InDesign Tutorial Video 1:

From watching this video I learnt that:

• Whilst using Adobe InDesign, it is important to have Adobe Photoshop open to edit images that you are going to use in your article. 
• It is useful to organise all images in which you plan to use into one easy to access folder so that you can find them quickly and efficiently. 
• To create a new document you go to File - New - Document.
• You can then edit the options to give your document more pages, columns which gives you more creative freedom.
• Then go to Essentials - Typography so we have access to panels that are useful whilst making a magazine article.
• Firstly click the 'Pages' tab. If you want to move the order of the pages, right click and click 'allow document pages to shuffle'. 
• A section of the article which is separate to the main text is called a call out. 
• To move text which at first does not fit onto one page, click the red square in the corner before drawing a text box on the next page, this will mean the article continues onto the new page. Keep repeating this action and dragging the box out until the square is no longer red. 
• Putting all text you plan to use somewhere on the document makes it easier to access when you come to use it. 
• To edit text whilst staying on the black arrow tool, click the 'Character' tab on the right hand side of the page where you can edit the size and typeface of your text.
• Chose a bold font for your headline. 
• To separate your text into two different lines (like below) again you can use the small red box in the corner to create a new text box to place any text in. 

• You can then edit the size of the font/ size for the separate word. 
• Sans serif fonts are more common these days, however whether your text is serif or sans serif make sure it is legible. 
• To create a paragraph style, click the 'Paragraph Styles' tab on the right hand side of the page. Click the small icon in the bottom of the pop up box which when you hover over it says 'Create new style'. Then double click on the name to change it, eg- 'first paragraph'. 
• Make sure you have clicked within the text box of whatever you are trying to create into a paragraph style. 
• If editing a letter or word to be in a different format (eg. change of font size or a different typeface) use the character styles tab.
• To format text into the same size/ font etc as another piece of writing on the page, by selecting it and clicking the character style of the desired look, it will change the selected text to this font. 
• By clicking Ctrl + A it will select all, then click the tab that you want to select. 
• Make sure you keep saving what you have. 

Media Coursework Update 6

Now my photo shoots are completed i have two days to catch up with all of my media coursework. This is my list of tasks to complete over the next two days-

Friday

• Finish Major Institutions Rule Article
• Finish final product draft 1
• Do final product draft 2
• Do final product draft 3
• Blog about what I have learnt from Indesign tutorial videos
• Write article for double page spread feature

Saturday

• Pitch music magazine video
• Podcast on mood boards recording
• Computer draft of final product

By scheduling my media coursework i think this will help me with my time management issue i identified in my SMART target review. I am trying to balance preparing for my trip to New York, completing psychology work and completing film studies work also with my media coursework to stay on top of my workload.

Media Coursework Update 5

I am now finished with my photo shoots. I took 6 days in total to get all my photos planned, taken and edited. I think it was worth me spending so much time creating high quality photographs and i am extremely happy with the outcome of the photo shoots.  I found my inbuilt photography knowledge and my own DSLR camera very helpful with this task. I believe I adapted well to people cancelling and ended up with final product photographs i am happy with. I used a variation of locations, positioning and outfits for all photo shoots and I'm happy with the final outcome.

This was my schedule for the weeks photoshoots-
Saturday: Tom
Monday: Lara
Wednesday: Liam
Thursday: Ollie, Molly and Kristi.

Media Coursework Update 4

On Saturday I went to brick lane to do a photo shoot of my friend, Tom. I am happy with the photos I took but due to partial closures on the tube we arrived later than I planned and it got dark too quickly to take a lot of photos. After editing these images I am however happy to use one of them for my contents page.

The weather is lovely and sunny today which should be great for my second and main photo shoot of my friend Lara. I plan to feature her on my front cover and double page spread article. I am going to take photos of her in urban industrial locations, natural and beautiful locations and anywhere else I find interesting.  I plan to use a guitar as a prop and have asked her to bring several outfits which I chose for her to wear via a Skype call. I will do her make up when she arrives. I have chosen to take these images around where I live so we can go back to mine and she can change into a different outfit. As Lara is going to be my main focus for my magazine it is important I have great variation in locations, outfits, shot sizes and angles. I also want to have variation between photos with direct mode of address and indirect. I chose Lara as my main model for my coursework as she already owns fashionable and indie style clothing and has a naturally beautiful look which I think connotes the genre well. I also think her style will appeal to the target audience of my magazine.

On Thursday I have arranged to meet up with several friends of mine, Sam, Ollie, Harry, Harry and Tom to do a band style photo shoot also for my contents page. I was meant to be meeting up with my friends Ryan, Fleur and Chiara to do a band style photo shoot but they now can't make it. I think I have coped well with this problem and improvised to ask other friends with a suitable look for my indie genre who are happy to help. Also one day this week which is so far undecided I am going to do a photo shoot of my friend Liam.

I have two days this week devoted to media coursework (excluding photo shoots) so I can keep up with the workload. On the day after we come back from half term I am on a college media and film studies trip to New York for 5 days so I know I need to make sure I am up to date in all of my subjects so I can handle the catching up when I return on top of the general workload.

Media Coursework Update 3

This week I have seen my classmates lose coursework when their memory sticks have corrupted so I am now backing up my work to the computer at college, home and on to two separate memory sticks just in case. I am focussing on completing work and getting it up on my blog before half term. 

I have organised with several of my friends who fit the alternative/ indie criteria to meet up for two days in half term and sorted out which outfits and props (instruments) I want them to bring with them. I have chosen several locations in urban internal and natural external locations and I plan to take high quality images with my new DSLR canon camera. I will plan the photo shoot in more detail this week.

Review of my SMART Targets

When I created my SMART targets I identified my biggest weakness as being my time management, I have proved this to be true as I am now finding myself falling behind in tasks.


To catch up with my workload I focussed this weekend on making sure I am up to date in my other subjects so I can focus my entire week on media coursework. I plan to stay up to date by staying in my media classroom and completing work in my frees, breaks and lunches while in college, and also staying until 6 o'clock when college closes before going home to do more work. I have drawn up a timetable which means I have a time balance with free time also so the work load doesn't become too stressful. 

Media Coursework Update 2

This week i have struggled with my issue of time management due to problems at home meaning i haven't been able to keep up with work. To solve this issue i am going to utilize the college facilities and stay until 6 daily to catch up on work. I have also timetabled my work so i have a balance between all my subjects and some free time.