FMP EvaluationRobbie Hickman

Production Process Evaluation

Planning• Strengths • The planning for my final media product was clear and accurate. It was quite detailed and it consisted of text, images, and

mind maps. I had shown all the ideas I came up with regarding what type of media product I would like to produce through use of mind maps. I stated what my initial thoughts and ideas were; this provided me with a wide variety of options and I was able to choose one of them as my final idea.

• I was also able to plan ahead; I made predictions on what issues I would most likely come across during production e.g. loss of work, unable to come to college. This helped me with production because I was more confident and less worried about things going wrong. Another strength of my planning was my schedule which allowed me to decide on what to do each day. This helped my product because I knew what I was going to produce one day, and then the next. Overall, there were a lot of strengths in my planning and these ensured production of my product was effective and easy.

• I was working on my own during pre-production of my FMP, therefore I was responsible for conducting research, both on the market and on the audience. I was responsible for loss of work, any backup planning just in case something went wrong, and deciding on what to produce. I was very clear and consistent in my planning; I put lots of detail into it and this helped me a great deal during production.

• Weaknesses • In some places, my planning was weak. I didn’t consider different types of media products that were allowed to be produced

(posters, graphic novel, T-Shirt) in my mood board and I only focused on different styles of a magazine cover. Therefore, the only product highlighted in my mood board was magazines. To improve on this I could have included images of other media products that the brief stated are allowed to be made in the FMP. They could still be based on video games, but the product couldn’t just be a magazine. My overall product could benefit from this because there would be an even greater range of options for not only the production, but for the audience as well.

• My Developmental Work was quite strong and accurate in some places, but it could have been far more detailed in certain areas. A good example would be the mock-ups for potential design ideas which only feature small pieces of text and boxes to indicate how the elements would be arranged. I could have improved on this by including a real image from Google as well as ideas for what text to include e.g. on a magazine cover there would be a heading, cover lines, and the name of the magazine. I could have written what I would actually include on the cover and not just ‘Text Here’ or ‘Image’. This might have had a positive effect on my product because I would have had additional information when I got on to production.

Research• Strengths • The research I conducted on existing media products that were similar to my own original ideas was carried out in a sophisticated

manner. There were different methods I used to analyse images of existing products which were quite effective. I managed to obtain media products from two different time periods (modern and 80s), analyse them and compare and contrast them. My analysis of these products was strong and detailed, with confident ways of discussing certain graphic elements e.g. colour connotation, text size and font, and image style. I also highlighted the way everything on the covers was arranged (clean, cluttered, etc.) My research was effective because it allowed me to outline the common qualities and aspects of magazine covers in general. In this way, I was provided with information on what I could include in my media product which was also a magazine cover. Areas of my research served as inspiration for my product, and this helped me a lot.

• I also carried out audience research to find out who my product will appeal to. This had a positive impact on my product because I got an impression of what people would like to see on a gaming magazine. My audience research, as well as my market research, was all conducted on my own. I wasn’t working within a team, and this was probably beneficial because there could have been a range of ideas with difficulties in terms of choosing a final one. However, if there were more people focusing on the research it would have all been quick and not as time-consuming as it was when I did it alone. I knew that research was an important aspect of pre-production because I could determine what content I could include that would appeal to my target audience.

• Weaknesses • My research was weak in terms of the amount of products I analysed. My research could have benefited from additional products

e.g. an extra 80s product. This could be considered an improvement on my research. My product would benefit from additional research because there would be more information about arrangements and common aspects of magazines that would help me during production. My survey was quite brief and the questions weren’t specific (How often do you play video games, what would you like to see on magazine covers?). I could have done better by expanding on my questions and giving the audience more boxes to tick. This would have ensured I obtained additional information regarding the preferences of the audience about games and magazines. I might have done better if I was working within a group because there would have been an increased chance of obtaining more results from additional surveys created. With more help, my questions would have been perhaps more broader and sophisticated. In turn, my results would have been more accurate.

Time Management• How I managed my time • I managed my time really well. My Pre-Production work consisted of a time schedule which allowed me to decide which aspects of my

work I could produce each day. The schedule I put together played an important role in the way I managed my time. It allowed for me to prepare for production of one product each day and I knew exactly what I was going to do during the course of production.

• I managed to create and submit six media products (magazine cover, double-page spread, contents page, poster, T-Shirt, e-magazine DPS) in just over a week. My products were finished on time. If I had additional time, however, I would have had a chance to improve on the quality of my products e.g. use different conventions. However, I think my time management during production went really well as I considered the importance of getting everything produced before the deadline. I also knew that I shouldn’t spend too much time on production. It might have been difficult to manage my time with more members working on the same product as me; it would have been quite a challenge if alternate options from one of the team members came up because we would have had to come up with new ideas and change what we already had planned. Working on my own would have resulted in less problems in time management during production. Also, working on my own meant that I was putting all my ideas and skills into my product and I showed full consideration of how long production would take/any issues that might unexpectedly come up etc.

• What I would have done if I had more time • If I had additional time during production, I might have adapted my ideas and done something different. I would still do a magazine based

on gaming, but I could have taken some photos of my own and used them in my media product. For example, I could have taken a picture of the college and state that an event of sorts is taking place there (an announcement of an upcoming game or a gameplay demonstration). Additional time would benefit me because I would be able to expand on my creativity for a media product and show greater sophistication, rather than obtain images from Google or use similar conventions to what others have taken on.

Technical Qualities• Technical Proficiency• My work could be considered technically proficient because I clearly utilized my own skills acquired through production on

previous projects (magazine covers on Adobe Photoshop CS6) and took measures against existing products that are quite popular. I was working on the same editing program on this final project, therefore I could use the skills and abilities I attained previously to develop my products. I also took inspiration from existing magazine covers like I did on past projects and tried to create something slightly similar; in this way there was a good chance I could raise the qualities of my product to the standard of established and popular magazine covers.

• Reflecting Professional Conventions• The graphic elements on my magazine cover, double-page spread, and contents page are quite reminiscent of existing products.

There are different types of conventions on a magazine e.g. text can be either clean or cluttered, the masthead can be positioned at either the top of the page or at the centre. The elements on my page somewhat reflect professional conventions of magazine covers I studied before production. I used a slightly cluttered style of text and I positioned the masthead close to the top of the page. In my covers, I featured one large image of a video game which took up the entirety of the pages. This might be considered another common magazine convention that I used.

• Strengths, Weaknesses, and Areas for Improvement• The technical qualities of my product(s) are quite strong in places but weak in others. I have managed to combine text fonts,

image style, colours, shapes, etc. in a successful manner and I utilized conventions of existing products, making my own product similar to other popular magazines. My magazine cover is quite detailed with text, images, and cover lines. However, some areas of my magazines might be too detailed, while others areas have text which isn’t clearly visible against a certain image e.g. orange against white.

• I could improve on my products by perhaps using a clean style of text rather than a cluttered style. This would improve the quality of my product because I could show additional skills which might look better. I could also use different fonts of text and other colours to make certain areas stand out and increase similarities with existing products.

Comparison to Existing ProductsThe name of the magazine is positioned at the top of the page in large white capital lettering Which stands out against the colour red.

Text is cluttered across the page, giving it lots of detail. However, the cover looks slightly untidy and the customer could become confused.

The cover lines are carefully positioned on the sides of the cover, suggesting skill within the producer.

There are references to video games that will be featured inside the magazine. These are shown clearly at the bottom of the cover.

An image of the Union Jack suggests where the magazine will be distributed. The three colours of the flag suggest strength, loyalty, and goodness.

The soldier on the cover is covered by shadow so his features cannot be seen. His image suggests mystery and could generate fear within the audience.

The background image is shown to be filled with chaos and fighting. Everything is in ruins and aggression is suggested.

The top half of the cover is clean, with little areas of text. There are areas of blank space.

The primary focus of the magazine cover is Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3. The title of the game captures the attention of the customer.

The bottom half of the page is detailed with text. There is very little blank space.

The name of the magazine is positioned near the top of the page. The large, white capital letters stand out against areas of red and black.

The main focus of this cover is Battlefield 3. The title of the game is placed at the centre of the cover and it attracts the customer before any other feature.

Text on the left side of the page is cluttered, therefore looking very detailed. The right hand side of the page is clean, with some areas of text and a space intentionally left blank.

There are references to video games which appear inside the magazine. The importance of these games are highlighted.

Most of the text stands out. There is a full body shot of a soldier, shown to have advancing army vehicles behind him. This creates a sense of strength for the soldier. No fighting is shown to be taking place, although it is suggested one will be taking place soon.

There is a patch of orange on the torso of the soldier which could almost give the impression of fury or pain within the soldier. This is quite effective. The colour orange suggests determination and success.

Aesthetic Qualities• How my product looks • My final media product looks very professional, with text and images combined in a sophisticated manner. Specific editing

techniques which were employed e.g. lighting, contrast, colour correction, image cropping gave my product an eye-catching appearance overall. The layout of all graphic elements not only make the magazine look appealing, it gives the impression of skill during production.

• How my product is creative • My product was quite creative, primarily because I had placed ideas of my own into production rather than just copying ideas

which were already in the market. I had used different styles, text fonts, colours etc. which contrast to that of existing products. For example, I had cropped one image (of a soldier with two guns from a title sequence) and placed it on top of another (a war-torn location where a fight is taking place) to give the appearance of the soldier actually being in the battlefield.

• Product Visuals• My magazine cover has a lot of visuals e.g. the name of the magazine, the image, colour of text, and masthead. I like how the

name of the magazine (Shooter UK) accompanies the genre of gaming shown on the cover. Another aspect of the visuals I like is the image(s) of the soldier and the battlefield put together because they could suggest the soldier is looking back on wars he has fought in, even though this wasn’t initially obvious in the real image of the soldier which was featured in the title sequence of the game. Also, these two images are from the same video game, (Call of Duty: Black Ops 3) which makes the aforementioned “looking back on his life” a bit more evident. These aspects of my product(s) clearly had a lot of skill put into them; I put a lot of effort into post-production (editing, colour grading etc.) and I remained aware of the qualities I would be assessed on. I also employed additional skills in a sophisticated way e.g. cutting images, creating shapes, editing layers. I wasn’t working with other people and this proves that working in an independent manner wasn’t a problem.

• Areas of Improvement• If I had the chance to improve, I would alter the appearance of the image(s) featured on the cover. I would do this by changing

the colour, tone, and brightness of both images which could result in either both images taking on a dark tone (in this way, they would both look similar), both images being lit up with white (to suggest hope within the scene taking place), or both images appearing in black and white to create a somewhat eerie atmosphere. I might also improve the way the text stands out and connotes something by changing the colour e.g. it could be red which could connote danger, power, energy and war; all of which are associated with the upcoming futuristic shooter featured on the cover. These areas might have benefited from additional contribution from other individuals, as more people means more ideas and more ideas could mean enhanced quality of product(s). However, I did have to bear in mind the disadvantages of collaborative work e.g. crew members not getting on very well which could constrain the production.

Target Audience Appeal• The primary target audience for my final media product is 16-19 year old males who live in the

United Kingdom and play video games. • My magazine product appeals to this audience in a number of ways. First of all, the implication

of action, war, and aggression could appeal to males who are proven to prefer this type of content. This content is highlighted within the large image on the magazine cover which features a battle taking place, as well as a soldier with two guns pointed downwards in a way to suggest that he has relaxed and won’t hurt anyone, however his expression suggests that he will fight if he has to. This is something males can refer to.

• The presence of weaponry within the image could be quite offensive to younger or sensitive audiences as well as misleading. This product will not be suitable for children or pre-teens, but it is suitable for people who are older (16 or over) who might not be offended. Children and pre-teens could be considered the secondary audience. The name of the magazine (Shooter UK), along with the Union Jack image next to it, implies that this is a UK magazine and people living in the UK will find that this product appeals to them because it creates a sense of belonging.

• This product will also appeal to gamers (who consider gaming as their lifestyle), and readers (who most likely read magazines) simply because of the presence of upcoming video games of 2015 that are stated on the cover and because the product is a magazine. The magazine also looks very aesthetically and technically appealing to the customer through its conventions and graphic elements, making him/her want to read on and see what they can find.

Does the final product match your original idea?• Initial Idea• My initial idea was to produce a media product based on video games, either existing or upcoming. I decided to

produce a magazine for my final media project, based on upcoming video games and aimed at adults and teenagers. My magazine would be created via Adobe Photoshop CS6 and consist of a front cover, a double-page spread, and a contents page. I went with this idea because I had worked on producing magazines on Photoshop previously.

• Comparison to Final Idea• My final idea slightly differs from my initial idea. I initially wanted to create a magazine cover, double-page spread,

and a contents page, all based on video games. Upon realising that my final major project should consist of one or more different media products, I decided that I would produce a poster, a T-Shirt design, and an interactive magazine double-page spread in addition to my initial idea. My final idea differs from my initial ideas simply because more products would be made. All my products were created on Photoshop.

• How this benefited my overall idea• My overall product did benefit from a slight alteration of ideas involving addition of products to my initial ideas. There

would be more products to produce, increasing the chances of gaining a higher mark and ensuring audiences would have more products to interact with. Not changing my initial ideas at all made my product better because I was able to develop the skills and techniques I had already obtained using Photoshop to create past products. My final media product would then benefit from this because I placed all the things I learned into production. The overall result was a media product that would look very eye-catching and technically pleasing to the customer. My product looked visually appealing because I utilized professional magazine codes and conventions. The cover lines on the front of my magazine, which acted as insights as to what the magazine would feature for the customer, were carefully placed down the sides of the cover. The masthead (name of the magazine) used a specific font to intrigue the audience and was positioned at the top of the page so the audience could see it. A tag (a piece of persuasive language used to grab the attention of the audience) was placed on the right hand side of the cover. My overall product benefited because it looked technically pleasing to the audience. Also, my initial ideas (which were highlighted in my proposal) didn’t focus on specific skills and qualities I could have employed via Photoshop. My final product clearly went well with additional ideas to go with my initial ones.

Have you met the aims of the brief?• What we were asked to make• For our final creative major project, we were asked to specialise with and produce a specific media product of our own

choosing, as long as it refers to something already covered on the course. Our final major project was required to consist of more than one media product based on a certain genre (film, gaming, etc.) and follow a consistent concept.

• How my product met the aims of the brief• My final media product met the requirements of the brief. It is clearly aimed at 16-19 year olds and it consists of one or

more products based upon a certain concept and genre. My product was a magazine, a poster, a T-Shirt, and an interactive double-page spread. The media sector was video games and the concept was how upcoming video games could be promoted and how audiences would interact with them. I have also developed my own skills into a project of my own devising, another requirement of the brief which was followed.

• Requirement which wasn’t met• The brief also stated that the product should be able get published digitally. I initially only had a magazine in mind as

my final media product, but not an interactive e-magazine. If additional ideas didn’t come up, I wouldn’t have met this criteria at all. One of my additional ideas was an e-magazine double-page spread featuring video clips. However, some of my other products e.g. a poster won’t be able to be accessed digitally and would only appear in shop windows, in video game stores etc. I may not have met this brief requirement because not all of my products can be produced digitally.

• How I could improve on this• I could have changed my product(s) to match this requirement more by creating the impression of video clips (with a

circle and a triangle to form the ‘play’ symbol) . This would have made my magazine products look more like interactive media. My poster could have had two different layouts to make it look as if the customer could swipe between them on a digital device. In this way, I could have ensured each one of my products fulfilled this aspect of the brief. Making this small adjustment could benefit my product because it could enhance the quality and suggest more skill during production.

Strengths of the product• I think the name of the magazine worked really well because it tied to the genre of gaming being

explored, indicated where the product will be sold and who its audience would be. It also highlighted what media sector it was following: video games. The name of the magazine was ‘Shooter UK’. The name of the magazine itself was one of the many strengths of my product because there is simply a lot going on within the title alone.

• I thought the colour scheme worked really well throughout my products. For example, the colour orange was continuous and quite repetitive. I consider this colour scheme a strength of my product because it links all three magazine products (cover, DPS, contents page) together and suggests they are all part of the same magazine.

• I thought the arrangement of the images worked very well e.g. on the contents page the images are positioned down the right side, across the top, and across the bottom of the page a fair length away from the text on the left side. This worked well because it gives the impression of skill regarding placement of graphic elements and it will make it easy for the customer to understand what is on the page.

• Another strength of my product was the conventions I used. A good example of this is the magazine front cover, in which the title of a game is positioned in the centre of the page, the name of the magazine near the top, and one large image takes up the entirety of the page. This worked really well because it shows that I have followed certain conventions which have made my magazine look visually appealing. My product will look professional because all elements are arranged with skill thanks to inspiration from conventions in existing magazine covers.

Areas for improvement for the product• Aspects that can be improved• I think the quality of the images could be improved because, for example, in my contents page the images

appear to be of a low quality and are a bit dark, making them slightly difficult for the audience to see. The appearance of all areas of text could be improved because the fonts they are in clearly appear in lots of existing magazine covers, therefore they might be old and overused. I also think the colour scheme can be altered because some areas of text are difficult to read against certain backgrounds/images.

• Another important aspect of my final media product I think could be improved is the type of images. My products consist only of images obtained from the internet, therefore they lack in terms of creativity. It would be a good idea to improve this because my product could look far more eye-catching and professional.

• Improvements on these areas• If I had additional time, I would increase the quality of the images and alter the lighting so as to make the

images more visible and not too dull. I would also change the font of all text on the page (by obtaining fonts from DaFont.com) so the text looks slightly different to established products. I could change the colour scheme in places e.g. from orange to red so that text can stand out. I would also obtain images differently. Instead of just getting images from Google, I could take images of my own and apply them to my product, maybe even alongside images from Google.

• These changes could benefit my final media product by making it look more creative and implying greater levels of skill within the producer. The product could also look more appealing to the customer.

Peer Feedback

Feedback 1• What did you like about the product?• I liked that the products used a continuous colour scheme of

orange and that the images used reminded you of what the content will include. The fonts and the graphics made the products look visually attractive and makes the audience feel like they need to know more about the content.

• What improvements could have been made to the product? • The images could have been your own and that the t-shirt

design could have been less blurry.

Feedback 2• What did you like about the product?

– I like how the magazine form the cover to the DPS looked like a proper gaming magazine and fit the genre and you can easily tell what the magazine is covering. The poster looks like a poster that a game company would put out to sell there game as it is simplest and get’s the point across but at the same time is full dental. The t-shirt fits the theme of the rest of the products and a the same time looks simple and with out just telling you what it is you can tell.

• What improvements could have been made to the product?– The image on the second DPS could be a higher quality.

Feedback 3

• What did you like about the product?– I liked all the designs and colour schemes used they all made the

covers look very professional. Having a very image based pages give off the genre of making magazines and designs based around a game really stands out well especially on the black ops 3 cover.

• What improvements could have been made to the product?

There are only little tweaks that I can find to improve, one for example is the price on the call of duty cover as it covers the characters face in the cover and I fell it could be moved elsewhere so people can see more of the image. As well as that there is on the games coming soon with the colour scheme used on the image it makes it hard to see some of the game names listed.

Peer Feedback Summary• What do you agree with from your peer feedback?• I agree that I should have taken some photos of my own to accompany those I obtained

from Google. I also agree with the fact that the T-Shirt design was slightly blurry. I agree that some of the products could have been of a higher quality. I also agree that some areas of text are too difficult to see due to the colour scheme. I agree with the fact that my magazine cover might not be 100% accurate in terms of creativity and skill and I would be willing to make some improvements.

• What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?• The only aspect that I disagree with is the fact that I should move the small area

of text stating the price because it is positioned just above the soldier’s face (on his helmet) and the customer can still see all of the soldier. I thought if the soldier could attract the customer’s eye, the price would also be spotted in the process. I also assumed that the white letters would stand out against the dark tone of the soldier.

Peer Feedback Summary• What changes would you make to your product based upon your

peer feedback and why?• If I had to the chance to change any content, I would try to upload the T-Shirt design in a higher quality and alter the

colour scheme so the text is more visible. I would also take some images of my own to make the product look more appealing and imply more skill. Based on peer feedback, I would apply these changes to simply make my product(s) look slightly more eye-catching. Adding real life images of my own could also improve the quality of my product. I think that if I enlisted the help of others, I could have gathered photos of my own more effectively, although it might have been difficult to get my ideas across to them.

• With additional time, I would take more images of my own to accompany my initial images from Google. I would do this because my product would benefit from it and look more appealing to the customer, as well as even more creative. I would also adapt my initial ideas further and try to include more media products which could feature a variety of different images e.g. a print advert. This could have resulted in the creation of additional products alongside my final idea.

• My final product could be accepted as being technically proficient because I have clearly employed skills of my own rather than copy existing products. My magazine product looks visually appealing as it has areas of text (cover lines, masthead, tags etc.) skillfully placed together in front of a large image in a cluttered manner. My final product has a lot of qualities, possibly a lot more than it would if I had just stuck with my initial ideas which consisted of few media products. These original products would have looked as if I had copied other people’s ideas and I was also lacking ideas of my own. I did manage to improve on this when I changed my ideas. My peer feedback proves that changing the ideas I had in mind previously was indeed beneficial because my product was improved, and that changing any future ideas would result in the same thing.