The student used various media technologies at different stages of their media project. During research and planning, they used YouTube to find music videos as influences, Google to research artists and lyrics, and Wikipedia to learn about music industry promotion methods. During construction, they used a Canon DSLR camera to film the music video, and a Samsung camera for photography. They communicated plans using Instagram, WhatsApp, and a shared online moodboard. During editing, they used Photoshop for print layouts, applying new skills like deleting layers and font effects. They also used POCO Camera and Beauty Cam to edit photographs.

1. QUESTION 4: HOW DID YOU
USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCHING,
PLANNING AND EVALUATION STAGES?
By Cengizhan Sen

2. RESEARCH
AND
PLANNING
Whilst discovering music videos to use for our
Media Studies Preparatory Research Task,
YouTube was our main source in discovering music
videos and songs that fit with our own personal
interest/fit with our preferred genre of music.
Through YouTube, we were able to discover the
music videos and songs used for our case studies.
These music videos were our influences whilst
producing our music video, such as through the
camera work, mise-en-scene and editing. We were
able to access YouTube through Google. Moreover,
YouTube was the platform where we uploaded our
music video. From the uploading process, I learnt
about the use of 'tags' which are used by content
creators to enable their content to gain
views/recognition.

3. Google was the search engine used to enable me to access platforms such as Blogger and YouTube, as these online platforms are only
accessible with a Google+ account. Through Google, I was able to gather lyrics of Sia's songs from her album '1000 Forms of Fear',
which were used in the photo book album. The lyrics were provided by Genius.com, a website that specializes in providing the lyrics of
songs. Google was also used to find the logos of the distribution company (RCA Records) and an image of a barcode. Google was also
used to gain access into sites like Amazon and eBay, where I found the images for my case study albums such as Adele's "25" and
Dubstar's "Make it Better". Through Google, I was able to research about Sia and her record label and I was able to gather a better
understanding of the theories taught, such as Hyper Reality (Postmodernism) and Roland Barthes's codes, such as symbolic codes.
Moreover, Google enabled me to look at the teaser images of my album case study artist, Taeyeon, which was the main inspiration of
my photography. Additionally, Google enabled me to research the promotional methods of artists, which despite not being necessary
for our coursework, broadened my knowledge of the music industry. Information about the promotional methods was found through
Wikipedia. Furthermore, Google was used for my case studies for music videos, as it was used to discover the symbolism of colours and
how the music videos correlated with other forms of media, such as how the concept of twin sisters in Wings' "Hair Short" was inspired
by the Grady twins from "The Shining". Furthermore, I was able to find the dimensions for the CD on Google.

4. Moodle was used in order to gain
access into the templates and
layouts necessary to create our
albums. It was also used to
access the layout/template
documents for our risk
assessment sheets, call sheets,
talent and location release
sheets.
Timetoast was used in order to
organise our schedule, allowing us
to check what stage we were at and
the deadlines for our work. It
enabled me to make sure I was
meeting deadlines. The use of
timetoast was beneficial as it is easy
to use, and I personally favored the
simple design as it made me
concentrate more on the work I had
to do, diverting my attention to the
text on the timeline.
Instagram was used as a way for crew
members to communicate with one
another. It allowed us to check which
tasks had been completed and which
tasks which member will take
responsibility over. Additionally, it was
used to deliver our creative ideas to one
another whilst planning our music video
and organise the time and dates for our
music video shoot, only amongst the crew
members. The use of Instagram was an
efficient way of communication as the
application is used by a majority of youth,
and it is accessible and free

5. Whilst Instagram was used to communicate with crew members, Whatsapp was used to communicate with the cast
members. This is because a phone number is necessary to use Whatsapp, and so I was able to communicate with cast
members through calls and messages, enabling me to communicate with cast members without an Internet
connection/ Wi-Fi, ensuring that the cast member(s) are coming to the location set and letting me know if anything
happens, resulting in having to change the date of our music video shoot. This allowed us to avoid problems such as
coming to the set and finding no one present. Through Whatsapp, I was able to talk about costumes with the cast
members and check the availability of these costumes. I was also able to discuss matters such as consent, making
sure the performer is comfortable with the work environment and the things she would do on set. Through
communicating with the female actress, we were able to find someone who was willing to play the main role and who
was comfortable with being on camera. We were able to discuss days the cast members would be available, making
sure that the crew members were available as well.

6. Gomoodboard.com is a online moodboard creating website, which
enabled me to create a moodboard of all the mise-en-scene elements
of our music video, for free. Through Gomoodboard.com, we were able
to place our creative ideas onto a moodboard, and as more creative
ideas emerged, we were able to place images. I placed brief captions
beneath the images on our moodboard, explaining the function of the
prop/attire which, we had discussed our ideas in our team meetings
and during class sessions. As our moodboard was online, it enabled us
to create it quickly and place our ideas with ease.

7. CONSTRUCTION
MUSIC VIDEO-CANON
DSLR CAMERA
The camera used for the music video shoot was
a Canon 7D, which was a camera model I had
not used previously. The camera was not
provided by Leyton Sixth Form College and
instead, it was provided by our director. As our
director had prior knowledge on how to operate
the camera, the camera was easy to use and the
assistant directors were able to learn how to
operate and change the settings of the camera,
such as the brightness and contrast. During
filming, the crew members would look over the
camera shots and would discuss whether the
shot was good or not. This was beneficial, as it
developed our group skills, enabling each
member to have a creative input, but also
allowed us to reflect on our camera work,
evaluating whether or not we needed to shoot
again.

8. In addition to using a camera supplied by our director,
the assistant directors used a Canon DSLR camera,
supplied by Leyton Sixth Form College. The assistant
directors were able to develop their camera work,
learning how to focus on a particular object (such as
focusing on the artist). As the camera was different, the
assistant directors were able to expand their knowledge
of camera settings, allowing them to learn how to
change the settings of a different camera and also
exploring settings beside brightness and contrast.
MUSIC VIDEO-CANON DSLR CAMERA
CONTINUED

9. PHOTOGRAPHY-
SAMSUNG EK-GC100
For the photography, I decided to conduct my
own photoshoot/pictorial, which was located
outside, in Hollow Ponds. Through my long
experience of photography, I was able to produce
high quality images. A majority of the images
were extreme close-up shots, as well as mid-shots
of the artist. This was beneficial and
advantageous as the artist became the main
focus of the photos. A majority of the images had
a depth of field, focusing purely on the artist.
From photography, I learned how to capture
captivating images, with consideration to
capturing the location/surroundings and using
natural lighting to create a feeling of peace and
escapism. From photography, I was able to
experiment with different settings such as
aperture, EV (brightness) and shutter speed.

10. CAMERA EQUIPMENT &
LIGHTING
For our music video shoot, we used a tripod in order to make the camera stable for shots of the artist lip-syncing,
focusing on her facial expressions and hand gestures. There were minor difficulties when attaching the camera onto
the tripod, however as we took part in more shoots, we were able to learn how to attach it. In addition to a tripod,
we also an LED light that can be attached onto the camera. This allowed dark locations to be brightly lit, creating our
desired lighting and the feeling we wanted to create for the viewers/audience. We also used a lens hood. From using
the lens hood, I learned that the lens hood prevented lens flares and prevented damage to the lense. We also used
the lights from our phones during scenes in the forest, as the LED light belonged to our director, who was not
present during the shoot.

11. EDITING
Photoshop was the Adobe Program used to create our print products. I
had maintained prior knowledge and experience of Photoshop from my
AS music magazine, so using Photoshop again was not difficult or time-
consuming. I had produced the layouts for my print products on
Photoshop, prior to producing my print products, so I was able to reclaim
the skills I had learned. I had also created a Photoshop file of all the
potential fonts I wanted to use for my print products. With my print
products, I learned skills that I had not learned last year, such as the need
to delete unnecessary layers and I learned more about dimensions and
measurements of my print products, something I had experimented with
independently. I also experimented with effects that can be applied to
fonts, such as the gradient on font, which is something I did not know
how to do previously. In addition to using Photoshop, I also used
applications such as POCO Camera and Beauty Cam. Beauty Cam was
used to airbrush and remove any imperfections from the artist's face, as
well as brightening the artist's eyes. From prior use, I have learned to edit
the artist's face in a way that maintains her natural beauty, without
making her look overly edited. As for POCO camera, I learned how to edit
my photography by which I have learned how to make the depth of field
increasingly blurred and I have learned how to apply effects to my
images. I had used POCO camera for my AS Media Studies, however
through application updates and improvements, I had to learn the new
editing the application offered.

12. FINAL CUT PRO
We were able to edit our music video through Final Cut Pro. I had briefly used Final Cut Pro but I remembered
how the program worked, such as how to render a scene from the music video and how to cut a scene
(pressing I for In and O for Out). From using Final Cut Pro, I was able to learn how to add effects to our music
video, such as slow motion, learning how to adjust the speed of a clip as well as how to increase the speed. In
addition to slow motion, I also learned how to add effects such as Bad TV and I learned how to add transitions
such as Fade and Cross Dissolve. Using Final Cut Pro was simple and I was able to edit with ease. However,
after uploading and watching the music video on YouTube, I noticed that despite Final Cut Pro showing us that
every shot frame and transition had been rendered, there were scenes that had not been rendered properly.
This was due to the iMac being unable to identify the clip, possibly due to some clips being from our director's
camera. Fortunately, the minor issue was solved through the help of a member of staff, who taught me that
the solution was to find the original clip and render it again. This was not time-consuming and enable our
music video to look professional once again.

13. SOUND
Through Final Cut Pro, we were able to remove the original
audio of the scenes and add Sia's "Eye of the Needle". This was
done by which our director downloaded the song and brought
it in with a USB stick. During filming, we played the song on
the cast member's phone, as she had already downloaded it.
The song was played close to the camera, in order for us to be
able to match the lip-syncing and performance elements with
the song on Final Cut PRO.

14. EVALUATION
Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software. I enjoyed using Prezi due
to the wide range of themes to choose from, enabling me to present
my work in a entertaining manner, without boring the audience.I used
Prezi due to the software being free and accessible, as it can be
downloaded through the App Store. Using Prezi was simple, and
enabled me to include a large amount of text and images, improving
the visual aspect of my presentations.Prezi lets me zoom into text and
the lack of transitions is something that contrasts from other
presentation softwares. Prezi was used frequently, such as: the case
studies for the preparatory task, the Research and Planning for the
Moving Image Work, the Treatment for our music video, the Proposal
Pitch for my CD Digipack and Advertisements, Location Recces, the
Research and Planning for the CD Digipack and Advertisement, my
evaluation plan and the evaluation itself.
Wix.com is a cloud-based web development platform. This year
was the first time using Wix.com and I really enjoyed how there
was such a wide range of website styles to choose from. I liked
how Wix.com contrasts from the presentation softwares I have
used and I like how you can add effects to the text (such as Fade In
and Slide In), creating a professional look to the website. I also
liked how there is such a wide range of additional features you can
add to your website, such as a gallery, buttons to change to
another page and even social media logos, allowing me to link my
Blogger to the website. I have also included the logos of other
social media networks as I have made my website look like the
website belongs to an artist, which is another advantage of using
Wix.com-it allows you to modify and change your website as much
as you want.

15. Similar to Wix.com, this was my first time using PowerPoint Online. In contrast to PowerPoint,
PowerPoint Online offers themes that are more appealing, as well downloadable themes, which are
free. However, despite offering interesting themes, PowerPoint Online offers less transitions and
animations, in contrast to PowerPoint, which has less themes, but more animations and transitions,
resulting in less movement and making the presentation less appealing. I liked how PowerPoint Online
automatically saved my work for me and enables me to save a copy of my presentation to my
OneDrive and on my computer, avoiding the problem of losing my work. Additionally, I am able to
access PowerPoint Online on the Internet, without having to download anything, making it accessible
and free.

16. Blogger is a blog-publishing service. Prior to AS and A2 Media
Studies, I had used Blogger before, so all that was necessary was
to apply my previous skills. Blogger was used to publish the
progress of the content I had created such as the music video,
the CD digipack and advertisement and my case studies. I
enjoyed using Blogger, as it enabled me to reflect on the
progress I was making, and enabled me to keep in track of what I
had to do, as it showed the posts and if I notice anything that
needs to be posted or hasn't been posted, I am able to type a
blog entry. Additionally, I really like how Blogger enables you to
customise your blog, through the background, the colour
scheme and fonts of your blog. This makes your blog fun to look
at, and can make blogging a more entertaining activity. It also
creates a personal feel to the blog. Furthermore, I appreciate the
accessibility of Blogger, as I am able to blog through the Blogger
app, letting me make note of the progress I have made with my
work.
Leyton Media Hub enabled me to gain access into the
blogs of previous Media students. By having access into
these blogs, I was able to gain inspiration from what they
had included in their work-an exemplar of what to include
in my own work. For example, I was influenced by how
students had created physical albums by printing their
albums.This inspired me to create a physical album, with
minor changes and giving the album a different look. I
was also influenced by the structure and quality of their
work.