Year 2 FMP evaluation by Olivia Day

1. L3 Creative Media
Production &
Technology
Year Two Evaluation Template

2. Project Overview

3. What was the theme of your project and
what attracted you to it?
The main theme of my project was empowering people to look past the filters which are
so commonly used on social media today and focus on appreciating the little things in life
much more. I mentioned this point in my contextual research and statement when I stated
that the ‘Male Gaze’ had corrupted advertisements for so long and I believe that
making women pose in a sultry manner was no longer necessary as the selling point of a
product. I had been a witness to advertisements (posters, video ads and promos) such as
these for so long that I eventually became sick of this trope which sheds women in a light
that is so degrading to our gender as a whole.
I feel passionate about topics such as this as I tend to enforce my feminist ideologies in
everyday life. I believe that the makeup/cosmetics industry should advocate for equal
treatment and embrace our ‘flaws’ marked by modern media. Therefore, the
demographic for my project was entirely gender-neutral as this allowed me to reach a
wider audience whilst also neglecting the Male Gaze when producing my work. I think
that the ‘fakeness’ of social media filters and Photoshop are a thing of the past and
looking ‘fresh’ and ‘clean’ is the new way forward.

4. What research did you undertake and how
did it help develop your project?
In terms of researching for my FMP, I conducted four different types of research - contextual,
audience, market, and production. Contextual research had a huge impact on building the
key format ideas and influence for my FMP. It gave me a base layer to build from when
compiling images which would eventually influence the overall vibe/aesthetic of how I
intended the final product to look. Firstly, I designed a mind map in which I stated which
compartments were key to building a makeup brand such as a website, advert, social media
profile, and product, and initial ideas for how I intend them to be presented. Following this, I
started to select images from Pinterest, as I often find that Pinterest grants me photos from
pre-existing brands which perfectly capture the specific aesthetic I am searching for.
With these images, I created a mood board for my brand’s website, products and
advertisement in which the tones of the images were mainly light and neutral. When stating
the key influence/inspiration for my brand, I researched pre-existing makeup brands such as
Glossier, Rhode Skin, Charlotte Tilbury, and Kylie Cosmetics. I found it really interesting to
see how brands started and paved their way to success through different marketing
techniques and product design strategies in order to grasp the attention of their target
audience. Additionally, I researched documents/essays which dived into a conversation on
important matters in marketing such as the Male Gaze and how it has infiltrated the way
brands present their products to their audience. This opened my eyes to ways I can create a

5. What research did you undertake and how
did it help develop your project?
In terms of my research PowerPoint, I started with audience research. I did this by
composing a survey on Google Forms, in which I asked a selection of questions which would
eventually drastically assist me when creating products that were suitable for a wide
audience. I wanted my audience to choose everything that would be included in the final
designs of my FMP so that there was a felt connection between my target audience and the
brand. For example, I asked questions based on which product designs stood out most to
large audiences and which makeup brands people tend to use most. This allowed me to
later, pluck inspiration from brands which were most answered, through research, and
magpie design techniques and interpret them into my own work later. I found the survey
responses very informative as I was able to learn which aspects of inclusivity the survey
responders most wished for in the makeup industry so that they felt that their desires were
recognized when shopping for makeup products.
Another piece of research which I conducted for my FMP which, as a result, was influential in
producing quality work was market research. Market research allowed me to explore
marketing strategies such as communication between brands and their customers, social
media platforms, website layouts and individual aesthetics which brands have made for
themselves. The brands which I researched each had their own attributes which I
appreciated and inspired my own work. For example, Glossier maintains a clean and

6. What research did you undertake and how
did it help develop your project?
I started by studying Glossier’s history, including its founding story and journey to growing
a successful brand which helped me understand the company's evolution and the strategies
used to achieve success. Following this, I researched Glossier’s social media presence and
how they choose to interact with their audience by upkeeping personal and aesthetically
pleasing content in order to engage with their audience. In understanding how they choose
to present the brand to the world, I was able to question how following in their footsteps as I
approached production may guarantee me the same outcome such as the attention they
obtain. The research I conducted on Glossier's journey to success, social media marketing,
brand aesthetic, and website layout provided me with a great amount of knowledge and
inspiration. It helped me understand the strategies that contributed to Glossier's
achievements which I applied to shape my own brand. I followed my research on glossier by
conducting the same research on the brand Rare Beauty. Comparing and contrasting Rare
Beauty helped me distinguish the unique aesthetics they each obtain which I later aligned
with my own visions for my own brand. I then adapted my findings to suit my project and
target audience.
The final piece of research I conducted was production research in which I relied on a single
YouTube video which instructed me on how to create a professional-looking brand
advertisement which was guided by a professional commercial director. I was able to draw
inspiration from this video and incorporate the technical skills into my advertisement such as
recognizing narrative structure, visual aesthetics and overall production value for my FMP.
However, I recognize that a single slide based on a single video used for production was not

7. How did you develop and improve your
ideas throughout the project?
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about how I developed and improved my
ideas throughout my project was how I initially planned on naming my makeup brand
‘Athena’, based on the Greek Goddess of wisdom and military victory. This is because I
made clear that the theme of my brand was based on female empowerment and inclusivity.
However, I changed my mind early on in the production process and steered towards the
name ‘Cupid.’ instead. The reason I made this change was that I had realised that since I
would be creating a romantic, love-themed, Valentine’s Day makeup collection, the name
‘Cupid.’ would be much more fitting and appropriate to the theme. Not only this, but the
name ‘Cupid.’ would cause customers to associate the brand with feeling ‘attractive’ and
‘enticing’ once using the products, much like how the traditional Cupid works.
Another way how I developed and improved my ideas throughout the project was by
changing the format of the brand logo. Firstly, I started with an all-capital letter font
(‘CUPID.’) and decided to switch as I believe that a lowercase font ‘cupid.’ tied in more
with the minimalistic aspect of the brand and after experimenting on Photoshop with makeup
product layouts with the uppercase font, I had decided there and then that lowercase looked
much neater. In this process, I also recognised that the lowercase font offered a ‘swoosh’ on
the dot of the “i” which appeared to look like a foundation/liquid makeup swatch and
therefore worked much better as a makeup brand’s logo than the logo I had prior.

8. What was the outcome of the project/task?
The end product of my Final Major Project consists of a 2 minute and 28 second
long video advertisement for my own makeup brand’s ‘brand new’
Valentine’s Day themed makeup collection.
The video features the visuals of a young boy knocking on the front door of a house
as a young girl proceeds to open it with a wide grin on her face. The next frame is
blank and black as it reads ”Valentine’s Day… a film by Cupid Cosmetics” –
clearly stating that that is the official name of the video sequence/ advertisement.
The official ‘start’ of the advert shows the young girl, from the start, running up
the stairs and into what appears to be a bedroom as she goes on to climb onto a
makeup table stool and apply makeup. The shot where she picks up the lip gloss
reads “Rouge Honey Lip Gloss… VDAY collection 23’” so that the audience is
aware of which product is being shown. The camera then slowly swivels past the
little girl’s head to reveal an older, more mature version of the girl. The woman
stands up and proceeds down the same stairs the young girl once did and outside
to meet her date in a car parked outside the home. Once the woman is seated in
the car, she picks up a red, heart-shaped perfume bottle and sprays herself – this
shot also reads the name of the product. As the car drives onward into the road, the
camera glides upwards into the bright sky which then transitions into the next scene.
This scene shows a different girl applying a lip liner and lip gloss on her own vanity
– she then stands up and throws her body onto her bed as she proceeds to write a
love letter which she marks with a kiss, leaving traces of the lip products shown
prior. The camera transitions past what is later shown to be behind a TV screen to

9. What was the outcome of the project/task?
…much which is shown in order to prove that the mascara she is wearing is
waterproof and long-lasting. Following this scene, the video pans into a kitchen,
floating past an array of baking ingredients and reveals a man working hard to bake
something sweet. He wipes his forehead in stress and begins to apply the
translucent ‘baking powder’, included in the makeup set, and then sneezes into
the camera for comical effect. The frame is submerged in the whiteness from the
face powder and this acts as a white fade-in to the final scene of the advert. The
final shot shows the same young boy from the beginning of the advert and he walks
towards the front door of a house which he proceeds to knock on. The same little
girl opens the door eagerly and she is then handed the Valentine’s Day makeups
set which the advertisement is promoting as the advert closes on a wholesome
note. The final shot of the video sequence shows the makeup set all together along
with a tagline “Captivate Hearts and Experience Love in Full Colour: Fall in Love
with Cupid's Brand New Valentine's Day Makeup Collection!”.
In addition to this, a lot of product design aspects contributed to the outcome of
this project. Or example, I composed a mock website of my brand (Cupid
Cosmetics) which consists of current makeup products and upcoming, seasonal
product releases to excite my customers. I also created a small mock-up of how
some Instagram stories/posts would be presented to the brand’s social media
following as social media is a huge aspect of modern-day brand marketing.

10. Personal Response
This section will explore your thoughts and feelings about the
experience. This will help gain a understand of how your personal
feelings may have impacted the final outcome.

11. How did you feel about the project before you
started?
At first, I was hesitant stepping into my final major projects as I was unsure of which path
to take in terms of which area of media, I could best present the skills I had acquired
during my time in college. After consideration, I decided to create a makeup brand as I
had previously worked in the area of cosmetics/ product marketing last year, for my Year 1
FMP. I believe that the fact that I did not reach the grades I had hoped for last year, led
me to feel more motivated to create a much more in-depth and production-packed
outcome for my Year 2 FMP.
I am constantly being fed advertisements and marketing material by professional brands
online because of the time I spend on my phone, scrolling through apps such as
Instagram and TikTok. Therefore, I felt like I understood the kind of material audiences,
much like myself, tend to gravitate towards. This offered me a head start in understanding
which current aesthetics/ brand aspects are currently trending through social media which
gave me a sense of confidence heading into my FMP.
Overall, once I had set my bearings for the project, I was excited to research and produce
products from a topic which I hold a great interest in.

12. Did you collaborate on your project or engage
contributors, etc?
I had planned since the beginning/ planning stage of my FMP that I would need to find
actors that would be willing to contribute help towards making my video advertisement
come together. In terms of working with other creative media students and teaming up to
collaborate our projects together, I did not find that form of work necessary for the plans I
had set in place for my project. Therefore, the entirety of the research, planning, and
Photoshop and PremierPro editing stage of my FMP was completed entirely by my own
devices.
When it came to filming the advertisement for the makeup products which I had
conceptualized and produced on my own, I asked for the assistance of a few of my family
members to stand in as the actors for the storyline. I believed that since I had such close
connections to people of all ages starting from aged 4, all the way through to early 50s,
they would fit in perfectly to the characters I had visualized in the planning stage of my
FMP.
The notable contributors/actors were family friend Wilfred (aged 4), my little sister Felicity
Day (aged 4), my step-mum Rebecca Day (aged 35), my father Richard Day (aged 52), my
older sister Kharys Day (aged 21) and brother-in-law Myles Labhaya (aged 27).

13. How did you feel when the project was completed and
why?
I felt very relieved. Knowing that months of hard work and pressure to produce the best
work I possibly could have come to an end allowed me to feel a sense of relaxation within
myself. I no longer had to worry about fitting hours of work into certain, dense timeframes
which was alleviating. The pressure of producing university-level grade work granted me
motivation to work much harder for my Year 2 FMP in comparison to Year 1.
Being told, before I even began my FMP, that I was on target for a higher grade than I had
maybe anticipated, really relieved any doubts and uncertainties I had about my abilities.
As a result, I found myself more overwhelmed with the excitement of the opportunities
that I could explore with my FMP, rather than restrictions and self-scrutiny that could have
blocked my potential. Therefore, once I had finished the whole planning and production
stage of my FMP, I felt proud of myself that I didn’t ever fall into a pit of self-doubt
throughout the whole process.
I am glad and thankful that now I can enjoy summer without any question on whether I
have produced enough quality work which will guide me towards enrolling in university. I
now feel like I am on my way to furthering my media skill in a more professional
environment and overall, I am grateful for the many learning experiences I was granted
during my time at York College.

14. Evaluating the project
In the previous sections, you have been commenting upon the project development. The evaluation
may include some similar information but it will also include critical comment.
An evaluation must include information about the good and bad points of the project and it is
important to be honest. Finally, you should make a judgment about the effectiveness of the success of
the project

15. What were the good points about the project/task and what did
you learn from them?
The first good point was the research I underwent in order to visualise and build a brand
which was successful and professionally appealing. Using Google Forms to create a
questionnaire on what different audiences look for in a makeup brand proved to be a
crucial step in creating a makeup brand that was suitable and inclusive to all. The
questionnaire was carefully crafted to gather insights from diverse audiences, considering
factors such as age, gender, and individual needs. The questions covered various aspects,
including product quality, shade range, affordability, inclusivity, sustainability, and
packaging. I found using Google Forms incredibly useful as the customisable question
formats allowed the participants to provide detailed feedback while also allowing easy
data analysis later in the research process. To maximize the reach of the questionnaire, I
asked friends and family to share the survey amongst group chats and Facebook groups
to ensure that the collected data represented a wide variety of perspectives, resulting in a
more accurate understanding of the makeup community's preferences.
The 40 survey responses played a significant role in shaping the
production of my makeup products. I was able to make
informed decisions during the product development phase. The
responses allowed me to create a diverse shade range that
cater to various skin tones and prioritize factors like long-lasting
formulas, cruelty-free and sustainable products and inclusive
marketing strategies.

16. What were the good points about the project/task and what did
you learn from them?
The second good point was discovering an aesthetic to apply to my makeup
brand and make it come to life throughout the production phase.
Discovering and researching brands such as Glossier and Rare Beauty
played a pivotal role in conceptualizing and producing a makeup brand that
would be considered trendy and appealing to a large audience. By studying
their production and marketing styles, I gained valuable insights into the
current industry trends and consumer preferences. I applied this knowledge
to the design and development of my own makeup brand. Using
Photoshop, I crafted minimalistic and trendy makeup package designs that
would capture the attention of my target audience. I focused on clean lines,
modern typography, and a neutral colour palette to create packaging that
would capture the attention of all audiences – allowing for an inclusive
makeup brand to be born.
Photoshop proved to be a valuable tool in bringing my makeup brand to
life. It allowed me to experiment with different design concepts, refine the
finer details, and create mock-ups that showcased the final product in a
realistic and professional way. The combination of industry research and
experimenting with design techniques allowed me to create a brand that

17. What were the good points about the project/task and what did
you learn from them?
The third good point about my FMP was that watching the final cut of my Valentine's Day
themed makeup collection advert, after months of preparation, was an incredibly fulfilling
experience for me. The weeks of research and planning for the video format truly paid off
as the advert turned out exactly how I had envisioned it, capturing the essence of romance
and growth. I studied successful advertisements in the beauty industry that effectively
conveyed the theme of wholesomeness and the essence of beauty. By analysing different
storytelling techniques, visual elements, and music choices, I gained inspiration to create a
heartfelt and relatable advert. Using Adobe Premiere Pro, I carefully cut the videos together
and added the necessary effects to produce a visually appealing final product. The backing
track "Your Song" by Elton John was a perfect choice to compliment the visuals and
produce a sense of nostalgia and love. The advert not only showcased the makeup
products but also conveyed a storyline of love, giving, and growth as it painted a picture of
couples treating one another for Valentine’s Day. This underlying message added
relatability to the advert, making it resonate with the audience on a personal level.
The process of preparing and watching the final cut of a Valentine's Day themed makeup
collection advert was a very fulfilling experience. The weeks of research and planning,
combined with the use of Adobe Premiere Pro paid off in my eyes.

18. What challenges did you face and how did you respond
to them?
The first challenge I can think of throughout the whole FMP experience was a
technical difficulty that I encountered as I was finalizing piecing together the final
selection of videos for my advertisement. Towards the end of the video, I hoped
for a smooth transition from the end of the ‘storyline’ into an image
presentation of all of the makeup products, included in the makeup set, displayed
with a tagline beside it. However, as I tried to place a “fade to white” transition
from the scene of the gift box being handed over into the display of the makeup
collection, for some reason, PremierPro would not allow for this action to happen.
I tested this with multiple transitions, and yet, the action just would not take place.
After advice from a confused tutor, I ended up exporting the whole
advertisement sequence and the final makeup display image individually and then
cut them together on a separate PremierPro file which finally worked. This whole
technical encounter caused me feelings of stress ad worry as I was nearing the
end of the final college day to get everything exported and as I reached this
point, I was beginning to feel quite ill-prepared. However, this feeling was put to
rest quickly once I was advised on the best way to overcome this technical error.

19. What challenges did you face and how did you respond
to them?
Another challenge faced was how using separate devices to upload videos, can cause
errors in fonts and lead to confusion for myself, and the devices used. For example, as
we reached the time to upload our video footage for the presentation night that my
course organized together, I lost track of time and had to open the PremierPro file
from a computer different from the one I usually use during lessons. This is because I
forgot to upload the video sooner and another student was using my computer at
the time that I needed it. I had previously uploaded fonts from the internet onto my
computer and onto the project that I felt were better suited to the aesthetic of the
advertisement. As a result, in a hurry to get my work uploaded to the presentation
file, I obliviously did not have time to watch the whole video sequence through and
the text on the video was saved and uploaded as a standard Arial font. When the
time came to watch everyone’s individual projects through on the presentation
night and it reached mine, I noticed that the font was not right and that some of the
transitions were not in place.
This whole ordeal was a shame to me as I felt that the audience of the presentation
night did not get to witness my full potential. In a hurry to get my work uploaded to
my FMP Wix site, I managed to log back onto my computer and upload it again, this

20. What were the negative points about the experience,
and what could you have done to improve them?
Overall, I am extremely grateful for the experience I was given to conceptualize
and design a brand entirely made by me. I have always been an artistic person
and loved spending time expanding my drawing/ design skills and watching my
designs slowly progress into something real and authentic to me. Therefore, in
terms of how much I enjoyed the freedom and creativity of this project, there is
nothing that I would change about what I learnt from myself and my peers
around me as I believe that it is a great starting point into finding our
niche/calling.
However, I believe that an area I need to improve in is my tendency to
procrastinate doing work from home and missing deadlines. I stated this point in
my evaluation for my Year 1 FMP and I admit, I am not proud that my
performance did not improve the year following. This habit of mine is
inconvenient, not only to myself, but for my tutors too. As I head into university
and a more intense working environment, I believe that I will appreciate the value
of time much more and I will work much harder to meet deadlines.

21. What is your opinion of your final piece? What elements
do you think are successful and why?
My personal opinion of my final piece is that, given the fact that I had a very tight budget
and minimal access to high-tech professional equipment, I am very proud of the
outcome, and I believe that the result of my work portrays my capabilities well. For
instance, I am proud in myself that I followed up on what I left in my FMP evaluation last
year – that given the time I had, I should have expressed my potential more than I did by
producing more that one product that contributed to the end result of my work. Last year,
I created a perfume product and an advertisement video to promote it. However, this
year, yes, I created a cosmetics advertisement, but I also designed more than just one
makeup product and the website store to support the brand as a whole. I believe that this
year I put in much more effort into ensuring that I can achieve the best grades possible,
by incorporating much more research, planning and production to produce a detailed,
professional piece of work.
If I were to note which elements of my FMP could have gone smoother, and had more
professionalism applied, I would say that my problem solving was quite brief. I
acknowledge that I should have applied more details in order to make a more extensive
contingency plan so that I would be better prepared when facing potential setbacks. In
addition to this, I did not place enough of my energy into experimenting product design
concepts. This led me to feeling slightly unprepared when I reached the production phase
of my FMP which is less than satisfactory when working on a project that determines my
place at university.

22. How did you design appeal to your
target audience?
My target audience was mostly based on the survey that I produced in the early research stage of
my FMP preparation. This survey determined which ‘style’/’type’ of products I would be
creating so that my audience would be most satisfied with my brand.
I initially started by asking the survey respondents to state their age from >18 to 50< so that I would
later be able to distinguish which mean of results were most common in each age group which
would allow me to determine which age range I would be targeting my brand around. Following
this, I went on to ask much more specific questions such as “Which of the following makeup
products do you use the most?”, “Which of the following factors are important to you when
choosing makeup products?” and “What is your favourite makeup brand and why?” so that I
could apply research to each response and determine which brands include the factors which were
mentioned the most and grasp inspiration from said brands to build a brand that would have the
highest possible chance of success on the current market.
In terms of my brand's packaging appearance/front, I asked the survey participants “Are you more
likely to purchase a product if it has pretty/aesthetic packaging?” so that I could determine whether
applying a unique and clean-cut design would be beneficial to stand out to my audience.
Personally, I tend to buy makeup products which I believe would look good on my makeup stand
and also provide good results to my skin so I was leaning towards making this a main focus for my
brand anyway. Therefore, I was not too surprised when the results showed that 26/40 people ticked
”Yes” as a response to this question. This really sealed the deal and, consequently, I focused on

23. Analysis
In this section, you will focus on the details of the project and make
sense of what happened in the project. You should demonstrate how
your decisions informed the project development and the success of the
outcome.

24. In what ways was the overall project a
success?
Overall, my project was a success as I believe that I let myself loose with my designs and
followed the path which I paved from the start – meaning that my final product/s looks
exactly how I had initially imagined. I managed to submit all of my practical work within
the time frame given and I will be forever grateful for the mistakes made and lessons
learnt throughout the whole process as I believe it has offered me a glance into working
professionally in this field in the future. For that very reason, this project was a huge asset
to me and therefore, a success.
Learning to apply research correctly to the final project was no struggle for me as I got to
experience the importance of focusing on current market trends and how interpreting
them in my own, unique way can bring a sense of empowerment by believing, from the
start, that my project will be a success. As previously stated, I believe that I applied the
audience research to the design stages of my FMP well in terms of providing a brand
which listens to what customers are truly searching for in a cosmetics company. I am also
incredibly proud of the outcome of my video advertisement as it perfectly aligns with the
storyboard I mocked up as I was planning the visual elements of the video to appear. Not
only this, but I appreciate the uniqueness of the storyline and how the underlying
message lines up with the message I intended my brand to convey from the start – that it

25. What elements did not go well and why?
Moving onto which elements of the project did not go as well, I would say that
the length of time it took for me to finish each design caused me stress
throughout the production process. Throughout the production process of my
FMP, I created 8 cosmetics products, in the time I had given, to be uploaded to
Cupid’s website, each one with 1-4 variants to accompany each product.
Conceptualising a unique design for each different makeup product led me to
feel uncertain multiple times about how they looked throughout the process and
start from scratch. To combat this, I should have initially experimented more and
created rough sketches/ photoshop designs so that I could have headed into the
production phase with a clear head. Professional makeup brands have teams of
graphic/product designers which will do trial runs of each unique product they
produce. However, I felt like as I was working solo throughout this project, the
time I was given was not sufficient in terms of being able to do this.

26. What meaning and messages did you want to
convey and were you successful?
Since the start of the project, I stated that I wanted the underlying theme/ message of my
brand to focus on opposing societal standards of makeup brand advertisements that
customers may expect. What I mean by this, is that female models are often posed in a sultry,
vulnerable manner in order to appear desirable, thus, making the product being sold more
‘desirable’. I believe that this practice is outdated and no longer necessary to make a
product appear ‘fresh’ and ’hot’. I avoided all association with the ‘Male Gaze’, a
term originated by film theorist Laura Mulvey, by highlighting wholesome encounters between
couples and avoiding seductively presenting the female models.
Not only this, but I believe that the underlying message of the advert, as a whole, was that a
simple makeup product can be used to elevate a person’s Valentine’s day experience in
order to make it more straight sailing. For example, the video starts with a young girl receiving
the makeup gift set (which is being advertised) by a face-less character, and immediately her
face lights up and she excitedly runs up the stairs of her house, eager to try it on. I remember
being a little girl and feeling so excited when I was granted the opportunity to experiment with
makeup and make myself feel more beautiful and therefore, I believed that this was a perfect
place for the advertisement to start. At the end of the video, it is revealed that the character
who gifted the young girl the makeup gift set is a young boy of a similar age to the girl. During
the presentation night of our projects which my course held, I heard a few members of the
audience say “Aw!” when this part of the story was revealed. For this reason, I believe that
the wholesomeness of the advert which I wished to portray, was recognised by the audience
and therefore, I believe that I was successful in conveying the message that I had initially

27. What would you do differently in the future and
why?
If I was given the opportunity to do a similar project like this again, I would do a few things
differently. I would start by focusing more on experimenting with product designs by
producing mock-ups so that I would feel better prepared when it comes to designing the real
thing. I am now aware that not doing as such can cause me to fall behind and feel stressed as I
watch my peers progress with their projects whilst I am stuck at a crossroads of which font to
pick or which shade could look better on the makeup packaging for instance.
In addition to this, if I was granted the chance to work with higher quality lighting and camera
equipment, I believe that the condition of my video footage would appear much better and as
a result, appear worthy to be advertised in mainstream media. I used my personal camera to
film the footage for my video advertisement and I believe that with some of the clips, the
lighting was off and therefore hard to adjust in PremierPro. I know that if I were to work on a
professional level in this field of media, the quality of the presentation would be much more
polished and I would most likely feel prouder of the result than I currently do.
Finally, if I were to work in this media field on a larger scale, I would definitely focus more on
producing in-depth contingency plans as I believe that in a larger scale environment, more
problems are likely to erupt. I think that because I was working with a trustworthy, small
camera and I filmed in the comfort of my own home, I was aware that any technical or
environmental problems could have been easily faced and therefore I lacked in producing a
problem-solving document that was rich in detail. However, I understand the importance of
ensuring that all elements of technicalities are important to consider when planning for such
an important project.

28. Action Plan
This section will identify what you would do differently in the future and
identify ways you could develop.

29. How could you develop your skills for future projects? Please
identify the appropriate resources and courses. For example,
webpages, tutorials, books, short courses and qualifications.
In the upcoming months, I am preparing to set off to the University of the Arts London to
study Graphic and Media Design at the London College of Communication division. This
specific university is notorious for teaching all things media related and its networking is a
huge asset for when I am prepared to work full-time in an area of media I may choose to
specialise in. The course is three years long however, it also grants me the opportunity to
spend an additional year mid-way through partaking in work placement in the Graphic
Design industry if I so choose. The first year introduces theories and ideas of graphic
design and visual culture and teaches me how to use them in my practical work. I am
looking forward to spending time acknowledging and applying the importance of
theoretical studies to my media projects as I feel like my time at college has been fairly
practical-based and so I am eager to discover a new way of learning. Doing this course is
a huge step for me into setting foot into the real world of working in professional
environments and progressing my media skills much further. I look forward to being
surrounded by the constant buzz and endless possibilities that a large city such as London
has to offer as some may say it is the ‘media and network capital’ of the UK.

30. What personal attributes could you develop to
ensure you are working at a professional level?
To start, I hope to spend my summer picking up my camera more than I currently do,
snapping more shots of the world around me so that I can improve my skills in photography
and build a portfolio for myself that I can build upon during my time at University. I have
always been told that I am really good at capturing genuine and wholesome moments with my
camera and photography is a small hobby of mine that I have always enjoyed, however, I am
aware there is a lot of room for improvement. I have been fortunate enough to be gifted with
a trustworthy camera that takes high-quality images, however, I tend to use it on its standard,
basic setting. I would love to learn more about how to toggle the camera settings and unlock
the range of image styles that I know my camera is capable of. To do this, I could watch
YouTube tutorials that will train me in photography and the technical attributes of my camera,
or, I could simply learn from my Father who has an eye for photography himself and is well-
trained in understanding the many functions of a camera.
In addition to this, I hope to develop my Photoshop skills so that I will feel well-prepared as I
walk through the doors of the University in September. I am lucky to have a Photoshop
subscription myself so I am granted the opportunity to work on media projects from home. I
feel like if I was better equipped with knowledge of the Photoshop software this year, then the
product designs that I produced for my FMP would have appeared much more realistic and I
would have sailed through the production phase with much more ease. To ensure that my
Photoshop skills can improve, I will spend time creating mini-projects for myself, whether that
be simple photo editing or small product concepts that I can apply to my portfolio.