AICE Media Studies AS- Belli, S

 

 I wanted to save my last documentation blog post before my midterm exam submission until the week it was due to comment on the finishing touches I either need to or plan on making. I already talked about my cover page, which I chose to leave almost completely the same. The only exception was the low opacity black box on the bottom right to make the cover line clearer.  The feature article page is comprised of separate sections of text and multiple pictures. On the left side, I introduced my grandma and added some context for how the interview was taking place. On the right side, I wanted the reader to feel as if they were a part of the experience, so I focused on small details like my grandma's apron. Because my grandma is very protective over her recipe, I listed the basic ingredients with no measurements. I also added ways to make the pie vegan for other dietary options. Finally, the table of contents. I started with this page for a design idea, but I really wasn't liking a...

 After looking at several more food magazines online, I began to alter my formatting slightly. My title page is remaining the same, but I found inspiration for more eye-catching text for the table of contents. I also decided I wanted to incorporate more of the photos I took, so I can reference specific things going on in either the pie-making process or with my grandma.  I also used photoshop to edit the background of the pie and used a picture I took of a wooden table as the background instead. This made the front cover feel warmer and more welcoming. Then, I adjusted the color scale of the wood to make it more orange, and I made the pie lighter to create contrast.  For the picture on the first page of the feature article, I wanted to make my grandma stand out, so I blurred the background. This focused on her and how she was peeling the apples. I still need to write filler content for these pages, and I want to play around the the article titles included on the front cov...

 I finished writing my feature article about the steps my grandma follows to make her apple pie and the family traditions that going along with baking in my family. One that I found particularly interesting was the aprons that have been made and passed down through generations. Upon my arrival, my grandma brought me into her closet to show me what she was most excited about... her apron selection. She showed me all of the options and told me who in our family made each of them. We ended up deciding on the farm animals one that her great-grandmother made years ago.  Also I have to include my favorite part of our little baking extravaganza. So, after she did a significant part of the pie making, I would leave and sit in my car in the driveway so her exposure would be limited. Because of this, she would try to work on setting things up in advance, so I wouldn't have to wait as long. However, one of the things she chose to cut corners on was putting the parchment paper in the oven...

 My grandma was living during our baking/photoshoot/interview session. I wanted to share some more of these photos on my blog, even if they don't make it into the magazine. You'll notice that I had to take a lot of pictures from the side and was constantly fighting the awkward window lighting in the back. As you can probably tell, she had a really good time.

 I spent this past Saturday baking an apple pie with my grandma and talking about her life growing up. My grandma is genuinely one of the coolest people, and this project made her so happy because we got to spend some rare time together. As I said before, she takes quarantining very seriously and has not left her house, unless she absolutely had to since March. Of course, I took extra precautions when in her house by wearing a mask and maintaining a 6 ft distance.  In my last blog post, I shared my idea for telling my grandma about her essential role in my project. Because we did Christmas with her over FaceTime, I was able to screen record her reaction, which made my day. Anyway, we scheduled a time to meet so she could show me how she makes this famous pie. I have a few pictures I'll share in this blog post, and more I'll share in the upcoming week.

 Because my grandma is the main subject of my magazine feature article, I needed to ask her about a time a date she would be available to make a pie and take pictures. My family also has been taking extra precautions because of COVID, so I would need to go to the store and get anything she'd need to make the pie. Instead of making my question for her just a text or a call, I wanted to do something a little special and memorable for this upsetting year. With this mindset, I came up with the idea to make this surprise part of her Christmas present. I made a fake magazine cover using a picture I found online, and wrapped it in a bag (attached below). Her reaction was priceless. Obviously my cover image will be different, but I thought this might get the message across a little better.