Q1a. Digital technology

Technologies I used:

AS College magazine:

  • Iphone - I used my phone to take the main image on my college magazine
  • Photoshop - I  used Photoshop to enhance the colours on the main image to make them seem brighter and as a result give a more positive atmosphere.
  • Mac - i used an apple computer to edit my blog posts and edit my coursework
  • PC - I also used the PC's around the college to do the same
  • Blogger - I updated posts and wrote all my work on there
  • PowerPoint - i used PowerPoint to demonstrate some aspects of my work (e.g. Conventions research)
  • Google Images - I searched online for examples of magazines and images for my conventions research
AS coursework:

  • Camera - I used an actual camera to take my images. This gave me higher quality pictures and more control over camera angles and framing
  • Photoshop - i used it to take away the green screen and add in a plain background. I also used it to overlay other images on top of the main image (e.g. Text). 
  • PC - I used the PC's to put together my coursework
  • Internet - I used google to search for mock-up images and search for examples of magazines that helped inspire my own work.
  • Blogger - to update my posts
  • Prezi - to demonstrate aspects of my work in a more creative way
  • Powerpoint - to demonstrate my work
  • Survey monkey - to gain audience feedback on what they like in a music magazine
  • SD card - to store footage

A2 Coursework:

  • camera - for still images and video. This has given better quality footage
  • premier pro - i used this for the first time to edit my animatic and music video
  • Photoshop - i am now able to layer images and change their opacity to blend them into one
  • Blogger - update coursework
  • prezi - create more in depth presentations and creating links between ideas
  • YouTube - upload music video
  • Google - to search for different images and ancillary text examples
  • SD card - to store footage


How my skills have developed:

Over the last 2 years my skills have developed as when I first started and I created my college magazine I used my IPhone camera to take the main image. When it came to creating my music magazine and my music video/ancillary texts I upgraded and used an actual camera to take higher quality photos. This allowed me to have more control over the lighting in the image, the angle and the type of shot I wanted as the camera has more functions than an IPhone.

My Photoshop skills have also developed. When I completed my college magazine I had basic knowledge of how layers worked and how to use the layers to create a more professional product. In my college magazine I created a basic front cover by placing images on top of each other. This changed when I created my music magazine as I chose to use the different tools (e.g. the magic wand tool) to cut out parts of my main image and put them onto a different background. Then i used the image effects option to add a drop shadow onto the image to make it seem 3-dimensional. Adding drop shadows helped my magazine stand out and look less 2-dimensional.

In my second year I used premier pro for the first time. I am able to cut and edit the duration of clips as well as copy them and isolate the sound from the clip. I also was able to copy the mp3 track into the software.


1. How important was digital technology?

Digital technology was very important. The development of digital cameras, social media, the internet and different software (like Photoshop) meant I had access to different media texts which then allowed me to develop my own

2. Why was digital technology important?

It allowed me to transition from a consumer to a producer, effectively making me a prosumer. In this process Google/internet was important as it allowed me to research existing products to become familiar with their conventions. This then allowed me to apply it to my own work. For example, a convention of a music magazine front cover is a medium-close up/close up of the artist is used.

3. What effect did technology have on your final work?

It gave my work a more professional finish as the more complex software has more options to manipulate and edit images (e.g. Photoshop).
For example, in my college magazine I used PowerPoint to help put together my final product. This left the product looking 2-Dimensional as it was just images placed on top of each other. Whereas, during the creation of my music magazine I used Photoshop which allowed me to add different effects (like drop shadow or reducing the opacity) which increased the quality of the overall product.

4. What would you have not been able to do without digital technology?

I would have not been able to access already existing products. This then would have decreased the quality of all of my products. This is because we live in a consumer culture where the media texts are created to fit society and match the target audience's needs. For example, without YouTube I would not have been able to access existing music videos for my A2 coursework. As a result, I would not have been able to identify key conventions and features which make a product desirable to the target audience.

5. How did digital technology benefit you?

It allowed me to develop creatively and it aided in my research and planning. 
It developed my creativity as I had access to hardware (e.g. digital cameras which have functions to change lighting in the image, the type of shot (e.g. zoom for close ups) and what the actual image will be saves as on the SD card (e.g. .jpg). 
I also had access to different software that gave me more options in post-production. For example, I upgraded from using PowerPoint to Photoshop. This gave me access to more advanced tools (e.g. blurring the edges of my main image in my music magazine, changing the opacity of a layer in my ancillary text, layering images and selectively cropping parts of an image and placing them on top of another on my main image in my music magazine).



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