Evaluation - Question Seven

"Looking back at your Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression to the full product?"

In the progression from my preliminary task - a front cover and mock up contents of a college magazine - to my full product I feel I have learnt and developed in several areas.
Unlike my preliminary task, I had to carry out research for my full product, with both audience and market research being carried out. During my market research I was required to look at exsisting products and analyse them, in which I didn't have any previous experience. I was able to learn to look at magazine and discover denotations and connotations portrayed within. I was also able to learn the different codes and coventions of music magazines, and look at how messages are portrayed to the audience through a combination of text, images and colour. This helped me to create my final peice, which has developed and improved in comparision with my Preliminary Task.
My audience research has helped me gain knowledge of several websites which I didn't have knowledge of during my Preliminary Task. These websites are:

Prior to my audience research I would have created questionnaires and handed them out to members of the audience, however I learnt how to create an eletronic survery through the help of Survey Monkey and used new tools on Facebook in order to gather my results. I used the embed tool in order to link my survey to my home page on Facebook and also used the private mail button function in order to alert the attention of my "friends" to take the survey. Once I gathered my research I was able to use Microsoft Excel to create pie charts which allowed me to present my information neatly and in an easy to read manner e.g.:



Throughout the process of creating my full products I have learnt how to master several technologies such as
http://www.blogger.com/, and photoshop. Until I started my full product, I had never used a blog before, and I had to learn how to set up a blog, how to create posts and then to organise them in an attractive manner. I also had no previous experience with photoshop; I therfore had to learn how to use photoshop* whilst creating my product. I feel that I managed to manipulate the tools and bring together a product - something I could not during my Preliminary Task, as I used Microsoft Publisher to create this.
*Refer to question six.

The transition from Preliminary Task and my full product saw me learn a great deal about photography - in particular the composition and taking of the shots. My prelimiary task saw me take one medium close up for my main image; I did not take much notice of composition or positioning. However, my full product required me to use at least four images, and to take images of several different models. I learnt how the compositioning of the images is importants, and how images do not always work out as well as planned. I took many images; my main model was drafted in several times to re-take images as I had many images but not ones I felt looked "right" for my main product. I also took images of a friends band, however I took these during a live rehersal, so many of my shots wern't acceptable to use due to the movement taking place by the models used. I also took images of a female model, however when looking back at the images I decided she was not styled correctly, amd the images did not fit. I feel that in comparison with the preliminary task, I learnt about composing and styling of images.

I feel I have progressed mainly in the aesthetic area; I feel I learnt about layouts and images the most throughout the process, and I also feel that my creative skills have grown largely; previously I had a very mundane view of things, and since leaving my preliminary task and going to my full product I feel this has gained largely. I feel that this can be shown in my front cover when compared to my preliminary task front cover:

In addition, I learnt how to create documents I had no experience of during my preliminary task e.g. flat plans, style sheets and a pitch:

Finally, I feel my organisation has progressed and I have learnt much about how to organise myself and how to use my time wisely. My preliminary task was done rather quickly, with no real outlook on how to tackle it. However, my full product took a much longer time, with having difficulities on the way that took time to deal with and move on. Time management and organising my time well was a skill that I feel I took away most from; I would not have learnt how to carefully plan my time and how to adapt it around what I was doing and the tasks I had remaining to do during my preliminary task.