WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?THOMAS NGAI

INTRODUCTION Throughput the production of the POPCORN magazine, I have used different kind of hardware and software which gives me an opportunity to learn different media skills. Within the production I have learnt a lot on how to use the main software- Photoshop and InDesign, learnt to take pictures with different effects and also learnt the name and the function of the lighting equipment as well as how to use them.

WHAT ABOUT THE SOFTWARE....

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP+INDESIGN

PHOTOSHOPAs I have got few images and coverlines, it is necessary to use the Photoshop as it allows me to edit the images as well as adding effects on every images and coverlines. In terms of the effects within the coverlines, I have used the blending option with putting some drop shadow and stroke, so that it makes the coverlines (also the masthead and the headline) looks more solid, which can attract the audience effectively. On the other hand I have also adjusted the images within the front page, content page and the double page spread. However I didn’t changed the image dramatically, this is because I want to keep the perception of ‘studio image’ which is also a convention in pop magazine as most of the images in the other pop magazine are taken inside the studio. Furthermore Photoshop allows me to edit the layout of the magazine very easily as I have got a lot of coverlines that needs to be edited by using the magic wand tool and also the gradient line tool to make the coloured background. I have made the front page and the content by Photoshop.

PHOTOSHOPFor me Photoshop is not difficult as I have used it on my GCSE coursework during year 10 and 11, which I have made a front page of newspaper and 3 different video game posters and every time I have learnt new skills from my teacher so that I think I have managed to know how to use this software. This time I have learnt about how to invert the layer, how to create a coloured shape and using the pen tool to cut out image accurately

INDESIGN I have used InDesign on the first page of the double page spread, this is because I need to added the pull quotes and it has got lots of words within the introduction and the main article. InDesign is very useful as it allows me to organise the paragraphs and the pull quotes in the article. Moreover in the introduction box it allows me to type within the right angle triangle box, so that it makes the page looks ‘casual’. However personally I think it is very difficult to use, this is because I can’t really edit the image that I have inserted into the page, so that I will need to edit the image in Photoshop insert into InDesign. On the other hand after inserted the image into the page, I will need to change the scale of the image very careful as it has got two select buttons which confuse me a lot…Therefore I have looked at the online tutorial clip on YouTube and work carefully try to not get confused by the buttons

WHY NOT INDESIGN For me I haven’t used the InDesign since year 10 coursework, I think it is very difficult to control and use during the production as I haven’t used this software for a period of time….but although it has disadvantage on editing the images, it is useful in terms of the layout for the article as it has got columns for the paragraph, so that the paragraph and the pull quotes looks very organise. Throughout the production of the magazine I have learnt some skills from my teachers such as how to create columns and pull quotes on the page and also how to insert image and adjust the size of the image, which I think I have improved a lot since the beginning of the coursework.

HARDWARE AND LIGHTING

CAMERA AND THE LIGHTING EQUIPMENT

CAMERA- CANON At the beginning of the planning task, I have said that I am going to use my own Nikon P7000 camera, but I have realised I can borrow a DSLR camera from the school, so that I have changed my mind and use the DSLR instead the P7000. Throughout the production, I have used the DSLR camera for the shooting and it allows me to take better quality of images, so that I can have better images for my magazine. Moreover the DSLR camera is also very convenient because I have used soft box and some flash guns in the studio, which the DSLR camera allows me to operate the lighting equipment very easily as the camera has a quicker shutter speed than the Nikon camera. Although I am very interested in photography, but I don’t really know about the setting within the camera such as the different between ISO 100 AND ISO 400. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive it is to the light, while higher ISO number increase the sensitivity of the camera. But after the lesson from Miss Doig (See online tutorial and response from planning) I have learnt a lot on the photography technique and I have gain knowledge of how to take images due to the condition and the style of the images.

CAMERA Overall I think I have used the right setting for the final image, it gives me good quality of images for my magazine. Also I have learnt from the tutorial about how to operate the equipment, what style of image I should take and what equipment should be used in different condition.

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT While we were having the photography lesson with Miss Doig, We have also learnt about the the lighting equipment. It is a very good experience for me as I haven’t try to set up and use any of the lighting equipment before. The lighting equipment is used for providing another light source to the photograph, particularly inside the studio. I have only used the flash gun with the soft box and the beauty dish as I was going to take some high key lighting pictures with the artists in the studio for the final images so that it is very useful for my photo shooting. As a beginner of light photography, there are always issues occur during the shooting day such as cannot connect the trigger to the flash gun, but I have solved those issues by looking back the tutorial video.

CONCLUSION Overall I think I have done well in terms of the shooting and editing for my magazine, although there might be some improvement such as the posing within the image. This could have benefited my final product, this is because different posing could gives out different ideologies to the audience, for example without posing connotes no confident and vulnerable; so that it is very important to have a suitable posing for the image. Moreover the skills on InDesign need to be improved as I think the article is not in good organised even though they are set within the column, so that I will need to improve and ready for the next similar coursework.