RE-SUB Changes

For my final front cover, contents page and double page spread I was told to edit the following:



Front Cover:
Move the cell lines to the edge of the page
Move the masthead more to the top left
(Possibly) remove the two images at either side of the central one

Contents Page:
Fill the unnecessary gap at the bottom

DPS:
Include page numbers


Evaluation:
Include more detail, analysis and terminology for each of the 7 questions.

So that the changes can be seen clearly, I will be posting my original three products below:

And here are the altered versions with the suggested changes:

For my front cover I altered the position of the masthead and moved all of the subheadings closer the outer regions of the page.

For my contents page the only thing I was told to do was fill the gap at the bottom, which I did by enlarging the text and moving my name and signature to the right to fill the space.

For my double page spread, unfortunately I didn't have the original photoshop file so I wasn't able to alter the size of the photo on the left to fill the gap like I originally planned, so I was forced to resorting to making just one change-adding page numbers. I used the same font in as what I used for the Risen logo to keep continuity. 

As for the suggestion of fleshing out my evaluation questions more thoroughly, for question 7 I further described how my college magazine didn't match up to my final three products in terms of technical proficiency and use of editing software (all additions to questions will be in the form of more detailed explanations at the bottom of each page. For question 6 I discussed further how Photoshop can be used as a method of creation. For question 5 I talked about how I used and broke conventions to attract a niche audience, and in the 4th question I 

Final Front Cover

Final Contents Page

Final Double Page Spread

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

In the months that followed from the creation of my preliminary college magazine cover, to my actual music magazine  cover, I feel as though the progression was very good and clearly demonstrated how I learned to use photo editing software over the course of the year.

Shown here, my final front cover has many features and qualities that would only be possible with a high level of understanding of the photo editing software Photoshop.

Looking at my preliminary task, it seems very lackluster and primitive in comparison to my final cover. The masthead is very basic, and all text is simply enlarged Arial, and in different colours. Whereas the final product has three different font types, (Viner Hand ITC, Gill Sans MT and Arial) and utilises several of the advanced tools that Photoshop offers, such as free transform, the linking and transformation of layers, and the addition of effects (such as the grime effect on 'The Boston Buried'.

The main image on this preliminary cover was plain and uninspiring, and overall bland. It made the simplicity of my original cover look even more plain. 

However, for my music product, I learned that creativity was the key to a good cover, so took numerous photos and conglomerated the best and most fitting ones into positions that created the illusion of several people, from only one. For this, spacing and placement was key, so I changed the positioning of the members several times to get the feel of depth, just right. 

Additionally I learned how to use the crop and lasso tools in order to remove the background from the multiple photos I took for my coursework and place me onto my three products. This also required knowledge of taking layers from one Photoshop file and inserting them into another, which I also learned how to do after the creation of my college magazine. Additionally, something as basic as adjusting the rotation of text on the page was absent from my college magazine, and the subheadings were far too big and seemed awkwardly placed on the page, as did the masthead with it being plastered over half my head. 

6. What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

Throughout the creation of my media products, I learned a lot about several technologies. Primarily, Photoshop.

 Clearly Photoshop was the primary tool I used to create my media products, as the level of editing and polish would not be possible in other products or software (namely paint, Microsoft office etc.)

For example, here on my front cover, the masthead, headlines and practically everything was produced in Photoshop.

The images I took where cropped with Photoshop tools, placed into Photoshop and positioned in it too. Using the tools to position the primary figure in the grey hoodie behind the other members was done thanks to Photoshop. Additionally, after changes in positioning were suggested by my teacher, it was incredibly easy to hide layers and use free-transform to edit the size and positioning of the band members, in order to create a better sense of depth.

Throughout the course of the creation of my three products I not only gained insight into how Photoshop works, but how it can be used to manipulate any image and to bring something new into existence through nothing but other photographs.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Firstly, to attract or adress my media audience, I had to know what would appeal to them and their demographic. considering that my genre is a hybrid of two popular genres, I had a choice to make.

Because rock and rap are so different, in terms of music and also in terms of appearance and overall look, I had to decide which way to lean, as rap-rock itself has no defining style of its own in term of attire.

 I could either choose to go with the rap route, and base the design of my media product off of rap icons, such as Snoop Dog with their hoodies and dark attire...

Or I could take inspiration from the rock genre, outfitting my media product with the iconography of icons such as slash, with things such as piercings, long hair, and band-inspired shirts.

I knew that either one would attract an audience, as both rock and rap are incredibly popular genres (rock being more popular in recent years, show by this study, would have been a better choice.)

But I decided on neither, and went with Hollywood Undead as my inspiration. Being already in the rock-rap genre, and being the most popular artist in the genre to boot, it was a good idea to take inspiration from them, in order to gain interest from people who already fans of them, and the genre.

This style would resonate with current fans of the genre, as it's what they would be familiar with. I know this because rock-rap is a relatively small genre, so it is very likely that if a person was a fan, they would know of Hollywood Undead, so shaping my media product around them would attract more of an audience. In this way, it could be said that by selecting the rap-rock genre, I set myself up to address/attract a niche audience.