Research- Analysis of another Students work

Strengths and weaknesses of another students work

 I decided to analyse another students work in order to get a general idea as to what is required within the blog posts. In addition I was able to find out about how I can make my own blog , the magazine advert and the digipak to be as appropriate as possible and to meet an overall higher standard piece of work. Therefore in-order to do this I have viewed examples of a blogs with slightly less quality and detail so that I have been assured as to what to avoid when it comes to creating my own. Furthermore, I have analysed Katie Morrice's blog, who was a student that went to my school in the past. 

Here is the link for her blog: http://km2012gsa.blogspot.co.uk/

Research:

 

Strengths- After viewing another students research, I noticed many strengths on how they presented their work and their general approach to the work set. For example, I really liked how the student used different software programs and websites to present their text and images, such as; Prezi. This was effective as it made the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience and I felt that having a different method of portraying the text made the blog more engaging. Another strength which I noticed was how the student provided an attachment of the official video to the blog post. This was effective as it made it easier for the audience to view the video, due to it allowing them to just click on one button,  rather than having to search the video up for themselves. 

Weaknesses- Although the blog had many strengths, I managed to pick out some general mistakes and format errors of their work. For example, I frequently noticed simple spelling mistakes that were eye-catching and suggests that the student didn't check their work over once completed. Therefore after realising how much of a negative effect this had on the students work, I now know to double check my own work afterwards to prevent these simple mistakes. Another point to note is that I felt that the student would have benefited more if they used detail in certain areas where it was lacking, as I know that this can possibly bring your grade down. I also noticed a few presentation issues that again were very eye-catching and looked un-professional. For example, in some cases the black text had been highlighted white whereas the rest of the text hadn't been and therefore this didn't look appropriate.  

Digipak:

 

 

 

 Strengths- I really liked how the student provided images of their chosen digipak's to analyse. The reason for this is because, it allowed the audience to know about what the student was discussing, and therefore made the post more engaging and understandable, which I personally feel is a significant function for a successful blog. In addition I also liked how the student decided to analyse more than one digipak,as this then enabled both the student and the audience to view a variety of different genres/styles available. Therefore this could inspire the student to chose a specific style in which they would like to use for their own album cover/digipak. 

After analysing the student's final digipak, I personally like the simplicity and use of bold, engaging colours. The reason for this is so that the cover is eye-catching for audience and can therefore engage them to listen to the album. In addition, I also like how the student has used the same theme throughout, which is presented via the similar images used. Another point to note is that, the CD disk itself has a good design and I like how the student has included multiple images of the artist and placed them all around the disk to make it look as though all the pictures are looking at each other. 

Weaknesses- Although the student had many strengths, I noticed a few minor weaknesses, for example, I could pick out again where simple spelling mistakes took place and therefore these sorts of errors can have a large affect on the work.  Also for her own final digipak, I felt that the design could have been more original and less generic, as I feel that a hair flick is a very common action in which many artists tend to do.

Magazine advert:

 Strengths-  After viewing the students research and analysis on magazine adverts, I felt that again the work had many strengths. For example, in general the student provided a lot of detail and puts forward the view that a lot of time and effort was spent on their work, which therefore clearly had a positive affect on their work. Another strength was how the student provided different images of their chosen magazine adverts to analyse. The reason for this is because it allowed the audience to know about what the student was discussing and therefore made the post more engaging and understandable.

For her final magazine advert, I like how she used different fonts to present the text and how she made this text red and black. The reason for this because, these colours tend to be eye-catching and therefore this will engage the audience. Furthermore, both these colours have connotations of danger and passion, which perhaps may have been what the student wanted to associate the album with. 

Weaknesses- Perhaps the student could have analysed more magazine adverts to get even more of inspiration and understanding. Also after analysing the student's final magazine article, I personally again didn't like the hair flick, again due to it being very common. 

Planning:

Strengths-  I personally felt that there was a good selection of images provided, for example the student frequently used mood boards to present their ideas and examples, which suggest that the student had a creative approach to the task. Another point to note is that the student again used different software programs and websites to present their text and images, such as; Prezi and Tables which had been created on Microsoft Word. This was effective as it made the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience and I felt that having a different method of portraying the text made the blog more engaging. Furthermore the use of the tables suggests that the student was more organised and used their limited time efficiently. 

Weaknesses- Although I felt that perhaps the student needed to apply more detail in their work so that the planning could have be more easily understood, as well as them taking on a more appropriate and formal approach. 

Music video:

Strengths- Overall I felt that the final music video was effective and had many strengths. For example, the student used engaging transitions from one scene to another and I liked how the fast paced edits as well as the slow paced edits were implied. The reason for this is because, it made the video more dramatic which I'm guessing that this was something the student aimed to do. Another strength is that I like how the student used a large variety of different camera angles as this made the extract again more engaging and gave a more professional approach. In addition, I personally liked the extreme close up of the character when she was shown to be crying black tears, and again this is because it made the extract more entertaining, especially for those who are a fan of the horror/thriller genre.

Weaknesses- Although I felt that the mouthing needed to be improved as I wasn't convincing enough and often looked un-professional. Also I would have been better if the student used a change of scenery now and then as the video itself got a bit boring after a while.  

Evaluation: 

Strengths- I personally liked how she again used different ways of presenting the text and media. The reason for this is because it made the work more effective , due to it making the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience. In addition, I felt that having a different method of portraying the text and media made the blog more engaging. Another strength was that the student provided a lot of detail in their work which made the work come across as more professional and thought about. Another point to note is that the student expressed their views about both the strength and weaknesses of the work and how they could have performed to a higher/more efficient standard. 

Weaknesses-   I frequently noticed simple spelling mistakes that were eye-catching and could have effected their overall grade.