AS Media Studies

1. Looking back at your
preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full
product?

2. Preliminary task

3. Final Product

4. I developed a better understanding of how to make a magazine clear and
appealing in terms of layout, in my preliminary task, my contents page seemed
very bare and the pictures were laid on top of each other. The contents page of my
final product was laid out in a much clearer fashion, which therefore made it look
better and appeal more to an audience.
Space is filled effectively
Features are organised under
headings to make locating articles
easier
Images overlap each other so
look unprofessional and do not
fill the empty space

5. I developed a better understanding of how to follow and develop the conventions
of a magazine. My preliminary task featured a plain and forgettable masthead, so I
put more thought into the masthead of my final product as I learnt that it is
important to have a recognisable masthead in order to attract an audience. I also
included some conventions I had not included in my preliminary, such as a barcode
and straplines in order to sell the features to an audience.
Advertises the
contents of the
article through
use of a sell line
in order to
make it appeal
to the audience
Fits genre and makes the
magazine stand out Doesn’t sell the content to an
audience
Is not
recognisable so
doesn’t
establish a
brand

6. I also learnt how to use Photoshop to enhance the quality of my images and
therefore make them look more professional, thereby increasing the overall quality
of my final product. My skills were limited when producing my preliminary task
which shows in the layout and image quality.
I adjusted the contrast and white
balance of the main image in
order to make it brighter and also
used the healing blush to remove
blemishes in order to make the
image look more visually
appealing and stand out more
I did not make any adjustments
to this image and therefore the
model blends into the
background and is lost amongst
the bright text so it does not
make the cover stand out and
the reflection in the glasses does
not make it look very
professional

7. In reflection, I have learnt how to create a magazine that caters to my
audience and how to utilise Photoshop effectively in order to produce
a professional looking magazine. The preliminary task was very useful
however, as it built the basics of my skills and also allowed me to
monitor my progress and know what needed to be improved in my
final product.