3. WordPress
Firstly, a requirement of the advanced portfolio is to record the process of
planning and producing a music video on a blog. This blog is to address everything
I have covered throughout the process and to also present my findings on in a
creative way. I used WordPress last year for the same reason therefore I was
confident on how to use it due to having previous experience and practice. Word
press is an excellent software to use in terms of creating a clear and accessible
documentation that can be used to record your findings. The blog has been used
throughout all three sections of the advanced portfolio; consisting of research and
planning, production and evaluation.
During the research and planning process I used the blog to help me narrow down
genre and concept ideas. I performed a lot of research on previous music videos to
help me establish what route I want to take for my own. I decided early on in the
process that I wanted to re-create the music video for “I got you” by Duke
Dumont. However I struggled initially when deciding on the narrative which is
shown on my blog as I have done a series of blog posts discussing how I am
changing my concept to make it a more professional/creative music video.
Wordpress offer all the needed
tools for creating a document.
4. In regards to the presentation of the blog it allows the consumer to be extremely creative
and it enabled me to present my work in different and unique ways. This ultimately led
me to learning a lot of new digital software’s and expanding my skills. The blog itself
allows me to write, insert images and size them to how I want, insert YouTube videos,
change the layout and theme of the blog, post slide shares and Prezi presentations and
several more. I definitely have experimented more during this year with using different
software’s to present my findings as I am much more eager to learn and challenge myself
with creating new things for the benefit of my portfolio and skills.
Overall the use of WordPress throughout my advanced portfolio has been extremely
beneficial as I have been able to record all my findings in one place which makes it easy
for me to refer back to any previous information or sources I have found. I also believe by
having a personal blog as the producer you are determined to present it to the best
ability you can therefore I have really dedicated a lot of time to the blog in order to have
it the way I want to.
Wordpress also allows the consumers
to directly design their own site. For
instance choosing the theme and
layout.
5. Google and YouTube
Research was the initial task that everyone needed to perform before starting any planning or
production. To prevent any regrets or mistakes I made sure I performed thorough research
which included hosting a focus group, creating a questionnaire and carry out secondary
research. For the secondary research my main sources were Google and YouTube as I am aware
that these are popular and established websites that have valid and accurate information. I used
google when researching over genre as I wanted to see what genres had certain conventions and
who they were target at. As I am a student I knew I wanted to create a music video for a similar
target audience to myself as I would have an accurate and realistic interpretation which could
help the overall finish.
YouTube meant I could analyse music videos and keep pausing them throughout to record any
effective conventions I saw and to analysis the overall production. Also Youtube was an effective
website to use as I noticed when watching the music video how many reoccurring patterns
occur within music videos of the same genre. However before finalising any of my decisions I
used Youtube for a slightly different reason, instead of viewing the videos I monitored the
information its stores in regards to the most popular songs/videos of the week. From doing this I
noticed there were three house music videos in one week that were in the top ten which
ultimately helped me decide on my chosen genre.
I used the ‘trending’ icon to
find out what the current top
tracks were.
Google helped me decide on
the genre, narrative and
structure of the music video..
6. Fuji Film camera
For the filming of my music video I choose to use a Fujifilm S9800 Bridge Camera as this is a camera I use in
personal time which meant I knew all the settings on it and I knew how to use it correctly so there would be no
incidents where footage is wasted or lost. The camera is not one of the most high technological ones however it
had everything I need on it and more; the cameras settings included the standard zooms in and out, time laspe
mode, colour settings, ISO sensitivity, HD camera mode, Motion Panorama 360, 11 advanced filter effects and 920k
dot Electronic Viewfinder.
The main difficulty I found with the filming was due to the fact all the footage was hand-help. As I choose to locate
my music video abroad in Lanzarote I was unable to take my tripod with me which meant all the footage would
have to be shot directly by myself with no support. This wasn’t a major issue although certain shots would
definitely have appeared better if I was able to use a tripod as the clarity would have been better and less shaky.
Unfortunately when I returned home and began editing I did find a lot of my shots were shaky e.g. I filmed an
areophane taking off and I do believe this would have affected my overall grade. The camera itself was excellent
and I experienced virtually no issues with it during the filming and editing stages as it was at a standard where I
was capable of doing everything I need to do.
As you can see I did
experience some troubles
with the camera as half of the
side was blurred at times
meaning I was unable to use
a lot of footage.
7. Adobe premiere elements
The editing was the most important part of the post production as it was the time in which I was expected
to gather all my footage and create a music video. In retrospect I definitely found this the most challenging
area as adobe premiere elements 10 is a software that is extremely professional and complex therefore it
was not easy to use straight away. Prior to the filming of my music video I thought it would be appropriate
to practice using adobe premiere elements so I wasn’t wasting any valuable lesson time. To do so, I
watched several YouTube clips that were explaining and doing basic tutorials on how to use the software.
This include basic lessons on how to insert clips to more challenging areas of how to make split screens.
This year I challenge myself a lot more with the settings variation that I was using to elaborate I used the
time line throughout the whole editing process which is known to be the more difficult route although it is
guaranteed to have a more professional finish. Last year in my foundation portfolio I used the scene line as
it was a lot more easier to understand and get to grips with however In retrospect I do believe my grade
would have been higher if I had used the time line as it makes the scene cuts and changes much more
specific and inline.
This year I definitely experimented with the use of colour more. I was able to alter the saturation and the
brightness to fit a certain mood that I was trying to portray – as it was a music video set abroad I intended
for it to give of summer vibes which were mainly shown through the high lighting. Also by increasing the
saturation slightly it meant the sand was made to look more golden and the girls had more of a glowing
tan. Obviously this proves that my music video is meant to show the “ideal” lifestyle and not a realistic one
as things have been altered to make it appear much better.
Here are the settings that
allow me to change the
colouring and effects.
Time line
8. Photoshop
As a software I wasn’t entirely new to using photo shop as I have used it a few times before to edit some pictures.
However in terms of the skills on the software they were extremely limited and generally I do struggle using photo
shop as it is extremely complex. As previously mentioned for our advanced portfolio we were required to create
two ancillary texts to go alongside the music video; this consisted of a Digi pak and advert cover.
Although due to being extremely determined to create excellent ancillary products I made sure I experimented
with Photoshop and used a variety of features and settings to see what effect they had on my product. For
example with my album advert cover I wanted to feature several images therefore I used the layering tool which
allowed me to layer several images on top of one another. I choose to have a fairly plain background image which
was a shot of palm trees and over the top I layered three images of the girl dancing in the sea. To make each layer
stand out I used the opacity tool which allowed me to make the three images a weaker opacity to show the palm
trees in the background.
Photoshop is difficult however it is extremely professional and modern against other editing software's such as
paint. I am definitely glad I challenged myself to use Photoshop as it enabled me to create/craft something I was
really proud off.
Photoshop settings.
9. Microsoft word
I used Microsoft briefly throughout this process, mainly for drafting blog posts before posting them
on the site. I have been using Microsoft word for many years therefore this software is one I am
extremely familiar with therefore I wasn’t worried about making any mistakes that I didn’t know
how to improve. I prepared most of my blog posts on word as I knew I would be able to read
through it clearly and check if there are any errors. Word is not only accessible to the majority but
it also offers an extremely wide range of settings and tools – I was able to choose my font, size,
colour, layout and check my spelling all on the site.
This highlights the amount of
tools word offer you as a
consumer. For instance it
allows you to even view an
online dictionary.
10. Facebook
Throughout the creation of my advanced portfolio I regularly referred backed to the use of Facebook
because its an excellent website to use for primary and secondary research. As I chose to recreate the
music video for “I got you” I already knew what sort of market I will be targeting – specifically the
younger generation. As I am a student I am aware of what typical student like and dislike and what
sort of things will attract them. Facebook is most commonly used with the younger generation from
teenagers- to young adults therefore I thought it would e appropriate to use Facebook to research
about the intended audience but to also reach for them to fill out surveys etc. Firstly I used Facebook
to post my survey from survey monkey on in the initial planning stages, I posted this survey out to
Facebook and instantly I receive many responses. This was a really effective way of researching as the
survey reached a lot of people quickly confirming that the idea is suitable for this target market.
I also used Facebook to share my finished music video on as this would enabled me to hopefully
receive feedback from the viewers. As I wasn’t worried about reaching an older audience using my
own, personal Facebook account was appropriate as I mainly have close friends and acquaintance on
my site who are of a similar age.
On Facebook you can post
status that appear on all
friend’s news feed. This way I
was able to spread news
quickly e.g. my survey.
11. Prezi
Prezi is another form of presentation, it’s a way a consumer can communicate effectively with an
audience and make the presentation appear more attractive and exciting. I used Prezi
throughout my advanced portfolio to present my findings in different and unique ways – I
enjoyed the creation of these as they make a “PowerPoint” appear more creative and eye-
catching. Prezi as software has incredibly good interactions of multimedia for instance you can
insert and play Youtube videos which was beneficial for me as I was able to look at past music
videos and analyse them in the presentation. Through research some have commented saying
Prezi is time consuming to master however due to be relatively confident with using websites
like Prezi I didn’t find this an issue.
However I did have some concerns with Prezi due to it being so creative as I was worried that
the transformations would distract the audience and sway them away from focusing on the main
topic. There is also a limited range of fonts and colours which is unfortunate as the majority of
other software’s I use do offer these.
I create a prezzi presentation
when researching mise en
scene in music videos.
12. Slide Share
Slide share simply allows a consumer to display a power point they have made online to reach a wide
range of people. The majority of slide shares made are open to the public and they often contain
educational value. I used slide share for both creating my work and using already made slide shares for
inspiration and information. I found when researching about music videos a lot of people have previously
made slide shares to address and answer these questions. I often noticed that they were also students
who were uploading the slide shares therefore I would be able to take inspiration from there
interpretations.
In terms of Slide share’s strengths it’s one of the fastest growing social media providers on the web for, to
elaborate each month slide share receives 60 million views and visitors. The main aspect I liked about
slide share was you could either instantly upload a PowerPoint or you could create one on the actual
website which is good for people who don’t have the PowerPoint software. Also the website allows you to
easily share your slide share on other sites for example I was able to post all my slide shares on my blog.
During the research and
planning process I used slide
share to present my findings.
Here I used it to describe the
different types of narratives
that our found in music
video’s.
