Digital Technology

DSLR Camera - used for all my photography and experimented with the different filters and

settings on there. For example when changing the lighting I also tested different exposures

as well. Then for the head shots I learnt how to use the macro setting, to get as much detail

as possible. I also learnt about the rule of thirds to get the best composition for the

photography.

Photoshop and Fireworks – used for editing, such as levels, curves, and added a colour

gradient on a low opacity to make it look like a filter. Then when make the albums covers

that would feature in the magazine I learnt how to use different layers and edit them to get

different effects of the image, and to apply a variety of texts on top. When editing pictures

for the front cover I tested using PicMonkey to add different effects to the pictures but

didn't find it very successful because it was hard to produce a high quality image and so I

went back to Photoshop as it is much easier to use.

'Dafont' used for different fonts - downloading the ones I needed, then for the ones I wanted

to edit I print screened them and pasted them in Fireworks to add different effects. One way

I learnt how to create these mastheads was by paste an image into the selected bit of text

and adding a border to it as seen below.

Blogger- to present all my coursework because it's an easy way of uploading my work in an

organised and easy to view manner, it also helps to link to my teacher's blog and it allows

you to embed different websites on there so I can use a wider range of technologies.

Audience Feedback – used SurveyMonkey and different social media websites like

Facebook, Tumblr and Gmail. These were very useful because it enabled me to get feedback

from a wide audience, so I could get the most accurate responses possible. It was useful

because things like SurveyMonkey you can answer anonymously so probably more truthful,

but other social medias can be a bit unreliable because it might take a while for people to

respond.

Presentation software - Padlet, Emaze, Thinglink, Scribd, Prezi and Soundcloud. These are

useful because they present information in a unique way. I think that Prezi is generally the

most effective because it is the easiest and I found that you can present your work on it

easily. However they can sometimes be hard to format and difficult to read.

Camscanner app - used to upload some work from my book, and I learnt how to adjust the

contrast and saturation so it is easier to read and of a higher quality.

Flickr - to upload all the pictures taken for my magazine.

For the audience feedback for my evaluation I learnt how to embed the YouTube video and

Soundcloud clip into my blog. Also how to edit the video on YouTube so it's not quite as

shaky and the lighting is better. The video itself was filmed on a small digital camera, which

was useful because of how portable it was and learning how to use the video function was

fairly simple.

Creativity

1. When creating my coursework I tried to be as creative as possible and did this by taking influence from existing products and then building on them to add my own take on it and try and make something original.

2. I think that the technologies have helped with my coursework, because when learning about the different programmes I used I learnt the kinds of things you can do on them. For example when working with Photoshop and Fireworks I used multiple techniques when creating text, so I could use a drop shadow and glow effect.

3. Because my magazine was mainly about

4. My magazine was influenced by my social environments as it was about the Alternative/indie/rock genre which is one of my favourite genres of music. Also most of the bands and artists featured like Alt-J, St Vincent and Bon Iver I regularly listen to, so I was interested in creating a product about music that enjoy. Also I named my magazine 'New Order' after the band, which I also listen to, showing that it influenced my creative choices.

5. Most of my magazine was original and I only took influence from existing media texts, for example when editing the main photograph on the front cover I added a rainbow colour gradient over the top on a low opacity so the image has a unique effect to it. I had seen a magazine do a similar thing with the rainbow gradient over an image.

6. The skills learnt when making the music magazine can be used in future projects because when creating it, I learnt a variety of different technologies and also build on some of the skills I already had. For instance, when editing the magazine I used Photoshop so built up a better understanding of the program. Then when taking pictures to feature on the front cover and contents page I got a better understanding of how to use a camera and how to use filters and where they are most appropriate, also using different techniques for the composition, like the rule of thirds and the golden ratio.

Research and Planning

For my research I mainly looked at and analysed existing products, I did this on Thinglink, using a picture of the front cover, contents page or double page spread and labelling it, identifying the common conventions and any effective stylistic choices they made which I may be able to take influence from with my products. This worked quite well because it helped me realise what I needed to add to my magazine to get the best product possible. I could do this when creating coursework this year for the print products we have to produce, especially as I’m going to make the front cover for a film magazine so the research I did for music magazines could be applied as they are both similar products.