Production and Post-Production

Post production from hammonda

AS Post-Production:

Software used to create magazine:

Adobe Photoshop CS5

Tools used:

Gradient map tool – to insert American flag into title

Paint bucket tool - fill out the backgrounds to make them all the same colour

Lasso tool - to select the artist in my image and remove the background

Refine edge tool – made the edge smoother and softened the look of the edge so it looked natural against my background

Selective colour tool – Made the red and blue tones more prominent

Levels tool – create more defined shadows

Brightness & Contrast tool – enhance my image and make it stand out

Saturation tool – Increased the look of the colours

Burn tool – Around make-up areas such as eyes to darken them

Eraser tool – erase loose hairs around my artist

Red eye tool – To remove red eye to give a natural look

Line tool – inserted lines on all pages e.g. dividers between coverlines, dividers on the contents and for a striped effect on the DPS

Shadow  and outer glow effect – applied to different parts of my text to add variety and stop it from appearing too 2Dimensional

Software Pros/Cons:

·         I did not know the functions over every tool and effect so had to experiment a lot and figure out which would suit best

·         The software was fast and worked effectively and could handle a lot of data from the images etc.

·         I could undo mistakes easily and redo things I had deleted without having to start all over again

·         Best software available on the market used by industry so it was the best option to create my magazine

·         I could create a variety of effects and make my product look really individual

My strengths and weaknesses:

·         I had previous experience in Adobe Photoshop so I could use my previous knowledge to my advantage

·         Had not cut out an artist professionally from a background before so I research tutorials to enable me to gain experience

·         I did not know the function of every tool so it proved difficult trying to select the appropriate one for a specific purpose

A2 Post-Production

Software used to create ancillary tasks:

Adobe Photoshop CS6

Software used to create music video:

Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0

Tools Used

Photoshop:

· (Most of the same at AS)
·  Darken layer tool - applied to my sketches I inserted from scanner to remove white areas
·  Circular text tool - allowed me to shape text around the CD holder area
·  Magic Eraser tool - deleted the white area of my sketches on the outside to keep the solid fill on the inside
·  Scale tool - decrease inserted images in proportion

Adobe Premiere Elements
·  Fade out tool
·  Straight cut tool
·  Brightness and Contrast overlay
·  Saturation decreased overlay
·  Black and white overlay

Software Pros/Cons:

·  I was more knowledgeable in Photoshop so it was quicker for me to use

·  I could save them as a PSD and return to it later

·  Premiere Elements I had not used before so I was quite slow to get into the hang of using the tools and where they were placed

·  Premiere Elements allowed me to cut to the beat of the music

·  I could replay my clips in slower time to get my lip syncing on the spot

·  Software took a while to load and slowed down with the more HD footage I inserted

·  I could upload my music video direct to Youtube

My strengths and weaknesses:

·  I did not use Premiere Elements before so was quite slow in editing footage at first

·  My preliminary task allowed me to get an idea of where the controls were for basic use

·  I already had knowledge of Photoshop from my foundation portfolio

Progression from AS to A2:

·  I used the option of multi-media to my advantage by scanning in my sketches to my text at A2 and could manipulate the image whereas at AS I was reliant on my photography for the outcome of my magazine predominantly

·  My magazine draft at AS was extremely basic and not as much time spent

·  My preliminary for my music video and ancillary tasks was to a higher standard than my AS as I utilised my skills in the software more effectively and worked quicker

·  Did not use Premiere Elements at all before my A2 production work and now I feel confident to work to a professional standard

·  Became more confident with the experimentation of colours, at AS I stuck to a strict three key colour code whereas at A2 in both tasks I contrasted colour in my ancillary task and then used black and white also in my music video - I would not have been able to achieve this at AS without it looking disjunctive

·  In terms of Photoshop I was more detailed in the use of these tools, for example using the burn tool to accentuate bold lines of my sketches.

The extent to which I have improved drafts/took on board advice:

At AS I took on board advice but probably did not use it to my advantage. For example, in my draft of my magazine advice was given about aligning columns and photos etc. more professionally. I then used grids and automatic grid reference tools to ensure that each component of my magazine was lined up. Although I did not change it much in terms of appearance.

At A2 I certainly took advice on board more seriously. For example, from my preliminary music video it was made evident that the lip syncing was not as accurate as it could have been. Therefore when I was constructing my final music video I ensured that my lip syncing was as accurate as possible, slowing down the video rather than guessing whereabouts the introduction of words would come in.

When I produced my first draft on my music video I received feedback such as that certain shots were not effective. This was evident in a shot of my artist not lip syncing well enough. Therefore I replaced it in post-production with a cutaway to a shot of the telephone to ensure that the quality of my music video was not compromised. This progression of working on advice and improving draft has lead me to be more considerate to my production work and ensuring the best quality outcome.

For my ancillary tasks at A2 I also was more detailed in improving my products. For example, for my draft I used the term "Sophomore album" but it was evident from my feedback that this was not relevant to my UK target market and caused confusion. Therefore I removed it but this left me with an area of negative space on my album advert. From this I improvised and inserted a banner line with my album title across it to fill the space but also draw attention to this area. Therefore from improving my product here I also improved finer details such as the banner that I did not previously consider. I also changed my sketch to a refined version as I felt my draft version was lacking in realistic features. I also improved my version by tweaking positions of my placed images into more central areas. I felt in post-production and in terms of improving my product I was also more aware of my audience and what the most effective choices would be.

KEY MEDIA CONCEPTS

AS MAGAZINE

• At the stage of post-production for my AS production work I developed basic skills in effects and techniques. For example, I increased the saturation of my photographs to enhance the star image of my artist and make her stand out from the page. This brightened look produced a connotation of 'pop' and beauty to my audience; attracting them to the cover of my magazine.
• I applied a gradient map beneath my heading on my double page spread with an image of an American flag. I did this so that my audience will be able to have previous cognitive knowledge of Americanisms etc. and apply this context to my artist. This was also applied to attract my audience as it is a fashionable culture.
• During post-production I also used the burn tool and applied this to the photograph of my artist, especially on the front cover, around key make-up areas such as mascara. This enhanced her look and made her appear more aesthetically pleasing which would appeal to my audience as it complies with Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory and would hopefully draw in a wider audience.

A2 DIGIPAK AND ALBUM ADVERT

• At A2 my skills in Photoshop were more advanced in the post-production stages than at AS level. For example, I was able to the darken layer application on my in-scanned image of my drawing. This removed any negative white areas from the paper and leave the outline of my sketch. By using additional scanning technology I was able to represent my artist using a hyperreal perception and communicate a 'doll like' look of my artist. Therefore this would appeal to my audience as it would represent my artist in a fun but aesthetically pleasing way.
• At A2 I think my skills in post-production allowed me to communicate information in a more interesting and vibrant way that I don't think was as prominant in my AS level work. For example, I was able to use the invert effect on my text of my album title on my album advert so that my text appeared light on my dark pink banner. Therefore simple text was communicated on a larger area, especially with the use of the banner, so it drew the attention of my audience more.

A2 MUSIC VIDEO

• At post-production for my music video my skills were certainly more developed than AS as it was the first time I put my skills in Adobe Premiere Elements into action. I decided to use effects such as a black fade out at the end of my music video to connote to my audience that the text they were viewing has finished. This also concluded this amplification narrative I had incorporated, which had no specific ending as I did not use a conventional narrative.
• In post-production I also experimented with a wider variety of cuts to communicate information to my audience. For example, I used a cut away of a close-up of my artist dialling the telephone at the beginning of my video. This indicated to my audience that it would be a significant feature of mise-en-scene throughout the video. This is a generic convention to cut away to objects that are relevant to the narrative of the music video, other wise the audience may get confused with the random incorporation of a telephone if it was not continued throughout.