus continued, as shown by the use of hardware;
digital recorder to record dialogue and software; final
cut pro to edit the recording and implement music.

6. Year 13 Evaluation
 I was encouraged to vary the format of
media used to present each evaluation
question. Notable reference points include;
Prezi, PowerPoint, Video (which would be
uploaded to YouTube) which would be
edited and intertwined with jpeg images, as
well as audio recordings and questionnaires.