7) Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

When I first began the course I was set the preliminary task to create a front cover and contents page for a school magazine. For the front cover of my school magazine the layout is quite basic and although it is supported by my research it does not seem to be as structured as the front cover for my music magazine. The front cover for my music magazine is based solidly on my research and the titles, image and  text reflect this. I believe that since I started the preliminary task I have learnt quite a lot and it has helped me to create my final media product. I began to use Photoshop and In Design for the school magazine and through using these I learnt how to alter images and text by using the tools available. 

I feel like I have become more knowledgeable in the use of technology during the main task that I was given to produce. In the preliminary task I don't feel like I was prepared enough to use the tools in photoshop and therefore tended to just use resizing and cropping tools rather than experiment with healing tools. The main problems that I had with my images in the first task was lighting and had I been better at photoshop I'm sure I could have adjusted the brightness and contrast. In the second task I did much more research into the preparation of my magazine and made sure that it was relevant by addressing my target audience. In my first task it was quite obvious who the magazine was for but it did not have a more specific audience like my final product does. Through researching the type of reader for my magazine and their hobbies I was able to focus the product more on them and how it would increase the interest in my product. In stark contrast, I feel that I was not as well researched for my preliminary task and was more focused on making it appeal to school students rather than a more refined target audience.

The layout for my preliminary task is quite basic and although I am pleased with it considering it was my first task, it does not reflect the research as well as my final product does. The text used in the first task is quite boring and does not grab the reader's attention as well as I think that it does in the second task. The photographs taken differ hugely as the preliminary task photos were taken outside in natural light and without special equipment. I hardly edited these images in comparison to the photos used for the second task. In the main product I used artificial lighting equipment which I could adjust and I also used a tripod in order to keep the camera still and prevent blurring.

Looking back at my preliminary task I think it is fair to say that I have progressed in my learning and understanding of technology and how to produce a media product. I think I have understood that in order to create a successful magazine you must research the genre of music that it is catering for the the type of audience that you intend for it to
be read by. The magazine should contain content which will interest the reader and will suit the social group that it aims to target. In the preliminary task I do not feel that I  fulfilled these aims as well because I was not aware of what exactly was involved. I had never used the software before and therefore it was 'trial and error' until I began to create my final media product in which I was able to experiment more with.