1. Evaluation
How did you use Media technologies in the construction,
research, planning and evaluation stages?

2. Blogger
Blogger has been useful throughout my entire project, as it has been the
means of presenting my work. It has allowed me to structure my work in a
fashion that is easy to view, and moderate. It has meant that I have been
able to work efficiently from home, without concerns of handing work in
to a teacher, and it has meant that I could upload content from any
computer that has an connection to the world wide web. I have been able
to embed videos, presentations, and photo links, which has made for a
very multimedia-filled experience, making my project more modern, and
reflecting the need for modern technologies within the media, as an ever-
changing, ever-developing, part of society.

3. Research & Planning Stages

4. Internet
The use of the Internet, for my research, has been a necessity. The Internet has been
very reliable, especially with sites such as Blogger, which were used at the very core of
the production of my Advanced Portfolio. The only real disadvantage with the Internet
is that due to Web2.0, it has become accessible by anyone, and so a lot of the content
that has been uploaded is false (such as Wiki definitions, etc.) and unreliable. The
three most important sites that I have used throughout my project, have been Blogger,
YouTube, and Slideshare. I will go on to talk about these in the next couple of slides…

5. YouTube
YouTube has been useful during the research stages, as it has allowed me to view
many music videos, by real artists, in order to analyse them, and gain inspiration for
the creation of my own. The advantage of using YouTube, is that the site allows for
embedding videos into blogs, and other such sites, so I could actually present the
videos as part of the blog, rather than merely providing links. The only disadvantage
with YouTube, is that due to a lot of material being copyrighted, videos get taken
down, which means finding alternative copies of them, and re-linking them on my
blog posts, which is time consuming, and doesn’t guarantee the same thing won’t
happen again.

6. Slideshare
The use of Slideshare for publishing presentations to the Internet, in order to embed
on my blog, has been of paramount importance in the creation of my project. I have
been able to present my research findings in PowerPoint form, which has allowed me
to easily separate content into slides, which is then easier to access and use later,
without having to trudge through long lists of text. Similarly with YouTube, the main
advantage of using the site with this project in particular, is that it allows presentations
to be uploaded, and then embedded directly into my blog posts, so that they can be
viewed without even having to leave the blog.

7. Production Stage

8. Apple iMac
The use of the Apple iMac in the production stage of my project was an absolute
necessity. It allowed me to import, edit, and colour grade my footage very efficiently.
The advantages of using it over a Windows-based alternative are huge, as applications
work well together, which allowed me to consider my production in terms of a fluid
workflow, as opposed to separate stages that had to be done step by step. The high
specifications of the piece of equipment meant that there was minimal lag in the
process of editing, which allowed me to concentrate on being creative, rather than
allowing the technology to make the process harder than it needed to be, which
probably would have been the case if I’d have been left with Microsoft. The use of the
iMac did not cause me any problems, and I felt much more comfortable using the
operating system than I would have done with Windows.

9. Canon EOS 7D
The use of the Canon EOS 7D meant that I had far more creative
control over the creation of my footage than I would have done if
I had used a more basic alternative. The large sensor allowed me
to experiment with depth-of-field, and the on-screen grid
allowed me to make a success of following the rule of thirds. The
use of the Canon EOS 7D allowed me to overcome and issue with
lighting that arose when shooting the video, as being able to
manually control the exposure (through aperture, shutter speed,
and ISO adjustments) meant that I could compensate for the
darkening natural light source. This, in turn, made the editing
process somewhat easier, as if I had lost all detail within shadows
and highlights, I would not have been able to bring them back in
the post, given the footage being recorded in a compressed form.

10. Adobe Editing Software
The use of Adobe Premiere Pro in editing the video footage, and Adobe After Effects in
colour grading the final video, made for a very effective, and professional workflow.
They offered many advantages over the simple iMovie and Movie Maker editing
packages, as, for example, there is a multi-track timeline in each of the programs,
which meant I could add all of the footage from each of my recorded takes, and then
sync them manually to the master audio track, with maximum control over frame by
frame increments. Similarly in the colour grading stages, maximum control was made
possible, through use of the colour wheels, which allowed not only for precise colour
correction of the red, green, and blue channels, but also, of each of these colours for
the shadows, midtones, and highlights. Overall, the use of the software meant that
the only thing that could have limited my production, was my own creativity. My skills
with these software packages developed, and I became more confident with them as I
used them throughout the production process.

11. Evaluation Stage

12. Microsoft PowerPoint
The use of Microsoft PowerPoint has enabled me to present my evaluation in a more
visually accessible way than merely pasting a huge chunk of text onto my blog. I have
been able to break up the evaluation process into sections, which would not have
been so easy to keep separate on a single blog post. There weren’t really any negatives
to using the piece of software, as it made both the creation of the evaluation, and the
consumption of the information I presented, more accessible to the reader.

13. Apple iMac (iSight)
The use of the iMac during the evaluation stage of my portfolio
meant that I could record the audio for use in the creation of my
director’s commentary. It had the advantage of allowing me to
capture the audio directly, without the need for an external
capturing device. This saved both time and effort in the production
of my evaluative piece of work. The only negative to using the inbuilt
iSight device was that if I was to have wanted to use the video
footage as well, I’d have had no control over the background, due to
lack of portability of such a hefty piece of equipment. Due to the
fact that I didn’t intend to use the video footage, this didn’t pose me
any problems.

14. Adobe Premiere Pro
The use of Adobe Premiere Pro has enabled me to
import my captured audio, from the iMac’s inbuilt iSight
device, and edit it to create a director’s commentary
suitable for the purpose of evaluating my project. With
other, more basic, editing software packages, this
wouldn’t have been as simple, as the likes of iMovie,
designed for amateurs, make simple task a lot harder
than they need be.