Camera Shots Activity

Low Angle

High Angle 

Canted Shot 

Extreme Close-Up

Mid Shot

Wide Shot

During this class period, we experimented with a variety of camera shots. The shots included are identified as: a low angle, high angle, canted angle, extreme close up, a mid shot, and a wide shot. The use of these carry certain symbolism, such as a low angle can exemplify the use of power or superiority, whereas a extreme close up can symbolize the use of emotion/intensity, or thoughtfulness, therefore allowing the audience to feel what the author is portraying with images. Further, a high angle is directed downwards, which can formulate a sense of negativity or sadness, where the actor is showing a sense of reflection. A canted shot shows importance, where a action shot is taken in the moment. While the mid shot is from the waist up, it shows a sense of location while also focusing on the person being captured. In a wide shot, the location and the actor are entirely in focus and therefore the actor can see both at the same time. 

Magazine Genre Research-5

(2019, August)

The cover layout is simplistic, but is able to efficiently draw the reader in. The pose used by Taylor Swift is direct with a pose that is pointing and staring directly to the audience. The colors are muted yet the denim against the grey background compliments nicely with each other. The huge and bold font of "Vogue" at the top of the magazine presents a clean finish and gives the magazine a "high-end" feel. The articles included are a variety of different people that are trending in the media, which include singers, actors, models, and business leaders. Even though Vogue includes a several different types of people, it is still able to achieve the foundation of their magazine, which is fashion. The advertisements included are scattered throughout the magazine issue, with a majority of them being high-end brands or services, which adds to the luxurious theme. Photos appear on the cover, before each article, and throughout each article, along with the advertisements holding images as well. These photos are usually taken of the person, or people, included along with the brands they are wearing underneath the photo itself. These photos are primarily portraits, that include depth and luxurious vibe. To continue, the distribution of Vogue magazine is weekly and international. Vogue magazine has won the Ellie Award for Magazine of the Year.

Magazine Research Genre-4

(2018, September)

This magazine cover is one of three covers presented during the launch of this magazine, which made it quite popular and well-known prior to the publication. The cover presents a bright and colorful portrait of Kylie Jenner, in which the fuchsia pink that is used stands out among the rest of the spectrum. The borders of the magazine are outlined with an identical color, which gives it a more modern look, along with a bold font along the top of the color in a soft lavender, creating a perfect contrast with the fuchsia. This contrast of colors is pleasing to the eye yet catches the attention of the reader efficiently. Besides the portrait and title, the cover is scattered with sub-headings but flow nicely with the soft font and white color. Within the magazine issue itself, a variety of fashion and beauty articles are sprawled throughout, with small "fashion tips" in the corners of certain articles. The magazine uses primarily fashion advertisements, and they are presented at the beginning of each article. Throughout the magazine, it uses brightly colored pictures, that have a sense of depth and personality to them. Glamour magazine is published 10 times a year and hasn't been nominated for any awards.  

Magazine Genre Research-3

(2018, September)

The layout presented is a up-close standard shot, with a portrait of Janet Jackson taking up the entire cover. The design has a minimalist and simple feel to it, with a lack of flashy captions or words covering the portrait. The photo used also doesn't seem to have much editing or filter on top of it, which could represent a more natural or unfiltered vibe to the magazine itself. The articles included are all within the realm of fashion and style, with focus being on Janet Jackson in a lengthy article towards the middle of the issue. The advertisements are minimal, but include higher-end brands, such as Louis Vuitton or Gucci, which are included towards the front and back pages of the magazine, acting as a "introduction" before the articles. The photos used within the issue are simple, but portray the articles in a pleasing way, that isn't overly busy which makes it easier to read. The distribution number for the magazine is twice a month, and it is spread internationally in Australia, Germany, U.S., Greece, Spain, England, etc. This magazine has won the Readers Choice award. 

Magazine Genre Research-2

Vanity Fair (October 2019)

The cover of this magazine presents a tropical mix of colors, with bright green and yellow. The lettering displaying the words, "Lupita Nyong'o", is centered in the middle of the article, which catches the attention of the reader. Along with this, they use a modern font and black coloring to allow the captions and title to stand out among the photograph. This publisher also utilizes a lifted lettering, meaning they pop off the page. Throughout this issue, a variety of different articles are included, such as various music artists, actors/actresses, and influencers. For example, Elon Musk is interviewed on an important issue regarding his technological advancements in the past decade. The advertisements included were scattered throughout the issue, especially in the front and back pages of the magazine.The pictures included in the article and the cover are often color, or consist of depth and character of the subject included. The photographers choose to promote the surroundings, while bringing focus to the person at the same time. The distribution number of Vanity Fair is every month, meaning a total of 12 issues are produced per year. Along with this, Vanity Fair has been awarded the General Excellence Award by the National Magazine Award Association.

Magazine Genre Research-1

The New York Times Style Magazine (2018)

Within the cover page, this magazine presents a monochromatic portrait shot of musician, Kim Gordon. They use a black and white filter on the photo to present a sense of timelessness, meaning that the person on the cover is an icon of several decades, which is what the magazine is advertising with, "36 Months That Changed Culture: New York City: 1981-1983". The articles included within this issue exemplify current and past events that deal with culture. Being a fashion magazine, they present a multitude of high-end clothing, perfume, and jewelry advertisements. They are located throughout the magazine, with primary focus being in the front and the back, or before an article. The cover presents a simplistic view of the main focus of the magazine, with a forward-facing photograph of Kim Gordon and the uses of pink and white lettering on the bottom half of the magazine, showing the date, organization, and title. For this magazine, they distribute a total of 11 issues per year. The NYT Style magazine has been awarded for two consecutive years with the Ellies Award, which recognizes the magazine with "General Excellence in the Service and Lifestyle" category. 

Project Selection-My Decision

After close consideration, I have come to the conclusion of choosing the magazine project. I evaluated my skills for the best fit, and my ability to be visually creative, being a good writer, and my personal skill of working better individually have pushed me in the direction of creating a magazine. For my magazine, I want to go for a young adult audience as my target population. This means that, I want to be able to have catching images, but I want my writing to be read with full interest. By researching the types of magazines, I am interested in doing a fashion/style theme, with some celebrity or rising stars in music within one of my articles. I want to use a colorful cover, but one that is simplistic to read. As stated previously, I plan to work alone during this project so I can have full creative reign over what is put into the magazine itself. Therefore, the magazine project would be the best fit for me overall because of the visual aspects that a magazine possesses, while also being able to interject written articles.

Project Selection-Film

Within the film making process, I have become vastly interested in the production, casting of actors, and visual mind needed to make ideas come to life. By watching the first season of the Newsroom, I was able to gain a feel of how they develop characters within each episode, and the layers they have to create a interesting backstory. For example, the relationship between Will McAvoy and Mackenzie Mchale show a relationship that was destroyed through a misunderstanding, but they must continue to work together within a business environment, which creates emotional outbursts throughout the show. By developing this insight, the audience is able to sympathize with the characters and curate feelings for them. This creative outlet that filmmakers are able to have perked my curiosity of how far you could go within a genre to make the audience emotionally feel for the setting and characters. However, within the making of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the director was thrown into several issues, such as the chemistry between the characters, working past the deadline, and marketing the film to be attractive to all audiences. This balance could serve as a challenge, especially when directing the actors for certain facial expressions and creating dialogue that doesn't come off as awkward. On the other hand, the film project would be a good creative outlet and for someone that is efficient with visual production, it may be a good fit. 

Project Selection-Magazine

The use of print journalism interests me in a variety of ways. This is exemplified in how creative you can be in the structure and design of your magazine. For example, during our magazine analysis, we were able to see the different layouts of different magazines. This was shown in how the New York Times had a different marketing technique than a magazine by the Washington Post. The New York Times would have a more eye-catching and colorful cover, whereas the Washington Post would be more simple and modern, with bolder fonts and hardly any pictures. This was also true in the Nixon documentary, where newspapers were utilized to spread the word, and how powerful print journalism was during that era. Therefore, the magazine project would be a proficient fit for me because of my use of creativity and writing skills, along with being able to cohesively structure pictures and articles in a way that is pleasing to read. However, I may struggle with finding an interesting topic to freely write about without becoming stuck and the use of marketing techniques could serve as a challenge.