1a. Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital technology for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to your creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.
At the start of my AS level I had very little skill in terms of digital technology having never used programmes such as Photoshop prior to this. A preliminary task was given in media studies which was to create a front cover and contents page for a college prospectus, this greatly benefited me as it enabled me to grasp the basic tools which Photoshop provided, I was able to experiment with different techniques and find the fastest and most efficient ways to edit photos etc. This was a great time saver when it came to creating my music magazine, for example, at first I spent a large amount of time carefully rubbing out the backgrounds of photos which I did not wish to include, however after practicing I found numerous ways to delete backgrounds from pictures; instead of using the eraser I could selected the magic tool which allowed me to carefully select and delete a vast amount of the picture which I did not require. Furthermore, I initially found it difficult to locate and apply the correct effects to use on my pictures which would create my desired vibe, however after a while I understood the format of Photoshop and could access the effects easily.
I realised when planning my music magazine that every aspect of the media product had to be carefully planned. Therefore when it came to taking the photos for my magazine, I already had the appropriate poses and clothing in mind which would stay within the correct conventions of my music magazine and hence reflecting its characteristics. Due to the experience of the preliminary task equipping me with new skills within digital technology, I could think more creatively about my designs as I already knew what effects I would be able to apply to my ideas, meaning that I could capture more adventurous photographs and use my more elaborate ideas giving the best overall effect and outcome. An example of this is a photo which I used on the right hand side of my double page spread, I intended on including a photo of the artist and thought it would be interesting if it appeared as though the model was leaning against the edge of the page, I therefore took a photo of her leaning against a wall and edited the background out in Photoshop , this made it look like the artist belonged to the page and created the correct vibe to stay continuous with the theme of the magazine, also staying interactive with the audience via the use of eye contact from the model.
I also had no experience in using video cameras or the software which is used to edit the videos on. Therefore another preliminary task was set at the end of my AS year to prepare me for the task of creating a music video in my A2 year. The task was to produce a short film trailer; I found this a considerable amount more difficult compared with the music magazine brief as the planning and editing needed to be extremely detailed and well thought through for it to be a success. This gave me an insight into how planning something well can work to an advantage as it allows you to be more creative so that you can choose your best ideas and it also mean you are using time productively . I also learnt the basic skills on the editing software however I feel I am still an amateur when comparing my skills editing videos to that of using Photoshop. This knowledge has aided my idea for my music video as I now understand how the editing process works. I am going to include animation within my media product as I can then incorporate other strengths which I possess such as drawing.
Since starting media studies I have developed more knowledge in certain aspects of the internet, for example, I now have a blog which I am able to set polls up on, this is a very helpful tool as it gives me an insight into what the audience of music videos believe are vital aspects to include and therefore can sway my final decisions on certain features of my music video. I can also add Youtube videos onto my blog which shows I am taking advantage of the wide range of digital technology which is accessible to me.
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