Evaluation of AS Media Studies

1. 7. Looking back at your preliminary task (College
Magazine), what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full product (Music
Magazine)?

2. College and Music Magazines;
O When creating both products, my aim was to ensure they both looked as
realistic as possible and resembled existing magazines on the market.
Creating my college magazine proved difficult as there is limited examples
on the market this then meant it was open to interpretation. I found this task
difficult as there wasn’t a specific style to follow. However when creating my
magazine I found the text fitted around the image nicely meaning my front
cover was spaced out well, meaning it wasn’t too cramped allowing the
audience to see each headline at first glance. However when creating my
music magazine there was a larger variety of examples to look at, this made
me more confident when creating my music magazine as I found out what
worked and what didn’t. I found I was more confident when creating my
music magazine as I had experience using the software which meant less
time was wasted.
O I think the music magazine helped reinforce my creativity as I had more
freedom when taking the photos allowing me to experiment with different
shot types and the distance of the camera. This was shown though my work
as I used a variety of shot types rather than sticking to one specific shot. Also
as I am into the pop genre, I felt more in control as I feel I have finally had my
say in what I think a pop magazine should include and I also feel o am
speaking for the majority of the audience who reads pop magazines.

3. College and Music Magazines;
O When creating our college magazine we were told what shot type to use on
our front cover however when it came to creating our music magazine we
had freedom to use a variety of shot types. I felt confident when it came to
taking the photographs as I was confident with a large range of shot types
also by having experience with DSLR camera during the preliminary task
made shooting the photos easier as it took shorter amount of time.
O When creating our college magazine we had a short time period in which to
complete it. I found I spent a small amount of type editing my photograph
meaning I only made a few changes, this then meant my photographs were
plain and didn’t stand out. However when producing my music magazine I
spent a long time editing my photographs to get them to a professional
standard which helped my magazine look realistic. I feel by editing my
images to a high standard help attract the audiences attention. For example
by changing the brightness of the images attracts the audience at first glance
as it makes the image brighter meaning it will stand out. Also as the image is
brighter allows the audience to look at each individual feature clearly without
the image being put of focus or pixelated.

4. Organisation;
O When producing my music magazine I had to decide what images I
would want to include. When looking at existing magazine popular
artists within that genre were used to help attract the target
audience. As my magazine is aimed at young girls aged between 7-
16 I wanted to use an image of a boy band as girls at this age start
taking an interest in boys. I decided to use 3 boys in my class as
they were available throughout the lesson meaning there was no
time limit when taking the photographs. When planning my photo-
shoot I had to ensure I informed the models when they were
needed and the costume they needed to wear. When planning my
photo-shoot I made individual lists for each boy which they write
down, this then meant they knew exactly what they had to bring and
when. Also the night before the photo-shoot I was sure I sent a
reminder out to all the models reminding them on what they needed
to bring in order for my photo-shoot to be successful as I wanted to
get all the photos competed in one day if it was possible. I feel as
though my planning was successful as all the models remembered
their costume meaning all the photos were taken on the same day
meaning I had more time for the production of my magazine.

5. Organisation;
O When carrying out my photo-shoot I decided I wouldn’t use any
props as I feel this would take the focus away from the main mage.
Also when looking into existing magazine stereotypically no props
were used this meant your main focus is the image which helps to
attract the target audience. When planning the location of my photo-
shoot I referred back to my questionnaire. From this I found out the
audience expect to see the photos taken at a studio this then
helped audience feel as though helped during the production of my
magazine. Once I had decided to use the studio I had to ask about
the availability this then gave ne a time scale of how long I would
have to take my photographs. When it came to the day of the
photo-shoot I put myself down to go first, this then meant I could get
all of my photographs taken at the same time meaning I could have
more time to create my magazine. Also by using the same set of
models in the same costume saved time and allowed me more time
taking as many photos as I could in a restricted amount of time.

6. Time management;
O When creating my music magazine I was very particular in
how I wanted my magazine to look and if didn’t look like
how I wanted it to I would start over, this limited the time I
had to finish my magazine as the deadline was vastly
approaching and I hardly had any work. From this I have
learnt not everything has to be perfect and it is ok for my
work to have faults. However to overcome this problem I
ensured I decided all of my extra time in finishing my
magazine and made sure I had a set deadline in which I
had my magazine completed. Second time round I was
more successful when meeting my deadlines as I had learnt
what not do from previous weeks. Also I asked for various
opinions as I went along with the creation of my magazine
to ensure I had audience input this then helped reinforce
the idea of an audience’s opinion impacting my final
decisions. I thought this was an important part of creating
my magazine