Haja-Fatmata Bangura conducted research at the planning stage of creating a music video by analyzing existing music videos on YouTube and Vimeo to understand different genres and conventions. She decided on a hybrid R&B/rap genre and focused her research on analyzing these styles of music videos. During production, she used a Canon video camera to film footage and Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the raw footage. For her ancillary task of designing digipak advertisements, she used a Sony digital camera, iPhone, Adobe Photoshop to edit photos, and external websites to find fonts and brushes.

1. Media Evaluation
Haja-Fatmata Bangura
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2. How did you use media technologies in the
construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
• At the beginning of the planning stage I used the internet to conduct my
research for my music video. At first I did not know the type of song I was
going use or the genre and this decision was to be made throughout the
planning stages.
• On the internet I first looked at and analysed a variety of different
music videos on video sharing websites, such as YouTube and Vimeo.
• The first video I looked at was for the R&B song, Un-thinkable
by Alicia Keys So I could have a wide option of genres to
choose from I then went on to look at a different genre. I
looked at the video for the Hip-Hop song Faded by Tyga & Lil
Wayne. I also looked at a hybrid genre of Rap & Rock for the
video of the song Numb/Encore by Jay-Z & Linkin Park.

3. Here are the music videos:

4. After watching a reasonable amount of music videos I decided to
use a hybrid genre of R&B/Rap for my music video. I then began
to focus on just the genres Rap and R&B and looked at more
music videos, some R&B, some Rap and some both R&B/Rap.
Once I began to get a feel of the codes and conventions of R&B
and Rap videos from watching music videos online and also on
the television (music channels), I then went on to do other forms
of research. I looked at different music video analyses on
SlideShare.

6. I also looked at blogs of people who have previously
created music videos or know about on blogging sites
such as Wordpress and Blogger.
• One can be found here:
http://richardlartey.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/goodwin/

7. • For my ancillary task research, I used Google to search for professional
digipak advertisement and CD booklet designs that already exist. Google
gave me a wide variety of different types of examples. This helped in my
research as I was able to know the type of features that are included in
digipak advertisements and CD booklets and what I need to incorporate
into my own piece of work.

8. I also used Google to learn about different theorists who
talk about the forms and conventions of a music video
and elements of them.
• Sven E Carlsson believes that music videos are generally placed
into two groups, Performance, where the video is mainly the artist
or others singing and dancing, and/or conceptual clips, where
something else is shown throughout the duration of the music
video. I learned about Laura Mulvey and her visual pleasure
theory. She believes that in film women are seen as objects of
visual pleasure and males are seen as the dominant ones. She
introduced the concept of the male gaze, where audiences have to
view females from the perspective of a heterosexual male.

9. • In the pre-production and production stages I used Wikipedia to
search for what takes place in during these stages. As we were in a
group we were allocated different roles and I was the Producer,
however we did share roles. The main roles I looked at were
director, producer, cameraman and editor.

10. Google also aided me in my research on the different
camera angles and shots available to use in general.
http://www.sophia.org/cinematography-intro-camera-angles-shots-tutorial

11. In the planning and research stage I also looked at the type of
camera shots and angles that are usually used in music videos of
my chosen genre and I found out the following are mainly used:
Camera Shots
Close-up shots, to focus on
the artist’s facial expression
and so the audience can feel
involved
Establishing shots, usually
at the beginning of the music
video or in breaks of the
song, e.g. the chorus or hook

12. Medium close-ups to focus
on the singing performance
element of the video
Wide shots so the audience
can see the background as
well as the artists

13. Camera Angles
High angle shot
Low angle shot

14. During the construction stage I used a
video camera to film all of the footage
that was used in the music video. The
video camera that was used was the
Canon XM2.
Once I was happy with all the filmed footage it was all transferred
onto a computer. I then began editing the raw footage on Adobe
Premiere Pro. This was another media technology I used during
the construction stage in the creation of my main media product.
Premiere Pro enabled me to put together a variety of my different
footage together in order to create my final product.

15. When editing the footage in Premiere Pro I used
tools such as:
Razor tool
Track select
tool
Hand tool
Zoom tool
These were some of the main tools I used when editing my music video.
I was provided with a 12.1
megapixels Sony Cybershot
digital camera to take
photographs for my ancillary
task. When I was not able to
access the digital camera I used
my iPhone 4s as an alternative.

16. When creating my ancillary task the media technology
I used was Adobe Photoshop to edit my original
photos.
• Here are a few examples of the changes I used to alter my images
Here I used the Lasso and Quick
Selection Tool to remove the original
background of the image. This was so
I could place the image on another
background of my choice in order to
go with the theme of product.

17. For one of the images I used
a particular filter for effect
on the image. I didn’t just
want it took look plain, I
wanted it stand out better
than the original image.
Original Image Image with Filter

18. • Most of the fonts available on Adobe Photoshop
were not really what I was looking for so I used the
internet to look for websites available so I could
download fonts that would work for my products.
• I found a variety of fonts I could use on the website
dafont.com.
• Also I wanted to create certain effects on my
products and at times Photoshop didn’t have the
brushes to do so. So I also looked for websites that
would allow me to download brushes to use.
• I found a variety of different brushes on the
website brusheezy.com.