FMP Final Statement

1. Briefly describe the final outcome of your project and the progress you have made, and if applicable how it differs from your original Project Proposal:

I have created a zine entitled ‘Trolly Dolly’ as my final outcome for this FMP. It is a bound together collection of my own images as well as research and interviews on the life and journey of the trolly dolly, with main focuses being on the uniforms they have worn throughout time. My outcome differs from the project proposal I created in the beginning in the way that I had no idea air stewardesses were to be the focus of my project. I know I wanted to have a link to travel and wanderlust, the journey through research at the beginning of my FMP brought me to the topic I went in to.

2. What methods have you used to show how your learning has effected your project eg learning journal/ FMP Plan/ sketchbooks etc, and how has this helped with development of your work:

My blog has most deffinitely affected my project. It has been a place throughout the 8 weeks where I have reflected upon my experiments and developments and led me to new development ideas. My sketchbook has allowed me to see all my work laid out and has allowed me as a kinaesthetic  learner to step back and criticise my work to help improve my project.

3. List the targets met (from the original FMP Plan and any that were added later):

I really wanted to keep on track this year with my blog for my final major project this year. Last year I did not do this and had to spend many hours at the end of the project. However this year I have really seen the benefits from keeping up with it. It has enabled me to reflect weekly and sometimes daily to help improve my project.

4. Reflecting on your overall final major project, please discuss any developments which have contributed to the final outcome:

I have constructed several shoots in which I have been able to pick aspects that have either really worked or haven’t to ensure the next shoot is better. Moodboards have enabled me to plan my shoots and experimentation to ensure things went as smooth as possible. Layout research and development has really helped me with creating my zine to look professional and well made.

5. Please state what advice you received from others during your FMP, and discuss what you found particularly useful: you should refer to group reviews, one-to-one tutorials and feedback from evaluation groups

Throughout the course of the project I have received group reviews which were really useful in helping me to know the stage of the project I should be at. If I did happen to be slightly behind it was also a really good place to receive advice and help in getting to where I needed to be. One to one thorough tutorials have also been a key part of my project. Even when my tutors didn't look through my work and we just talked about my project it was really inspiring and helped to get me enthusiastic about my project at times when I felt as though I was hitting a wall.

6. Key points to take away – things to change about my approach (give at least 2) e.g. improve time management, what skills you have developed and how this will affect your future course/career and things to continue doing and to build on (give at least 2). What are you going to do next year? (NOTE – you may find it useful to refer to this document at the beginning of your next self managed project.)

I would definitely like improve my time management and if I were to complete the project again I would definitely begin making earlier just to start shooting to begin creating and working from there. I would also improve my primary research skills. I did visit exhibitions and conduct interviews but I think I still could have done a lot more. Being a project where I am looking a lot in the past I found it incredibly difficult to get primary research from this without reading a book or going online. I have improved my layout and journalism skills which will really help in my preferred career path. I will continue to build my personality and discussion skills as well as how I present. My Mental health has affected this heavily in the project and I would like to be able to handle this in the future. Next year I will be travelling as well as interning for brands such as Google and Diageo in which I will be based in their public relations departments. I am very excited for the future.

Putting Together My Zine

For my zine, 'Trolly Dolly' I wanted to include a lot of information I had already gathered, as well as some more I will research. I also want a large portion of the zine to include shoot images from my second and third shoots. My first shoot was taken by and iPhone 7, and so although the quality is pretty good it isn't quite good enough for print. The images from this shoot however include some that I really like and think are particularly effective. For this reason I still wanted to use them in an outcome in someway for this project. I thought of creating an Instagram account for these images in which it will also serve to promote the zine. 

Before creating the zine I produced plans of what each spread will contain. This really helped when creating the zine to check that I hadn't missed any information that I wanted wanted to include. 

This is the first of three i made for my zine. 

Some spreads I chose to include were; Air Hostess Barbie, Pilot High Life, Designers on the Aircraft Runway, Uniforms Through Time, Interviews and sexualisation. 

In this zine I want to show my photography skills, journalistic skills, and layout skills. I think I have managed to do all three of these things. 

Final shoot Outcome

My final shoot went extremely well.

My model, Zanna, was the subject in my previous two shoots which meant that she was a lot more comfortable in front of the camera, as well as in the costume. This meant that the poses she produced felt a lot more natural, and it shows in the images.

I took mid-shots, full-shots as well as close ups. I found that the mid shots and close ups were the best shots in the pier location as there wasn't a large background I was trying to fit in the frame. I could use depth of field to blur the sky and skyline background to produce some really good images. 

However in the Emirates Airline location I found that the shots that worked best were full body. I wanted to show the jet and the plane poster in the frames and so full body shots worked best. 

For editing I used Adobe's Photoshop, where I brightened my photographs quite a bit, increased the contrast a little, the saturation was already as desired. I also blurred the face a little to give the smooth clear skin look. Air hostesses are always to be looking well put together and neat. My models skin was in a pretty good condition with just a few pimples and scars so I used the blemish tool in photoshop to fix these without it looking fake. 

Plan for social Experiment and shoot

The idea for this shoot is to have a model in a air hostess costume. I will also have her walk down a busy London area, to see what reactions people have. I am going to follow my model with a camera and see if she receives any comments by any passers by.

I also want to do a full shoot on the same occasion. I want to go to the same locations as the second shoot I completed. We will meet in North Greenwich, and make our way to the Emirates airline. They have posters of an Emirates aircraft, as well as a full scale model of a jet. I will take shots of my model in front of these with her being in various different poses.

We will also go to greenwich Pier where the cable car will be in the background of the shots. I will take these shots from ground level so that the sky, which is hopefully mostly clear with white clouds, will be the majority if not take up the entire background.

Week 5 Review

This week I have been trying to focus on getting some more primary research for my project as it is deffinitely something that I am lacking. I would like to complete a social experiment, either at the end of this week or the very beginning of next week. I think that completing this social experiment will either lead me into coming towards an outcome, or alternatively, lead me in a different direction. At the minute I have come to a bit of a wall in my research, where I feel like I have done quite a substantial amount but nothing is leading towards an outcome, and with only just over three weeks of the project remaining, I need to speed up my pace of work and actively go out and do some test shoots or something of the same level of productivity. 

Looking at where I am now in this project I think that I need to get more focused on my time management. I need to use my time more effectively by making sure that everything I am doing that even slightly relates to my topic, I am recording in whatever way is best, either on my blog or in my sketchbook. I think visiting a gallery like the V&A for example could really help to enthuse and get me a bit more excited about what I am doing in this project. I think it is clear in my work that I am loosing excitement and drive in this project, and examiners will be able to see this, so it is vital that I ensure I am still excited to work. 

Week 4 Reflection

I am still unsure of what my final outcome will consist of, however I am researching using lots of different sources so that I am learning lots of different information that will guide me into an outcome. So far I have read interviews, books, magazine articles which have all been extremely helpful, but what is engaging me the most and what I am finding the most interest in is ‘trolly dollys’ and what that means, as well as the connotations that come with the thought of flight attendants. 

I think that I am doing well in my secondary research, however I am very much lacking in the primary research portion of my project. I recently took a flight and so I was able to ask some questions and conduct a small interview with one of the flight attendants on board. Unfortunately it was not a lengthy interview, due to her being on the job and so not having enough time to speak with me for too long. She was also too uncomfortable to be photographed, and with whats been going on in the world, you can understand why this might have been. Other than this interview I do not have much to reference to in the way of primary research, and this is something I am not too happy about. I can see myself coming to a bit of a wall where I am unsure where to take this project next, to avoid this I need to begin shooting. Whether the images that come from that are of any use when it comes to my outcome doesn’t matter. What they will do though is allow me to get more inspired with a more tactile bit of research that will enthuse me to keep going on this project. 

Week 3 Review

I think that I have made good headway in my research, and that I have been focusing now on one topic which is the air hostess idea. I have been using a few different sources for my research such as books, adverts, music videos, and  websites. I would like to conduct a lot more primary next week as I will be going on a flight, which will give me multiple opportunities for photography and to conduct interviews. This opportunity will be at the beginning of this week and so the end of this week will be used for planning the interview questions, they will have to be concise as the air hostess' will be working.

I would also like to take some photographs of the uniforms the cabin crew are wearing, however I don't know if this will be possible with whats going on in the world today, and how high security levels are, especially in an area like an airport.