Skills Development

Describe and evaluate your skills development over the course of their Foundation Portfolio. The focus of this evaluation must be on skills development, and the question will require you to detail specific production practices  The list of practices is as follows:

• Digital Technology

• Creativity

• Research and Planning

• Post-Production

Digital Technology: For my Foundation Portfolio, I created the front cover, contents page and a double page spread of a music magazine. To do this, I used DTP and an image manipulation/editing software (the software I used was Adobe Photoshop) I had previously used an older version of this software, as well as competing alternatives and freeware. However, as I had only used the software for recreational purposes, I still managed to learn many new techniques which helped me improve and ultimately achieve a successful product.
Adobe Photoshop allowed me to use techniques that gave a near-professional look to my magazine. One main challenge was creating the artist’s shadow and then editing the image to artistically merge with the text and background images and layouts.
To achieve a professional style similar to modern consumer music magazines, I had to make sure that the artist’s shadow was seamless with the background design of the page, by creating the shadow as a separate image and accurately editing it to fit. By designing the shadow as a separate image to the artist (instead of being a result of a Photoshop effect on the image), I was able to edit the new image to fit in with the background and text designs and also to convince potential readers to buy the magazine, by creating the artificial ‘mid-air’ title convention of modern magazines, and to make both the background and the shadow seamless, so I could successfully give a ‘torn’ effect to the page.
Research & Planning, Genre Conventions
For the AS Foundation Portfolio, I had the music magazine brief. My research led me to current magazines, competing magazines in the market (targeting similar genres), as well as magazines covering completely separate topics, but created by the same publishing firm. For contemporary music magazines, I researched magazine publishers online. Using the media “LIIAR” acronym (Language, Institution, Ideology, Audience and Representation), I managed to analyse and deconstruct the magazines to form case studies, and frameworks to base my magazine on.
After researching many magazines, some competing music magazines, and popular magazines covering other topics by the same publishers, I found that I had a profound knowledge of the conventions needed to create a music magazine that would also be successful. I discovered that competing magazines used a mix of images and text, a ‘floating’ masthead and a ‘letter from the editor’ on the contents page, and using these techniques, I included them in my magazine, and began editing the magazine to suit my personal style, giving a unique selling edge to my magazine.
Creativity
Once I had identified the design of contemporary music magazines, I decided to add my own creative individual styles to the magazine. Because I know it was important for my magazine to have my own creative style, I looked into, and expanded, my own music interests. ### I approached this task with an open mind, and I was determined to radically change my first drafts, which were incredibly poor quality and lacked the conventions of commercial music magazines.
I located an actress to model for my magazine, using costume and makeup to create a look for her that suited the genre. The model then stood in positions that reflected the personalities of artists of the genre. Importing these photographs into Adobe Photoshop, I edited the images onto my magazine and then styled the remaining areas of the magazine around the images.
Post Production
During the production, I created many different drafts. These were very poor quality, as I had focused all of my energy on the style and layout of the one draft which ended up as my finished product. The positive feedback I received from my first drafts helped me in the production of my final draft, by giving constructive ideas on how to improve the look of my finished product.
In conclusion, using my knowledge of Digital Technology, Creativity, Research and Planning and Post-Production, built during Media lessons and my own time, along with using the conventions of media texts, I managed to develop my skills in Digital Technology, Creativity, Research and Planning and Post-Production. My skills in these subjects developed due to the amount of time I spent on research, planning the look and layout of my media product, which would lead to a professional feel and appearance. My skills also developed in Adobe Photoshop, as, although I was already fairly competent in using the software, I knew that I could, and therefore did, gain new skills and also improve on the skills I already had. My creativity developed as I had made multiple drafts, and I believe I made sufficient progress from my drafts to my final product.