Monday 26 March 2012

Contingency Plan

What could go wrong during production and how am I going to avoid this issue? What’s my back up plan?

Models forgetting to turn up / models not bringing the equipment needed.

I will avoid this issue by ensuring that my photo shoot and interviews will take place well in advance of the deadline. This will make certain that if my models forget to turn up, there is plenty of time to re-organise and make another appointment can be arranged. I will also have backup models in case of in case for whatever reason my models are unable to carry out the photo shoot.
I will also bring equipment and clothing this is appropriate for my models to wear during the photo shoot, in case the models forget or miss place theirs.


Cameras being unavailable.

This could be a problem as an appointment may be booked but all cameras could be in use. Again, carrying out my photo shoot well in advance will help to ensure that this doesn’t prove to be detrimental to my final product. I will also have a back-up camera. Although this camera wouldn’t be of as good quality, it will provide me with a back-up, if it is needed.


Not enough time scheduled for difficult or complex shoots / Photographs coming back out of focus after a difficult photo shoot has just been executed.


Although, this is something which I will try to avoid, leaving enough time to book another appointment will put less pressure on me having to ensure that all shots are completed within the scheduled appointment and all photographs to be of excellent quality because if for whatever reason they aren’t, there is time to book another.


Memory Sticks getting lost.

There is a good chance that this problem could occur, therefore it is vitally important to ensure I don’t lose my work if memory sticks are lost. I will make sure that this isn’t the case by backing up all pieces of work on my home pc, college pc and also by emailing myself the work.


External shoots planned but bad weather causes you to abandon the shoot

As all of my photographs will be taken outdoors during the winter, there is a chance that adverse weather conditions could play a part in my photo shoot. This is why I will have a professional camera over the weekend, in the hope that it is suitable to take photographs outdoors for at least one day out of the weekend. However, if this proves not to be the case, then I will take the photographs indoors (in a sports hall or something similar).


Running out of post production time and not having software at home /
Equipment failure

This is a problem which I encountered last year, and I am keen to avoid being faced with the same problem this year. This is one of the reasons why I have decided to begin my production early to give myself plenty of time to complete my post production and to solve problems with equipment. However, if I still encounter such problems, I will spend my free lessons / lunch times in the Media room ensuring I complete my project in time.


Creating work at home and then not being able to access it at college because we don’t have the right software or other software compatibilities

This is another issue which proved to be problematic last year. Therefore to avoid this, the bulk of my work will be completed at college during lessons, free periods and lunch times. The only work which I will carry out at home will be on documents which I know are the same versions as the ones at college.


Personnel not turning up because of other commitments.

As this time of year can be a busy and hectic time for some people, personnel may have other commitments meaning that things may have to be delayed. This could be an issue as time is of the essence. I will try to avoid this by trying to work in with everyone involved and ensuring the date which I need them is suitable for everyone. As previously mentioned, I will also be carrying out my work in advance of the deadline meaning that there is time for any potential let downs.


Computers crashing after having spent hours perfecting a particular piece of work.


This is something which I am keen to avoid as it has happened to me in the past, so I understand how frustrating it can be. The best way to ensure that I avoid losing a lot work due to problems with the computer is by regularly saving and backing up my work.


Equipment failure

Finally, equipment failure is a very general potential problem. This could mean anything from specific computer programmes such as Photoshop and Indesign not working properly, or computers or cameras not working properly. The best way to avoid this is to have back-ups, e.g. to have access to the programmes which I need to use on several computers, to be able to use other computers if one isn’t working and have back-up cameras.

Article Planning Sheet

Article target audience: Predominantly males aged 16-25.

Planning Comments

Article genre

The genre of my magazine is football. Its purpose is to inform my audience about the latest results, injury / transfer news etc. I would also like to entertain to try to maintain reader’s attention.
I will include facts and statistics on footballers within both double page spreads that my audience is unlikely to already be aware of. I will entertain by including exclusive interviews with Malcolm Crosby (former Sunderland Manager and Middlesbrough Assistant Manager) and Jonathan Grounds (Current Middlesbrough player). These are football figures that many local football fans will be able to relate to. I will ask questions that are specific to them.


Narrative voice

I have decided to write my article in the first person throughout for both double page spreads. This is because it will give the impression that the readers are getting first hand, reliable information that was genuinely spoken by my interviewees. It is important that my target audience considers my magazine to be dependable and that what was really said has been changed to make a better read. I will give background information on interviewees before typing out the interview in full.


Register

The register will be consistent throughout the magazine. It will be neither formal nor informal. It is important that I bear in mind that my target audience is predominantly young males, who live in North East England. Therefore, most of my readers are likely to want to read anything that is too formal or that they may not understand. On the other hand, it is important that my magazine still appears professional, for that reason, I will use little or no colloquial or taboo language.


Stylistics

The title of my magazine is: ‘Offside Official’ and I will use the slogan ‘Keeping You Ahead Of The Game’. This title and slogan suggests my magazine is legitimate and reader’s will be kept up to date. Also, I will use subject specific lexis that football fans can relate to.

Using stylistics such as alliteration is an effective way of engaging the audience. This is a stylistic that I am considering using.

However, I don’t believe other stylistics such as repetition is necessary because as I am only producing two double page spreads, space is limited, therefore I will get straight to the point and use that space wisely by filling it with interesting / entertaining language.
Whilst it is vital that sentences are structured correctly and there aren’t any language errors, as far as using language is concerned, I believe that the most effective way of engaging reader’s attention is to give them an insight of what is to come in the title and/or on the front cover. I will do this by including a quotation from an interview as headings/sub headings.


Tone of address

The Tone of address must not be in any way patronising or offensive. I will be friendly / matey towards readers because the genre isn’t a particularly serious topic. This should also make my audience feel at ease

Structure and pace

Throughout my magazine, I will structure the text in an organised and logical fashion in 3 neat columns on each page. This will enable readers to easily follow the text, without getting confused of where their eyes should go next. I will also include paragraphs to separate text, i.e. so it is clear where the end of each answer is.
The pace of the text will be medium because if it were too slow is may seem to drag on and if it were too fast, reader’s may struggle to keep up.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Monitoring Production Blog

My project is now near completion, although each element of my project could be slightly improved. Unfortunately, I was unable to take another photo shoot with Malcom which is disappointing as I felt I could have taken improved photographs had I had another opportunity to do so. I have had to work with the photographs and having altered them slightly on photoshop, they have turned out okay and I have now inputted them onto my product. Such location shots meant I had to work with natural light and couldn’t use lighting systems to highlight my models face. The pictures looked a little flat so I highlighted my models face and created contrast whilst trying not to be too harsh or blatant. I also blurred out the irrelevant background which created further emphasis on my model. I've added my photographs to my contents page and have grouped the photographs together using a red box as the background.

I do feel that my photoshoot with Jonathan went well though. I got a large selection of photographs including different poses and from different angles i.e. close ups. When I carried out the studio photo shoot, the lighting was something that I needed to get right in my imagery. It assisted me in making my shots eye catching and attractive. Darkness would have created a negative and sensitive atmosphere, something which I wasn’t aiming to do as that would construct a downbeat impression. Therefore, my images are bright. I edited my photographs on Photoshop which enabled me to create a contrast between the background and the model; the focal point. The lighting for my second double page spread was difficult to get right as the photo shoot was taken outdoors. One member from my target audience said “The images complement the articles well and photography is very relevant.” I have completed and handed in my front cover and double page spread which took quite some time; longer than I had anticipated. This resulted in me having to use a contingency plan, which was if I were struggling for time, I would spent a lot of time out of lessons working on my product in order to ensure I hand it in on time. I encountered some problems, particularly when completing my front cover. Firstly, I mistakingly carried out my front cover on Indesign rather than Photoshop (see below). I also encountered difficulties finding the right font when using other computers. I re-did my front cover on Indesign and I feel it now looks more professional. However, this did take up a lot of time and it was a rush to meet the deadline.

I have been given the opportunity to improve my products, so over the next week, I will do so as certain elements could be changed / adjusted. Firstly, I will change my font so that it flows throughout my product. I will also include another sell line on my front cover so that less space is wasted. I plan on increasing the size of Jonathan Grounds in one of my double page spreads so that he stands out more, and I also wish to create cleaner cutting around Jonathan. I will change Jonathan's skin tone too so that it looks more natural. Finally, I will swap the pages around on the double page spread which includes the interview with Jonathan Grounds so that it looks different to my other double page spread. I was concerned that there were too many similarities between the two. f

Overall, I am reasonably pleased with my products, though I feel some are better then others. I feel I could earned more marks once I've made the slight adjustments which I mentioned. Thursday 16th February This week I have been trying to organise another date with Malcolm so that I can complete an improved photoshoot. I'm not satisfied with the photographs I took because the photo shoot to be taken outside therefore it was difficult to get the lighting right. I had to work with natural light and couldn’t use lighting systems to highlight my models face. The pictures look a little flat too. Organising another photo shoot with Malcolm is proving difficult however, due to Malcolm living far away and getting limited days off work. However, I will continue to try to organise a date that is ideal for both of us. I have, however, completed a photoshoot with Jonathan Grounds which I feel went well. I was able to get a wide range of photographs, including different angles and poses, and because it was in a studio, they were of good quality and I was able to get the lighting right. I have began both a double page spread and front cover. However, I have encountered a problem with my front cover. As I have done it on Indesign, I need to re-do this on photoshop because otherwise it won't look as professional as I'd like it to due to not being able to take advantages of what photoshop has to offer such as laters, resulting in my product looking flat. This has delayed me, and I now must and I now find myself having to rush, in order to ensure my product is completed on time. I have found sticking to my schedule difficult. This is largely because of the delay which I encountered when trying to organise interviews which I have previously mentioned and also because I didn't allow myself enough time to complete some aspects of my product. This has resulted in me having to use a contingency plan whereby I spend my free periods and lunch times working on my project in order to ensure it is handed in on time.