1. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research,
planning and evaluation stages?
EVALUATION QUESTION 4
2. BLOGGER
Blogger has allowed me to send updates of my progress throughout all of the of
the different stages of production. I was easily able to edit text, add images, and
embed videos, presentations, and other presentational devices. Blogger is very
user friendly and it is very easy to access from a computer or on a mobile
device.
4. SurveyMonkey let us gather a large
amount of feedback/ideas from our target
audience quickly and efficiently. Sam and I
were able to send out links to our Surveys
on the social network ‘Facebook’ to
hundreds of people with just a few clicks.
The fact we were able to use these
surveys to get research so quickly was an
added bonus to doing our pre-production
research online.
However, if I compare this method to the
method we used for the post-production
questionnaire, I think it is better to be
present with the audience to answer any
questions.
SURVEY MONKEY
5. YouTube obviously came in very useful, not only for uploading any videos I
made but also for researching other visual media texts which we used to either
inspire or inform us.
YOUTUBE
6. Without the internet, we would definitely not have been able to produce any of
the media we used to evaluate and upload our work too. The internet has a wide
range of sites that allowed us to research music videos, films, theories, artists,
and album covers.
INTERNET BROWSERS
8. MAKING RISK ASSESSMENTS/PRODUCTION
SCHEDULES ETC.
We created the written documentation that we needed
using Microsoft word. Having an IT functional skills
qualification mean I knew how to use this software easily
and know the different shortcuts. This meant that Sam
and I would focus on the information we were writing
about instead of trying to work out the different functions.
9. USING SOCIAL NETWORKS
On Facebook, I created a group that Sam and I could both use called MEDIA A2. This is a private
group that we used to speak to each other, post different ideas and arrange/organise dates of
production. We also added our actor to the group so he could be updated on any information as
well.
10. SCRIBD
During the planning stages, we also used a online ‘Endless book’ software to allow us to
scroll through our storyboard, quickly and easily without needing to turn a ‘page’.
12. FILMING
When filming our music video Sam and I had total creative control over the cameras and all
the settings. For example, we were able to adjust the white balance which allowed us to make
sure the colouring in the scene was correct. We filmed using two different cameras; the
HS900 compact HD cam and a Canon 600D DSLR. Using these two different cameras gave
us a variety of different settings on each camera (for instance the HS900 had a wider zoom).
It also meant we could get one shot from two separate angles if we set the different cameras
up on different tripods. Both cameras could be used to shoot all kinds of shots including:
low/high angle, tracking, panning etc..
13. EDITING
Whilst editing we used two different programs. We used Adobe Premiere Pro for the main
sequence montage edit, except before this we used a program called new-for-mac program
called ‘HitFilm2’ to apply colour correction to the footage, and to add other effects. As we had
used Premiere Pro before, we were very comfortable with all of the features and short cuts, so
the editing style was very familiar to us. Due to HitFilm being a new software we had to try
and learn some of the techniques first except because Sam and I are technologically
advanced we picked it up quickly. Throughout editing we applied a multitude of effects ranging
from slowing down clips to creating an echo effect on the actor during a sequence. We were
also able to edit the brightness and contrast of a shot, and make cuts where necessary to
make sure the music video followed a Sergei Eisenstein Montage format and also so it told
the story we were trying to tell.
14. DIGI-PACK
I created my digi-pack using Adobe
Photoshop. As I have been using Photoshop
for so many years it meant that I could
manipulate images with ease without needing
to think about how to use the different tools
and features. Using Photoshop I could
precisely edit my images for the digi-pack. I
could change the colour of the images
themselves, and combine numerous photos
into one as well as being able to add titles
and effects.
15. CREATING THE WEBSITE
To create my band’s website, I used a free online website creator called ‘WIX’. This creator
uses code-free HTML 5 templates with a graphical user interface to make it easy for creators
maneuver around the site and use all the features. The free version of this website creator
allowed me to create a website with different pages. I could also edit text, add images and
videos, and embed different widgets (soundcloud).
17. POST-PRODUCTION QUESTIONNAIRE AND
EXCEL
For our post-production survey we decided not to use any technology to record the
audience’s feedback like we did with the pre-production survey. Instead we handed out sheets
to the people viewing our production, and asked them to fill it out by hand. Once the 40 sheets
had been filled out by hand we entered the results into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program
to make graphs out of the data collected.
18. Again we used YouTube at this stage to upload our finished music video. As
YouTube is a widely known platform it is good to be able to get feedback from
different people everywhere in the world, in the form of comments.
YOUTUBE
19. I used a program called Final Cut PRO X
on my home computer to make my first
evaluation question. Final Cut Pro is an
industry standard software that I usually
work on when I make my own independent
films. It has all the cutting, effect, and
transition features that most editing
software include. I have been using this
program for a few years so it was no
trouble to create my video answer using
the software. However it was quite time
consuming as videos usually are.
FINAL CUT PRO X
20. POWERPOINT
For this evaluation question and for evaluation question 2 I used
PowerPoint presentations. However, I did use them in a slightly
unconventional manner. I would create the PowerPoint, and then for
evaluation 2 I uploaded it into a Scribd, and for this evaluation question I
have clearly uploaded into a SlideShare. Creating the PowerPoint first
and then uploading it into one of the slide sharing platforms online shows
a new wave of cloud convergence between the technology that is
primarily used on a desktop, but can now be put on the web.
21. SCRIBD
Just like my storyboard, I used Scribd for my second evaluation question. This proved to
be useful as I could upload a PowerPoint that I made and turn it into a one page set of
slides that you can scroll down.
22. SLIDESHARE
SlideShare is the platform you are viewing this Evaluation Question on right now.
SlideShare also allowed me to upload a PowerPoint that I had made at home, so it could
be shown online and viewed digitally.
23. PREZI
Lastly Prezi is the software I used for my third Evaluation Question. It is sometimes seen as
the ‘fun’ version of PowerPoint as there is interesting visual effects and perspectives that can
be applied to a presentation. There is also a lot more creative freedom when using Prezi, as
the creator is not confined to set space on a slide but can you a wide canvas. Unfortunately I
find Prezi quite irritating due to the fact that when you pick a template it is hard to change the
text and font type, and the online software can also be quite buggy.
