How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

1. How did you use
media technologies
in the construction
and research,
planning and
evaluation stages?
M O R GA N S TA C E Y

2. Introduction:
Various platforms have aided the research, planning,
production and evaluation stages of my project. I have
chosen to use a plethora of different programmes, websites
and software to show the development of my skills and that
I am able to adapt my work to suit assorted programmes.
All of the software used has either been linked, embedded
or inserted into my blog so that I was able to effectively
document the research, planning, production and evaluation
stages.

3. Research: Google/Google Images:
When researching the genre and theme of my music video, Google was
an important platform which allowed me to explore the key conventions
and stereotypes of the holiday/pop/Christmas genre. Discussing my
costume, props and location planning, I was able to create mood boards
and gather inspirational images to show my actors a sample of what their
costume, props and location might look like, allowing them to better
prepare for their roles.
For my magazine advertisement and the digipak album, I was able to
source select images from Google Images, that I would be editing and
using in my ancillary products. Not only that, but the images provided
initial ideas and inspiration for the design of my products. Images of all
different kinds of Christmas trees, decorations, presents etc, helped me
visualise the kind of Christmas environment that I wanted to make.
Using the search bar and filters on the search engine, I could quickly find
exactly what I was looking for. Overall, I think that Google is a principal
media technology when designing products as you are able to use it to
explore key conventions and find examples of existing ancillary texts for
you to learn from.

4. Research: Blogger:
Compiling and using my research effectively was made easy
by using the blog website: Blogger. My posts were submitted
chronologically, in release date order, allowing me to visualise
how my research has progressed, what I have learnt and what
I still need to research. As everything is so easily organised, it
was simple to go back and refer to my mood when choosing
locations and gaining inspiration for my storyboard.
Using blogger, I could link and share relevant YouTube
videos, upload my own videos, share images and slideshow
presentations that I could access on my computer, tablet or
phone. When meeting with my crew, as my research was so
beautifully organised, it made it effortless to show them my
research about the pop/holiday/Christmas genre and how I
would like them to incorporate the key conventions into their
costumes, props and performances.

5. Research: YouTube:
Researching my chosen genre and theme meant that I would need
to analyse existing music videos of the same genre, learning from
these products. On top of that, the online video streaming service
also allowed me to access successful and popular music videos from
other genres, so that I could identify why and how they became so
successful. Hopefully this would mean that I could apply these
successful techniques to my music video, by documenting them in
my research on Blogger.
For example, from watching Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For
Christmas is You” music video, I was really inspired by the camera
angles and shots used in the outdoor snow scenes, being able to
use similar shots when filming my music video. Not only did I
research and watch music videos from famous bands and artists, but
I also made sure to watch a few a-level music video examples, even
if they weren’t specific for my genre. By watching these, I could
learn which shots worked well and what kinds of transitions would
work well when editing to the music in post-production.

6. Research: Netflix:
Using Netflix, the online media streaming service, I could
watch Christmas themed films, such as: Christmas
Inheritance (2017), Jingle All The Way (1996), Deck The Halls
(2006) and Miracle on 34th Street (1994). Although I am
making a music video and not a film, I could still learn from
the mise-en-scène and editing which would be useful when
planning my costume, props and locations.
In addition to this, because the streaming site is quite easy
to access and available on the go, I was able to tell Trevor
(grandad, actor) to watch a few of these Christmas films to
really get a feel for the emotions felt by people at
Christmas, so that his performance could be as realistic and
relatable as possible.

7. Planning: Pages:
I used the Apple equivalent to Microsoft Word, Pages (word
processor) to fill out the risk assessments needed before
filming at my chosen locations. Being versatile software, I
could easily create a table, documenting all possible risks
and hazards. As well as this, I also used pages to create
mind maps for my initial ideas. By choosing from a selection
of arrows and shapes, I could arrange and create a
personalised mind map that would fit my needs.

8. Planning: Email:
When communicating with large
companies such as Stagecoach
Theatre Arts, I had to ensure
that I was using a reliable,
professional website that would
allow us to exchange messages
and plan for a filming date. To
achieve this, I used Hotmail
emailing service to send
messages back and forth to the
Stagecoach principle.
All the emails were dated,
making it easy to track the
planning process. Moreover, I
could receive and send emails
on my computer, tablet and
phone, making email an
effective and easily accessible
method of communication.

9. Planning: Facebook Messenger:
To communicate with crew members, I used the slightly
more informal messaging service, Facebook Messenger. I
was able to access the messages on Facebook, using the
app or the website. Messaging was instant, free and I had
the ability to set up group chats and video call when
arranging the call list filming times.
What I found most helpful when planning whilst using this
website was that I could see when other crew members
were online and whether they had read and received my
message. This gave me peace of mind that everyone was
receiving the messages and knew the plans.

10. Production: Adobe Premiere Pro:
To edit my Christmas themed music video, I decided to use
the video editing suite, Adobe Premiere Pro. Using the most
up to date software, allowed me to manipulate the clips as I
wished, using colour correction to enhance the appearance
of clips, adding transitions and effects. The programme is
certainly superior to other video editing software such as
iMovie as there are endless possibilities available on
Premiere Pro. As I had used the software last year, I was
familiar with the tools, transitions and effects available to
me. However, I did develop new skills such as learning how
to use overlays, crop and position footage and creating a slit
screen effect.

11. Production: Adobe Photoshop:
To produce my magazine advertisement and the digipak album
design, I used Adobe Photoshop. At first, I was unsure about using
the programme as it appeared over complicated, causing me to
have to find and learn from tutorials online, however, it provided so
many more photo editing options than a word processing
programme would. Therefore, using this software, I learnt how to
warp and change the perspective of images, along with colour
correction, erasing backgrounds, sharpening, blurring, blending
and how to cut out images. This was all achieved using various
tools Magic Wand (background erasing), Blur Tool (blurring),
Smudge Tool (smudging), Sharpen (sharpening), Polygonal &
Magnetic Lasso Tool (cutting out images), Transform Perspective/
Warp (warping and altering the perspective) and Brightness/
Exposure/Saturation (colour correction).

12. Production: Adobe After Effects:
I hadn’t used this software before but knew that if I wanted
to enhance my post-production skills and create a fabulously
eighties inspired ident, I needed to teach myself how to use
Adobe After Effects. Starting out, I used YouTube tutorials
and informative “How To” articles to learn the tools
available to me on the programme. Once I knew what I was
doing, I set the length of my ident, adding graphics, audio
and transitions, making it appear professional and high
quality.
Overall, I thought that this software would be the most
effective and fit for purpose programme to use to
manufacture my ident.

13. Production: Youtube:
Once again, YouTube was a vital platform to use when
producing my music video. I was able to post rough edits of the
music video on the online video streaming service, whilst also
being able to share the link to my blog and embed the video to
refer back to when documenting my production process.
Furthermore, audiences could leave comments and likes on the
rough edits, telling me what they liked and what they thought
that I should improve. I carried out a similar process when
manufacturing my ident, each time an edit was posted, I would
reflect, watch back and listen to constructive advice from my
target audience, regarding the ident. Lastly, the website is really
accessible, meaning that I could send friends links to the rough
edits, seeking their advice, without having to meet up in person
and show them the video. Hopefully this meant that the
feedback I was receiving was of better quality as audiences had
time to think about their comment before submitting it to me.

14. Evaluation: Keynote:
I thought that producing a slideshow presentation would be
an effective method of evaluating my main product and
ancillary texts, whilst also being an appropriate use of media
technology. Primarily, I chose Keynote over Microsoft
Powerpoint because I felt that it provided a more
professional aesthetic, a good range of tools and I am
familiar with using the programme. This means that I am
able to produce high quality evaluations, without worrying
whether I am using the programme correctly.
In addition to this, I also have some pre-installed custom
fonts which could make my slideshow presentation
evaluation stand out from the crowd.

15. Evaluation: Prezi:
Although Prezi is similar to a Keynote slideshow
presentation, Prezi provides a highly interesting design,
littered with fun movements and layouts which can really
help engage audiences. The website automatically makes
your presentation much more exciting visually and could
even spark some visceral reactions from audiences.
Mainly, I chose to use Prezi to evaluate my products because
there are a plethora of new, interesting designs to choose
from, along with the presentation being assessable on
various computers and tablets because your presentations
are stored on an online account. Using the website also
allows me to showcase another skill and that I am able to
adapt my work to suit different platforms.

16. Evaluation: Youtube/Adobe Premiere Pro:
As one of my evaluations is a video, I have used Adobe
Premiere Pro to edit the footage which has then been
uploaded to online video streaming website YouTube. This
is so that my evaluation video can be accessed by teachers
and other audiences, whilst also providing a varied format of
evaluations. This is to ensure that my evaluations don’t bore
the audience with endless paragraphs and excessively long
and wordy slideshow presentations.
I am also able to embed the video into my blog, making it
easily reachable by blog audiences.