A2 Media Studies Tom Jessop A2 block

Evaluation Question 4 video

2010-01-29T05:11:00.000-08:00

Evaluation Question 4

2010-01-29T05:10:00.001-08:00

How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages? A new media technology is for example the internet, this is new media as it allows for interaction other than the before more linear type of media for example a newspaper. We used many new technologies throughout the whole project ranging from digital camera’s to the world wide web. In the construction stages we used more new media software, the main piece of software that we used was Adobe Premiere Pro, this allowed us after the video footage had being captured onto the computer using another new media technology of a USB cable, we could then edit it. During the editing process we were able to ‘cut’ out bits we didn’t need, replace the sound and also add our own music, I.e the theme tune. We had to make sure that we created Sergei Eisenstein’s theory of a vertical montage. We did this very effectively with the sound FX, especially when the scenes cut we had an effect, for example a bang that would sound in tune with the cut. We also had a very good montage in the title sequence with the beat of the theme working very well with the footage behind it. Also in constructing our ancillary tasks new technologies played a massive role as we used software’s such as Photoshop elements 5.0 for our poster allowing for the image coloration to be changed to make the desired image look of a more stereotypically scary design, for example black and white or green. We also used QuarkXpress 7 for our double page spread. We used more linear media technologies however for the research of this but we also looked on the internet for ideas of what to include in our article. Quark allows big chunks of text called the body text to be placed on around a set border and images making any project look professional. For the research stages we relied very heavily on the use of new media technologies especially the internet. We used very mainstream ways of researching for our ideas including Youtube and Sky+. We used Youtube a lot for looking at clips of the documentary we wanted to base ours upon ‘Most Haunted’. Using this new media allowed us to look at comments under the video of what people thought to it and so therefore these could perhaps help us with our ideas, we were able to pause the clip and discuss what we could use thought worked and what we needed to film for our own documentary. We also used television features such as Sky+, this is a fairly new media technology and is hugely popular as it allows for live television to be paused, rewound and recorded all at the push of a button. This was a very useful resource during our research process as we were able to record all ‘ghostly’ documentaries that we saw and thought we be appropriate, record them and then watch them with the ability to pause and again discuss the ideas we had. New media technologies allow for a lot more audience feedback apposed to the conventional medias of newspapers and radio. For our planning we used lots of Web 2.0 technologies, (O’Reilly said that Web 2.0 means the technology is no longer linear but more interactive, 2004) for example a website called Blogger, where we stored all our ideas in a quick and easy assessable manner. In doing this allowed us again for more audience feedback and we could communicate and share ideas internally within the group when we weren’t actually together, before new media technologies were developed we would have found this more difficult to do. To create videos that we could also put onto our blogs that contained our ideas we used Windows Movie Maker, this is a simpler movie editor compared to Adobe Premiere and allows for basic transitions to be done and also cuts, this was ideal to contain lots of information in a quick and easy way to create that was interactive and interesting for the audience viewing it. After we created the videos we could upload them onto our blog or other Web 2.0 type sites such as Youtube. For our evaluation we wanted to get as much outside audience feedback as possible and so posted the video onto social networking sites such as Facebook for our friends to see and comment on and then again for a wider audience range I posted it on Youtube where the world would be able to comment and rate our video and possibly give us some constructive feedback which would help us evaluate and discuss if we were to do it again what we would do differently. Also we used software such as Microsoft word to write up our evaluation quickly and again making it very easy to change, we also recorded some with microphones making it more interactive for the audience. New media technologies made it easier for us to complete the project, make the audience more engaged in the final projects as they have the ability to suggest their own ideas and improvements, new media technologies are more interactive than linear media products and so find themselves growing in popularity everyday and making the products that companies etc come up with bigger and better than before simply because there is more communication.

Evaluation Question 3

2010-01-29T05:03:00.001-08:00

Evaluation Question 2

2010-01-29T05:02:00.000-08:00

How effective is the combination of your main product & ancillary tasks?

The combination of our ancillary tasks as well as our final video I feel is very effective, they work together to create the stereotypical view of a paranormal documentary. They share similar codes and conventions of a media product with the same colour schemes, for example the green and the same texts. They all share the same ideology and create a 'young' theme. It creates a young theme altogether as the documentary doesn't follow the normal conventions of a documentary and so therefore is not as boring as the more typical documentaries, it features young people and is aimed at a pretty young audience. The poster we create involved the main presenter looking into the camera with a torch, he looks pretty scared and the facial expressions he shows connote adventure and so therefore youth. The double page spread article is aimed at almost a pretty young audience also as the language used is quite 'stylish' and would speak to a younger generation more so than that of an older audience, and the idea that Fiona and Craig are celebrities also connotes youth as these are seen to have an 'obsession' with celebrity culture and would simply watch a program due to a certain character. All the ancillary tasks work together to create a certain stereotypical view and they all connote the genre of the documentary via the mise-en-scene. Generally they are very effective and in the real media world would increase audience views etc as the products would be in the public eye; catching attention and making people wonder what the whole program is about. I think that if we were to do the ancillary tasks again we could perhaps on the double page spread include a picture of the whole team or just Fiona & Craig as these are the main characters within the clip. Using these two on the magazine would also talk better to the audience like in more of an conversational type narrative as they would perhaps feel like they know who they are talking to, and just incase they didn’t know who the celebrities were by name or face. The final video would eventually be more promoted by the ancillary tasks if they were to be posted in the required destinations.

Click this link to hear an audio/video commentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzEqJA_O6QM

Evaluation Question 1

2010-01-29T04:28:00.000-08:00

2010-01-29T04:27:00.000-08:00

This is our final ancillary task of the poster, the poster is comprised of a main image of Craig the presenter on the ground in a position in which he appears to be dead or posessed. This gives the viewer connotations of evil, paranormal activity. The green, night-vision effect also helps to create our preferred representation of the paranormal. We made the advert on Photoshop, and conforming to all the rules and generic conventions of a newspaper advertisement for a documentary. The 'Ghost Nutters' logo is in a very gothic font style which is stereotypica of old haunted areas and other paranormal things. It is in white so that it stands out from the other writing and it is also larger so that it is the firstthing to grab the readers attention. The most important parts are the parts which tell the reader which channel the program will be on, what date and what time.

2010-01-29T04:26:00.000-08:00

Here is our final ancillary task, Craig Wassell created the text, I extracted the image from our actual footage filmed by Thomas Jessop and the title 'New Kids On The Shock' connotes that the program is new, about kids getting a shock and is a play on words from the commonly used phrase new kids on the block. We copied the layout of a James May article featured in a TV listings magazine.

Renaissance Bloke article, T.V listings magazine

2010-01-15T02:02:00.000-08:00

This is a good example of a documentary article from a T.V listings magazine. We are going to base our magazine article (ancilliary task) around the layout of the first two pages of Renaissance Bloke. The font size plays an important role in Leading the readers eye into the article as the title is much larger than the rest of the text. There is also a blurb underneath the title which makes the title make sense and keeps the audience interested. Also, the font under the title is smaller than it but not as small as the main bulk of writing, this gradually lures the reader into the depths of the article and the small font actually begins with a Drop Cap. The article is about T.V personality James May from Top Gear. it is important that the audience know that the article is about hinm so his name is bolder than the other text and he is the person in the main image.
The pull quote "There isn't a person in the world who doesn't enjoy the sensation of putting bricks together" is used to break up the small text by being in a larger font. This keeps the reader interested and gives them an idea of what the article will be about as a whole and in that particular part of it.
The main image is a very large picture of James May and is anchored to the article by overlapping onto the first page, if all the text was on one page without any pictures then the reader could be led to believe that the two opposing pages are different articles. There is a smaller picture anchored to the article which overlaps the bottom of the large picture the readers eye will be led here gradually as they read further into the article, this will keep them interested, making them want to turn the page and read more.

Out of the ashes, Radio Times article

2010-01-15T01:58:00.001-08:00

The Boy Wonder article, The Radio Times

2010-01-15T01:47:00.000-08:00

Advise from a top U.K director

2010-01-15T01:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/tft/client/user373/

This is a link to some information about Krish (an award-winning director), who we asked for filming and production advice before we started filming our video. As you can see from our interview, he gave us some helpful tips on engaging the audience, etc.

seance 2

2010-01-11T04:56:00.002-08:00

Orb sighting

2010-01-11T04:56:00.001-08:00

Seance

2010-01-11T04:41:00.000-08:00

Fiona scared

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Ouija board with tipped glass

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Ouija nightvision shot

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Ouija board establishing shot

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Me establishing shot

2010-01-11T04:32:00.002-08:00

Steph establishing shot

2010-01-11T04:32:00.001-08:00

Fiona establishing shot

2010-01-11T04:27:00.000-08:00

Craig establishing shot

2010-01-11T04:23:00.000-08:00

Nightvision establishing shot

2010-01-11T04:16:00.000-08:00

Script

2010-01-04T03:44:00.000-08:00

This is the exact script we used in our clip. Most parts of this script were not planned so that our reactions were real and in the 'spur of the moment'. This is intended so that the audience are entertained by watching us get scared. The parts that were planned are the bits that provide an informative view into the pubs history, these parts are said by the presenter Craig and the historian Steph because if anyone else was informing about the pup it wouldn't fit the generic conventions of an informative spooky documentary. The parts of the script that are highlighted in red are the voiceover parts. These have been done by Fiona the Medium.

Car tracking shot example

2009-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Attatching camera to car

2009-12-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

Presenter intro test outside

2009-12-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

Presenter intro test

2009-12-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

Establishing shot testing at The Old Queens Head Pub

2009-12-17T06:45:00.000-08:00

2009-12-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

Tripod establishing shots test

2009-12-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

nightvision + lighting testing

2009-12-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this video is to show how i have tested out a variety of indoor lighting + nightvision camera techniques.

Storyboard

2009-12-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

This storyboard fits the generic conventions of an informative horror documentary. The first window represents a title sequence which will consist of a variety of clips from the Old Queens Head pub. These clips will include lots of nightvision shots, fast blurred camera shots, Scenes of people being posessed, ouija board scenes, close ups on peoples facial expressions and reactions and lots of spooky shots of the surroundings. The pub contains lots of very old 'Renaissance Art' portraits which will be useful to get in parts of the video to help maintain a spooky atmosphere.

Call sheet

2009-12-14T05:00:00.001-08:00

Camera shot testing:

2009-11-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

I filmed my dad walking down the driveway and infront of the camera along the road. The technique i used was a 'Pan' technique which i think works well. This type of shot won't be so good if the person in shot is walking and talking, this is because they will end up with their back to the camera and the audience won't be able to see their face.

Treatment

2009-11-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

We are going to create a short documentary on the supernatural behaviour that takes place in the pub ‘The Old Queens Head’ Our target audience is quite wide, being people of pretty much any age (15+) who are interested in the supernatural. We decided to go with this idea as in response to our questionnaires/interviews, this was the one that received the most votes/was the most popular.

We will set our documentary in a pub called ‘The Old Queens Head’ which is in Sheffield. We got in touch with the pub owner and she gave us permission to go and film there. Filming will take place during daylight outside the pub for certain scenes where explaining is necessary. We will also be filming after closing time throughout the night to ensure that the right atmosphere is created (being when it is dark, therefore this is associated with more supernatural behaviour). Also our reactions will be more realistic to the creepy things going on, therefore parts of the script will be more random which is a quality we need in this type of documentary. Doing it after opening hours also means that the general public will not get in the way.

Our costumes need to be dark (preferably black), and the presenter maybe wearing a long black coat as the connotations of this are spooky and mysterious. The presenter will also need to be professional looking and smart, to give the impression that they are to be respected and knowledgeable, making them look more realistic and believable. The characters we will use are ourselves and a few friends as extras for the extra ‘reaction factor’.

To show reactions to any supernatural behaviour we will use many close ups on peoples faces. We will use a slightly low angle shot when filming the professional talking, to further give the impression that he is an important, knowledgeable and respectable person. At this point in the video (when showing the professional talking to an unprofessional) we will use a shot-reverse-shot. We will use a tripod to make sure we have a steady shot, making our video look more professional. We will also use a gorilla pod or car-camera-mount when filming tracking shots, to maintain a steady shot. Background noise will be ok when filming the daytime shots where the historian and presenter are talking about the history of the pub and the tracking shot of the presenter informing at the start. For the night scenes there should be little impropriate background noise as the pub will have no punters (being pretty isolated at that time), so the more quite the atmosphere is, the more scary the outcome and will also ensure that we can hear any poltergeist activity.

The pub’s diagetic world is already appropriate, as it meets the stereotype of somewhere that could possibly be haunted (old fashioned looking, bare, dark colours, etc), so there will be no alterations to the set needed. The only things adding to the diagetic world will be our props. These will be: An Ouija board and glass, torches, and cameras. We have taken many health and safety risks/potential dangers into consideration. Such as tripping over cables/wires and falling down/up stairs, especially as it will be dark and visibility will be limited. To prevent this we will have to make sure that all things that we can trip over are tucked neatly into the side and that we use torches (or some source of lighting) when moving around the pub.

The filming will take place on the 7th of November during the evening. We will then edit the documentary over the following few weeks.

2009-11-06T01:54:00.000-08:00

This is some theme music me and my friend have created for our documentary. It has been designed to fit the generic conventions of a horror documentary. String instruments have been used with a lot of minor notes and chords that create a creepy atmosphere, These will engage the audience from the very start of the clip and straight away they will know what genre the documentary is. A hip hop style drum beat has been added to signify that the video appeals to an audience of any age. The beat also has an echo effect applied to it so that it adds to the genres creepy stereotypes. Sound effect samples have been added of , footsteps, a door creeking and shutting, moans, a scream and a boom of thunder to end the song: These all enhance the creepiness of the song and also give it a trademark identity that people will remember. The thunder effect at the end will be very good to lead the audience from the title sequence int the introduction scene. This tune will be very good mutually for a title sequence and parts of it could be used as background music to keep the overall spooky atmosphere.

Prop Design - Ouija Board

2009-11-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Here is an Ouija Board that we have printed off from the internet. We are going to perform and film a seance at The old queens Head pub in the basement. The Ouija board will be attatched to the table using blu tack or cellotape, we will take both just to be sure. We are going to take a light gless to move around on it so that the paper doesnt get damaged by it because it is just thin paper.

Location for filming : The Old Queens Head, Sheffield

2009-11-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

We are going to film at a local pub, which is supposedly haunted. This would be a good location for our filming as we might actually encur a ghost encounter.

This is the outside of the pub, it has very old features with some of the parts dating back to the 1400's. The age of the property can easily be seen by its original features of timber frame, low beams and sagging ceilings.

Ghost encounters that have being recorded are:

•The ghost of a little old man sitting by the original fireplace holding a jar of ale in each hand -Many cleaners in the past have refused to enter that part of the building alone
•After being left secure at night the bolted doors of the Snug bar have been found open on the following morning
•Lights in the cellar area are switched on and off
•A previous landlady claimed to have often heard the sounds of someone moving around in the downstairs bar after closing time
•The apparition of a child has been witnessed in the bar area and on the stairs
•A cold icy presence is said to walk past people causing them to shiver and feel unnerved
•A dark figure has been spotted in the hall
•A relief manageress who was at the pub in the 1990's maintained that she saw a heavy cupboard move across the cellar floor when she was the only one in the area
•The ghost of man described as wearing a flat cap
•Footsteps have also been heard around pub especially in the cellar.
•Ghost hunters heard an eerie voice say "I am an old man".

The location of the pub is;
Old Queen's Head
40 Pond Hill
Sheffield
S1 2BG

This is the inside of the pub. You can see what appear to be orbs in the image, there are quite a lot of them. The room has lots of old fashioned features what give it that 'ghostly' factor.

Location for filming research

2009-10-19T03:29:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about different locations that we could go to to film for our documentary. The Old Queens Head is a pub in sheffield that is well known for being haunted, it has been there since the 1400's and has even been described as the most haunted pub in sheffield. I think it would be the best place for us to film because we can use actual facts about the history of the pub to engage the audience and it has the 'real factor' as opposed to our other location ideas which were to be filmed in a woods or in an old dis-used warehouse. Our reactions would be much more effective in engaging the audience as they would also be real. The cast for our documentary is going to be my group of 4 and a friend... with this location we could also include a short interview with the landlord or public explaining about the pubs history. I have been to the pub and asked for permission to film there and received a number to call

Feedback Interviews

2009-10-16T01:13:00.000-07:00

Most haunted clip

2009-10-12T03:29:00.000-07:00

This clip also follows the generic conventions of an informative, horror documentary. The presenter (Yvette Fielding) is represented as a dark and sort of gothic figure in the clip which is acheived by her use of dark make-up and clothes. Everything is explained in detail so that it is informative to the audience. The cast and crew try to banish everything that could lead to scepticism for the audience such as the part where Yvette and the man are explaining about the video camera.

Ideas presentation video

2009-10-09T02:22:00.000-07:00

2009-10-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

From our feedback we have made a bar graph to show the results. As you can see, the most popular idea was idea 2, the 'most haunted' style paranormal documentary which got 14 votes. This was popular because it is a different and interesting concept and would be relatively easy to make. The least popular idea was idea 4, the music video idea for the song 'feel these dreams'. This is because the location and setting idea of a beach is too far away and unrealistic and also the song is still in the process of being recorded. Idea 3 is still a possibility as thiswas the second favourite idea with 9 votes. This short comedy about a mugging would be easy to make.

Feedback questionnaire example.

2009-10-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here is an example of some of the feedback we received from the viewers of our presentation. The answers the audience give us and the best liked idea will influence our choice of media product to create.

Questions for feedback Questionnaire

2009-10-07T04:22:00.000-07:00

Questionnaire

Which idea do you like the best?

Why?

Which do you think would be the easiest to create?

Do you think our ideas are realistic?

What is your favourite genre of music?

What is your favourite genre of documentary?

Where do you watch short films, if any? E.g Internet

These are some questions we have asked people who viewed our ideas presentation. We will then review our answers so we can develop our ideas.

2009-10-05T03:10:00.000-07:00

This video is a short documentary about the Catacombs in Paris, France. The narrative events are exploring the catacombs and trying to re-create the footsteps of a man who was lost down there. The sub genre of the documentary is informative, horror, entertainment. I am going to analyse the first 5 minutes of the clip.

The mise en scene of the clip is made up of the crews personal footage, the mans lost footage and on screen text on a black background with narrative over the top. The footage is all filmed on a hand held camera. I think this is because it helps to create a spooky tension as it is from a more first person view which highlights the fact that the explorers are also discovering it for the first time.

Lovefield - curling toes

2009-10-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

This part of the scene shows a foot. The audience can connote that the foot belongs to a female because the image is anchored to the sound of a womans cries of agony, and also the womens underwear and handbag as shown before. Without the sound and other images, the audience would not be able to connote the gender of the person which is an important part in the verisimilitude of the diagetic world. The toes curling give two stereotypical representations, these are : somebody having sex and somebody in pain which, when put together, further enhance the connotations of rape. the rest of the woman is not shown so that the audience are left suspended and wondering what is happening to her, and also to enhance the denotations from the curling toes.

lovefield - phone handbag and bloody underwear

2009-10-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

A pair of womens underwear is shown after the handbag and they are covered in blood. This establishes a representation of rape within the mise en scene. The audience are positioned create their own meaning of this scene by the denotations (phone, bag and underwear) placed there by the producer as Roland Barthes says. Womens underwear is stereotypically associated with sex , as blood is with pain therfore the audience can connote that somebody is being raped. Although all the stereotypes of pregnancy fit the scene also, the generic conventions of horror created by the diagetic world position the audience to accept it as a scene of rape.

The second item to come into the view is the handbag with money spilling from it. The handbag gives connotations that there is a woman involved in the scene and it also anchors this image to the phone so the audience can connote it belongs to her and she is the one who has been trying to call for help. Money spilling from the bag is used to represent a mugging of some sort because money is stereotypically associated with theft.

In this scene The audience are positioned to read into certain denotations of the objects as they come into view.

The phone is the first of a few images which come into view gradually to drag the scene out and create suspense. The image of an open phone is combined with the sound effect of a 'disconnected telephone tone' to represent a situation of distress and connote that her call was unsuccessful. It also further enhances the representation of isolation within the diagetic world. Even before the woman is seen the phone gives connotations that somebody is in danger and has been trying to call for help.

lovefield crow close up

2009-09-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

The crow is used in this film as a stereotypically scary bird. It is used to represent horror, evil, death and gore which creates a tension and creepiness in the clip. It also presents the audience with a feeling that something bad is going to happen or has happened. The crow further enhances the connotion that the man has killed somebody when he taps on the car roof. It gives connotations that the crow, like a vulture, is waiting to feed on the corpse the man has killed.

Lovefield establishing shot

2009-09-30T04:21:00.000-07:00

This is the establishing 'crane shot' at the very start of the film. The dark clouds, sillhouette of the mountain and the deep depth of field shot of the barleyfield give the audience an isolated, desolate representation of the area. This instantly puts the audience on edge and makes them feel uneasy.

Lovefield by Mathieu ratthe

2009-09-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

This is Lovefield by Matthieu Ratthe, a short film which i have analysed. My analysis is shown below.

2009-09-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

I am going to research a variety of heavy metal videos to find out what the generic conventions of the genre are

2009-09-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

This is a music video by Slayer that i chose to analyse. The editing , camera work and sound effects used are inspiring to me when considering how i will make my music video. The heavy metal music style is represented by these video techniques.

call sheet

2009-06-22T04:10:00.000-07:00

This is the call sheet for our pre-lim video task.

Screenplay for pre- lim

2009-06-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

In order to fulfil assessment objective 3 (AO3) i have created this storyboard as part of the planning process for my introduction to unit G324 practice video. It is called 'Two Strangers'.

2009-06-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Introduction to unit G324: Advanced portfolio - video task short list.

2009-06-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

This work relates to assessment objective 3.

In order to tell my story about the object being dropped i will have to establish certain criteria for the clip.

First we had to decide where the setting will be and we decided that person A will be in the canteen to start with and will walk out into the corridor where he will meet person B. Other aspects of mise en scene will include person A's phone and headphones. No costume will be required for the characters as it's just a casual everyday college day.

Shot types and editing techniques to be used will include:

An establishing shot of person A in the canteen (music will be playing from the start of the scene).
This would be followed by a medium close up of him listening to music sat at a table followed by him standing up and taking off his headphones, (at this point the music would quickly fade out) and then pocketing his phone.
The next scene would be a tracking shot of him walking as an action match from the scene before, considering the 180 degree rule.
There would then be a close up of the phone sticking out of his pocket.
The next shot will be a tracking shot from behind person A which shows the phone falling out of his pocket..
before it hits the floor there will be an extreme close up shot of person B's eyes as a reverse eyeline match looking downwards.
This is then followed by a closeup of the phone on the floor and person B's hand picking it up.
The next scene could be a tracking shot from infront of person A, focusing on him at first, and then using pull focus to view person B as he runs up from behind and taps person A on the shoulder. Person A then starts to turn round to face him.
The next scene would use an action match of person A turning and the shot is a medium close up of them talking and then a few over the shoulder shots to get their reactions to each other and finally using a long shot to show them walking off in seperate directions to establish the end of the scene.

These techniques will be good for the film because they will present the audience with a clear view of the situation and will help them to understand what is going on. The different roles the characters are playing within the scene will also be shown well by use of the canera and editing techniques which will show facial expressions and actions to the best effect.

Introduction to unit G324: Advanced portfolio - Lesson Objectives

2009-06-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

1. Complete a screenplay for my introduction to unit G324: Advanced portfolio video task.
2. Complete a storyboard for my introduction to unit G324: Advanced portfolio video task

Introduction to unit g324: Advanced portfolio - Assessment objectives.

2009-06-15T04:16:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this unit is firstly to assess your ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (AO3); secondly to assess your ability to apply knowledge and understanding in evaluating your own work, showing how meanings and responses are created (AO2); and finally to assess your ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (AO4).The unit requires you to engage with contemporary media technologies, giving you the opportunity to develop your own skills in these technologies. It also enables you to develop the skills of presentation that are required for further study at higher levels and in the workplace.

Double page spread

2009-05-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have completed my double page spread for my magazine 'Shred'. The main image is of my band 'New Threshold' . I edited the main picture of us on photoshop to change the back ground to a dark forest. This is a lot better suited to the heavy metal genre stereotype than the original background which was in a toilet cubicle! I then chose a suitable font for the band title and added the text to the pages. I wrote the interview based on lamb of god and down interviews in metal hammer magazine and also on my band own personal views in particular. Lamb of god and Down are famous heavy metal bands . I used pull quotes on the interesting parts of the text in a yellow copperplate gothic font which was larger than the other text. The house style of red was carried on in the double page spread for the questions.

Final Contents Page

2009-05-08T12:30:00.001-07:00

I have completed my contents page for Shred magazine. The house style has been continued throughout using stereotypical colours such as red and black which associate with heavy metal. All the pictures i took for it are of my friends in my band or other bands or photos from the past that were suitable for the product. The basic layout and certain topics contained within my contents page are loosely based on a few Metal Hammer magazines that i studied. The language used in the text relates to the heavy metal readers because it is 'raw' and in your face like tyhe music itself. There is also a certain witty undertone that i picked up on contained in the text , especially in the editors section and i tried to imitate this within my contents page.

The biggest picture on the contents is of the band New Threshold which links to the main cover image. This is so the audience know what the main article is and that it is most important. The main articles are the ones that are anchored to pictures and the other articles are split into two sections: Every month and this month.

2009-05-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

This is my final front cover for my heavy metal magazine 'SHRED'. I have used certain generic elements to create a look that is suitable for a mainstream audience of heavy music listeners. These include: The connotations that the main image of eddy gives, his angry expression and pointed finger, bald head, plug ear piercing and the flying v guitar. These things are all associated with heavy metal.

The house style that i have used is bold , metallic fonts for the headings and masthead and a bold , red , copperplate gothic font which rumns throughout the pages. Other stereotypically 'metal' elements are the smaller pictures of people with long hair playing instruments, the flames at the bottom of the page and the yellow 'warning' logo in the top left hand corner.

IPC Magazines

2009-05-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

here are some images of magazines produces by IPC Media

IPC & BAUER

2009-05-08T03:40:00.000-07:00

Research into the Music Magazine Industry

Before starting to produce my magazine I carried out some research on music magazines. I wanted to find out which music magazines are the most successful, their main sub-genres, their methods of production, which companies dominate the market, how much they cost to produce and also what audiences they cater for. The two main companies that dominate the UK market are German multinational cross media company Bauer (which is an independent company) and IPC Media which is part of the American Time Warner Conglomerate.

I started by researching the company Bauer who own music magazines Kerrang, Mojo and Q. The sub-genres of the magazines owned by Bauer are Rock & Alternative, Pop & Blues and Punk. I also wanted to find out the price of each magazine so I searched on www.ukaop.org.uk. Kerrang is priced at £2.20, Q is £3.90 and Mojo is £4.30.

Above are some samples of the magazines made by Bauer. The front covers have pictures of iconic groups/ people within the genre of the magazine such as Bob Dylan on Mojo, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Q and Satyricon on Kerrang. Bauer cater for main stream audiences, due to the wide target audience. The above magazines cater for a mainstream audience aged 16-24. The reason they cater for a mainstream audience is due to the size of the target market they need to reach and they are sold in many different countries around the world. Bauer uses the process of synergy to distribute their products by offering services other than the magazines in order to raise awareness of their products. These include radio stations for both Kerrang and Q as well as music channels on T.V which helps to raise awareness off the products.

The second company I looked at was IPC Media who own the music magazines NME, Uncut and Guitar and Bass. The sub-genres of the magazines are: contemporary, Rock and Film, and Guitar and Bass music. NME costs £2.20 and is a weekly magazine, Guitar and Bass costs £3.95 and is available monthly and Uncut is also monthly at a price of £4.30.

IPC Media is a leading UK consumer magazine publisher. Almost two thirds of British women and over 44% of U.K men read an IPC magazine. That’s over 26 million people in the U.K.

IPC media use a diverse print and digital portfolio that appeals to a widespread audience. IPC publish 80 magazines, these include: What's on TV, Pick Me Up, NME, Woman, Now, Marie Claire, In Style, Woman & Home, Ideal Home, Nuts, Wallpaper, Country Life, The Field, Rugby World, Practical Boat Owner and Look which is their latest high street fashion and celebrity weekly magazine. Online digital properties include NME.com, the third largest commercial music website in the UK and housetohome.co.uk, the UK's first homes portal. IPCs’ brands are at the heart of UK's cultural life.
The main sub genres of IPC magazines are T.V, home, mens’ lifestyle and entertainment, womens’ magazines and also garden and leisure. The cost for these main magazines ranges from around 90 pence to about £4.20.
IPC cater for a large mainstream audience. I think the socio demographic categories for these magazines is between C1 and D. They are aimed at an audience of mid to lower class people.
NME is the longest published weekly music magazine in the world.
The magazines produced by IPC Media use the process of synergy to advertise and promote their products in a variety of ways. These techniques include: Magazine websites

pics taken and final mag cover underway

2009-04-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have taken a range of pictures from which i can select the best from for my final magazine cover, contents and double page spread. The main cover image is of the guitarist eddy from my band. I chose this image because it suits the specific genre of heavy metal very well with his agressive pose. I have began with the cover on photoshop and aim to finish it soon.

Homework for over easter

2009-04-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

1. Posts on blog (follow TRC blog).
2. Photos.
3. Draft double page spread article. (annotate draft).
4. Questions 1-4 of coursework evaluation.
5. Music magazine research (Bauer & IPC).

Treatment - Main Magazine Product.

2009-04-01T02:15:00.000-07:00

Synopsis:
I have designed a heavy metal magazine called ‘SHRED’.

Detail of target audience:
My magazine is aimed at a mainstream audience of heavy metal listeners. It is mainly to target audience within the range of 16- 24 year olds who are within a socio demographic class of C2, D & E. The target audience are mainly male.

Photography design:
Cover images:
The main image is going to be a medium close up of the lead singer or guitarist from my band. His clothes and pose should be stereotypical of the heavy metal genre and he will be holding a guitar. Other cover images will include: Band artwork and smaller pictures of other bands.

Contents images:
There will be another picture linking to the cover and splash article on here. It should include a picture of the same band member and maybe other members. This will be bigger than all the other pictures within the contents as it links with the main article. Other pictures for the contents will include: photos of different bands (mid close up of full band or close up of main person in band), picture of the magazine editor, pictures of equipment for a reviews section (e.g amps etc). festival pictures.

Splash article:
Double page long photo of the cover band playing. Lots of white space. Maybe other smaller images in boxes on one of the pages of fans, festival goers etc.

Interview Article:
I am going to have an article interviewing the lead vocalist and guitarist of my band. The interview will be on one half of the double page spread. Pull quotes will also be included in a bigger bolder font in house style. I will research different interviews to find the best way for me to do it. I think the best position for the interview would be on the left side of the left page. The interview will include questions about how the band formed, what the music means to the band etc…

Initial Reece Considerations:
Possible locations for taking pictures include: The frog and nightgown pub or the circle in Worksop (on stage), Outside in a field or a forest, the warehouse. At band practice, my band and other bands.

Health and safety to be considered:
Make sure all locations are legal, safe and easy to transport equipment to. Be careful around lighting, wires and carrying heavy equipment.

Socio- Demographics

2009-04-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

A- Doctors, Cheif Executives.

B- Teachers / Bank managers.

C1- Skilled, White collar.

C2- Semi Skilled, Blue Collar.

D- Labourer/ Fctory worker.

E- Unemployed.

contents draft

2009-03-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is the draft i have made for my music magazine.

2009-03-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

If you want to take away the white background on images after importing them onto quark (if it hasn't automatically stayed transparent from photoshop), right click the image > modify > on both the 'runaround' and the 'picture' tabs make sure that 'alpha channel' and 'alpha mask 1' are selected > press apply and ok.

2009-03-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

The articles in music magazines are to promote the band.

what is found on a contents page?

2009-03-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

1: masthead.
2: subheadings (different sections).
3: main image that links to cover and splash article.
4: smaller images linking to articles.
5: house style.
6: advertising.
7. issue number.
8. caption.
9. list of contents with page numbers.
10. page number.
11. editorial with picture of editor.
12: date.
13: subscription.
14: section about reviewers, photographers and other key personnel.

2009-03-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

This is my first draft of a music magazine cover. I have tried to create it in a stereotypical style relative to most heavy metal magazines. I have done this on photoshop and used certain generic elements like a red and silver house style and i used a font editor on photoshop to create the raw lettering for the 'SHRED' masthead. This will be good to look at to develop my ideas further for my final magazine cover.

5 Rules of taking a successful cover image.

2009-03-12T07:25:00.001-07:00

1. No cluttered backgrounds.

2. Make sure the focus is on the lead singer if it's a band shot so that the audience know who they are.

If it is a single artist make sure it is a medium shot - close up. A three quarter image may be good not centred.

3. Leave room for masthead and dont cut off peoples bodyparts from the pic.

4. No high angle shots - They make bad cover images, although good for double page spread.

5. Animate your band, make sure they look at the camera.

Starter Task

2009-03-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i learnt how to apply special effects to different font styles. These were specific to the genre/ style of my magazine. i did this using photoshop.

2009-03-05T06:24:00.000-08:00

IDEAS FOR MAGAZINES
First idea

1. target audience.
- Mainstream.
- 16-24.
- Mostly male but female.

sub genre.
- rock/ metal

title of magazine and connotations.
- Shred or chug, this connotes the sound of fast guitar playing and is an example of onomatopoeia.

Ideas for main cover image.
- medium close up shot of 1 or 2 band members with instruments, ideal self, Peer to peer mode of address.

5. Ideas for main splash article.
- relating to the cover , eg Could be about an album release or upcoming/
Previous tour.

Ideas for other possible contents.
- instrument reviews/ album reviews.

Here are some examples of heavy metal magazines that I could use as reference for my magazine.

IDEAS FOR MAGAZINES
Second idea.

1. target audience.
- niche
- 16+.
- Male and female

sub genre.
- Reggae

title of magazine and connotations.
- Soul world- gives connotations of the soulful music style. Or jammin’, this connotes a free and happy music style related with reggae music.

Ideas for main cover image.
- medium close up shot of a Rastafarian man playing an instrument, mode of address peer to peer.

5. Ideas for main splash article.
- relating to the cover , eg Could be about the particular lifestyle of a band and about what they stand for or about a previous festival.

6. Ideas for other possible contents.
- instrument reviews/ album reviews.

Here are some examples of reggae magazines that I could use as reference for my magazine.

IDEAS FOR MAGAZINES
Third idea.

1. target audience.
- Niche.
- 40- 55
- Mostly male.

sub genre.
- Country, blues, folk.

title of magazine and connotations.
- Bluegrass, connotes a specific style/ area of music. Or

Ideas for main cover image.
- medium close up shot of 1 or 2 band members with instruments like guitars and banjos. Peer to peer mode of address.

5. Ideas for main splash article.
- relating to the cover , eg Could be about an album release or upcoming/
Previous tour, festivals.

6. Ideas for other possible contents.
- Article about country/ blues icons.

Here is are some examples of country magazines that I could use as reference for my country/ folk/ blues magazine.

starter task

2009-03-04T01:13:00.000-08:00

Target Audience: A very specific group of people that a product is aimed at.

Mainstream product: A media product that is aimed at a vast audience with high circulation figures.

Niche product: A media product that is aimed at a more specific, smaller audience. Niche products have low circulation figures as they produce less units.

my college mag front cover and contents

2009-03-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

This is a front cover i have made for my college magazine. The first thing i did was make the draft copy on paper to get a rough idea of the way i wanted it to look.

Ihave followed the conventional ideas associated with music magazines.

My cover includes a medium close up of luke webb playing keyboard which links to the main cover line ''THINK FAST! BATTLE OF THE BANDS WINNERS!''. I created the thought bubble around the text to highlight it and link it to the band name. The house style i have used is the colour red in a straight forward font. The red attracts the readers attention.

I used quark to create the contents page layout .. this is also displayed in the video of me doing this.

Quark video example

2009-03-03T03:03:00.000-08:00

what i learnt yesterday

2009-03-03T02:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i learnt how to apply assessment objectives to my work and why magazines use certain names and styles to reach their target audience.

Photoshop video example

2009-03-02T04:16:00.000-08:00

Work from last week and goals for next week

2009-03-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

Last week i learnt how to make a contents page on quark and record what i am doing onscreen for my work on photoshop and quark.

2009-02-09T02:59:00.000-08:00

Assessment objective:
To assess candidates' ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (AO4).

DOUBLE PAGE SLPASH

The double page spread is the main article in the magazine. I know this because it links directly to the main cover image. Certain generic elements are used to link the cover to the article which i shall discuss.

The house style is continued from the cover and contents with the font which connotes that it is the main article. The colours of the article title are a blue sky with clouds image in the 'golden gods v' text and an image of flames for the 'welcome to hell' text underneath. This gives connotations of the bands being 'fallen angels' as such as the sky represents heaven, gods etc and the flames are used to represent hell and the devil. The small white text is used to give an explaination of the event. The white text under the explaination is smaller because it isn't as important to the reader as the rest of the text. Red text is used in the house style for the quote because it attracts the audience and gives them a taster of what will be talked about in the article. 'Rob flynn, machine head' is directly under the quote in yellow lettering to alert all machine head fans and it is yellow because it links with the golden gods theme.

2009-01-26T04:09:00.000-08:00

THE CONTENTS!

The contents uses certain generic elements to present the reader with an overall view of what the magazine has to offer and attract people to different articles.

The overall mise en scene of the page is dark with highlighted important parts. The main image is of the rockstar is in the middle of the page which shows the rule of thirds technique to attract the audiences eyes here first. He has the 'metal hammer golden gods' logo directly above him at the top of the page. This is an example of anchorage and links to the main cover line which signifies that as the main article. The bright yellow and red colours of the 'golden gods v' text and the bigger, bolder font of the page number signifies importance and therfore directs the readers attention to that article. Other examples of denoted colours used for the audience to encode as important are the bright red and yellow circles located at the corners of the page. they say: 'WHATS ON YOUR FREE CDS? SEE P.24', '2 FREE MAGS' AND 'SUBSCRIBE & GET THREE FREE DVD'S! see p.84'. The free mags text is anchored to pictures of the two free magazines.

The other articles on the contents are in a red border seperate from the main image. The page numbers are in drop capitals and highlighted red to signify attention and the article titles are white and bold to attract attention and the article descriptions are more discreet. The raw rough looking font as seen in the masthead is used for the word 'CONTENTS' as this is part of the house style. The bottom left hand corner of the page is used to show the 'band finder'. the bands and pages they are located on are within a bright red banner which again connote importance and attract the attention of the target audience with the red colour which can be stereotypically decoded as a colour associated with heavy music along with the dark background picture.

Page 2 of the contents uses the same generic elements to appeal to the reader. A red banner again on the left hand side for the 'EDITOR SPEAKS' section is used to get peoples attention as it is an introduction to the magazine. The main pictures on this page are in the middle of the page using the rule of thirds. Corey taylor is represented as the man from the horror film 'the shining' and from this the audience can decode the agression involved within his music. The bands are encoded to be god like mighty beings. For example municipal waste are in a church and the camera angle is a semi low angle shot to represent them as dominant and uses deep depth of field to show their surroundings which are important to represent them as godlike.

2009-01-21T02:00:00.000-08:00

METAL HAMMER MAGAZINE

THE COVER!

This magazine is about mainstream heavy metal music but also some underground bands within the metal scene. The target audience are heavy metal fans, young or old and they are positioned to accept a prefferred representation of people in heavy metal bands in a number of ways.

The masthead can afford to be overlapped by some of the mens heads in the main image because the magazine is very popular. It is also written in a big, bold, sharp, banner style which is white so that it stands out from the darker background. The word metal written in the house style which is rough and raw and connotes the agressiveness usually associated with meavy metal music. Pugs are used in the top right hand corner which say 'POP UP COVER!'. This is placed at the top of the cover because it is the first thing the customer will see before purchasing the product along with the masthead. The main cover line is used to anchor the main image which is a crowd of male rockstars posing in an agressive yet fun way. The cover line says 'GOLDEN GODS 2007' This cover links to the splash double page spread about Golden gods.

The mode of adress connoted by the rockstars on the cover is peer to peer because it is like they are our friends and are all having a laugh drinking. They also use stereotypical metal actions and faces such as the devil horns and pointing fingers to relate to the magazines target metal audience. I also think the audience are positioned to accept a preferred meaning of the rockers being god like symbols for the audience to idolise. This is shown in the bottom left hand picture on the cover, as the mans face is shown using a low angle, close up shot to connote his dominance and the main cover line 'GOLDEN GODS 2007' is anchored to the picture.