Evaluation Part 3

These final three clips answer the remaining evaluation questions. At this point in the narrative I am attending my meeting in the hopes of getting my magazine published. 

Question: How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real life products?

Question: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Question: What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I'd like to thank my friend Harry Finnis for teaching me how to overcome the technical difficulties of uploading my finished videos onto the blog. So an extra point to add onto my last video clip, I have also learnt how to change file types in programs like Handbrake and understand how different programs accept different video files, such as mp4 and wmv. 

This is the end of my media studies coursework and so it is also the end of my blog. 

Thank you for reading. 

Evaluation Part 2

This is the second part of my evaluation and like with my first clips, the latter question is comprised of two videos due to storage restrictions. In terms of the context of my narrative, the story has progressed and I am no longer in University, instead I am preparing for my job interview that will take place later that day. 

What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?

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

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? (Part 2)

Evaluation Part 1

This is the first part of my evaluation and answers two of the questions.

The latter two videos comprise of one question but are split into two because the file size was too large to upload as one complete video. 

In terms of my narrative plan, the context of the story is at University, where I am trying to start up my own magazine company. In the second question, the story has moved forward by four months and I am dropping out of University to pursue my career in the magazine industry. 

Who would be the audience for your product?

The Country Music Awards study I referenced can be accessed through a link I attached to my 'audience' post.  The study I referred to regarding population can be found on The Office for National Statistics website.

How did you attract/address your audience? (Part 1)

How did you attract/address your audience? (Part 2)

Video Plan

I've decided that I need to be original. I've decided that I need to be creative. I've also decided that I need to be detailed. 

The way that I'm going to be original, creative and detailed is by incorporating the evaluation questions into a narrative format. I think that because films and filmmaking are a hobby of mine, I would like to write a screenplay that mimics the style of a documentary or an interview, but still unfolds like a short episode or sitcom. This way I am demonstrating my creative ability in another part of media studies (film and television).

Now, in terms of tone and quality, I have two very large inspirations:The Thick of It and The Office US (stills from the programmes are below). They are both comedies that are filmed using shaky camera movements to create the impression that the episodes are a 'mockumentary' on real life situations, and perfectly balance the work-related context with the humour. 

I was thinking that I could adopt a similar scenario in which I embed the evaluation questions into the dialogue so that it appears like a mockumentary. That way I can use a serious and detailed script when answering the questions, but then contrast it with light hearted dialogue in between to make the narrative unfold more enjoyably. 

So although this is wholly video based and doesn't use other platforms, I still think this makes the best use of my creative talents since I can test my ability as a screenwriter, cinematographer and actor. Thus it enables me to try out numerous roles in the film industry and makes use of skills I haven't tested in this coursework. 

My Narrative Plan

I have worked out the best way to construct and deliver a plausible storyline. I have also reordered the questions in order to take place according to when they best fit into the narrative. 

1. Who would be the audience for your media product?
   To begin with, I will portray  myself as a young entrepreneur currently studying at University whilst also trying to start up his own magazine. It is early in the morning when my roommate gets up and asks who I am emailing. I'm emailing the famous Jax Crowford (the fictional artist in my magazine) and asking if he'd like to feature in the debut edition. My flatmate mocks this and enquires about the lack of plausibility in my plan, whilst also asking whether I have thought about who my audience would be...cue answer NO 1.
2. How did you attract/address your audience?
   The timeline has moved forwards by 4 months. I am choosing to drop out of the university year because I have a finished draft of my debut edition of Outlaw Rhapsody and want to pursue it financially. My flatmate congratulates me and explains how he never expected Jax Crowford to agree to feature inside. I then proceed to explain how I have tailored the magazine to appeal to and address my audience...cue answer NO 2.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your product?
   I am now living back at my home after dropping out of Uni and choosing to pursue my career as a magazine editor. It is the morning of my interview with a possible publisher for my product. My mum talks to me about the where I will go from here, and after having it published what company I will use to distribute it...cue answer NO 3.
4. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
   At this point I am very nervous. We are sitting in the car getting ready to go to the interview. For comedic effect I am feeling very ill. My mum then asks about how confident I am and questions the quality of my earlier portfolio (my preliminary task in this case). I then go into detail about how I am much more experienced and confident in my abilities now...cue answer NO 4.
5. In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real life products?
   I have motivated myself and after getting the confidence to walk into the meeting room, I sit there agitatedly while waiting for the manager. He comes in and explains how he is looking for something conventional but original, and then asks about how I've made us of the conventions of real life products...cue answer NO 5. 
6. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
   The publishing manager then proceeds to ask about the ethical and cultural depictions in my magazine because he needs assurances that the product is not offensive or unethical to any social group...cue answer NO 6.
7. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
   The manager compliments the product but doesn't believe that I am a professional in the field. To make sure that he is getting into business with someone who has experience, he requires confirmation of my skills and so I talk about the process of Photoshop in making my magazine as well as the video editing software I will use to make my short film...cue answer NO 7.
   The narrative then ends in a light-hearted way with a positive conclusion. The manager says he thinks that the magazine has potential and will be in touch, but remains perfectly serious while I get overexcited about the success.  

So in summary, I will depict a fictional environment that uses context from my magazine portfolio in order to establish a light hearted but in-depth reflection on my creative journey. 

Thinking Creatively

In addition to the quality of my answers I know that the final 20 marks are also given based on the creativity in which I present them. 

Having inspected the way that past candidates interpreted the questions, I found that most employed a variety of visual, audio, audiovisual and video mediums for each of the questions. In order for my own evaluation to have a unique feel, I want to stray away from frequently used techniques. 

Personally, I think that the visual platform is too basic and could possibly place restrictions on how much detail I can include in my answers. There is a tendency nowadays to overuse the form of a powerpoint or a prezzie and so I would rather avoid it altogether. Plus there is more of a reliance on the images to express meaning, using text as a subsidiary convention.  For this reason I don't think that I can demonstrate either enough originality or detail if I were to adopt this medium. 

An audio platform has the same simplicity in my opinion. It is essentially a written essay being read aloud, but it could converge effectively with the visual platform to create something like a guided virtual tour. Not only that, but I acknowledge that a use of a non-diegetic narration is creative in that it could be adapted to mimic the style of a radio station or sports commentary.

However for me it is retreading over ground that students in past years have thought of. Although it worked then, I would like to be able to create something that is creative because of its originality.

Process of Elimination

With that in mind there is only one other logical option left: video. I think that by using a video based platform it leaves a lot of unused possibilities in terms of the content and cinematography. With regards to how I will make my content unique, that is the next step. 

Starting the Evaluation

There are different ways to approach the evaluation. In class I have been shown examples of how other students interpreted the seven questions, all of which adopt similar mediums but modify them slightly in order to evoke a personal touch. Examiners in the past have praised students for using a variety of creative techniques to promote their responses, so I want to create something that is both an in-depth and imaginative reflection on my work over the last few months. 

Different Formats that I could use:

Audio Visual
Many candidates used either a voiceover to accompany the text on screen or a narration to act as a guide to the visual techniques appearing on screen. This enables the student to include both a scripted piece of dialogue as well as a visual supplement in order to establish a convergence of media platforms. Not only does this demonstrate variation in the knowledge of technology, but also allows a more effective demonstration due to the vocal and visual features complementing each other. 

Video
A video in my opinion gives the candidate the most freedom. It allows them to explore the way in which they convey their answers through what needs to be an engaging visualisation. By doing this it converts a standard response onto a platform with numerous possibilities, such as imitating the form of a documentary, a job interview etc. 
Using a medium like video means that I would need to express an understanding of camera shots, mise en scene and editing in order to make my video seem creatively unique and professional. 

Visual
Prezzies and slideshows lend themselves naturally to this because they enable the candidate to have a more succinct structure to their answers. The flow and chronology of the presentation makes for an obvious but effective layout, allowing students to stress their points concisely but clearly. On a platform like this there would be an expectation for lots of images, links, and there would be less of a focus on the textual input. 

Looking Back

I have posted the final designs for each of the sections so that it is easier to compare the progressive continuity across the product. To put it simply, I am very proud of this work and think that it conveys the themes and captures the tone of country music. 

Contents Complete

I situated the image in the same location as before, but enlarged it slightly so that it started to balance the photographic/textual ratio. Furthermore the contrast and brightness of the photo have been edited in order to define the colours with more significance. 

I also raised the photo so that I no longer had room to write 'Contents' along the top since I had already decided to place it in a less prominent position. 

In terms of textual content, I was satisfied with the combination of real and fictional artists, albums and events that I had previously included, so I only needed to add minor modifications. 

This print screen demonstrates a couple of the changes I wanted to make. Firstly, 'Contents' has been reduced in scale and isolated in the corner due to its generic title. In its place the magazine's label 'Outlaw Rhapsody' and 'This Issue!' are established to express an urgent currency as well as emphasise the reliability of the institution. 

Having written the 'Features' section, all I had to do was drag the layer over to my new draft and realign it depending on where it could fit into my new layout. Whereas before I compacted the features into the top half, I felt that extending and thinning the columned text box created the spatial impression that had been lacking. 

The next thing I did was copy the rest of my text over. A notable addition is the 'News' section where I decided to include a range of general musical news as well as news regarding the country genre specifically. An example of general news is the 'David Bowie' tribute since it is recent and evokes compassion. With specific content I wanted a national story to use, and 'Hazel Cummings' provided an interesting combination of being an underdog whilst also making an impression on admirers. 

I didn't add any grey rectangle to act as a backdrop because that was one of the reasons that my first draft appeared too confined. The simplicity of a white background allowed the text to blend with the rest of the page, and also gave the grey backdrop behind the 'features' more definition. 

Taking one of the more suitable features of my first draft, I once again included the blue box as a way of highlighting the importance of the feature story, thus linking the feature with the main image. 

With my secondary image I decided to swap it for a shot of my grandad where he had an improved body posture. The problem was that the background light dulled the frame, and I couldn't just edit the whole picture without the contrast or exposure affecting the background as well. So I used the magnetic lasso tool to carve out my grandad and cut him onto the contents without the rest of the composition influencing the tone of the whole page. 

This gave the depth of field a much more definitive establishment, which acted as a way of emphasising my grandad in the foreground of the page, creating a multidimensional layout. 

However since this overlapped the text I would need to rearrange the text to mould around the outline of the image. 

The final addition is the abbreviated date, '24/01/16' correlates with the date on the cover but also reiterates the importance of how relevant it is to modern events and affairs (serves the same function by rewriting 'Outlaw Rhapsody').

My finished design is a much more effective product. The page numbers are all the same colour and this continuous approach creates synchrony. 

I used an appropriate font for 'This Issue' that complemented the bold impact it needed to have, which wasn't too informal but conveyed a sophisticated passion. Rather than using another primary colour I stuck to white because it helped to simplify the layout of the page.

The arrow shape that juts out from Jax's feature reinforced the visual relationship between the text and the image, and I thought this was a welcome contrast to the segregated sections across the page. Similarly I gave the secondary photo a blue backdrop to imply the significance of the subject to the text. This further helped to connect with the audience, because I now had a youthful artist and traditional artist prominently located on the contents which showcased the need to appeal to multiple generations. 

Finally the simple page number at the bottom rounded out my modifications. I referenced it as page '3' because many magazines use an advertisement on the interior of the front cover, which would take up page '2'. 

One change that didn't make it was the editor's note, and this was because I felt that it didn't correspond with the devotion to the artist's on the page. Like I said before it doesn't always appear on the contents page, just somewhere towards the front. 

Revisiting the Contents Page

In the post beforehand I expressed my lack of satisfaction with the contents page that I have constructed. Reflecting on both the layout and general content I included, the conclusion I reached was that the tone I established on the cover was not adequately reciprocated in this section of my finished product. Therefore I want to continue experimenting with ideas by diverting away from the format illustrated in my flat plans. 

For my second attempt, there were several changes I wanted to make in both textual content and visual layout. I will list some of the modifications below that will hopefully improve on my initial page.

• 'This issue'
  To identify the page, magazines all tend to mention 'contents' somewhere but in addition to this a lot of them include 'this issue' or 'this week' in a bolder font to exaggerate relevance. In my first draft I used the conventional 'contents' to title my page, but this time I want to reduce the scale to make room for 'This Issue' which will act as a defining feature on the page.
  
  
• Editor's Note 
  This is an optional feature to include on the contents, but an editor's note is always evident somewhere towards the start of a magazine to introduce it from an employee's perspective.  The purpose is to humanise the institution who create and distribute the product.
  
  
• Second Image 
  My first draft was heavily dependent on text, so I thought that maybe I could use the secondary photo to balance the ratio a bit better. But since the lighting wasn't very good in the shot I picked, I want to further experiment with the software to make it an equal contrast to the main image on the page. 
  
  
• Colour 
  I've already said that using a greyish tint to certain elements of the page were deliberate to act as a transition from the black and white layer over the front cover image. However I've ended up using grey to cover a large surface area of the page, so I thought a variety of paler shades might counteract the darkened effect.
  
  
• Spaciousness
  The dark overcast of the grey boxes made the page seem very compact and crammed with information. Although this is good in some ways for making the reader think that the magazine has lots to offer, you don't want it to be an overwhelming quantity. This links with colour, but I want to make the layout more spacious in order to give each section a definitive location.