Question 6: What have you learnt about new Technologies from the Process of Constructing this Product?

Photography

Using digital cameras makes taking photos much easier than it would have been 10 or so years ago. This is because in the past you had to develop photos from film, which would take several steps and even would be time consuming. However now, digital cameras instantly take the photos and you can just simply transfer them over to the desired device, like I did to the computer. This was quick and simple and didn't cost me anything as I didn't have to buy developer or other type of chemicals.
 Furthermore, when taking a shot on a film camera, you need to have more care and focus as you have things like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to think about - whereas a digital camera can be put on an automatic setting, and will give a higher quality finish. As I used a digital camera, I could take as many photos as I'd like and easily view and select the best ones.

 

Software

Photoshop:

 

I used photo-shop for the manipulation of images to improve and alter them to a desired standard. This was quite simple once I knew how to use the software.

 Manipulation is very prevalent in media, as you always find that models in magazines have been edited to be slimmer, or have better skin etc. Or images may be edited to try create an illusion.

 

I learnt many techniques to enhance photos. One is that I now can cut out the subject from the background and place it somewhere else. I also can use blemish tools to get rid of 'imperfections' that may not want to be seen on the face:

 

Before:

 

 

After:

 

 

 

Steps:

 

 

 

 

 

Before:

 

 

 

 

After:

 

 

 

In Design


It is very easy when on InDesign to import and export my work from one piece of software to another. Furthermore, I can work on one computer and still have access to my article, images, and my page designs but also be able to upload my work onto this platform to display my completed product and get feedback.








 

I learnt how to use this software that I never used before, but it was useful as a template for a contents page and my double page spread.

 

 Internet/Blogger

I have developed my skills in using a blog for academic reasons, and I know of the ease of posting my research and planning. It saves paper and is way less time consuming. The internet is easily accessible and has a lot of information that can be found online for the use of my work and research.

  Blogger is also helpful because I can easily get feedback and is a wide platform for people to read.

Moreover, I have been introduced to many multi-media programs and resources to help present my work visually, and embed videos and images easily. These are:

• Prezi.
• Moviemaker.
• Glogster.
• Powerpoint.
• Youtube.

 Conclusion

 

Digital technology, computers and the web can make media production easy. I gained a development of IT skills from completing all of the work, which can help me in other fields. Digital media requires a very different skill set to traditional media due to the type of software used and it being primarily online.

 Media production is available to almost anyone if they have the software, as it is easy to learn and most things are accessible.

 



Question 1: In what ways does your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms & Conventions of Real Media?

 

Question 2: How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups?

Question 4: Who Would be the Audience for your Media Product?

 

Every media product should have a target audience in mind during the creation as it will impact on the sales of the product due to who will relate and buy it. This means it will impact all decisions made about content and design, as the company need to know needs, values and interests of their target audience for the media product to appeal to them.

Demographics are used within media products as it categorises an audience into a 'potential' one, which can include:  gender, age, religion, social grade, and ethnicity/race. This all will help when wanting to know information about their target audience. VALs stand for 'Values and Lifestyles', in which it refers to those VALs of a media product's target audience. This helps marketing for a product as the company will know what other brands and associations the audience may have.

Research and Planning:

http://meganlplant.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/understanding-audiences.html

As part of my planning I have produced a readership profile to understand more about my target audience.

Age Group: 14-21

Gender: Female (60%)  Male (40%)

Social Grade: D/C

VALs: Strivers/Survivors.

Specific Music Sub-culture: Rock/Pop Punk

Media Texts: Kerrang!, Rocksound, MOJO.


I've chose this as my audience as I can relate well and therefore use my own knowledge of the types of VALs and demographic, and use it wisely to create an appeal to my magazine.

Even though my product has a certain target audience, I feel like it may still appeal to a wider audience as older people may find it enjoyable.

 This is comparable to Kerrang! magazine: