The document discusses the various technologies and online resources the author used during the planning, research, filming, and editing stages of a music video project. These included YouTube for researching music video conventions and editing tutorials, DaFont for fonts, Facebook for coordinating filming schedules, and Prezi, Emaze, and Slideshare for documenting research. Sony Vegas Pro was used to edit the video, Photoshop for photos, and Blogger to archive the entire project process. Some challenges included an ineffective home camera dolly and the learning curves of new software programs. Overall, the author felt technologies like the Nikon D3200 camera, Sony Vegas, and Photoshop were most useful in creating a high quality final product.

2. In the research and planning stages of my project, I relied heavily on the
internet to source videos and images which would go on to influence my design
and filming choices dramatically. I sourced music videos from within the Indie
Pop genre on YouTube.com, helping me to realise conventions of the genre.
As well as this, I was able to research editing tutorials on YouTube to help
me with my print product designs. I watched tutorials on how to create a
levitation effect in Adobe Photoshop CS6, which enabled me to create an
interesting and obscure image for my print advert. YouTube proved to be an
extremely useful and efficient technology which helped me vastly throughout
my project.
The internet also proved vital for helping me in finding excellent fonts to
use for my print work; on DaFont.com, as the standard installed Microsoft and
Adobe fonts lack in variety. DaFont was a good website as it provided me with
variety, however a downfall of this website for me was that some fonts were
inaccessible since you have to pay for them.

3. I also used the social networking site Facebook to plan dates and times of
filming with those who were involved in the music video. This website was
of great help to me in terms of being able to instantly receive answers on
whether people could attend set filming sessions, and I found no downfalls
when using it.
Some media technologies
that were also very helpful
in my research stages were
websites Prezi.com,
Emaze.com and
Slideshare.net. All three
websites are presentation
sharing software, however
these proved to be excellent
ways for me to document
my research and access it
in a clean-cut, clear format.
Blogger.com has been the website
where I have been documenting my
project. This website has been
extremely useful in ensuring that my
work is secure and accessible from
anywhere with an internet connection.
Everything which I have documented
throughout my project has been
archived in date order, meaning that
when I have needed to check my past
research, I have been able to find it
with ease.

4. While planning the shot types for my
music video, we trialled a filming
technological equipment piece called a
dolly which is used to track (crab)
alongside a subject as it moves. In the
film industry, top of the range dolly
systems are extremely expensive
pieces of equipment.
However, we were able to get access to
a small dolly intended for home use.
This proved ineffective and unsuitable
for our filming intentions when
trialled outdoors, since its lack of
suspension meant that on gravel, a
shaky image was created.

5. During the construction stage, we were able to
use a Nikon D3200 to film with. In the
research section of my product, I noted that
depth of field and the area of focus in shots
was a key feature in existing Indie Pop music
videos. Particularly, a macro shot where the
foreground is in sharp focus and the
background is blurred out.
This level of detail in focus is unachievable
with many types of filming cameras, and so we
were able to have access to Georgia’s Nikon
D3200, which was capable of creating the
professional looking shots we wanted.
The only downfall I found with using this
camera was that since it is intended for
professional use, I found it difficult at first to
get used to its functions. However soon after
our first filming session, I was familiar and
comfortable with using it to my advantage.

6. After having filmed the music video, I used
Sony Vegas Pro 13 to edit it. I was able to put
all the recordings into the correct order, alter
their length so that they were in time with the
beat of the song, as well as edit details such as
slow motion and colour alterations. I found this
program extremely successful in allowing me
to create and refine my music video until I saw
it as being a finished product.
An issue I had using this software was that
because it was new to me, I found it difficult to
use to begin with. However after having
watched video tutorials on YouTube.com, and
trialling different techniques, I got used to the
program quickly and found it easy to achieve
the editing techniques.
The program also took a long time to render
our video every time we saved our progress, as
the file became very large very quickly.
However overall, this wasn’t a big problem.

7. To edit the photographs taken for my digipak
and print advert, I used Adobe Photoshop CS6.
This program proved in being the most
suitable for the task, and since I had lots of
experience using the software beforehand, I
was comfortable in knowing that I was capable
of creating the type of product which I had
planned.
I found no major issues editing my material in
Photoshop, since once you’re used to its
capabilities and functions, it’s fairly
straightforward to use.
For things which I wanted to do but was
unsure of, with Photoshop being a well-known
and used program, I was able to quickly find
simple tutorials to aid me.

8. Overall, I feel that I used high-quality equipment for my project, and that certain
technologies were vastly helpful in aiding me to create a professional looking, high
quality set of products. I think that the most useful technologies used throughout my
project were the Nikon D3200 DSLR camera, Sony Vegas Pro 13, and Adobe Photoshop
CS6.
If I were able to get access to more expensive equipment, I think that one which would
have improved my music video would have been a professional style camera dolly. Used
to create smooth tracking shots, a high quality camera dolly with effective suspension
and stabilization would have allowed for me to use a better range of shot types within the
music video. However, by using Sony Vegas Pro 13, I was able to use the stabilization tool
to reduce shakiness in some of my shots.

9. Some of the technologies I used throughout my project cohere to the theory of
technological determinism. This is the theory that presumes a society’s technology drives
the development of its social structure and cultural values.
I feel that Adobe Photoshop CS6 is the technology which coheres to this theory. I used
this software when editing my print images, and I feel that some of the edits I made to
my photographs are ones which alter society’s perception of idealisms.
I used Photoshop to create an image where Georgia appears to be levitating. This was
done by photographing the background using a tripod, then adding Georgia into the shot,
on a chair. I then erased the chair on Photoshop to show the background layer; showing
her to be floating. I believe this use of manipulating images has sculpted our society to
expect far more extraordinary visuals in images they are exposed to.

10. I feel that I used media technologies effectively throughout my project. Rather than using
them in a way which let the software decide the outcome of my work, I used it in a way
which allowed me access to different technological platforms, however was completely in
control of how they were effecting my work.
For example, when using the Nikon D3200, I refrained from using the auto-focus setting
on the camera. I set the focus to manual instead, which meant I was in control of where
the focus was at each particular shot, rather than have the camera determine this for
me. This meant that my filmed material was more coherent with the themes and
conventions of indie pop music videos, rather than be controlled by the camera’s
automatic settings.

11. I think that some technologies which I used allowed me to be extremely creative with my
work. Particularly, the software Adobe Photoshop CS6 was excellent in the way that it
offers vast amounts of options for you to choose from, meaning that I could experiment
easily with colour, layout, size and image manipulation freely. This new technology by far
has created a platform for creative thinkers to trail and let their imaginations create
exciting things which they would not otherwise be capable of.
Conversely, technologies like Prezi.com somewhat hindered my creativity. The
presentation creating software enables you to create dynamic and clear slideshows,
however only offers the option to use pre-made themes for your creations. However, I did
not find this to be a big problem in my project, as Prezi was more of a technology which I
used to record my research and work, rather than to create my work on.