Reflective Log

Research:

Overall, I think my research is the strongest part of my blog. I spent a lot of time researching all the different audience theories, designers and all about the issue I am trying to raise awareness for. I made a questionnaire and the results were quite varied.  I sampled a focus group of 10 people.These were my questions:

1. Do you think men being abused in relationships is something we talk about in society?
2. Do you think domestic violence is underrepresented in the media?
3. Could you name a domestic violence charity or support group off the top of your head?
4. Do you think it’s just women that are affected by domestic violence?
5. Do you think it’s easy for men to speak about their issues in a relationship?

For question 1, the overall answer was unanimous and all answered no. This highlighted that male domestic violence is highly underrepresented in society and is something I would aim to change.

For question 2, overall most answered yes apart from 2 people. This shows that again media doesn’t discuss important issues. We are so heavily involved with irrelevant topics when clearly we should be focusing on topics like domestic violence.

For question 3, most answered no again apart from 2 people. This shows me that we as a society do not have a developed understanding about charities and helplines available. With the outlets not being clear, people don’t know how to get the help they are in desperate need of.

For question 4, no was the unanimous answer. This answer was a step in the right direction and made it clear that issue I am trying to raise is clearly one we need to raise awareness for.

Lastly, for question 5 the unanimous answer was no. This again shows that this is something that we need to discuss more in media and in adverts. The more openly we talk about it, the more comfortable people (especially men), will feel talking about it and getting the help they are in desperate need of.

Pre-Production:

Overall, I am quite happy with how my pre-production section came out. I made a mood board and some mind maps to help visualise my end product and help have prompts along the way to keep me on track. I also made a contact sheet and highlighted the photos I used in my triptych. The main reason I found this useful was because I could then analyse all the photos in one place and select the best ones. 

Production:

I think this was probably my favourite part of the whole process. In conclusion, I think the photo shop practice was extremely useful. I put all the skills I learnt into practice to produce a professional looking triptych. The skills that I found the most useful were the clone stamp tool, the spot healing tool brush, the crop tool, the dodge tool and the blur tool. I mentioned about the process and how I wasn’t massively happy with how some of my pictures came out due to the lighting and the models losing concentration. However, I am glad I made these mistakes now so next time I can produce something more professional looking and avoid any obvious mistakes. I mentioned about the process and how I wasn’t massively happy with how some of my pictures came out due to the lighting and the models losing concentration. However, I am glad I made these mistakes now so next time I can produce something more professional looking and avoid any obvious mistakes. 

I also think that if I was to make another advert or campaign, I would include a website or phone umber or some way for people to get the help they need. There is not much point making a triptych that encourages people to speak out and the not giving them the details to that outlet.