I Created a Magazine!

I Created a Magazine!

    At the start of this lesson, my viewpoint on magazines was that all they needed was a big title and a catchy phrase to catch people's attention to make them buy it, but I've learned there is a lot more to a magazine than just the big picture on display. Magazines have big, dramatic masthead at the top, bold main headlines, some coverlines sprinkled around, a barcode and date usually in a corner, and a banner or puff to make the magazine look more attractive.

    For our project, we were tasked to create our very own magazine from scratch using the conventions we had just learned. Now, the tricky part for me was that our cover image had to be original and of good quality.  I didn't want to use just any picture from my camera roll, so I opted to take a picture then and there using a professional camera provided to me by my teacher. I've never actually dealt with a professional camera, so it took some time getting used to, but after I was ready, to took my picture. I walked around the whole school searching for the perfect picture for a magazine. I went from trying to take pictures of butterflies to cars. Eventually, I took my final picture I would use which would be perfect for my genre I chose for my magazine, nature. I felt like my picture really displayed that genre do to the leaves and grass around the heart.

The original picture I took is below. (I never claimed to be a good photographer.)

    

    I made sure to use all the major magazine conventions so the cover would look like an actual magazine. The masthead gives it a strong identity, and the main headline is big enough to tell readers what this magazine will mainly be about. The other coverlines make the magazine look so real that it's actually filled with different content and information that is worth reading. Adding the barcode, dateline, and banner strip at the bottom made it look even more professional, just like something you would see in an airport or city shot.

    I definitely had some challenges along the way to creating this magazine. I faced challenges like learning how to work with 'Adobe Pro', the software we used to create the magazine. I had a tough time learning how to do basic things, like how to import text or how to change the color and size of the text. Resizing images was also a problem for me. I also had to experiment with different fonts and sizes so the text stood out without ruining the aesthetic of the picture. However, I was able to overcome these challenges with the help of tutorial videos and a lot of time experimenting and exploring the app. I am pretty proud of how the final product turned out. 

    Overall, this project showed me that creating something that looks simple at first actually takes a lot of planning and effort.  I’ll be able to use what I learned about the visual appeal and software tools to make a future magazine look cleaner and more professional. Now that I understand how magazine conventions work and how to navigate Adobe better, I feel much more prepared for future projects. Doing this let me experiment with whether I really want to do this for my portfolio, while also letting me see what it would be like.

The final outcome of my magazine.

Video Editing Reflection

Video Editing Reflection 

    Hey guys! Since the last time we met, I've learned a lot about the process of editing. I never really knew or took into consideration how much work and time editors have to put into creating a film, but since I got to experience editing clips together to make my own short clip, I know that now firsthand.

Process of Learning the Software

    The process of learning this software was long and complicated. The software we used for our editing is called Premiere Pro. And let's just say when I first opened this and got a look at the editing page, I was super overwhelmed and like, "This looks super complicated. How am I going to learn how to navigate and edit on this?" Luckily, we had access to tutorial videos on how to use Premiere, which helped a LOT. I really don't know if I would have been able to learn how to work Premiere without it. After finally getting familiar with the software, I was ready to tackle my next task: edit clips to create a clip.

Experience Creating the Clip

    We were tasked to create a short clip using clips that were about an ice scream shop at a fair. There were interview clips of the operations manager and customers of 'Pinapple Whip' (the name of the ice-cream shop), and also b-roll clips. Creating my final clip was actually really fun once I got the hang of the basics. I picked out some clips I knew I would use, added some background music, and used lower thirds for the interview clip of the operations manager.

    The most difficult part for me was the audio. Making sure the background music wasn't too loud, muting the audio of b-roll, and finding the perfect timing to use background music. I also had some challenges when inputting my lower third. When following the tutorial, I was struggling to follow along because my Premiere Pro was a different version from the one in the tutorial. However, after some time playing around with the panel, I was able to figure it out and add it to my final clip. But all those challenges were worth it to see my final clip come together. I've never edited a video before, especially with a professional software like Premiere, so it was really satisfying to see my final clip come together. 

Screenshot of my version compared to the tutorial's version.

                                              My Version:

                                              

                                             Tutorial Version:

Moving Foward

    My biggest takeaway is that learning and editing takes time and patience. I still have a lot to explore with the software and importing clips from a camera, but I am proud of what I have accomplished this far. This experience is going to help me a lot with my portfolio project. Now I know how to plan, edit, and polish a video from start to finish. I'm excited to learn more and improve my work in editing.

Video of my final clip below.