The student used various online media technologies throughout the project development process. During research, they used the image search engine Zuula to find inspiration for themes and ideas. YouTube provided examples of music video formats and techniques. Digital cameras and editing software allowed flexible filming and editing. Photoshop was used to design the digital packaging and magazine cover. Evaluation involved sharing the final products online via YouTube, Facebook, and Blogger to gather feedback from friends within the target audience.

1. Question 4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

2. ‘Technology is advancing’, especially in the media, and the convergence of these technologies is making it easier for use to use them/ carry them around with us, making access to the media easier for every day life.

3. Research and Planning Stages… Primarily I was image search engines such as: Whilst looking for image search engines I came across Zuula, which was able to search multiple search engines at once and look at the results from each search engine in a simple format. So I used this to look for images that would help me with my mood board, to get inspiration for themes and idea across my media products. By the ability to easily search the internet, (even on my phone!) it has made research in general easier, as It not only saves me going through mountains of magazines/ articles/ newspapers. And it meant I could do my research where I ever I went and anytime. And using the same search engine (Zuula) I found the basic images that I found would work perfectly for my digi pack backgrounds. and I was able to use YouTube to watch many different music video’s for inspiration and information about format, shot ideas (angle/movement) and capture of the artist(s).

4. I used 2 video recorders to capture my live performance footage. (one static, and one to move about with.) The portability of these camera meant I could take them anywhere, and I was only limited to what the camera could do, which was more than adequate for me. For my stills that I used for my magazine cover I had access to the schools Canon. The Filming/ capturing bits…

5. Once I had my pictures from the internet and my footage, being all digital, it was easy to copy/capture the footage onto a PC using a range of editing software (not a huge range, but a range never the less) My digi pack was done at school, on Photoshop, using the pictures I got from the internet, and a frame taken from some footage that I took on the video camera. Photoshop allowed me to experiment with a combination of simple effects that helped me create the over all “Indie” feel… (the faces on the front cover were taken from a single frame and I used “pin light” so create a holographic style. Creating my magazine cover, I returned to the internet to research different magazines, and their layouts, fonts, styles and presentation. After gaining this knowledge and inspiration I got the pictures I needed with the schools digital camera and took it all home with me to my PC where I created my magazine cover on Photoshop elements. and because of the internet I was able to get my work from school to work on and save it onto my computer without the need of a USB stick. Editing… lovely, lovely editing…

6. Editing my footage was a long tedious process in it’s self, but would have been a lot harder if I was using negative film. Digital editing software (I used adobe premier pro as it was the program that school used) allowed me to easily find and sort through footage and cut up bits easily. And I had the ability to view what I was doing at the same time, making re-editing and making minor adjustments easier. It also allowed me to work with sound and footage separately, so I could move the footage to the sound, and get rid of unwanted sound. Without risking loosing footage that I wanted. Adobe premier pro also had a number off effects that I used to either link shots together on or to add the “holograms” or ghost like effects to some of the shots. However there was one section where I needed to impose a clip onto a screen. And I had a friend help me to work out how to do this on Adobe After effects. Then importing my finished scene into premier pro. More editing, fun, fun, fun!

7. I’ve decided to use a few ways in which to present my evaluation answers. One of the simpler ways I have chosen is to include visuals/ pictures that I print screened off YouTube and edited in Photoshop elements to make explaining a lot easier, saving paragraphs of writing. Prezi was another method that I chose to present my evaluation questions. Because I thought it was a more fun and visual way of showing things. And I used slide share to make this slide show for all to see… Evaluation stages

8. My video was then posted on YouTube, only seems right, where I cold then post it on that wonderfully addicting site “Facebook” along with my digi pack and magazine cover so I was able to gain feedback off my friends who are all within the age group of my target audience… What goes around, comes around… AND FINALLY I’m using Blogger To post all of my research, planning, ideas, stages and process's of my products, evaluation questions, and final products.