1. HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AND RESEARCH, PLANNING AND EVALUATION QUESTION STAGES?
BY KELLY ALADE
2. Throughout this a2 media project, I have documented everything I have done in the process of creating my music video
and media project. I could say it has been like an online diary where I can present a range of my ideas and how they have
changed throughout the months past. Blogger has helped me gain a clear understanding of my ideas so that I can look
back at them and see how I can improve them. I am also able to look at the research that I have gathered throughout the
months and interpret them into my own media products so that I can gain the best quality I am able to achieve. This is
crucial as understand what you're target audience are wanting in these media products allows them to gain success. I was
able to experiment different ideas with blogger as I was able to see what kind of editing techniques I would incorporate
into my actual music video by making a short experimental clip. The song used within the clip was not my actual song
choice but I wanted to see how the videos would work together after the filming I did in central London. The editing was
successful which allowed me to process further onto making the actual music video. Blogger came into good use as I was
able to look back at this experiment and add it into my music video to gain the best quality.
To access and post onto blogger, I have used both the school
computers and my personal computer in order to present my
ideas, and establish the process of creating both the music
video and the media products. My laptop was very useful for
this task as I am able to carry it around with me due to its
portability which allowed me to post onto Blogger where ever
I was. I was also able to carry out research on my laptop so
that I can gain better understanding on what the conventions
of a pop product is and what my targeted audience expect to
see.
3. Google was a main source of my research throughout this media a2 project. This
research allowed me to furthermore create both a music video and media products.
I was able to research different aspects of the media world in which I was able to
incorporate into my won work for the best quality I can achieve. For example I was
able to research types of music videos in the music industry and who they're
audiences , look at different music videos in the genre I'm exploring and plan down
the conventions they use so that I am able to gain ideas from it and incorporate it
into my own work. I was also able to look a wide variety of different artists both
within my genre and different genres and look at their star image. This was useful
as Google has helped me create my own star image which would draw the attention
of my target audience and bring them into looking into my media products. Without
the use of Google, gaining research would have been time consuming as I would
have to create surveys to understand what is expected within these products.
4. When creating both my music video and media products, I used
my HP laptop in order to achieve the best quality I can. The
reason for my choice of using this device was sue to the fact
it had a high performance speed unlike the school computers.
This allowed me to get tasks finished quicker and was less
time consuming. My laptop also contained the latest software
which allowed me to get newly improved tools in which I can
use in my creations. The software's I used within this laptop
was Adobe Photoshop and Sony Vegas Pro 12. This laptop
was also efficient for when I wanted to do work outside
school due to its size and portability so I was able to work on
my project in different locations. Storage was also an issue
when working on the school computers as there was lack of
space for my videos I shot. My laptop however had more than
enough space in order for my high quality videos to be stored.
5. For the creation of my music video, I used Sony Vegas Pro
to edit my music video. The reason for my choice of
software was due to the fact I have previously used the
software on a frequent bases as I enjoy to edit videos in
my personal time so I thought this would be a good
software to use as I already know how to work my way
around the program. The software also contained
professional tools which are ideal for creating a music
video as I was able to explore with different editing
techniques. Software's such as iMovie on smart phones
had limited access to these tools so the music video
would contain basic editing. I was also able to add video
effects such as extreme slow mo as I wanted my music
video to seem professional as can be as I wanted it to
appeal to the audience I am targeting it towards.
6. Sony Vegas Pro 12 provided me with tools that
I was able to make a professional pop music
video with such as flickering. This was done
by making cuts through a clip and spacing
them out from one another to create a flicker
effect. This is very useful for following a
beat of a song as it makes the music video
much more interesting. It’s also something I
see a lot in music video when a certain song
has that kind of specific beat. I also used
overlaying techniques and colouring so that
the video sets the tone for the overall song
as bright colours would not fit the song. This
program was very efficient for me to use as
it had a high performance however, there
were issues when wanting to look back at
what you've edited as there was constant
lagging. However, this did not cause major
problems. Overall I found this program very
easy to use however if I was to create a
video that contained special effects, it would
be much challenging for me as I have not
touched on that specific tool before.
7. Adobe Photoshop was another program that I had great
knowledge on as I also take photography a level
which requires using Photoshop on a frequent bases
so using the software had no struggle when creating
my media products. However, this product was very
crucial to use when making the media products as
Photoshop contains many advanced tools to create a
professional product. Photoshop was very reliable
to use as it contained a fast performance speed
which meant It wasn't time consuming. It also had a
good range of tools so I was able to create different
things when creating these products. Tools such as
magic wand tool helped me greatly as I was able to
crop around any unwanted space on an image such
as the white space around my record label logo. I
was also able to create my logo on this software as I
found that it works best for the design I wanted to
create. Overall, Photoshop was an important media
technology that was needed for the creation of my
media products.
8.
9. For my music video, I borrow a HD filming camera from my school called the VIXIA HF R80 HD
Camcorder. I used this camcorder to film the entire of my music video as I have used a similar model
to this camera in the past, however it was a Nikon. This allowed me to find ease when using the
camera as instructions were clear with a minimum amount of settings. This prevented confusion
when filming. I also felt that a filming camera would be suitable for this specific task as it would
require 1440x1080 30 fps. These specific adjustments allowed all footage to come out clear and
smooth as a camera with an fps lower than 30 fps may seem laggy. Because of the camera I achieved,
I was able to film my video in a professional manor so that my music video meets the criteria of what
my audeince are expecting . The camera was had a strap/handle on its side which allowed me to hold
onto the camera which was very useful for handheld shots as it reduced the amount of shake created
due to the steadiness.
For my digipak, I used a Canon DSLR camera which was borrowed from a friend as I felt this was
needed for this specific task. My iPhone 6 camera contains high quality however I felt it was not to
the high definition needed to complete the task as common pop albums contain a very high resolution
camera to shoot the artist. This camera again was understandable to use as similar cameras are used
within my photograohy course so basic adjustments such as brightness, apeture etc. Were taken care
of. Because of the outcome of the pictures taken, I was able to create a succesful and good quality
digipak which replicates mainstream pop albums already present.
10. Social media has played a huge importance upon my planning as it has allowed me to gather audience
feedback from my targeted audience. Social media sites such as Whatsapp, Snapchat, Instagram
were highly efficient for reaching out to my target audience as this is where a majority of my
audience spend their time on. This allowed me to gain quick access when needed as social media
sites tend to be fast and responsive. However, I felt that the social media sites I used did not gain the
amount of responses I needed due to the fact I was directly messaging my target audience on what
they think about a specific thing. However, the feedback was enough to allow me to improve areas
needed such as my music video so that I can gain the best quality out of it. This will allow my
products to gain success due to them appealing to my targeted audience.
The YouTube comment section also acted similar
to social media sites as my audience were able to
comment below their thoughts on the drafts I
posted onto YouTube. YouTube was handy when
distributing my music video as it’s available on all
platforms so most of my audience who have access
to a device are able to see the video. Using
YouTube has also enabled me to distribute my
progress onto my blog and social media sites
where my audience are able to see the progress
that I have made through the project.
11. For my a2 media project, I have had to answer
4 evaluation questions within different
software's to show my understanding of using
different technologies. I used software's such
as Padlet, SlideShare, Blogger, and YouTube to
distribute my evaluation questions. I completed
this on my HP laptop due to it’s high
performance as the school computers tend to be
slow. This prevented time being consumed.
These software's were also understanding to use
as I have previously used them to answer
previous evaluation questions in my former
media project.
