WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM PRODUCING THIS PRODUCT?

By Daniel Clipperton

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM PRODUCING THIS PRODUCT? Whilst both planning and producing my media product, I have been able to both develop and hone my skills upon a range of different software. This has allowed me to produce work of a more professional standard, understand software that is used within the everyday media industry and become more comfortable using a greater range of IT software. When I first began Media Studies AS, I completed my preliminary task where I produced a magazine cover using my current knowledge of Photoshop and the magazine industry. At the time I had very basic knowledge as I had only used the software a few times before to a very basic level, I was only able to place/arrange images/text and the only key command I knew was control T. Some software which I’d used before included PowerPoint and Word, which became very useful during the planning and research stage of my coursework. Some of the software I’d never used before and had to learn from scratch included Premiere, Bridge, Blogger and Slideshare. These software became more useful when putting together smaller elements of my coursework, e.g. contact sheets, interviews and uploading files to blog/designing my blog. Before the design process I had never previously used the software Indesign, this meant that I had to become acquainted with the basics before I could produce my double page spread. I developed my skills through asking my peers/teacher and researching on the internet how to complete certain tasks/what the tools applications were.

INDESIGN/PHOTOSHOPFirstly, when using Photoshop I learned how to adapt/set up the document size, so that it was to the size of A4 (210x297) and the correct orientation (portrait). This allowed me to ensure that my magazine conformed to the convention size and was possible to print. Whilst producing my media product I developed an understanding of a variety of selection tools, including the magnetic lasso, lasso, Polygon Lasso Tool and elliptical marquee, allowing me to effectively remove sections of an image cleanly by using a mixture of selections. I also gained an understanding of how to use the feature application, allowing me to produce a softer edge on cut images, so they did not look too sharp. I also know have a more in-depth knowledge of the key commands integrated into Photoshop, including Ctrl+F4 (Paste), Crtl+F3 (Copy) and Shift+F7 (Inverse Selection). These shortcuts allowed me to complete simple tasks more quickly, providing me with more time to spend on more complex areas of the design. I have also gained a understanding of how to edit/stylise text, through the use of effects available in the drop down menu, when double clicking the chosen layer. But, also through the typography panel, which allows me to adjust the kerning, tracking and text height. Making sure that the text was easy for the audience to read. When producing my Front Cover in Photoshop, I learned how to work with a variety of layers, making them visible/invisible, to that I could focus more attention upon certain areas of the design. It also allowed me to adjust the order of layers, quickly deciding what arrangement worked best. Now, I also know how to use the pen tool, which allowed me to create my own unique shapes/objects, that were difficult to produce otherwise. Finally, within Photoshop I also learned how to complete the double exposure technique, which I used within my Second Heist Album Cover, this allowed me to be more creative and gain a greater understanding of the range of applications there are within Photoshop.

I also developed a range of skills with the software Indesign when producing my double page spread. This included initially understanding how to add margins and columns to my double page spread do that the text would not overlap with the seam of the magazine. It also allow me to arrange my text, so that it followed the conventional style and was easy to read. Furthermore in terms of text arrangement I also learnt that you could link text boxes together, so that it flowed from one to the next, this meant I could write simultaneously without having to cut and paste text. I also learned how to add a drop clef to the start of my article, making it look more professional and stand out to the reader. I also found out it was possible to create a text box using the pen tool surrounding an image so that the text would flow around it, this allowed me to make the image stand out more to the reader and integrate more information into the article. Finally, with both Photoshop and Indesign I learnt how to export the files at a maximum quality in a JPEG format so I could upload them to my blog.

MICROSOFT POWERPOINT/WORD Microsoft PowerPoint- Although I had used this software several times before, I usually only produced very bland, unoriginal slides that were not attracting to read. So therefore through my research and planning stages, I tried to produced more creative, visually pleasing designs. I also decided against using basic templates throughout all of the PowerPoints I used, so I could arrange the text and images more freely and creatively.

Microsoft Word- I decided to produce elements of research in word, as well as my double page spread, as it allowed me to effectively check my grammar and spelling, which would not be possible in software such as Indesign. I learned through my use of Microsoft Word that it’s possible to check the spelling, grammar and word count as well as look up words through the integrated Thesaurus in the review section. This allowed me to insure there were no errors in my work that would make it look less professional, but also helped make the article interesting/flow due to the language used.

BLOGGER/SLIDESHARE/PREMIERE/ADOBE BRIDGE/YOUTUBE Blogger- This was a software I’d never used before prior to starting my coursework, but through learning about the software, I can now upload picture, PowerPoints and word documents as well as being able to add links to videos. This has allowed me to produce a blog that is more attractive to the user, as it makes the content stand out.

Slideshare- I didn’t use this software a great deal throughout my media production, yet when I did it was in-expendable, as it allowed me to upload PowerPoints I’d created and insert the html into my blog. This meant that they be viewed by the audience, in a similar way to a regular PowerPoint.

Premiere- This was another software, I didn’t use a great amount of, I only used to edit and collate my interviews. Although, I did learn a small range of skills including how to upload clips to Premiere, add captions and export files. This meant that my research/planning section on my blog was more interesting to the audience, compared to a transcript version of the interview.

Bridge- I used this software in order to produce the contact sheets for the Photography Planning section. I learnt how import the images on the software, editing the page size, number of columns and the number of rows, plus highlight the photos I used. This helped me to organise the photos in a concise, effective manner and show the audience which ones I chosen.

YouTube- I used this software to upload the interviews to the internet, I learnt how to upload the video, edit the synopsis/title and how to place a link into my blog. This was useful as it helped to make my blog more interesting to the audience.