Evaluation Question 4

1. How did you use media technologies in
the research, planning, construction
and evaluation stages?
Media technologies played a significant role in the research,
planning and construction of my media texts. Without
technology the process would be unachievable, I used a lot of
different technology to help me through these different stages.

2. Planning.
The first stage in the planning process was to choose the track we wanted, for this we used Audio
Boo to listen to our tracks and create notes and ideas while listening to it, the next stage in the
process was to choose a band name to suit our track, it was hard to think of a band name on the
spot, to we used a tool in the internet called ‘band name generator’. In this online tool you could
pick options to suit the type of name you wanted, we ticked the options gothic and religious and
rock, as this suited our genre and the lyrics to our track, this generated many different names in that
field which was very helpful as we needed something very unique, to make sure of this we also used
Wikipedia, we flicked through random page to try and find names, although this was very random it
gave us some good ideas, from these tools we then came up with the name ‘Lost Cause’. In order to
plan our music video along with ideas for our digipak and website we used Blogger. Blogger helped
us organise our information and make clear concise notes and plans. It was used as an organisational
tool in the planning process to help us store ideas and plan events such as photo-shoots ect.
Furthermore we used Google to actually finds props and locations for filming, for example to look up
where I could purchase certain things we needed for filming such as liver and black hair dye
hairspray. In addition to this we also used Google to find theorists, in particular Goodwin’s theories,
this helped me plan what I was going to look out for when analysing music videos. During the
planning process Gmail and Facebook messenger helped us keep in contact and share our ideas and
thoughts while planning, we would often discuss ideas and plan for photo-shoots for the website
and plan for filming for the music video. Overall these technologies helped us plan effectively and
keep organised.

3. Research
The research process involved many different technologies online to research into my genre, however I also used
practical technologies such as camera’s for research purposes. The main site I used in this process is YouTube, this
site was fundamental in this research process, it helped me find a wealth of video’s that helped me expand my
knowledge, not only did I use this site to get ideas and find the conventions of my music genre, but I also used it
to expand my knowledge on other technologies that I would later use in the construction stage such as Adobe
Photoshop. I gathered research on many music videos in my genre and then took to Blogger to analyse the video
and talk about then in detail, this helped me find the conventions of my genre so I could create an effective music
video that suited the industrial rock genre. From the use of Google I could also research into further detail about
the bands I watched on YouTube to find out there background information, what type of audience they had and
what there websites looked like, this helped me create a professional image for my assist from doing intensive
research into bands in the genre. For example I used the site Prezi to construct a detail presentation of the band
Slipknot’ this helped me find out what the band was all about and how they presented themselves. From using
Google I could also research into the digipak’s and websites in my genre, this helped me establish the conventions
of these products. While analysing the videos I found YouTube on Blogger I found the site Tube Chop very handy.
This site could can chop YouTube clips down to the size you want them, I found this extremely helpful as I could
pinpoint the exact shot/idea (weather it be something I saw in that clip that I liked and we could use in our video)
that I wanted and put it on my blog to show Toby.
Furthermore, instead of just relying on Blogger to present my finding I used presentation sites such as Prezi,
Slide share, and Glogster, this gave me another option to present my research and analysis clearly and effectively.
In addition to this when I was researching into websites I wanted to analyse the website while I was operating
them, I thought this was a good idea as I could see how the websites functioned, I used the software Bandicam to
record my computer screen and did a voice over with my IPhone, this gave me the chance to show the websites
while I was on them and analyse them at the same time.
Finally practical objects such as cameras (the Cannon and the Sony HD camcorder) helped us film in
preparation for the construction process , for example we filmed a short clip to test out the cameras and gather
ideas in preparation for our final shoot, portable lighting systems also helped us test different lighting conditions.

4. Construction
The construction process was heavily reliant on software and practical technology such as cameras and equipment
in order to film our music video, edit it and also construct our digipak and website. To start of we had to use two
camera’s the Cannon DSLR and the Sony HD camcorder, the Cannon was very use full for still shots as it was very
precise, the handycam was good for talking walking shots, we took both camera’s out to for maximum efficiency and
combining the two we managed to get some awesome shots and angles. To store all of the footage we needed to
use a number a memory cards, we ended up going through three, this is where a memory stick came in handy, we
transferred our data from the memory card onto the memory stick for easy access onto the computer, this meant
that me and Toby could edit the footage in our own time as we both had the footage, we also used it as a backup
just in case anything went wrong. Because of the amount of footage we had we had to use an adapter to start of
with to get all of the memory sticks in until Toby upgraded to a 32gb which meant we could store all the footage on
one device. Other technology we used was complex lighting systems in the studio and handheld lighting for lighting
on the go, lighting was an important factor in our video as we wanted low key lighting however also vibrant colours
such as red’s that where the portable lighting became useful as they had a number of different coloured filters.
Moreover I also used my own equipment including my laptop and IPhone, the laptop gave me the change to
upload and edit the footage I recorder at school on my IPhone, for example I used my IPhone to record my target
audience research in the interviewing process and also the videos about the band that I put on my website.
Speaking of my website we used the site Wix.com to create our website, this website was a godsend as It was very
easy to operate and create the website I imagined and planned.
The two main software's we used that where very significant in the construction process where Adobe Premiere Pro
CS6 and Adobe Photoshop CS6, these two software's enabled me to edit footage and images for my music video,
website and digipak.
Finally social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram where used on our website to make it look professional and
interact with the audience for our band, I integrated Instagram and Twitter pages onto the website which I updated
frequently. In fact the Twitter account I created for my band got real life responses about the fake competition that I
posted, 5 people responded to my tweet with the hashtag #competitiontime, showing that our band has achieved
its professional image and already has a MASSIVE following.

5. Evaluation Questions
• Many tools on the internet became very useful in constructing my evaluations. I
wanted my evaluation’s to be clear, organised and look good therefore I used a
number of different sites to help me with this. For my first evaluation question I
used Wix.com, this is the site I used to construct my website and as I mentioned
before it is a great website and I thought it would make my question visually
interesting and display my information clearly. For my second evaluation question I
used Prezi, this is a power point with a twist as it takes the viewer on a journey
around the circles of information you have created, this was useful for my second
question as it broke the information down into different sections. Furthermore for
my third question I used Glogster, this tool is sort of an internet poster and can fits
lost of information on to one page as well as embed video’s on really easily which
is what I needed as that particular question needed video evidence of my
audience research. For my final question I have used slide share which is a great
website as you can upload your PowerPoints onto the web and embed them, I
found this very useful I could create my PowerPoint without any internet
connection and then upload it in the future. I used these sites throughout the
whole process as these sites where the ones that proved to be the most beneficial
to me.