Abel Alexander Media Studies Blog

1. My product uses conventions about Generation Z's creativity and it represents them by showcasing their artworks, and how they make bold statements to the world using their art. My product does represent social groups, like Artists and Minorities, and some of the artworks shown in my product talk about LGBTQ+ rights. 2. My product engages with audiences by introducing the creativity of the younger generation, and how they contribute to beautiful masterpieces with their artistic skills. My product would also be distributed both digitally and physically, so that people of both worlds can see my product. 3. My production skills developed a lot. I'm able to take actual beautiful pictures I never thought I would have been able to do back then. I can also write and present stories even better now, and I have also developed article producing skills, which would be very useful in the future if I ever wanted to make my own publication. 4. In order to integrate technologies, I used a C...

In order to make my CCR, I had to make my magazine first above all, which took up a lot of time. For the CCR I had to write about why I think my product is good for other peoples uses. I made a rough draft of my answer for the CCR and how I want my product to reach others. I also plan on including visuals to make my blog post about the CCR good, here are some of them!

Photo Planning helps to make sure you get the photo you envision in your head to be exactly how you want it to be. Photo planning consists of having more than one photographer at an event, and assigning each of them to their own zones. By doing this, it gives the person putting all the photos together options to choose from. Photograph groups that vary in sizes, like a big group of spectators, or a small group of 3 performers. It is is also essential to get some before and after event photos to show how everyone built up and cleaned up before and after an event. Take pictures of moments when they happen too, like someone jumping or doing a flip, and if you can, get photos that are real close to the subject you are taking a picture of. When taking pictures of sport related things, make sure the ball is in the shot itself. With photo planning, I was able to get a cover like this for my magazine:

The photo techniques helped with making images in my magazine look more beautiful and atmospheric. For example, this image: Elements of Leading lines and repetition were used to make this image, the light being the leading line to the entire hallway entrance, and the repetition being the repeating art pieces and doors inside the entrance.

 When making a photo spread, it's important to keep many things in mind, like composition, cropping, and your storage. Photo composition helps to make good images. The ways we learned to take a picture are from different angles, and perspectives, for example: -Shooting from a Birds Eye (shoot an image above) -Shooting from a Worms Eye (shoot an image below) -Using the rule of thirds (split an image into 9 boxes using lines, and make sure the person your photographing is in the left or right of those 3 boxes) -Using leading lines (shoot from an angle that makes it look like a line is leading to the main point of the image) -Using Isolation (isolate the subject in the picture from the background to make it stand out) -Getting closer (move your camera closer to get all good details if the image doesn't look good.) -Not using flash all the time. Sometimes the non existent light is okay. -Using framing (use things like fences or desks to create a frame for an image, like a frame for...

 I am currently preparing for the CCR by editing my magazine and mapping out answers to questions about how my magazine could be good. Here is a draft:

Although they may seem unimportant and small, a Good headline is important if you want to grab a reader's attention. Headlines help you describe your content in an accurate but attractive way. Use "trigger words" like what, when, why, and how, mainly why and how, to trigger someone into reading your publication. You could also use a number, but don't use a trigger word AND a number at the same time, they don't usually work out. Headlines also rely on Visual Verbal Connections, the visual being the image, and the verbal being the copy. The primary Headline is bigger than anything else on the spread, and then the secondary headline proves information to the main headline to give more context. For example, like this: 

Captions are the most important in a spread since they are the most read form of copy. The writing of Captions involves: interviewing drafting rewriting editing publishing Good captions provide the context for any picture who, what, when, where, why, and how. They are usually 1 sentence long, identify up to 5 people, and they are used in a spread where most images are quite similar to each other, just to distinguish between them. Gather the basic info for the who, what, when, where, why, and how, unless there isn't a person in the image, which is when it is okay to leave the who blank. For example, take a look at this caption:

When you prepare for an interview, you could either be preparing as an interviewee or the interviewer themself. Here's how to prepare for both parts! Interviewer: -Dress Nicely -Be kind -Prepare and memorize your questions -Before questioning, introduce yourself by your full name and how to spell it, and ask your interviewee to introduce themselves likewise. -Be patient with answers and let the interviewee completely finish talking   Prepare questions like this: Interviewee: -Dress Nicely -Be kind -Introduce yourself by your full name and how to spell it -If prompted to, memorize your questions and your answers beforehand.

In January, we were introduced to Copy. Copy is the text in an article or magazine. It's like writing stories for a newspaper or magazine, knowing that stories should be colorful and full of life! Copy is more important than the pictures in a text. If written correctly, as in if the information is being reported nicely, the interview style is good, and the research and editing is accurate, then the Copy has the potential to make it into history and last for years. We learned how to: Use a visual organizational tool for in-depth exploration of a topic Determine which aspects of the activity are best covered visually and which are best covered  verbally Generate ideas and plans by using graphic organizers Determine how the activities will be covered (verbally or visually) Plan for before, during and after coverage Utilize basic principles of caption writing and write captions for assigned photographs  Use a visual organizational tool for in-depth exploration of a topic Based on ...

Later in december, we learned about the Table of Contents. Every magazine requires a table of contents so that the reader knows where to find what they are looking in a magazine. The table of contents should be split into sections. One section mentioning the content on the cover, and one section mentioning the content in the magazine itself, along with special mentions. It should also have a Volume and Date on the upper corner, along with the Magazines title itself, and the Folio on the bottom. Here is an example of my table of contents: