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PRELIMINARY COVER VS FINAL COVER

PRELIMINARY CONTENTS VS FINAL CONTENTS

PROGRESSION AND LEARNING1. Images – In my preliminary task, even though I used a proper background (A white sheet which the school provided) there was no artificial lighting used, which would have created a sense of professionalism and made it more realistic. However, when it came to the real thing, artificial lighting was used, and was especially important in creating the right shadowing and highlighting for all my images. On top of the lighting for the images, there was also a lack of learning with the cameras. In the production of my preliminary, no professional camera was used at all as when I went to do the photo shoot, all the cameras were out of battery. So instead of using a professional camera, I used my phone’s (Samsung Galaxy S5 which had a camera of 16 megapixels). Although this was easier to handle, the important features of the camera which are key to a good photograph, were lacked and so my photo didn’t reach it’s full potential.

2. Text – In my preliminary task, the fonts I used were unattractive and were badly sized, as well as badly coloured. However, in the production of my final task, I made sure that all my fonts were visually pleasing and also fitted the genre. As well as this, I altered the colours of the fonts and sizing to ensure all the wording fit around the main image and they all followed the house colours I established. Through the use of Photoshop, I incorporated drop shadows into my text to make it stand out and look professional.

PROGRESSION AND LEARNING3. Masthead- For my preliminary task, the masthead was badly coloured and the font choice was also not the best as it didn’t suit the magazine genre (School Magazine) and the colour was too dark, it didn’t stand out. In the production of my final task I chose a colour (Burgundy) which stood out so it would draw the audience towards it, which I feel as though I have done. Furthermore, with the preliminary task’s masthead the letter was over the main image, which is not visually pleasing. But when it came to the final task, I placed the model over the masthead, which makes it look more professional and organised.

4. Sell Line- The preliminary task’s sell line is, to me, cheesy and was something that not a lot of effort was put into. On the contrary, the final tasks’ sell line is informative and fits the layout of the magazine. It informs the audience how often the magazine is published and fits the house style and is visually pleasing.

5. Layout- The layout for my preliminary task is extremely basic, with a surplus amount of space and shortage of cover lines. This is because of my little knowledge of Photoshop at that time, but for my final task I made sure the layout was well structured. I done this by ensuring that there was no text over the image, which occurred in my preliminary task. By making sure there was no text over the image it looks much more professional and also emphasises the power and importance of the model which is something I was short of in my preliminary.

FINAL PRODUCTIONIn the construction of my double page spread, I was able to incorporate all the things I had learned from the making of my cover and contents in order to make it look as best as possible

OVERVIEW OF WHAT I LEARNEDFrom the production of my preliminary task to my final task, I have learned many necessary skills and changes that are needed to produce a high standard magazine. These changes were involved with text, masthead, images and sell lines.• Text- I learned how to use different fonts and sizing for certain things

(e.g. pull quotes and buzz words) in order to make things stand out more and be more attractive. I also learned that the right colouring for text is also important in making things ‘pop’ and to give text a professional look.

• Masthead- I learned that you need to choose the right font in order to link the masthead to the genre, as typically the masthead is the first thing the audience will see so it’s important it represents the genre. It’s also important that the editing is done correctly for it (e.g. drop shadows and layering)

• Images– I have learnt that artificial lighting is key to making an image look realistic and that it can dramatically affect the overall look of the image. This also stands for camera features (e.g. Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO)

• Sell Lines- Sell lines are just as important as they represent the

magazine in just a short phrase, so it is important that it is informative, stands out and is attractive.

CONCLUSIONMy final production increased in quality because of the skills and techniques I have learned since the production of my preliminary task. The skills I have learned include Photoshop skills, how to manipulate artificial light to get the desired shadowed and highlights and how to change the camera features to further improve my images. From learning all these skills, it meant that the production of my final task was significantly better than my preliminary task.

On top of these skills, other factors were also key in improving my magazine. These include consistency in colours, fonts, layout and planning as well as reaching my full potential with Photoshop, which permitted me to create a high standard magazine.