Looking back at the Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it

to a full Product?

Management of timeI managed the time a lot more efficiently for my main task than my preliminary task. This is because for my main task I had a lot more elements to think about; the genre, styling, lighting, background, colour scheme, shot and composition of my model. I think that my time management was successful as I had all my images done very quickly and I finished my final product on the deadline.

Luckily, I own a professional camera which I used in the production of the photos. If I did not own the camera I would have to book a camera in advance to ensure that I had that for the specific time slot that I wanted. I had to book the studio of the photography class in our college, so I spoke to a few teachers to get permission for using the studio. I also had to give them a specific time slot for using the studio in order to fit their schedule.

Management Equipment

Management of human resourcesI have managed people involved in the production of my magazine. I used two different models for my main task and a lighting assistant. I also used my friend who studies graphics and design to prepare the set for the photo shoot. I also managed the styling and the clothes worn by my models. This allowed me to have full control over them and ensure that I get the final piece that I was expecting for. For my preliminary task I did not manage my model as well as I did not style them or anything. I just took images of him around the college on the day.

For my preliminary task I had to draft out how I wanted my front cover and contents page to look like. I had to do this before taking pictures, because it gives me a clear picture where things should be. The same thin applies to my music magazine drafts. But this time I was much more difficult because, I had to follow conventions and look at other existing music magazines. I had to make a few different versions of drafts because e after taking my pictures my whole plan changed. I had to re-drafting all my pages for the music magazine. This time I followed the draft more than I did in the preliminary task because e I realised that it can actually help me to produce a good layout.

Importance of drafts

I have learnt that the front cover does not have to contain a lot of different elements as it might make it look messy and confusing. I was trying to show my skills while lot of different tools and fonts on Photoshop. Some people will say that it went too far and it looks ‘too much’. This time I chose a much cleaner line for the music magazine, using a specific colour scheme without too many distractions. I feel much more confident about this music magazine cover as I feel that I have learnt how to balance the layout and use minimal elements in order to produce a good piece of work.

Design

Audience ResearchThis time I was more focused on what information I want to find on my audience research. In my preliminary task I struggled with finding a mark scheme, mood and more. This time I asked relevant questions for this specific product. I also used a bigger sample and used different age groups to answer my questionnaire. This helped me to get a better understanding of this needs of the customers and what is really interesting the audience in this industry.

Choosing a modelI used the same model for the front cover of both of the magazines. I did this in order to explore and understand how I can change the representation and the mood of the model in a better way. In the college magazine cover Ernie (my model) looks like a good boy, excellent student and a bit geeky. I changed his image totally when creating the music magazine when I turned him into a cool and naughty pop star. It was very interesting to see that I can create such a different meaning and convey a different message just by using different styling, composition, directing instructions and poses. Some people could not even notice that I used the same model (even people that know Ernie personally).