1A Postproduction

Post Production at AS consisted of putting all the text and images together by using Photoshop and Indesign. The computer software I used to create my magazine was InDesign. When making my magazine in year 11 I used Photoshop; I found InDesign drastically easier to use for creating a magazine as it’s better designed for magazines due to the magazine formats available; whereas I found Photoshop to be better for editing pictures which is why I used Photoshop to edit my model and edit out blemishes using the patch tool. Indesign allowed me to use placeholders which I could then add an image to when I ready. Before creating my magazine I used Blogger which allowed me to put on my planning posts. The internet was a useful tool when creating my magazine. It enabled me to browse for other existing magazines such as NME and Q. looking at existing magazines I was able to pick out codes and conventions that I wanted to incorporate into my magazine, such as the colour scheme of grey and red and the layout from Q magazine. After choosing a layout deciding what images to choose was vital. My planning skills developed further as I planned ahead when thinking of what poses, clothes my model would use including the location. I did so by looking at what my target audience were interested in by looking up their interests and fashion taste on google. Using Photoshop I could edit my images in ways that could make my photography look less amateurish; making images lighter when the lighting wasn’t perfect on the set. Using Photoshop I could transform images and make them look more professional. I had made a contact sheet using Photoshop allowing me to see various images at the same time in order for me to choose images I preferred. In addition I used PowerPoint to place a variety of images I thought would look effective on my magazine and chose from the few images I had placed. In addition Photoshop allowed me to saturate levels and use the spot healing tool to enhance images. With indesign I was able to use the text wrapping too which let me wrap text around chosen images. With websites such as Prezi and Slideshare I was able to upload work I had done on my own to track my development. I used Youtube to upload videos I had made from the photoshoot. I used Nexus font to add fonts to my magazine that word and other programs didn’t offer, doing this i could get more creative with the texts i could use. Using Photoshop i could also make a contact sheet which allowed me to look at several images at the same time, making it easier to choose images i would eventually use. I used PowerPoint to put images next to each other so I could decide which one would look more appropriate for my magazine and to make my target audience more interested in the magazine. I used the internet to look up images i could use for inspiration. e.g. poses and clothing hipsters would wear. With Photoshop I was also able to change saturation levels which helped make my images better. With Indesign I was able to add page numbers, together with the guidelines which helped me place text and images in suitable positions. I used Voki to make my Blogger page look more interesting when i was putting my ideas down. I used Blogger to write down my thoughts, put down notes from lessons, add course work and in turn track my development. I used the internet to get the logos for such websites such as Facebook and Twitter. I used word to type up my article, in addition to being able to see how many words I’d used and needed to add. Starting Advanced Portfolio I had already developed skills from both GCSE and Foundation Portfolio. Using a camera was easy when capturing images however, I wasn’t experienced on how to record a video. I had done little planning before I took the camera with me on my summer holiday to Zambia. I had used Premier Pro to put my footage together in order to create my video. The rendering tool on Premiere allowed me to see what my footage would look like without any glitches. Through creating both AS and A2 I had noticed that there was a lot of work that went into putting the final product together, I had to think about how I wanted it to look and what skills and tools I would need to make that happen.

1B Narrative

  For my Advanced Portfolio I had created a music video that I found followed a clear narrative; everyone is beautiful. The lyrics of the song helped to bring this narrative forth with the lyrics being ‘beautiful people’. The music video I created wasn’t based on any music video in particular. The video is merely a journey of my holiday, going from country to country showing beautiful people around the world. There isn’t a story of sorts but merely a voyage that allows audiences to realise, no matter where in the world and the goings on of what happens around us for example war and suffering everyone is beautiful. It doesn’t matter if you’re homeless, working class, rich or whatever race, the concept still applies. Together with the beautiful people I also capture beautiful destinations and scenes. None of the theories apply to my music video. The video doesn’t follow the stereotypical aspect of videos which theorists such as Kate Domaille talk about the fatal flaw, the indomitable hero or the dream comes true. Nor does the video follow points Tzvetan Todorov makes, such as the 5 stages of equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, action and restoration. Like stated before my video doesn’t have a story line, it’s merely following real life. Nothing is staged. As the video is not one of performance it’s one that follows the lyrics of the son ‘Beautiful People’. The use of long shots allows the audience to see the scenery and the culture that beholds Zambia and London. People would be interested to see what a country in Africa is like. For those who live in hyper-reality and believe all they see in the media would assume there’s only poverty and wilderness, when a matter of fact it’s advanced. The video allows people to step out of the bubble of hyper-reality and see the bigger picture…it’s not all doom and gloom. The video I’m making is linear; the video refers to a journey being told in an order of events, in addition to being omniscient narrative. The message is more or less what is seen on the screen. The meaning can be perceived in many different ways. The meaning is left open to the audience. What is provided in the music video is the simple meaning; everyone is beautiful, the lyrics to the video illustrate this alongside. The audience is left to perceive the video in anyway and mainly based on what they want to believe they are seeing. The video uses verisimilitude which is that the quality of appearing to be real or true and follows the rules of continuity. As Pam Cook argues that the Hollywood narrative structure includes: “linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution” and “a high degree of narrative closure”. My video goes against this and allows the audience freedom to have their own understanding. Not following conventions of typical videos I’d like to think my video is postmodern. It’s not restricted. There are no rules. Laura Mulvey – argues that cinema positions the audience as male. The camera gazes at the female object on screen. It also frames the male character watching the female. Once again the video ignores this and doesn’t exploit women but instead shows men and women as equal. My video follows the theory of Claude Levi Strauss, in terms of there being binary opposites which in terms of my video would be the difference between white and black people. Although my video shows two different cultures it shows that both parties live the same; making them merely similar rather than opposites and all that differentiates them is their colour. The narrative of my music video is how people everywhere are beautiful in their own way.