We used images previously taken in the ‘My image that uses mise-en-scene to communicate meaning’ post and created a tour poster. We used Photoshop and Indesign to create our posters – my genre was punk.
Focus Forward
I have learnt a lot doing this task, not only have I explored the Punk genre and learnt the key conventions, I have also learnt several photoshop and Indesign tips and tricks that will help me make my music magazine in the future. In photoshop I learnt how to accurately cut out a model and have no background, to do this I used the mast tool where unlike the magic wand you can accurately select and remove different parts of the image. It also helps with different hair types as curly hair can be difficult to cut out. I also learnt on photoshop how to make an image black and white whilst also leaving part of the image in colour – I feel this really uplifted my final design. Moreover, I learnt how to download fonts from the internet and put them into Indesign, I did this with the masthead font and I will also do this when I create my magazine so that I have unlimited options to make it the best it possibly can be.
With this task we took an original copy of a magazine and replicated it on a software called indesign. We aimed to manipulate every detail and learn the key tools and skills required to create our magazines in the future.
My Magazine Swede
Original Magazine
I feel that I made a good attempt at replicating the NME magazine, I think the overall look of the magazine is replicated well and that I made good progress in learning how to use Indesign.
I particularly like how I created, represented and replicated the ‘Foo Fighters’ pug. To do this I created a circle, placed it in the corner of the page and coloured it a dark burgundy to match the border of the picture. I then added the text and chose a typeface that matched the original copy best. Next, I then rotated the text to add a slight angle. All together I feel that this is the most accurate replication on my magazine.
The masthead on my magazine is slightly incorrect, this is due to me not finding the correct typeface to use as we had a limited selection of fonts. Next time I will find a more accurate font online and download it to create a better replication. Not only this, the text also needs to be thicker.
The cover lines on the magazine in the top right corner have the correct and accurate proportions. In addition, the highlight behind the text matches the original copy well. I think that the title text (white highlight) matches almost perfectly. However, the text below does not match as well and next time I will have to find a more precise font.
A part of my magazine that didn’t go as well would be the main cover line, I feel that the typeface is not accurate and that the proportions are slightly off. Next time, I would reduce the height of the ‘F’ and the ‘L’ due to it not matching the original copy of the magazine, I would also choose a bolder typeface.
Another feature that could’ve been better would’ve been the caption underneath the main cover line, this is because even though I feel the typeface is correct I didn’t manipulate it in the correct way. Next time I would make it larger and make it more spread out.
One thing I do like is the colour scheme match, I feel the orange background matches up well but could be a little lighter and brighter. I think the burgundy/black colour matches well but could still be slightly darker.
By doing this task I learnt the basic skills and knowledge required to use Indesign, I will apply this learning and understanding when I make my own music magazine. One feature of the programme I particularly liked would’ve been the wide variety of fonts to choose from, I will use this to make my music magazine better and add more depth. However, I still have some areas that I need to work on, these include things such as image placement and text manipulation.
This is my mood board of different angles and framing.
From this task I have learnt and understood how camera angles and different shots can portray the mise-en-scene of a photo. I particularly like the canted angles and how that adds variation to the images. Not only this I like how the light is reflecting onto our model, I feel this adds another dimension to the photo.
We used a range of different shots that included:
Extreme Long Shot
Long Shot
Medium Long Shot
Mid Shot
Medium Close Up
Close up
Big Close Up
Extreme Close Up
By using these shots we continue to add another layer of meaning onto the image adding depth. Furthermore, we used a camera grid to ensure that the models were positioned at the points of interest (where the lines crossed) to make them of better quality. We also used a a range of different angles which included: high angle, low angle and straight on. The high angle portrayed to the audience that the subject was in danger and scared. However, with a low angle shot it conveys the message that the subject is of power and is dominant.
We used padlet to explore the mise-en-scene of the punk genre. We included headings such as costume, lighting, acting, hair/makeup, props and location.
In the mood board we can see that a lot of dark colours such as black, grey and red are used. We can also see that leather jackets and jeans are quite prominent. The hair is very wacky with many wild, big hairstyles. The makeup consists of a lot of eyeliner and many of the pictures are in black and white.
After we created our mood board we put together an outfit and began taking pictures.
Here is my favourite image from the shoot. Our model is wearing a leather jacket and a tie which draws in the punk theme. Not only this the guitar makes it feel like the model is on the stage performing. The camera is positioned at a low angle to make our model seem more important and powerful. I particularly like this because it makes her look more like a punk rockstar, the pose of holding the sunglasses also reflects this. Furthermore we also used a medium long shot to enhance her dominant character.
Here is the image with the adjectives I would use to describe our character.
The words above include:
Edgy
Nasty
Immature
Mean
Anarchic
Aggressive
All in all the use of MES to convey meaning is extremely important, this is because it tells the story to the audience. In future projects eg. my magazine, I will definitely be using MES to plan and execute my work as I feel it is a great way to check you have done everything needed and also make the message to the audience a lot clearer.
An embedded and annotated slide of a tour poster with call out outlining how the colours, font, language, MES has been used to convey a narrative/genre.
