Magazine Cover Reflection- Alejandra A.

I created the HER HORIZON magazine cover in Adobe InDesign. This project helped me understand the process behind the creation of an actual magazine cover and how the aesthetically pleasing and information dense features serve genre and readership. I learned about the relevance of media industry standards and how visual hierarchy and conventions contribute to successful media industry creation through my own creation, experimentation, and refining of my layout.

Learning the Magazine Conventions:

What I learned about magazine conventions is that they make for a realistic, professional magazine cover. They also prevent the magazine from looking tacky or like something a fifth grader came up with in a matter of moments. For example, inappropriately positioned masthead, primary image, cover lines, bar codes, prices, dates and taglines are all failings of a magazine cover. Furthermore, I learned about guides, margins and appropriate alignments that make things aesthetically pleasing and easy to read. Therefore, using such conventions helped to make my magazine cover more professional.

My Genre Choice and Representation:

The genre of my magazine is self growth and emotional wellness for women. I chose this genre because it embodies a sense of nostalgia, reflection, restoration and transformation. My cover conveys this genre through the softness of the colors on the cover, the outside setting of the image and the fact that the woman is looking towards what's ahead (the horizon). Even the language of the cover lines supports this genre with healing, growing, boundaries and self image.

The Magazine Conventions and Effectiveness:

Many magazine conventions were used to create an effective cover. The masthead is large and at the top of the cover for brand identity. The main cover line is large and central. Secondary cover lines are dispersed around the image but do not interfere with the subject. I also placed circular outlines behind some of the text for clarity and aesthetic appeal. These conventions move the eye in a natural motion and allow for the magazine's purpose to be easily conveyed.

Challenges and Successes:

One challenge I encountered was ensuring legibility with the background imagery, which was solved through font adjustments and shape backings behind prominent text. Another challenge was to ensure a layout so that the cover did not feel cluttered. One successful challenge was creating a final product that ended up looking very polished and professional, ensuring, at first glance, that it falls into the proper genre.

 

Important Takeaways and Next Steps:

One of the biggest takeaways from this project is the idea of layout and hierarchy. Something as simple as adjusting where an image sits or the kerning of a font will make it more or less professional. I'll certainly be more aware about layout before setting elements in place for good and will always play around with typography and placements.

Connection to My Portfolio Project:

 Not only will this project be a great asset to my portfolio but it will also stand as testament to my successful engagement with industry standard software and media standards. The topic applied will help me bridge the gap to increasingly complex layouts, denser visual narratives and more refined media products. I now possess a tangible product as proof of my ideation and later realization. 

 

Video Editing Practice Blog Reflection

Learning how to use Premiere Pro

In the beginning of this process, I found it a bit overwhelming to learn Premiere Pro with all of the buttons and panels. But after binning my clips, I started to understand the software more quickly. I also kept my interviews and B-roll separate, which helped along the way. Once I figured out dragging and dropping into the timeline and how to trim clips, the layout also became increasingly more straightforward. Since everything was relative in the project panel, it helped me learn where everything would go easier.

Creating the Clip

What I loved most about this edit was that I got to piece together the b-roll in combination with the interviews and let the story play out. I feel like I worked with the fair b-roll and the pineapple whip stand b-roll to match up what's being said with what they're saying. I feel like it was effective to see it all on a timeline for greater acknowledgment of how it all came together. Also, getting to see it all in one preview window helped me understand what would visually work best for me.

The Manager Interview

Getting the lower third for Zach Fortner was a process. I had to adjust the font via the graphics panel and shrink and move it around to make it not look gaudy in its placement. I also had to ensure it was on screen long enough for everyone to take it in. It was all about text layering and learning how to position it with the rest of the clip.

Challenges

Volume leveling became a very important issue as some interviews were louder than others and required me to manipulate the audio level between various tracks. I also needed to solve the issues of trimming but not making the cuts sound too harsh; I needed them to transition well, which meant I had to go back and edit in various places multiple times.

Successes

One the greatest successes involved aligning the B-roll with the interviews. Once I figured out how to overlap certain shots and time them appropriately, the unified vision for the entire project emerged. Another success was figuring out how to stay organized so that I wouldn't misplace different versions of the same video clips and audio.

What I've Learned

I learned to edit cuts down to the frame, level audio, insert textual graphics, and manage multiple layers of video and audio. I learned the necessity of organization in editing; I was able to maintain my sanity while cutting through my footage because everything was in bins, But most importantly, what I learned from my footage was the tempo of a project and how every single frame plays a part in the rhythm of the finished product.

The biggest thing I'll take away from this is that it's a lengthy endeavor. I ended up having to change and adjust a lot for it to be how I wanted it to be. I also learned that so much revision creates a narrative for how the information is presented (what to emphasize, what works better than other elements to everything else). Finally, I'm more confident in the editing features and I know I could create something even more spectacular next time.

How this helps with my Portfolio Project

This was extremely useful for my portfolio piece because it taught me more about how to professionally and extensively gather the interviews, b-roll, sound and text in an organized manner. I came into this exercise not knowing how to maintain pacing, audio quality and visual details to efficiently put together a final product. But now that I know what I need to do, my portfolio will definitely benefit from this professional quality because I'm feeling prepared to make much more extensive edits in the remainder of this chapter.

Camera Work Reflection

 Camera Movements Project:

I found out a lot for this project about how the camera affects the way the story is told.

They used each shot for a reason, and I had to think hard about which ones to use.

For example, Scene 1's static shot focused on dialogue, which worked well for introducing

conflict without distraction. 

Scene 2's tracking shot followed the character and created tension, with the viewer

wondering what will happen when they arrive at their destination. 

Scene 3's erratic movement emphasized the chaos of the moment that Gianni was being

pushed around, and the scene felt disjointed in tone.

The push in Scene 4 brought attention to the shocked face of Jazmine, indicating her inner

turmoil and shock at what she caught sight of. 

The tilt in Scene 5 revealed the body of Gianni, revealing why she was so shocked.

 

The pan in Scene 6 followed Connie as she ran by Jazmine, indicating Jazmine saw everything.

 

The trucking shot in Scene 7 created the sensation of the audience running along

with Jazmine, creating a sense of excitement for the chase.

One of the problems I encountered was to stabilize the camera for tracking and trucking

shots. It was harder than I expected to get the movements smooth. One of the successes

was how well the tilt and push in shots were able to convey the shock and emotion

in the scene.

In short, I discovered that any movement of the camera can impact how a scene

is viewed. I would pre-plan each shot in the future and practice the movements

more so that they would be even smoother. I would also try to pair camera angles

with lighting used to produce even deeper feelings.

Camera Angles/Shots Project:

I learned how a series of camera shots collectively reveal a story and create an emotional

response in the audience. The project was on Clayton, the cow in a backpack, searching for

his owner and with each shot showing another point of his adventure.

The long shot at the beginning unveiled Clayton being left alone in the classroom, showing

how he was left behind and starting his search. 

The close-up shot set the story and Clayton's determination, so that the audience could

pity him and wish he was successful. 

Another long shot subsequently showed him being trampled down the corridors,

emphasizing the confrontation and his bulk in the environment. 

The master shot recorded Clayton tripping that student, setting the interaction and

emphasizing the action.

The low-angle long shot as Clayton was coming towards the staircase put the viewer in

his place. 

The POV shot when he entered the staircase evoked pity and brought the viewer into

the ordeal he was facing. 

An aerial shot showed him rolling down the stairs, depicting the enormity and risk

involved in the challenge. 

The high-angle master shot emphasized the dominance of the obstacle over him.

The low-angle close-up emphasized Clayton facing the next challenge of escaping

Building 7.

There were close-ups of his actions, like buckling the strap on to the door, and

the longer shots of him successfully opening it. 

The establishing shots revealed him in his new positions, keeping the audience interested

in his progress.

 

The POV shot upon finding the classroom of his owner again highlighted the seriousness

of the previous task.

 The two-shot towards the end unveiled the tearful reunion between Clayton and his owner.

One challenge was getting the balance of the type of shots to tell a story that made sense and

was interesting without confusing the viewer. One success was seeing how much feeling and

tension the POV, low-angle, and close-up shots evoked.

With the help of this project, I realized that camera work would be able to make even a

normal story seem interesting and immersive. In the future, I will pay special attention

to shot changes and exercise combining angles in a more innovative way to make

the story more emotive and action-oriented.

West Broward (UX 768) Media Studies Portfolio Hub

Hi! My name is Alejandra but sometimes my name is a mouthful I get called Ale! I’m a 17 year old girl, the first generation of my family to be a citizen of the United States and I;m quite proud of it. I’ve been playing the piano since I was five, which I think has made me become quite the perfectionist for certain things. But then again I do have messy moments when it comes to my love for baking, especially chocolate chip cookies. My mom likes to call it my ‘sugar addiction’, but that's a little about me.

My experience in Media Studies so far has been really fulfilling, I think it has been a great creative outlet in using different digital platforms to articulate a single project. A couple classes ago we had to recreate a movie poster that would represent the reason we enrolled into the course. It was interesting. 

In regard to the portfolio process, I hope to gain a chance of improvement. To see a gradual ascent in skills from being a ‘rookie’ to eventually maybe even a professional basis. 

I’m considering doing the short film as my project because I think I can do the most with that concept and embed multiple ideas that may impress the scorers of this course. I think I’ll also have the most fun writing a script and directing scenes of the film with the given opportunity of working in a group.