Monday 29 March 2010
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Sunday 24 January 2010
Planning For My Overall Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products ?
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Wednesday 20 January 2010
Magazine Cover Evalutation
Having finished my Magazine Cover overall i am pleased with the final piece. I have included the codes and conventions of the horror movie genre and not forgetting the basic conventions of a magazine. I started off with a basic layout plan of how i wanted to set it out and adjusted it slightly as i went along. I collected many images but narrowed it down to about 4 or 5 to use, some of which i layered and the others i used as main images. For the centre image i have increased the size and adjusted the brightness and contrast to help blend it in with the dark background. I left all of the layers for the background on 100% opacity but i did change one. I chose to lower the levels for the layer which contains the fire. The whole aim of doing this was to make it partially transparent to create an eerie effect. After surveying my target audience i then put the title in place. Overall i am quite pleased i have asked for others opinions as they all have different views and they can spot things that are wrong, that i wouldn't necessarily notice. After analyzing other movie magazine covers i decided to adapt my own to fit the horror movie genre. To do so i included many codes and conventions from this genre and placed them into my magazine cover. Some of these included the Red fonts to reflect blood, danger and warnings and White to reflect purity and innocence. Where as Black reflects darkness and evil. To fit the magazine in with my other products i included the fire which you can see throughout and the constant link with eyes is also displayed as the character makes full eye contact with the audience.
Moving on next to the title i have added the price which i intend to sell this product for with help from my target audience. After researching and carrying out a survey i was able to come up with a price for this product which was reasonable. At the top of the page i have added three movie titles which my magazine will also feature as well as my own movie. These are in a smaller and less bold font but still stands out due to being on a Black background. I have divided these with Yellow squares to add colour to my magazine which also runs along with the colour scheme of my teaser trailer and poster. At the bottom of the page i have included a barcode which i think makes the magazine look professional as well as a magazine needing it for retail puroposes. I have also added a small Black box with White font stating its a "Chilling Exclusive" above the movie title which helps entice the audience just by the use of language. The colours together are also opposites, Black & White contrasting each other. Another key thing which i noticed these products have are release dates, most of these happened to be monthly and as I found out with my target audience they either prefer fortnightly or monthly but monthly came out with more votes. So for this i chose to create a monthly edition which i then displayed the date next to the main title along with a website address which usually helps to promote movies and the magazine further.
Overall i am quite pleased with this product as i have been able to make connections with my previous work and keep it looking professional. I also found that having audience feedback helped alot as i was able to get accurate information which helped to improve my work.
Moving on next to the title i have added the price which i intend to sell this product for with help from my target audience. After researching and carrying out a survey i was able to come up with a price for this product which was reasonable. At the top of the page i have added three movie titles which my magazine will also feature as well as my own movie. These are in a smaller and less bold font but still stands out due to being on a Black background. I have divided these with Yellow squares to add colour to my magazine which also runs along with the colour scheme of my teaser trailer and poster. At the bottom of the page i have included a barcode which i think makes the magazine look professional as well as a magazine needing it for retail puroposes. I have also added a small Black box with White font stating its a "Chilling Exclusive" above the movie title which helps entice the audience just by the use of language. The colours together are also opposites, Black & White contrasting each other. Another key thing which i noticed these products have are release dates, most of these happened to be monthly and as I found out with my target audience they either prefer fortnightly or monthly but monthly came out with more votes. So for this i chose to create a monthly edition which i then displayed the date next to the main title along with a website address which usually helps to promote movies and the magazine further.
Overall i am quite pleased with this product as i have been able to make connections with my previous work and keep it looking professional. I also found that having audience feedback helped alot as i was able to get accurate information which helped to improve my work.
Development of My Magazine Cover
To begin my magazine cover i decided on an appropriate software to use which would enable me to create my piece successfully. I felt that Photoshop would work best as i can edit and manipulate images aswell as use layers to create my work how i imagined it.
As you can see here i have used all of the images i planned to and layered them, starting with the trees. I left the opacity of these to 100% as it isnt a clear image and would like it to show through my other layers. The next image i put onto was the fire, which i edited slightly by changing the brightness and contrast so it was bright and bold compared to the dark, dull trees.
Before i layered the picture of the main character on i had to edit this picture slightly, mainly because it was taken in a lighter setting to the other images i needed it to blend in. To do so i used the curves tool and contrast to dull it down slightly. I then used the wand tool to remove the background so we just have the main character ready to put onto the new setting. I kept the opacity of this layer also on 100% as if i were to lower it, it would make him look ghostly and transparent. Which isnt what i wanted, i aimed to make him bold and stand out from the bright fire. The characters clothes also help with this as they are quite light and pure compared to the dark fire which also helps to contrast him from the background
After browsing through different websites looking for copyright free fonts i finally found 5 which i liked. To help me choose the best one i did a small survey and asked my target audience to tell me which they preferred. The font to the left is the outcome of this, personally i think the colour Red works well with it as it is bold and eye catching, it also stands out with the main image which captures the readers attention. I particularly like this font due to it following the codes and conventions of the horror genre, it isnt neat and tity its quite scruffy and looks as though its deteriorating. Also the use of the colour Red, to me represents a warning and blood so all in all i think it works well. I have rearranged the layers slightly because i found the main image looked better slightly overlapping the font, seeing as it is the main focus. I chose to place it over the fire too so the flames look as thought they are creeping up to it and making it perhaps deteriorate?
For the next picture i have developped it slightly by beginning to add different coloured fonts to it. To start with next to the title i have added the price which i intend to sell this product for with help from my target audience. Above i have added three titles of movies which my magazine will also feature. I put these in a White font so they stand out from the dark background and added yellow square dividers to brighten it up a bit. The whole idea of using these colours were to relate them to the horror genre and also the fire in the background. Over the main image i have placed the movie title, which is in the original font which you will find on the teaser trailer and the movie poster. The use of Red i this headline works well as it adds a sense of danger to this picture. Above this i have introduced it by adding a small Black box with White font stating its a "Chilling Exclusive" which helps entice the audience just by the use of language. The colours together are also opposites, Black representing Dark, Evil and Dull things and White being Pure, Clean and Simple, reflecting the character in the film.
Like all magazines i have added a bar code which is normally used in retail when selling the product, and it also gives it a professional look to it. So i added another layer and included one in this.
As you can see here i have used all of the images i planned to and layered them, starting with the trees. I left the opacity of these to 100% as it isnt a clear image and would like it to show through my other layers. The next image i put onto was the fire, which i edited slightly by changing the brightness and contrast so it was bright and bold compared to the dark, dull trees.Before i layered the picture of the main character on i had to edit this picture slightly, mainly because it was taken in a lighter setting to the other images i needed it to blend in. To do so i used the curves tool and contrast to dull it down slightly. I then used the wand tool to remove the background so we just have the main character ready to put onto the new setting. I kept the opacity of this layer also on 100% as if i were to lower it, it would make him look ghostly and transparent. Which isnt what i wanted, i aimed to make him bold and stand out from the bright fire. The characters clothes also help with this as they are quite light and pure compared to the dark fire which also helps to contrast him from the background
After browsing through different websites looking for copyright free fonts i finally found 5 which i liked. To help me choose the best one i did a small survey and asked my target audience to tell me which they preferred. The font to the left is the outcome of this, personally i think the colour Red works well with it as it is bold and eye catching, it also stands out with the main image which captures the readers attention. I particularly like this font due to it following the codes and conventions of the horror genre, it isnt neat and tity its quite scruffy and looks as though its deteriorating. Also the use of the colour Red, to me represents a warning and blood so all in all i think it works well. I have rearranged the layers slightly because i found the main image looked better slightly overlapping the font, seeing as it is the main focus. I chose to place it over the fire too so the flames look as thought they are creeping up to it and making it perhaps deteriorate?
For the next picture i have developped it slightly by beginning to add different coloured fonts to it. To start with next to the title i have added the price which i intend to sell this product for with help from my target audience. Above i have added three titles of movies which my magazine will also feature. I put these in a White font so they stand out from the dark background and added yellow square dividers to brighten it up a bit. The whole idea of using these colours were to relate them to the horror genre and also the fire in the background. Over the main image i have placed the movie title, which is in the original font which you will find on the teaser trailer and the movie poster. The use of Red i this headline works well as it adds a sense of danger to this picture. Above this i have introduced it by adding a small Black box with White font stating its a "Chilling Exclusive" which helps entice the audience just by the use of language. The colours together are also opposites, Black representing Dark, Evil and Dull things and White being Pure, Clean and Simple, reflecting the character in the film.
Like all magazines i have added a bar code which is normally used in retail when selling the product, and it also gives it a professional look to it. So i added another layer and included one in this.
Photos for my Magazine
Before i began my magazine it was necessary for me to take new photographs to display on my front cover, i chose to picture one of the characters as i found this was common in other film magazines. From these pictures i am going to narrow them down to the ones which i think are the best quality and edit them ready for placing them on my magazine cover. Here are some of the images i have captured :
This picture here i took outside near where the trailer is set. I chose to get the trees in the background in hope that they would contrast with the character and his clothes. And from what i can see this has been successful. I decided to capture this picture with the character looking pretty smug, mainly because this is how he acts at the beginning of the trailer before he meets his fate. I hope if i were to use this in my magazine cover, the audience would read into this and notice it straight away. He also makes eye contact with the audience in a way making them feel intimidated as he stands there with his arms crossed looking straight at the camera. I chose a mid shot for this picture as i wanted to include his body language into it as well as his facial feature which are still clearly visible.
This photograph here is similar to the others being they include the same character and background. But what i was aiming to do was experiment around with facial expressions to find the write one to express this characters personality. The background in this picture is very bold and Green projecting the main image forward. I chose for him to wear light pale clothes to reflect innocence in his personality which his face reflects to me. In a way he looks innnocent but in another he looks slightly suspisious. If i were to use this for my magazine cover i would have to change the contrast and brightness of this to darken it slightly to make it fit in with the dark backgrounds i have in mind.
After experimenting around with midshots i then moved onto close ups. With close ups you can read into the persons facial expressions, this one in particular has a lot of information in his face. He looks anxious and worried which would work well for my magazine and the horror movie genre. Also he looks as though he is focused on something far away which puts the audience into this characters position. Also the lighting in this picture is darker than the others not nessesarily on the face because i used a flash but the background is duller than the others.
This photo here was just a casual mid shot of the character smiling perhaps before the action happens. Looking at his body language he looks relaxed and at ease. In my opinion i dont think i am going to use this one in my final piece as this isnt the image i would like to portray to the audience. I want them to see him as a victim and looking innocent.
This picture i would have to say is one of my favorite ones i have taken so far. It shows expression in his face without giving too much away, just like the teaser trailer. It gives the reader a chance to make a connection with him. Also the fact that the character is making eye contact with the audience helps a lot to send messages across to them and to also make them feel intimidated like he does, putting them in his shoes. The use of eye contact is a constant theme throughout my work as i find eyes are the opening to the soul and say alot about a person. If i were to use this as a final picture i would have to change the colouring slightly in Photoshop to darken it and use the wand tool to take the background out.
As for this picture here, this is one of the first ones i took, i chose to photograph him inside against a white background to make it look like a professional shot but it didnt work the way i planned. So instead i kept them and decided if i found one i liked i would edit it and remove the background. I particularly like his expression in this picture as he looks as though he is either looking back at something or looking to the future as he gazes at the floor not knowing his fate. The fact he looks quite pale works well as he looks like something bad has just happenend to him.
This picture here i took outside near where the trailer is set. I chose to get the trees in the background in hope that they would contrast with the character and his clothes. And from what i can see this has been successful. I decided to capture this picture with the character looking pretty smug, mainly because this is how he acts at the beginning of the trailer before he meets his fate. I hope if i were to use this in my magazine cover, the audience would read into this and notice it straight away. He also makes eye contact with the audience in a way making them feel intimidated as he stands there with his arms crossed looking straight at the camera. I chose a mid shot for this picture as i wanted to include his body language into it as well as his facial feature which are still clearly visible.
This photograph here is similar to the others being they include the same character and background. But what i was aiming to do was experiment around with facial expressions to find the write one to express this characters personality. The background in this picture is very bold and Green projecting the main image forward. I chose for him to wear light pale clothes to reflect innocence in his personality which his face reflects to me. In a way he looks innnocent but in another he looks slightly suspisious. If i were to use this for my magazine cover i would have to change the contrast and brightness of this to darken it slightly to make it fit in with the dark backgrounds i have in mind.
After experimenting around with midshots i then moved onto close ups. With close ups you can read into the persons facial expressions, this one in particular has a lot of information in his face. He looks anxious and worried which would work well for my magazine and the horror movie genre. Also he looks as though he is focused on something far away which puts the audience into this characters position. Also the lighting in this picture is darker than the others not nessesarily on the face because i used a flash but the background is duller than the others.
This photo here was just a casual mid shot of the character smiling perhaps before the action happens. Looking at his body language he looks relaxed and at ease. In my opinion i dont think i am going to use this one in my final piece as this isnt the image i would like to portray to the audience. I want them to see him as a victim and looking innocent.
This picture i would have to say is one of my favorite ones i have taken so far. It shows expression in his face without giving too much away, just like the teaser trailer. It gives the reader a chance to make a connection with him. Also the fact that the character is making eye contact with the audience helps a lot to send messages across to them and to also make them feel intimidated like he does, putting them in his shoes. The use of eye contact is a constant theme throughout my work as i find eyes are the opening to the soul and say alot about a person. If i were to use this as a final picture i would have to change the colouring slightly in Photoshop to darken it and use the wand tool to take the background out.
As for this picture here, this is one of the first ones i took, i chose to photograph him inside against a white background to make it look like a professional shot but it didnt work the way i planned. So instead i kept them and decided if i found one i liked i would edit it and remove the background. I particularly like his expression in this picture as he looks as though he is either looking back at something or looking to the future as he gazes at the floor not knowing his fate. The fact he looks quite pale works well as he looks like something bad has just happenend to him.Having taken various pictures and displayed the ones which i think are best, i have come to a decision on the one i am going to use. I have selected the 5th picture down as i like his facial expressions and the way he connects with the audience, now i have to edit this and adapt it to fit the scene i have created on the front cover. To do so i will use Photoshop software to experiment around and see which works best.
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