Josh Shelley used various new media technologies throughout the construction, research, planning, and evaluation stages of creating three media products. He utilized his iPhone to take photos, use maps for location planning, and test shots. Microsoft OneDrive, Word, and PowerPoint were used for online collaboration and documentation. A Canon 80D camera was used for filming and stills. YouTube, Prezi, and Mahara were resources for research, tutorials, and journaling. Final Cut Pro X, Photoshop, and Illustrator were key software for editing, design, and assembling the final products. While the technologies took some getting used to, they ultimately enabled the successful creation of three detailed media products.

1. HOW DID YOU USE NEW MEDIA
TECHNOLOGIES IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH,
PLANNING AND EVALUATION
STAGES?
By Josh Shelley

2. THE IPHONE
 As a group there were several points we used iPhones and I used my throughout the whole
process. For example, I used it to simply take photos from audience screenshot sheets or for
the location recce.
 I also used an application called 'Maps' as this allowed me to have a satellite image of
appropriate locations and determined how much time was needed to walk between each
location.
 We also used it to take test shots so we could create magazine and poster drafts. We did not
have access to the camera at this point so it was extremely helpful.
 We encountered some issues with the camera while filming and so used the 'Safari'
application to download the user manual for the camera. This allowed us to overcome the
issues we experience.

3. MICROSOFT ONEDRIVE, WORD &
POWERPOINT
 Microsoft OneDrive was something I was already familiar with before the start of the A2
media course. It is an online storage facility which can be accessed from any device
connected to the internet.
 We used it in throughout the creation of our three media products. It was helpful as we were
able to share group documents so that we could all access and update the document.
 It also saves automatically which means that I overcame the problem of software crashing
before it was saved preventing lost work.
 I used word in the research and planning stage and less in the post-production stage. I used
it to type up my journal entries to prevent losing any work incase my journal was deleted.
 PowerPoint has been used throughout the production of my three media products. It an
effective way of displaying information as it is visual and can include lots of images. I used it
less in my post-production work.

4. CANON 80D
 This was the camera we used to our three media products. We used it for both filming and
taking stills for our poster and magazine cover products.
 This was a good quality camera and had many functions. We were able to control the
exposure meaning the shots remained stable.
 We were also able to use the zoom effectively to produce different style of shot types for
example, a zoomed in shot looks different to a close shot
 We looked up the user manual online to overcome and problems we had.
 The moveable screen was extremely useful as we could film and view what we were seeing
even when we were in front of the lens.

5. YOUTUBE
 I used YouTube at several points during the making of our three media products.
 I used it during the research and planning stages to research teaser trailers, sound and
conventions and then analyse them.
 I also used it to use tutorials to expand on my knowledge of other software. This is
evidenced in other journal entries.
 As a group, we used it to upload our three media products and then in our final screen,
it was how we gained our audience feedback of the final screenings.

6. PREZI AND SLIDESHARE
AND MAHARA
 I used Prezi mainly in my research and planning stage. It is a visual way of presenting
information and keeping your audience engaged.
 Slideshare helped me overcome some technical issues as when trying to embed my
PowerPoints or word documents, the link was not functioning correctly so Slideshare
allowed me to upload the documents and embed them in my journal.
 Mahara is an online journal service. It is an effective way as it is stored online it means it
cannot be lost as easily. Moreover, it can be accessed from any device with internet access.
 I used Mahara throughout the process of creating the media products. I have uploaded
journal entries continuously.

7. PEARL AND DEAN
&VIDEOSCRIBE
 Videoscribe I only used for my evaluation task. I used it as I believe it is a creative way to
present information and keep the audience interested.
 Pearl and Dean is an online data that I used during my audience research and in my pitch
presentation. It is a really effective tool as it allows me to see the type of audience I would
expect. Moreover, it presents tables and graphs rather than just numbers which means it is
easier to read.

8. INTERNET AND SAFARI
 I used the internet throughout the duration of the media coursework.
 In the research and planning stage, I used it for online presentation software, websites,
research, journal updating etc.
 In the post production stage, I used it to find tutorials, find images, search techniques,
transfer data and the list goes on
 Most of the software I used was only accessible through the internet

9. GARAGE BAND
 I only started to use Garage Band in the post-production stage.
 I started experimenting, using tutorials when necessary, and had soon created a small piece
of music using the prerecorded loops in the software.
 I chose different loops to try and create different moods and then strategically moved them
around to match with the visual mood.
 At first, I was only using the prerecorded loops but then started to use the built in keyboard
and other instruments to create a wider range of sounds.
 I combined my created sounds with those prerecorded to create a short piece of background
music

10. PHOTOSHOP
 I mostly used Photoshop in the post-production stage, although I did use it when creating my
poster and magazine drafts.
 In both stages, I used Photoshop to remove the background and refine the edges. In the post-
production stage, however, I used several tools compared to the only two I used when creating
the drafts.
 I used a variety of eraser tools in Photoshop, including the magic eraser tool which was the tool
I used most in Photoshop.
 In the post-production stage, I used the spot healing brush to remove blemishes from my skin
for the poster.
 I used the piece of software mainly for the magazine and poster products. I also tried to correct
colour within the images. I also feathered the edges as I wanted to show a change in time when
layering the images for the poster.

11. ILLUSTRATOR
 Again, I used Illustrator in both the research and planning stage and the post-production
stage, but mainly used in the later.
 I learnt how closely Photoshop and Illustrator work together as when you implement a PSD.
file in Illustrator and then update the PSD. file, it automatically updates
 I used Illustrator to bring the elements together and layer them to create a final product for
my poster and magazine.
 I used layers in Illustrator to create the style I wanted. Moreover, we could add in text to
match the conventions of the product.
 I used many of the tools and have learnt from tutorials online.

12. FINAL CUT PRO X
 I used Final Cut Pro X throughout the process. I first used it to create the remake of 'Happy
Death Day' and I also used it to create the animatic in the research and planning stage. I
moved on to then creating the company ident and the teaser trailer in the post-production
stage.
 We started by just sorting our clips and favourited them so that we were not bombarded
with clips. We also used the blade tool to cut down the clips.
 We used it to add effects into our shots. We added transitions between shots so that the
trailer flowed better.
 We also separated out the sound from the clips so that we could edit it without effecting the
visual element. This was particularly helpful when using the gasping sound as we did not
want to use the visual scene attached with it.

13. STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES
 These technologies enabled us to create three media products which matched the
conventions.
 We were able to enhance our skills in software and learn new skills which would not have
been possible without such technology.
 It took time getting used to new technologies and thus took away from our post-production
time
 We were not adapted to using new technologies and as such had to research them.
 Overall, I would say that the positives outweigh the negatives as we created three detailed
media products which otherwise would not have been possible.