The preliminary task helped the author learn important skills for the full magazine project, including how to use Photoshop and plan content. Feedback from the preliminary revealed areas to improve like reducing clutter. Managing time better was also important. Technical skills like photography were practiced. Researching magazine conventions helped apply them appropriately while also challenging conventions to suit the intended audience and genre. Overall, the preliminary task provided valuable lessons that improved the quality of the final magazine project.

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

2. The preliminary task helped me to realise what I needed to do in order to achieve a much more
successful looking magazine. I experienced many things from it such as using Photoshop. I wasn’t
very sure on how to use Photoshop straight away and this was an issue as I knew I had to use it to
make the magazine cover, however getting to use it meant that I could get used to how it works so
that I was really good at it and knew what I was doing for the main task.
The use of different effects and fonts on
my preliminary made me realise how it
was too busy and unrealistic and
therefore made me change how I went
about doing the main task.
Being able to do the preliminary task
helped a great deal as I was able to see
what I should and shouldn’t do for the
main task. It helped me plan and was
good for research as I did a music
magazine for the preliminary and was
able to relate back to it in comparison.

3. Planning & Preparation
The planning was really important as it helped
with putting all your ideas together and you were
able to choose what was the better out of them
all. The preliminary project was good preparation
for the main task however there was a sort of
relief when having finished the preliminary as you
knew it wasn’t the best but was a great deal of
help for the main task. I drafted my magazine
before I started using technology and this was to
get a understanding of how it all would come
together. preliminary
Main Task

4. Time Management
In my preliminary task there
was no use of time
management at all, I learned
from this for the main task as I
knew I had to keep track of
what I was doing so that I met
the deadlines and didn’t fall
behind. I used a Time Toast
Timeline which was a use of
the internet and I also put
reminders on my phone for
when I had deadlines. The use
of the technology was really
important to be able to create
such a product.

5. Technical Photography
Using a digital SLR camera meant that
the pictures would be of high quality
and would be much better for the
magazine. There was a lot of technical
skills when taking the pictures such as
how I was to frame the shots and also
the different shot types. The pictures I
took for the preliminary were mainly
outside with a much more light
background however the pictures that
were taken for my main task magazine
were of a darker atmosphere and had
Most of the images were long shots
and medium close ups, the pictures
were taken to gain an atmosphere
from the cover star and to portray a
rock look to fit with the genre.

6. Conventions
The conventions of a normal magazines
front cover and contents page consists of
many features and from my research and
preliminary magazine I was able to work
out which worked best and which did not.
Photoshop skills were achieved by the
preliminary magazine helping me practice
how to produce a quality cover, contents
and double page spread.
Example of
conventions from
research.

7. What have I learnt?
The biggest thing I have learnt from undertaking this project is the production of the
magazine and how everything that was needed in the magazine had to either challenge
the conventions of a rock genre or demonstrate them. Having a audience which was
different and not a magazine seen in the shops made it a lot harder as I didn’t want to
have to copy another magazine to be able to achieve a quality rock magazine. The model I
used had to fit in with the genre to make it believable and the poses, costume everything
of the mise – en – scene had to just be right in order to pull it off. I challenged the
conventions by taking the pictures in a different location to which a rock star would be
found showing that the cover star is found on an ordinary street and is like everyone else.
I wanted the audience to be females and the magazine to be all about the music that they
may love and I think using a female cover star may attract that however it could do the
opposite.
I targeted myself to achieve a higher quality magazine and to pace myself but as long as it
meant I got everything done in time. I didn’t want to make it look too busy and my main
worry was the contents page which did cause me a few problems but I did overcome then
and got it done eventually. I think I have improved a lot from what I did in the preliminary
project as I think it was really basic and I was only just getting used to some new
technology which may of hindered the success. Furthermore I feel the main task was a
success compared.