Evaluation of Preliminary Work

The preliminary coursework task we were presented with was to make either a video (trailer of a film) or a front cover and contents page of a newly established magazine describing a fictional college. The target audience for the magazine is students. I chose the magazine coursework, as I have no experience with creating a film or working with camcorders and acting.

On given the preliminary task, I instantly knew I wanted to do something different and origanal. My first idea was to create a college for street art, turning it from graffiti to actual art. I decided against this idea as I knew that it would be reasonably difficult to find graffiti without the obscene language it often contains. Also I had inspiration from my brother telling me stories of what the wars and battle in the military is like and that even though they had training, he would’ve liked more time and preparation for what he went through. I decided then that I wanted to do something about pre-preparation for Army training. The college I came up with offers courses to help with psychological problems one might encounter with their first kill, mechanics courses, healthcare courses and general training and helping to deal with everything the military throws at you, so to speak. I done some research on some courses the Army provides and one that stood out to me was the K-9 unit. It then occurred to me that a necessary tradition of the army is to carry dog tags and so I came up with the idea of calling my magazine Dog Tags and having a theme of dogs in the military.

Final Product

Final Front Page

Final Contents Page

production log – 27/11/09

Today I transferred my information onto a different background as the main image has to be an original image. It’s a shame because I preferred my first image as it suited the connotations of the title DOG SOLDIERS very well. The image was of a soldier trying to control an aggressive dog, leaping forward. Instead though I have chosen to use this image as my contents page. I have used the same breed in dog for another image, keeping it as a continuity.

The new image is a medium close up of a student (model) at the college. I used the same design as my first draft as I believe it was creative and went with the themes and designs running through to the contents page.

I have used 4 original images and one I am extremely proud of as I edited it to make the background black and white and the dog remain in colour. This makes it stand out as important and as extra I added a colored caption.

I also added a few bullet holes as I think it adds to character and design of military style college. It would also catch the readers eye and draw their attention to the article on weaponry.

I am very close to completing my coursework now and I think I’ll be starting my evaluation in the next session.

Production Log 13/11/09 – original images

In this session I have taken some original images and have edited them to fit my magazine. I am also researching style models for the contents page and arranging what I will be writing for each page of my magazine.

Over the weekend I will be taking pictures of my models, in long shots, mid close ups and possibly some close ups. I will also find a food source that relates more to army training than what I already have. Once I have these I will probably make a lot of changes to my magazine.The background to my front page will change, but I will probably keep the maskhead and the headings, as well as the ‘price tag’ and the barcode.

The first image shows a variety of possible foods soldiers would need to eat to keep a balanced diet and ensure a healthy metabolism. Without this they would be constantly drowsy, weak, unable to move quickly and efficiently and their eyesight would be poor which is something that a soldier needs to have, a very keen eye for danger.

The second picture demonstrates the protection from overhead aircraft’s that could be a possible threat in battle. While soldiers can see aircraft’s if they pass, they would be almost invisible for the aircraft carriers to identify.

Production log – 6/11/09

Today, I edited my front cover by adding captions, headings, even a bar code for authenticity. I had to consider what students would want to read about, and what would help them in their college course. I came up with idea’s about fashion in the army (wearing uniforms that are still considered official, but add a bit of excitement and difference for students themselves. The cover is not plastered with images as being in army training, media pictures of celebrities isn’t needed and the background suits the magazines purpose. I have taken screencaps from the whole of my progression today from what I started with to what I ended with.

Adding the bar code produces a more authentic feel to the magazine.

My beginning picture was simply the background and the mask head. I have simply added the bar code in this stage and already it is starting to take shape a little more.

This shows what can be done with the header.

The use of the words ‘sample text’ is simply to explain and show where my header is going to be and what editing I can do to the words to create a more interesting layout.

The actual header.

This is the chosen header title and the first subheaders and advertisements. I have chosen a simple black and white design so that the title will stand out more. Also, it matches the background but doesn’t blend. The bright white catches the readers eye as it displays contrast between the red.White creating the feel of purity while red displaying aggression. This matches the Army well as although there is alot of blood shed, the soldiers are fighting for their country which displays pure intentions in their actions.

An attempt in crativity.

As well as adding a second subheading, I decided on a creative idea which I thought would be effective in this style magazine.

Price 'Dog' Tag

Using the image of the Dog Tag I decided to add it to the magazine as a price Tag. I chose this idea as my magazines name is Dog Tags and an actual Dog Tags (or identification tag as used by soldiers in the army displaying personal information such as name, bloodtype etc.) purpose is to display information, so I used it to display the price of the magazine. I chose £1 as any less would not provide much profit as it is aimed at a very specific area of people (army recruits) and any more would have been too expensive for a student to pay for regularly.

Last job of the day.

The last thing I done today was to add the last of the headings. I broke the magazine up by matching the red and green text to the Title of the magazine. I also wrote the text on the opposite side to the rest to show a difference between this heading and the others. It can be interpreted as being black and white (dull, boring, pure) is choosing to be a civilian but red and green (army colours, aggressive connotations) is pushing forward and improving oneself.

Front Cover

Unfinished and I can’t wait till its done, getting closer now though!

Today I edited my front cover completely until it looks as it does now. Its starting to gain the feel of a real magazine now with simple headings and advertisements.

Next lesson I am going to bring in my pictures and add them to the front page, perhaps start on a draft of my contents too.

How Teenagers are Represented In the Media

‘Hoodies, louts, scum’: how media demonises teenagers
Research finds negative stories in the press make teenage boys frightened of each other
By Richard Garner, Education Editor
The portrayal of teenage boys as “yobs” in the media has made the boys wary of other teenagers, according to new research.
Figures show more than half of the stories about teenage boys in national and regional newspapers in the past year (4,374 out of 8,629) were about crime. The word most commonly used to describe them was “yobs” (591 times), followed by “thugs” (254 times), “sick” (119 times) and “feral” (96 times).
Other terms often used included “hoodie”, “louts”, “heartless”, “evil” “frightening”, “scum”, “monsters”, “inhuman” and “threatening”.
The research – commissioned by Women in Journalism – showed the best chance a teenager had of receiving sympathetic coverage was if they died.
“We found some news coverage where teen boys were described in glowing terms – ‘model student’, ‘angel’, ‘altar boy’ or ‘every mother’s perfect son’,” the research concluded, “but sadly these were reserved for teenage boys who met a violent and untimely death.”
At the same time a survey of nearly 1,000 teenage boys found 85 per cent believed newspapers portray them in a bad light.
They felt reality TV – with shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent – portrayed them in a better light – with fewer than 20 per cent believing they were being portrayed negatively.
As a result of the negative press, 80 per cent felt adults were more wary of them now than they had been a year ago. However, the most striking finding, according to the research, was that many were now more wary of boys of their own age. “It seems the endless diet of media reports about ‘yobs’ and ‘feral’ youths is making them fearful of other teens,” it said. “Nearly a third said they are ‘always’ or ‘often’ wary of teenage boys they don’t know.
“The most popular reason for their wariness, cited by 51 per cent was ‘media stories about teen boys’ compared with 40 per cent who said their wariness was based on their own or friends’ bad experiences of other teens.”
Nearly three-quarters said they had changed their behaviour as a result of this wariness. The most common change, cited by 45.7 per cent, was boys avoiding places where teenagers hung around. Others included dressing differently (14.2 per cent), and changing who they were seen with (11.9 per cent). “For much of the press, there is no such thing as a good news story about teenagers,” it added.
“Stories about sport and entertainment, which might have balanced other negative coverage, also took a critical line. Only 16 per cent of stories about teens and entertainment were positive: only 24 per cent about teens and sport were positive.”
The research found that – for all the coverage of teenage issues – the boys’ voices themselves were rarely heard in newspapers. Fewer than one in 10 articles about young people actually quoted young people or included their perspectives in the debate.
Fiona Bawden, the WiJ committee member who presented the research at the British Library, said: “When a photo of a group of perfectly ordinary lads standing around wearing hooded tops has become visual shorthand for urban menace, or even the breakdown of society, it’s clear teenage boys have a serious image problem.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hoodies-louts-scum-how-media-demonises-teenagers-1643964.html

Production Log – 02/10/09

So far I have researched a few ideas for the given preliminary coursework (creating the front and contents page of a college or school) and singled out the most stable piece of work. This idea is my Army College Magazine idea, which helps students of the college cope with the fast paced courses and gives tips on how to deal with it. The purpose of this is to boost success rates of soldiers being enrolled into the Army or the Marines.

After researching magazines in a similar genre, I have found that there are not many magazines aimed at soldiers in training and even less aimed at attracting the younger generation of soldiers. I believe this is because of the low pass rate in training and so I think a magazine dedicated to improving pass rates will sell rather quickly.

I have received basic photoshop training which will help me create and manipulate my own images for the magazine. I may use one of my manipulated images as the front cover to my magazine. It will produce an idea of interest I think my audience would appreciate because of its subliminal relevance to Army soldiers themselves… or ‘Dog Soldiers’ as they are sometimes labeled.

I have produced my own SMART Targets for the coursework which will help me in progression.

SMART Targets

SMART Targets

I have Smart targets set to my final creative idea to help pace myself and set goals for finishing my coursework on deadlines. This will help me keep track of my progress and prevent me from falling behind in my tasks for completing the preliminary work.

The smart targets I am setting for myself for my chosen creative idea (Army College Magazine – Preparation for army including course structure).

Specific – My idea will be based on life in the fictional college ie. available courses, quick recipes that are nutritional enough to get you through a mission or task given over a set amount of days and quick enough that you will not have to stay in one spot as it will be easier for opponents to track your position. Fashion tips will also be given so that although you are wearing correct uniform, you can be an individual and not follow the crowd while in college.

Measurable – I am setting and planning out how much and what topic I will be fitting in each page so I can measure exactly what topic is going where without things getting too busy or messy.

Agreeable – I have assessed my work and ideas with my piers and gathered feedback, meaning my audience is agreeing with my magazine idea.I will take their feedback into consideration when designing the magazine so that it will get the highest possible interest with my audience.

Realistic – Although there are very few colleges designed to help Army or Marine individuals learn to survive in Army lifestyles, I believe my idea is realistic enough and creative enough to peak interest in my target market.

Time-based – I will be setting myself deadlines to finish certain aspects of my magazine.This will help me complete my coursework on time and efficiently.

Photoshop!

My first modified image!

I was always curious to know what kinda dog Vin Diesel reminded me of!

Another

Wolf with Raven wings, I think it went quite well!

Just experimenting