Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task - Plan

Our preliminary test was a continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. 

Roles

Plot/Director - Zoe

Actor 1/Editor - Mary

Camera/Location Scout - Sinead

Actor 2 - Chloe

Mise-en-Scene - iPad, mobile phones, table and chairs

Location -BG08 (classroom within the college) and corridors within the same building. There will also be use of a staircase.

Ideas

1. Spy Mission - the video begins with the camera following Actor 1 down the stairs and through corridors until she enters a room. They will then take a seat in front on Actor 2, where they will exchange dialogue about the mission and Actor 1 is handed the iPad. Whilst the scene where Actor 1 is walking downstairs and running through a corridor will be shot from different angles, the whole scene in the room will be shot from the left.

2. Interrogation - the scene will start in a room, where the camera is facing a door. After two seconds, the door will be pushed open and a police officer (Actor 1) will be bringing in a suspect (Actor 2). They will place them in a chair and then sit in the one opposite. The camera will switch between a forward shot and over-the-shoulder shots but will always remain on the left of the actors in order to maintain 180 degree rule.

3. An exchange - Actor 1 will walk through a corridor, constantly looking over their shoulder and around as if paranoid. It will then show them opening a door and walking into a room where there is a person wearing a mask (Actor 2). They will sit in front of them and slide over a stack of money. They will exchange a few lines of dialogue before Actor 2 passes them a briefcase. Without another word, Actor 1 will walk out of the room and the camera shows Actor 2 taking off their mask before it ends.

Final Decision

My group have decided to go with idea one (Spy Mission) as we wanted to make our video have a slight comical theme to it and felt that it would be best to do it with this premise. We made this decision as we felt it make our video seem quite unique and we could be more creative with our script and with the editing of the clip. Below is the final script that we have created for this task.

Script

Chloe - Agent004

Mary - Agent003

The scene starts with Mary/Agent 003 receiving a text. The camera zooms up on the phone from over her shoulder so that the viewer can clearly see what the text is.

Mary/Agent 003 looks around, before running down a flight of stairs, shown at two different angles. We then see her running down a corridor, first at a mid shot and then at a long shot as the camera zooms out to follow her as she runs.

The scene then cuts to a room as Mary/Agent 003 attempts to cartwheel through the door, but fails. She glances around and spots Chloe before standing up straight and dusting herself off.


Mary/Agent 003

(singsong voice)

 "I'm hereeeeee" 

(Raises her arms in the air before rolling across a table and sitting in a chair across from Chloe/Agent 004)


Chloe/Agent 004

(Shushes Mary) 

“Quiet, you'll blow our cover” 

(Speaking in an annoyed tone)

Mary/Agent 003

"Ahhh" 

(Taps nose and winks)

Chloe/Agent 004

(Rolls her eyes before leaning across the table)

 “Well you're hear now so listen. Everything about us and this mission is on this device. Guard it with your life 003.” 

(Serious tone)


(Agent 004 slips iPad across the table to Agent 003 who clutches it to her chest)

Mary/Agent 003

“Don't worry you can trust me”

 (winks, stands and goes to walk away but stumbles and falls, dropping the device in the process. Looks up with a sheepish smile)


Chloe/Agent 004 

(sighs, shaking her head whilst looking down at Mary/Agent 003)

 “It's going to be long mission”

My Favourite Hobby

My Favourite Hobby - Plan

The brief for this task was to create three minutes of footage around the theme of my favourite hobby using a variety of shots and then edit footage down to 1 minute.  Must include walking to location (10-15 seconds) and a sat down discussion of hobby (1 min).

Examples of shot types, angles and movement types.

Roles

Actress - Zoe Brant

Director - Mary Lawson

Camerawoman - Sinead Grace

Ideas

1. Horse riding.

2. Watching films.

3. Socialising with friends.

4. Reading.

Final Decision

The group has decided to go with the idea of horse riding as this was the hobby that the actress favoured over the four and so we felt that we would be able to gain more footage and create a more personal feeling to the video. We have decided not to make a specific script for this as we wanted it to    seem more natural and so instead the director would ask questions but not include these in the final edit. Instead, we have created a list of shots to include so that we still have a structure to what we want to specifically film - it is only the dialogue that is impromptu.

Shots/Angles To Be Used

- Long shot

- Medium long shot

- Close up

- Extreme close up

- Medium shot

- High angle

- Birds eye angle

- Eye level

'Walking to Location'

The video will start with Zoe walking down a corridor at a medium shot, which will zoom out to a long shot. It will then switch to a set of stairs as it shows her walking up them. The dialogue portion of the video will be shot sitting on a set of stairs as this will allow us to not be interrupted by noise. There will be many different shot types used in the dialogue part as this will make it more interesting than if it were just to use one shot type (e.g medium shot). Once the dialogue is over, it will then show her walking downstairs from a birds eye view.

Magazine - Creating A Music Magazine Front Cover and Analysis

Over the past few media lessons, I have created a front cover for a music magazine and I am going to discuss, step-by-step, how I created this.

Before creating my front cover, I made a plan of what I wanted the basic layout to be for it. This will help make the production of my front cover quicker and easier, as I already have a basic idea of what I want it to look like.

Firstly, I took the image that I edited beforehand, which I will be using as the main image for my article.

After uploading this to Photoshop, I added in rulers on all of the edges, to act as bleed lines for printing. This is so that, when the image is printed, it gives space around the edges to keep the text/images safe in case part of it is cut off.

The first thing I did after this was select the font that I wanted to use for my title and tagline. For the title, I chose the font 'Eurostile LT Medium', and for the tagline I chose 'Myriad Pro Regular' as I felt these fonts were clear and easy for most people to read. I also chose to keep these in black as I felt that, along side the image which has a lot of black elements, it gave a slight theme.

After this, I decided to add my barcode and price to the bottom right corner - where this is commonly found in magazines - as this was quite an easy part to do and it gave me time to plan what else I was going to add to the front page.

After researching other magazine front covers, I decided that, down the right side of the page, I was going to include a list of things that were going to be included inside the magazine as it would let the readers know what they were getting from the issue. I decided to use the font 'ITC Franklin Gothic LT' as it was quite similar to the other fonts I used but still different enough to separate it. I decided to change the colour to the maroon from the models skirt as it kept a running theme on the page.

After doing this, I decided to add the main cover line to the page. I kept the font the same as the last as I felt that this would make it seem more professional and neater. I also kept the title the same colour as the list on the right, but changed the caption for the main cover line to black as it helped separate it from the title. I also made the font thinner to bring more emphasis on the title.

Next, I needed to add the cover lines. I decided to put this in the bottom left as it gave the most space for me to put it, so that the text could still be large enough to seem important, but not as big as the main cover line. Again, I kept the fonts and colours the same as the last so as to not break the theme of the issue.

Once I added this in, I thought that I was finished but I found that the page seemed too simple and may not be interesting enough. So, to add something more and to make the page pop, I added a few dots around the model to add a small but effective design to the page.

If I added anything more to this page, I feel that it would seem too busy and packed in, so I left the front cover at this point.

Analysis

I think that I have been successful in making a good magazine front cover. I have used simple, clear fonts so that the text can be easily read and the colours I have used for the fonts give the front cover a running theme as they match the outfit of the model. Other than the dots that I have placed around the image, I feel that I have made a simple but still eye-catching magazine cover. The magazine I have created would be for alternative or indie rock music, and so the target market would be teenagers/young adults of both genders. I feel that I have met the requirements of this demographic well as the desaturated colours and mentioning of NME/Kerrang on the main cover line will help draw in this audience.

I think that I could have improved on the cover lines in terms of text colour, as where the bottom cover line overlaps the skirt, the writing is not as clear as I would hope it to be and so some people may struggle to read it. Also, where the writing would have overlapped the black shirt, I had to condense the writing down quite small and so it seems slightly squashed/compact in the corner. To change this, I would perhaps change the font colour or have had the model wear a different colour shirt.

There is a connotation that could be made from the dots that are placed around the model. There are a few going over the top of her head in a semi-circle - this could be interpreted as a halo, suggesting that the artist is angelic/good. But, with the way the dots are in red, this could imply a sense of danger or badness, as if the halo was to suggest innocence or kindness, it would usually be made white. We can tell that the artist is alternative by the way she is dressed - dark lipstick, a black velvet top and a patchwork skirt. This is quite a unique look that would usually belong to someone who enjoys or is involved in this music genre.

Magazine - Main Image

In this post, I will be showing evidence of my main image editing for the front cover of my magazine and I will be explaining how and why I have edited it.

As I had taken the image in portrait on the camera, when I uploaded it to the computer it came out horizontal. I changed this to vertical using image --> image rotation --> 90° counter-clockwise.

Next, I decided to balance out the levels on the image as some places has glare/shine and the background seemed to be uneven colours. To do this, I used the levels tool in the image tab.

Now that the image looked sharper and more defined, I decided to edit the levels of brightness and contrast using the brightness/contrast tool under the image tab.

After closely inspecting the image, I noticed that there was a small dark mark on the background that I had used. So, using the clone stamp tool - as this gave a more realistic finish - I removed this from the photo.

Next, I decided to edit out any stray hairs that my model had as I felt that without them, it gave the image a neater finish. To do this, I again used the clone stamp tool and cloned the background, and also used the blur tool to give the edges a smoother finish as without it, it seemed quite sharp and fake.

After doing this, I decided to see if I could do anything with the overall colour of the image to improve it. I decided to test out the hue/saturation tool under the image tab, and brought down the saturation buy 23 and the hue down by 2 to change the colouring of the image slightly.

I decided to leave my image here as I felt that I had edited it to a good standard and was happy with my result. Below I have put a before and after of my image so that you can see how the editing has changed it. Although, I have still rotated the original image so that it is easier to compare them.

Before                                                                                                                                                After

Magazine - OK Magazine Analysis

This magazine would be targeted towards teenage females and older, as it discusses topical issues and also has gossip articles/interviews. The reason that this article is aimed towards teenage girls is because the main image features Harry Styles, who - at this time - was a teenager himself and was known to be a 'heartthrob' with this specific group. Using the large image of him will help target towards the younger viewers, but having people such as Peter Andre on the front and including a non-gossip story will bring in the older readers.

The title of this magazine – OK- is placed in a box in the top left corner of the page. It has been set here so that it is the first thing you read when you pick up the magazine as British people traditionally start reading from the top left of a page. The white, bold writing is above a bright red square which stands out largely against the grey background and is eye catching on the page as it is the only use of the colour red.

The slogan, “first for celebrity news”, is covered by a picture of Harry Styles to show the importance of his article. From this and the fact that he is in the centre of the page, we can assume that the main piece in this magazine is an interview with Harry Styles. Along the bottom are three images of people who are involved with, what we can assert from the fact that they are on the front cover, the other big stories in this magazine. Also, in the top right of the page, is another image of a celebrity whose interview is in this edition. As this person is separate from the other three at the bottom but whose image is not as large as Harry Styles’, this must mean that her interview is the second main article. In the middle of the page, against a blue square, are the words ‘exclusive interview'. It has been placed in the middle of the cover so that it looks as if it could apply to any of the articles.

As all of images use quite muted colours, this makes the text stand out as it has all been written in capitalised, bold, brightly coloured font. Quotes from some of the articles have been printed in a fluorescent yellow – the brightest colour on this page – so that when the reader looks at the front cover they can see what kinds of topics are discussed in the interviews or stories. If the text is not in yellow, it is in white and is up against a bright background – for example, fuchsia – so that it appears bolder. This is the same technique as used in the title.

I feel that the text for this front cover isn't ordered very well and the page seems quite busy, especially with all of the different bright colours from the text. In order to improve upon this, the magazine could use a more structured design and perhaps stick with certain colours so that there is a theme, instead of 6 different colours for text.

Magazine - Rocksound Magazine Analysis

Already having knowledge of this magazine and the band featured on the front, I know that this is aimed towards teenagers of both genders who enjoy rock/alternative music, and are interested in finding out more about this band or who enjoy this band. The magazine is successful in appealing to this demographic as the large image on the front and the fun/appealing design of the front cover is sure to catch the audiences eye.

This magazine uses very bright colours of red and yellow, which would make the magazine stand out in a stack of others. The main cover line also uses this colour scheme so works well with the aesthetic. The writing of the band name is in the same colour as the mast head, which shows its importance. The main image is almost the size of the front page and lays over the title of the  magazine. Although it does obscure the title slightly, the viewer is still able to make out what it says and so therefore this does not create a problem. 

The skyline across the top of the magazine is in a different colour scheme to the rest of the page and so this makes it stand out and shows that it is informing you about different articles. On top of the skyline are two blue circles with text on, featuring buzzwords - such as 'awesome' - which will interest someone who is considering purchasing the magazine. 

Below the main cover line is the secondary cover line, which lists bands that will be featuring in the magazine. This is a simple design with white text on a black background, which shows that they are the less important features of this issue. Below this is the date line and barcode, which is clearly set in the bottom right and contrasts with white against the grey/black of the band member's clothing. This will make it easy to find on the page.

Although the design of the background and the colours used are quite bold, this is quite a simple front cover as it does not feature much on it but the main article and it only uses around three colours throughout the theme. Also, I feel that using complimentary colours such as blue and yellow could make this stand out more. Despite this, the band Twenty One Pilots are a rapidly becoming more and more popular and so having a large image of them on the front cover will most likely ensure that this will be a popular issue.

Red and yellow are quite often used in reference to superheroes, and with the sharp text and lines in the background of the magazine, this gives an implication that Twenty One Pilots are 'superheroes'. The way that Tyler Joseph (right) is pointing at the camera - or the reader - can be compared to a WWI recruitment poster of Uncle Sam. This could be a connotation of the band recruiting new fans through this magazine, which can also be asserted from the way the magazine calls them the 'leaders of the new world order'. The way the magazine refers to them as this tells us of their rapid climb of the music scene and how they are quickly becoming well known.

Magazine - Key Terms

There are many elements to a magazine - there are around 10 just on the front page. Below I have listed and defined some of these.

Sky line: the skyline is the part of text, usually in the style of a bar, going across the top of the page. It usually doesn't have a lot of information, only small bits of text saying what is in the magazine.

Mast head: the mast head is another name for the title of a magazine. It is almost always at the top of the page and is large so that it is easily readable if someone is looking for it in a crowd of other magazines.

Lead article/main cover line: this is the part of large text that usually goes across the middle of the page. It is used to display the main article of the magazine. So, if the main article is of someone's favourite band, they will see their name on the front cover and immediately be attracted to it.

Main image: this is the large image on the front page. It is usually hidden under the text and smaller images on the page, but this does not matter as it is the only large image on the page and so can still easily be seen.

Tagline: some magazines have a tagline. This is a small sentence which is placed under the masthead and usually gives the main message/theme of the magazine away.

Cover line: this is almost the same as the main cover line, except it is always smaller as they are announcing the smaller - or "less important" - articles within the magazine. 

Date line & barcode: the date line and barcode are included in every magazine and are an essential part. The date line allows a customer to know when the magazine was published and the barcode is there to allow an employee in the shop to actually scan the item so that it can be sold. The barcode and date line are universally recognisable, which is why they are always on every magazine.