Natalie used various media technologies throughout her advanced portfolio project. During research, she used the internet, YouTube, and digital questionnaires to efficiently research codes and conventions of TV ads and gather audience information. When planning, she used Microsoft Word to create shot lists, location lists, and other documents. For construction, she used video editing software to construct TV ads and Audacity and Fireworks to create radio ads and web popups, learning how to use the new programs. For evaluation, she wrote responses in Word and created a PowerPoint, uploading both to online sites and embedding them in her blog, with only minor delays in uploading times.

1. How did you use media
technologies in the construction
and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
By Natalie Conneely

2. Throughout the whole of my advanced portfolio work, I used a
range of different media technologies in order to help me obtain
and create my 2 TV Adverts, 2 Radio Adverts and 2 web popups.

3. Research
During my research I had to use the internet to research the things
needed such as the codes and conventions of TV Adverts. I also used
things like YouTube to compare and evaluate adverts along with use
them to help me create some ideas for my adverts, and digital
questionnaires to see what things audiences look for within the
Advert that encourages them to buy the product being sold. These
things helped making my decisions a lot quicker than if I was to find
my research through books or word of mouth. Whilst using these
technologies, I encountered some difficulties that prevented me from
certain aspects of my research. For instance, when I was using
YouTube to research and evaluate the different conventions of
different adverts, some of the adverts could not load and therefore
prevented me from evaluating them. Also, the internet had blocked a
few websites that I had found with information on them, and this also
stopped my work.

4. Planning
During the planning stages of the course, I used a small
amount of technologies as I found myself begging to
actually do my work rather than plan it. For the most
part, I used Microsoft office word to plan out the major
things I needed in order to complete my advert. From
shot lists to location lists, props and settings to a contract
of agreement for the model, I simply wrote it down in a
text form. I didn’t experience many problems when doing
so because it is a basic use within a computer, although
sometimes whilst typing the computer would lag and
then I would have to retype it again.
On a whole, while planning the process ran quite smoothly
and I feel as though during this section I ticked all the
boxes I needed.

5. Construction
The construction was the main part of the advanced portfolio as
I had to construct 2 TV Adverts, 1 Radio Adverts and 2 Web
popups with my partner. I made a video showing the outlines
of how I edited one of the TV advert and made a separate post
for it. When making the radio advert and web popup, I used
Audacity and Fireworks. These programmes were new to me
so it did take a little time to learn how to use them before I
began my work. There were no problems with the
programmes while using them, they never crashed and all my
work was saved after every step I made. The programmes
themselves are pretty straight forward and didn’t create any
problems while I was completing my work.
Overall, while using Fireworks and Audacity, my work was
complete with minimal problems throughout the process and I
completed them in good timing.

6. Evaluation
In order to have a more creative evaluation, I wrote out
questions 1 to 3 on a word document which was basic
and easy for me to complete the work without a
problem. When entering it into the blog, I uploaded it
onto scribd and then inserted the embedded code into
my blog. I have done this for a number of my blog posts
therefore I didn’t have any problems with that apart from
the website taking a while because there was so much
writing.
As for question 4, there was a lot to write so I decided to
make a PowerPoint answering the question before I
uploaded it to Slideshare and inserted the embedded
code of that onto the blog.
I have done these things on a regular basis in media and the
only problems I have come across is the website taking a
while to upload.