A2 Media Studies Coursework EvaluationSarah Powney

http://sarahpowney.wordpress.com/

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Large title across the top of the page with price, date and selling line on the right hand side.

headline placed over the top in a bold font to make it stand out

Title

Large cover image

Advert in banner across the bottom

Final Cover Page

Adverts/article summaries

These are all common features on both my cover page and a cover of my local newspaper ‘The News’, therefore demonstrating that my publication uses many typical forms of a real newspaper. This makes it look conventional and conforms with audience expectations.

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Search Bar

Cover image

Further Stories

Final Webpage

News

These are all common features on both my web page and a web page of my local newspaper’s website ‘The News’ (www.portsmouth.co.uk ), therefore demonstrating that my website uses many typical forms of a real newspaper. This makes it look conventional and conforms with audience expectations.

2) How effective is the combination of you main product with your ancillary texts?

To show continuity between my newspaper, my poster and my web pages I chose to place the title of the newspaper and the tag line at the top of all of the products in the same colour and font to ensure that there is continuity. Therefore, the audience will realise that the three publications are connected.

In addition, I included a small image of the cover page of my newspaper at the bottom of the poster and on the right hand side of the website home page to further establish the connection between the three publications.

Throughout the main product, and both ancillary texts I have continued with the theme of the snowy weather and advertised the additional supplement (which features pictures taken during the snow) on my webpage.

I added images of my music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread on Facebook to gain feedback from my peers. This was an effective way of gaining feedback because people could comment on my photos which gave me immediate feedback and a variety of opinions from a selection of people. I included the following message:

“Hiya!! For my media coursework I have created a front page, contents page and a double page spread for a music magazine. As part of my evaluation, I have to gain audience feedback for my coursework and include people's opinions in my evaluation. In order to gain feedback quickly I am asking my Facebook friends to comment on some/all of the photos. Constructive criticism would be very helpful and greatly appreciated!! You may want to consider the following points: Does the magazine look attractive? Does it look conventional? Would you buy it? Which part(s) do you like the most? ....ect Thanks x”

This received quite a good response from my Facebook friends. Many people commented and the feedback was supportive, helpful and mainly positive.

3) What have you learned from you audience feedback?

Front Cover Feedback

3) What have you learned from you audience feedback?

Overall the people who commented liked the headline pun and the fact that ‘all interests are covered clearly and quickly on the front page’. These are positive observations and confirms that the cover page is attractive to a variety of people. Therefore they would be encouraged to buy the newspaper.

3) What have you learned from you audience feedback? Inside Cover Feedback Poster Feedback

The comments from my target audience show that they liked the layout of the page because it included a lot of information on one page however does not appeal cluttered. Becky said ‘really does look professional especially with the image.’

Steve has said that the poster is ‘Clear, Catches the eye and concise information’, Becky said ‘Formal effective font, blue looks aesthetically pleasing.’ These comments show that my target audience would be attracted to the poster and be encouraged to buy the supplement/newspaper.

I have used a range of software and websites to construct my final product. I have listed them below and then written about some of them on the following slides. InDesign (Used to create the cover page and inside cover

page.) Photoshop (Used to edit photos allowing me to improve the

photos by altering the colours, changing the backgrounds, and cropping the photos)

Wordpress.com (Used to construct a blog which included text, images and PowerPoint presentations.)

Slideshare.net (Website used to upload PowerPoint presentations on my blog.)

Digital camera (Used to take the photographs which I then uploaded onto the computer.)

Facebook (Used to gain audience feedback)

4) How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I used the program InDesign because I felt that the software is well suited for the production of a newspaper and had a variety of creative design options, a vast selection of graphic effects (emboss, glow, etc) and an easy way to match colours (using RGB and CMYK).

Although I had not used this software before, the tools are simple to use and navigate. Below is a print screen to show the layout of InDesign.

Adobe InDesign

Toolbar

Selection Tool: Selects and moves items on a document and resizes frames by selecting anchor points

Adobe InDesign Toolbar

Type Tool: Adds or edits text. Adjust text using the type tool bar shown below and alter paragraph options using the paragraph tool bar. These both appear along the top

Line Tool: Adds a line; use the stroke palette to determine thickness. Below is the stroke palette.

Rectangle Tool: Creates shapes for text or graphics areas. The fly out menu also allows you to draw ellipses and polygons.

Rotate Tool: Rotates selected element.

Preview Mode: Shows page as it will actually look

Magnification Tool: Allows you to see the page magnified.

Useful Shortcuts

•Apple+Z = Undo last step•Apple+X = Cut •Apple+C = Copy •Apple+V = Paste •Apple+A = Select all

Fill/Stroke Control: Adds selected colour to element, text or line . Click the arrow to swap, fill and stroke buttons to make foreground active.

I used the program Photoshop because I felt that the software is good for editing photos allowing me to improve the photos by altering the colours, changing the backgrounds, and cropping the photo.

Although I had not used this software before, the tools are simple to use and navigate. Below is a print screen to show the layout of Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop

Wordpress.com I have used the website www.wordpress.com to create a blog so

that I could evaluate and reflect on my work week by week. This has improved the final product and allowed me to track my progress.

The website allows you to create a blog incorporating not only text but also upload photos and PowerPoint presentations. This allowed the blog to be creative and interesting.

In addition, you can follow and comment on other student’s blogs and can your peers following your blog adding comments and giving feedback.

I have used the website www.slideshare.net in order to upload PowerPoint presentations to my blog.

Initially, I found this website quite difficult to use because after I had uploaded the presentations I was not sure how to put it on my blog. However, once I got used to the website I found it quick and straightforward to put PowerPoint presentations onto my blog which I think improved the overall ‘look’ .

SlideShare