Contact sheets for images

Finished Product: Double Page Spread

Finished Product: Contents Page

Evaluation: Forms and Conventions

Evaluation: Target Audience

Target Audience

Evaluation: Technologies Used

I have used photoshop within the creation of my product, and it has been the main focus of the production - most of my product has been created with photoshop. I have learnt to edit photos within photoshop so that they look better suited to a magazine. The margins I was able to create within photoshop enabled me to create a better-looking, more in-line magazine, particularly with my double page spread and when it came to making sure the words on the front cover did not run into the photo. Photoshop was a very user-friendly technology once I had grown accustomed to it and had experimented, as I was able to very easily because of Photoshop, with what I wanted my product to look like.

InDesign is another product, similar to Photoshop, used by many professional companies in the creation of their media product. I used InDesign on my double page spread, as it was easier to add conventions

SurveyMonkey was used in the research stages of the product - I used it to explore what my target audience wanted; even who my target audience were in the first place. It was very useful when it came to inspiration, and whenever I was stuck with what to do at a certain point, I could turn back to the results to get a feel of what my audience would want and expect.

Flipsnack was a wonderful product to use if I needed to move a word document file onto the blog but didn’t want or need to paste it all as text, which would have ruined the formatting. I could convert these files into PDF files to upload them to Blogger, which created an interactive flipbook online. Another online product that I used to look over results from research and evaluations was slideshare, an online slideshow product that I could upload to Blogger easily.

I’ve used the product Prezi to create interactive powerpoints that have helped me gather information from my research, and also to evaluate my products in a different, more interesting format, in which it is easy to incorporate images into these evaluations and research gatherings.

Skills Development

I believe I have improved a lot during my time creating these products. I have learnt a lot in photoshop. As you can see, in the first product, the image was stretched far too much, probably due to trying to cut the image without knowing how to keep in proportion.
I used fonts from the website 'DaFont', which I feel, on the one hand, were good fonts, but on the other hand, could have been chosen more appropriately, which I worked on improving throughout the task (as is visible, I changed the font a few times to see which one word best). And the white areas around the images could have been cleared more accurately. I did not have this issue by the end of the finished product.
Another small thing I have worked on was the fact that text was over the face of the subject. This was difficult to avoid during the production of the final product with the close up on the subject's face taking up most of the space, but I am satisfied that I avoided this to the best of my ability.
At the midway point at which I had completed my draft product, my photoshop skills were impressive for the time I had to learn it in, but the colours and fonts were far too busy, so I went back and improved on this, which ended up changing the whole of the magazine cover. I am satisfied with the end result.
In photoshop, I have learnt to hold down shift to retain the original measurements of the image and avoid stretching the image to look unnatural. I have learnt about drop shadows, of which I have used with effect on my titles.
I have learnt how to use images effectively within photoshop and how to use rulers to keep everything in line and to look far neater.
I have learnt how to edit and airbrush an image slightly to make it look professional, attractive. I have also learnt to sharpen or blend an image so that, even if the quality of the image is not perfect, I can bring it up to the standard required. This has been a very useful tool for me, especially during the production of the image-heavy double-page spread.
The colourwork and fonts are something I had to experiment a bit with until I was satisfied enough with the quality. I feel I have made competent progress with my photoshop skills.
Overall, I am pleased that I have improved and created an end result far better than the previous preliminary task.

Props, Costume, Location

This is a list of props worth considering using during photo shoots:

• Tables and chairs
• Musical instruments
• Microphones
• Boxes
• Scripts
• Fake weaponry
• Multiple props from the props room and props boxes
• Props included in upcoming performances at college
• Red flag and/or French flag (if Les Miserables elements are included)
• Newspapers and/or news bags (if Newsies elements are included)
• Phantom mask (if Phantom of the Opera elements are included)
• Besom/Broomstick(s) (if Wicked elementsa are included)
• Musical posters

Preferred locations:

• Stage
• Drama room
• Dance studio
• Rooms with large mirrors (as found in dance studios)
• Somewhere during a drama trip

Costumes up for consideration:

• Loose dance clothes
• Dance rehearsal leotards
• Dance shoes - jazz shoes, ballet shoes, tap shoes, closed-toe flats
• Formal shoes and high heals
• Badges, ribbons
• Plain shirts
• Smart suits and dresses
• Period costumes
• All-black rehearsal shirts and trousers
• Heavy stage makeup
• Fake blood makeup
• Green makeup (if Wicked elements are included)
• Appropriate headgear

Audience Advertisement Mood Board

Colour Mood Board

Based on responses from the questionnaire:

Font Mood Board

Titles from suggestions from the survey.

Questionnaire for Music Magazine and Results

The link for the questionnaire I created can be found   >>HERE<<
The results are as follows:

What/who is your favourite musical, band, artist, or music genre?

• Les Miserables X3
• Hamilton X2
• Union J
• Twenty One Pilots
• Rita Ora
• Pop
• Rock
• Indie
• Alternate rock
• Frozen
• Greece
• The lion king
• A Very Potter Musical
• Jersey Boys
• Phantom of the Opera
• RENT
• Wicked
• George Blagden
• Lin Manuel Miranda
• Ramin Karimloo

What title do you think would be good for a musicals magazine?

• Musicalz
• Musical Magic
• Performance
• Á la Musique
• WILDCATS
• Musicalfamous
• Musical maestro
• The Overture
• Waiting in the Wings
• (Reprise)
• Curtain Call
• On Stage
• Popular
• Greasepaint
• Hear the People Sing
• The Show Must Go On
• Dream a Dream
• Follow Me
• Music of the Night
• My Favourite Things
• One Song Glory
• Out of My Dreams
• Wand'rin Star
• The End of the West
• Behind the Scenes
• Backstage Gossip
• The Broad Way
• Backstage

Do you have any final suggestions?

• "Do it for people who just want to watch it and do it also for people who want to take part - don't do it for just one demographic."
• "I think it would be good to include a variety of types of musicals to appeal to people of all ages."
• "Make it look really individual."
• "Please put plenty of info about armature people; they're just as important as Broadway headliners."

Double Page Spread (Second Draft)

Contents Page (Second Draft)

Front Cover

Draft work feedback - 3 Jan

Rebekah,

some good work produced to date and it is good to see that a majority of the layouts and styling aspects for the 3 products are in place.
Your work does need to be a bit more dynamic - more impact with fonts, more interesting with layouts, don't be afraid to 'borrow' stylistic design traits from existing products and utilise / develop these in your own work.
We have discussed the improvement on your images and I think this is a must to ensure a professional look to your magazine. A studio portrait for your front cover and a posed / location shot for your DPS would really make a difference.
I think you need more consistency with the fonts on your front cover and I don't think that the title font and pull quote font that you use on your DPS has a professional look to it.
I like the layout of the contents page and this works very well.

Good work to date - images are a priority for you so make these one of the first things you do when you get back. Remember, take LOADS of images!

Carl.