Tufan Butuner used various media technologies throughout the research, planning, and production stages of their music video project. During research, they utilized Google, YouTube, Weebly, Dropbox, Google Documents/Survey Monkey, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint to gather information and conduct audience surveys. In planning, they continued using these tools as well as Google Images, SlideShare, email, Photoshop, and their phone. For production, Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas Pro were used for editing, along with a Canon 550D camera, tripod, and Photoshop for post-production editing and creation of ancillary products like a digipak and website.

1. Q4: HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA
TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AND RESEARCH, PLANNING AND
EVALUATION STAGES?
TUFAN BUTUNER

2. RESEARCH
I will be thoroughly explaining what media technologies I have used during the research stage of my production.
Google/Internet – The main thing that allowed me to conduct my research was the internet. By using Google I was able to find
out new information for my production. From the internet, I was able to use websites such as YouTube as well as Google which
allowed me to find videos linked to my genre that gave me insight into what codes and conventions were required for our
video. The internet also allowed me to document my research onto my blog, which is extremely useful as it allows me to create
a portfolio of information I have found which helped me focus my research and look back at it when creating the music video.
YouTube – YouTube was my main resource during the research stage as it allowed me to analyse music videos from different
genres. This really helped me learn what codes and conventions belong to the genres and helped me decide which genre I
wanted to choose for my A2 production. Once I had picked the genre I wanted, I watched videos from my favourite artists and
was inspired by some of the shots/editing techniques in their videos. By using this website I was able to understand what goes
into creating a music video and what ingredients would be necessary to do so. I could have used other online video platforms
such as Dailymotion, however YouTube is the largest online video sharing website in the world which meant that I could find
more content from that website as opposed to others.

3. RESEARCH - CONTINUED
Weebly – Weebly is the website that I chose to display my advanced portfolio. This meant that all of the research I did would
be added to my website, this allowed me to put all of my research in one location and also allow others to see it. Weebly has a
simple website builder which was very easy to use while still looking professional, this allowed me to create my website to a
great standard and document all of my findings. I used Weebly at AS which meant that I had experience with it before, so using
it again this year was easy as I felt comfortable with the user interface and now that I had a better understanding of it, I was
able to produce more research than the year before.
Dropbox – I used Dropbox heavily throughout A2 in order to transfer the images and videos taken outside of school. Also if I
carried out any research from home I could easily upload it to my Dropbox and download it when I got back to school. The
reason I chose Dropbox was because I could not send the files through email as they were too large, so I decided to put them
on an online cloud from which I could collect at a later date from another location. Dropbox is also very useful in my research
stage as I upload all of my work onto it, so if I lose any of the research files, such as presentations or documents of research,
they will be backed up on Dropbox. This was crucial in the research stage of my production as it allowed me to store all of my
work in one reliable location.

4. RESEARCH - CONTINUED
Google Documents/Survey Monkey – Using these websites were essential in the research stage of our production as it allowed
me to carry out audience feedback. I used Survey Monkey at AS which meant that I was familiar with the way the website
functioned so it was very easy to use. I created a questionnaire at A2 and sent it out to the entire sixth form to find out my
target audience. I asked questions about their age, what genres they prefer, about our idea and how they listen to music. This
research was very beneficial for us as it was what allowed us pick the R&B/Hip-Hop genre. We were able to pick the minds of
our audience and find out what type of narrative they would have liked to see and whether our own idea was a good idea.
Again, without this information we would have not been able to successfully create our music video. We then used Google
Documents as we wanted to branch out and try new applications. Google Documents was also very simple and allowed us to
find out what the audience enjoyed about our production and what we could do differently in the future.
Microsoft Word/PowerPoint – Microsoft Word and PowerPoint were crucial during my research stage as it is where I chose to
carry out most of my research. I have used both applications during AS so I already had a clear understanding of how to use
them, so using them at A2 was easy and reliable. When typing up an essay (music video analysis), I would type it up onto
Microsoft Word as it has spellcheck and word count which I found very useful. I used PowerPoint to create presentations of the
research I did whether it was artist research or label research. This allowed me to create a professional presentation and
upload my research onto my website. By using these applications rather than just uploading this information onto my website
directly, it allowed me to have a backup, so if my website went down one day I would have the Microsoft documents stored on
my laptop (also in my Dropbox), which is extremely useful.

5. PLANNING
I will be thoroughly explaining what media technologies I have used during the planning stage of my production.
Google/Internet – Google and the internet in general was crucial in the planning stage of my production because by using
Google I was able to find out new information for my production. From the internet, I was able to use websites such as
YouTube as well as Google which allowed me to find videos linked to my genre that gave me insight into what codes and
conventions were required for our video. This is very useful as I could use the research I did and it helped me to find the
information I needed to plan for my project.
Google Images – Google images was heavily used in the planning stage as I used it to get images for my work. I used pictures all
over the planning stage, for example I used it to find images for my mood board, images of locations we wanted to check out,
and also when creating a presentation I would get images of logos etc. This has improved the quality of my work as I was able
to find images relating to my work and upload them along with my writing, which gives the reader insight into what I am
writing about. I chose Google Images over any other search engine as Google is the biggest and best search engine in the world
which means that I will comfortably find the images I need as the library is extremely extensive.

6. PLANNING - CONTINUED
YouTube – I used YouTube as a platform to upload my videos for planning. For example, I uploaded our music video pitch on
YouTube. I have been using YouTube for many years, in school and in my own time so I am very familiar with how it works so
using it across AS and A2 has been a very comfortable experience. I also used YouTube to upload our vlogs, like our storyboard
vlog and progression vlogs. It was very simple as I could upload all of these videos on one channel and easily locate them
whenever I choose to which is very useful. Also, YouTube videos are very easily embedded onto Weebly which is the platform I
used to create my website, so I could easily put my videos on my website once they were uploaded. The only issue I faced
when using it in the planning stage was the Lip Syncing video we made. We created a lip syncing video of our artist testing out
the song and singing along to it, we did this to see if it looked realistic, however I could not upload it to YouTube as we received
a copyright strike due to the song. This meant that we had to use Vimeo to upload our video.
Weebly – Weebly is a website builder which allows you to create a website with your own domain and own design. This is the
website I used during AS so I was already very familiar with how it worked at A2. On my planning page, I was able to implement
all of the planning we carried out, from the initial media pitch to prop and shot list. This was very useful as I was able to store
all of my planning onto one page. As Weebly has an option to upload documents, I did all of my planning (Prop List, Shot List,
Risk Assessment, Casting List) on Microsoft Word then implemented it onto Weebly. It was very easy to do and looked
professional which is exactly what I wanted.

7. PLANNING - CONTINUED
Microsoft Word/PowerPoint – Microsoft Word and PowerPoint were crucial during the planning stage as it is where carried
out most of my planning. I have used both applications during AS so I already had a clear understanding of how to use them, so
using them at A2 was easy and reliable. When creating a list, or storyboard I would do it on Microsoft Word as it has spellcheck
and I can easily create a table which was very easy to utilise. I used PowerPoint to create presentations of the planning I did
whether it was the media pitch or compiling my audience research into one piece. This allowed me to create a professional
presentation and upload it onto my website. By using these applications rather than just uploading this information onto my
website directly, it allowed me to have a backup, so if my website went down one day I would have the Microsoft documents
stored on my laptop (also in my Dropbox), which is extremely useful.
SlideShare – SlideShare is an online website that allows users to upload presentations they have created, hence the name. I
had used this website at AS to upload many presentations I had created on PowerPoint, so I already had an account and was
familiar with the website and how to use it. At A2, I uploaded all of my PowerPoint presentations onto SlideShare so that I
could embed it onto my website and also allow it to be public. However, one issue I came across with SlideShare was that it
does not lay out the presentations properly so some of the text is cut out or the images aren’t the right size, which is quite a
limitation for when I am uploading my work. This means that I may sometimes have to avoid using a presentation layout
altogether or upload images of the presentation by saving the PowerPoint in the ‘JPEG File Interchange Format’. This
automatically turns all of your slides into a .jpeg which saves you from screenshotting ever slide in your presentation.

8. PLANNING - CONTINUED
Dropbox – I used Dropbox heavily throughout A2 in order to transfer the images and videos taken outside of school. Also if I
did planning from home I could easily upload it to my Dropbox and download it when I got back to school. The reason I chose
Dropbox was because I could not send the files through email as they were too large, so I decided to put them on an online
cloud from which I could collect at a later date from another location. Dropbox is also very useful in my planning stage as I
upload all of my work onto it, so if I lose any of the files, such as presentations or documents, they will be backed up on
Dropbox. This was crucial in the planning stage of my production as it allowed me to store all my work in one reliable location.
Also, I could share the Dropbox account with my group, for example if we used Sezgin’s phone to record a vlog, he could upload
it to Dropbox and I could download and edit it when I got home from school.
Email (Outlook) – Email is a way of communication that I have been using for years, and am very comfortable with. Using this
to send and receive information is very easy to do and I can use my school email to contact my group/teacher when necessary.
At A2, we had to contact the artist and receive permission from him to use his song for educational purposes. Not only did we
tweet him, I also emailed his management team through my Outlook address. This was extremely useful as we could
communicate with each other during school and also get into contact with others when necessary. We would also use it to
share images sometimes, Dropbox doesn’t load on the iMacs at school so I would have to email my group member the images
we had taken.

9. PLANNING - CONTINUED
Photoshop – Photoshop is the best photo editor around, I have a lot of experience with it as I have also been using it since
GCSE Media. We used Photoshop at AS, as well as A2 as we needed to edit/create images for example we created our logo at
AS. More recently, at A2, I used Photoshop to create a digipak and website draft. I also used it to plan the merchandise on our
website. Using Photoshop allowed me to freely create images that helped me plan and produce our final product.
Phone – During the planning stage, we used our phone for many reasons. One of the main reasons we used them was to stay
in touch out of school hours, by using WhatsApp. We could arrange meetups and days we wanted to film and we could all see
how each person was progressing with their part of the project. Another reason we used it was for images, when we went out
for location scouting we would take pictures of the locations and send them to each other so that we all had a copy of the
images. Also we would take photos of the storyboards we created so that we could upload it to our websites. This was a very
useful device during the planning stage as we were able to stay in touch and do the work effectively.

10. PRODUCTION
I will be thoroughly explaining what media technologies I have used during the production stage and how it aided me when
creating our music video and ancillary products.
Google/Internet – Google and the internet in general was crucial in the production stage because by using Google I was able to
find out new information for my production. From the internet, I was able to use websites such as YouTube as well as Google
which allowed me to find videos linked to my genre that gave me insight into what codes and conventions were required for
our video. This is very useful as I could use the research I did and it helped me to find the information I needed to plan for my
project. By compiling all of the research and planning I had the tools required to create my video and ancillary products.
YouTube – I used YouTube as a platform to upload my rough cut and final cut. I have been using YouTube for many years, in
school and in my own time so I am very familiar with how it works so using it across AS and A2 has been a very comfortable
experience. I also used YouTube to upload our vlogs, such as our production vlogs that we would shoot at the end of every day
that we filmed. It was very simple as I could upload all of these videos on one channel and easily locate them whenever I
choose to which is very useful. Also, YouTube videos are very easily embedded onto Weebly which is the platform I used to
create my website, so I could easily put my videos on my website once they were uploaded. Additionally, YouTube can be
accessed from most devices, from desktops to smartphones to tablets. This meant that we were really maximising our
exposure by uploading our content on there.

11. PRODUCTION - CONTINUED
Final Cut Pro – The editing software that was used for the music video was Final Cut Pro. Dilraj did all the editing for our music
video, so I am not entirely familiar with the software. However, I used it quite a bit at AS so I was familiar with the software.
The software allowed us to add all of the transitions and effects that we have included in our video such as the blur effect
which matches the tempo of the song. The beat editing was done smoothly and Final Cut Pro had all the features necessary for
a music video. I believe the only issue is that Final Cut is an Apple exclusive software which means we could not edit at home,
which would have been beneficial as I could have been more of a help to Dilraj from home.
Sony Vegas Pro – I used Sony Vegas Pro to edit all of the vlogs, the production vlogs, Question 3 of the evaluation and all other
vlogs. I am quite confident with Sony Vegas Pro and have been using it in my own time and experimenting with it as I find it
enjoyable. Sony Vegas Pro is a top level editing software, however I could not use it’s maximum potential as I was only editing
small scale videos, but it got the job done.

12. PRODUCTION - CONTINUED
Canon 550D – This was the camera given to us by our teacher which was an excellent camera that allowed us to film our music
video in High Definition. A majority of our production, was done using this camera, during the final shoots we were able to use
the 750D (they were booked out hence why we used 550D instead). We had used the 550D during AS to create our film
opening, so I was familiar with the equipment. This allowed us to record our vlogs as well which was beneficial as we were able
to update our production diaries after every day. One issue we faced with the 550D was that the camera quality in the dark
was poor, and the shots were grainy on the big screens of the iMacs. This was an issue as a lot of our music video was in the
dark. We were able to reshoot some of the scenes with the 750D which can handle the dark lighting well.
Tripod – Along with the camera, we used a tripod to get still shots such as the time lapses. The tripod allowed for still shots and
the time lapse we shot in Old Street. Without the tripod, the camera would have been too shaky and the time lapses would
have been impossible. Also, the tripod allows for smooth panning shots whereas if we didn’t have the tripod it would have
been jumpy and unprofessional. Although we had a tripod, we mainly used the mid-shot that I filmed with the camera in my
hands.

13. PRODUCTION - CONTINUED
Photoshop – Photoshop was essential in the creation of our ancillary products. As I am comfortable with the software, I was
responsible for creating the digipak and making the website + the merchandise on the website. Using Photoshop I was able to
design all of the separate panels for the digipak such as the front, back, left, right and CD panel. I used images that I took of Raj
and imported them to Photoshop. After doing so, I flipped the image and cropped it in order to position him on the right side
of the panel. I also included some colour correction by making the image brighter through the Adjustments. I then added the
name of the album, ‘State of Mind’ and put the text near his head, with half of the word ‘mind’ behind his head. I believe this
was a good concept that I and Dilraj had thought of and without the use of Photoshop I would not have been able to do it. The
other panels also consisted of importing the photos that we selected of Dilraj, and adding text/images over it. I also used
Photoshop to create the design for the clothes on our website. I got images of tracksuit bottoms, a hat, a t-shirt and iPhone
cases. I made Raj his own logo, to fit in with the iconography that we wanted – Prayer Hands. Photoshop was essential in the
production of our ancillary products.
Overall, I believe that I have used many digital technologies and as well as using new technologies, I have come across new
technologies. Although it has been challenging at times, it has been a great learning curve and producing the Advanced
Portfolio has been entertaining.

14. EVALUATION
I will be thoroughly explaining what media technologies I have used during the evaluation stage.
Google/Internet – Google and the internet in general was crucial in the evaluation stage as it allowed me to gather images of
technologies I used and also access websites such as Prezi, SlideShare and YouTube to put my evaluation together. Without the
use of the Internet this task would have been impossible.
YouTube – I used YouTube as a platform to upload my final cut and all vlogs (including Question 3 of the evaluation). I have
been using YouTube for many years, in school and in my own time so I am very familiar with how it works so using it across AS
and A2 has been a very comfortable experience. It was very simple as I could upload all these videos on one channel and easily
locate them whenever I choose to which is very useful. Also, YouTube videos are very easily embedded onto Weebly which is
the platform I used to create my website, so I could easily put my videos on my website once they were uploaded.

15. EVALUATION - CONTINUED
Weebly – This is the website I used during AS so I was already very familiar with how it worked at A2. I have all of my work
featured on my website, including research, planning and production. In the evaluation section I have the four questions and
my answers to them. As Weebly is very easy to use I was able to store all of my stages onto separate pages and compile all of
the information according to the stage. Embedding onto Weebly is very simple and it is embedded perfectly with no issues,
which is beneficial as I answer all four of my questions using different platforms (Prezi, Canva, YouTube & this PowerPoint
presentation), so I can easily upload this to my website with no issues.
Prezi – Prezi is a website that allows the user to make interactive presentations, I have used this website previously at AS
during the research and planning stages. I believe that is different to other presentation websites as you can move around and
zoom in/out to whatever you want in the presentation. This is very beneficial as you can fit as much information into it without
having to worry about space. I used this website to answer Question 1 as it gave me the freedom to split up the sections
(cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing), and add lots of images to discuss what is I am discussing as I am comparing to codes
and conventions and real media texts.

16. EVALUATION - CONTINUED
Microsoft PowerPoint – Microsoft PowerPoint was crucial during the evaluation as it is the application I use to complete
question 4 of the evaluation. I have used PowerPoint during AS so I already had a clear understanding of how to use it, so using
it at A2 was easy and reliable. This allowed me to create a professional presentation and upload it onto my website. By using
this application rather than just uploading this information onto my website directly, it allowed me to have a backup, so if my
website went down one day I would have the presentations stored on my laptop (also in my Dropbox), which is extremely
useful. It was also beneficial during all the other stages (research, planning and production) as it helped me compile my ideas
into one document.
Google Docs – I used Google Docs to send out a questionnaire to the entire Sixth Form for Question 3 of the evaluation. I had
to carry out audience feedback and review peoples’ opinions. This will help me in the future as it will help me understand
where I went wrong and what I could avoid or do correctly. I previously used SurveyMonkey so I wanted to branch out and use
a different technology to expand my knowledge. It was simple enough to use and allowed me to receive useful feedback. At AS,
I had only used SurveyMonkey so by using Google Docs I wanted to have a different approach to all other groups at A2.

17. EVALUATION - CONTINUED
Social Media + Outlook – Using Outlook to send and receive information is very easy to do and I can use my school email to
contact my group/teacher when necessary. At A2, I promoted our music video via Twitter and Facebook to receive feedback
and get more people watching our video. This was extremely useful as we could communicate with everyone in school.
Without the use of social media and email I would not have been able to send my questionnaire out to an audience and
received feedback which would have prevented me from doing Question 3 of the evaluation. Social media was a good way to
promote our questionnaire as our target audience are mostly on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and WhatsApp which allowed us to reach as many people as possible.
Dropbox – I used Dropbox heavily throughout A2 in order to transfer the images and videos taken outside of school. Also if I
did any work from home I could easily upload it to my Dropbox and download it when I got back to school. The reason I chose
Dropbox was because I could not send the files through email as they were too large, so I decided to put them on an online
cloud from which I could collect at a later date from another location. Dropbox is also very useful for the evaluation as I
uploaded all of my work onto it, so if I lost any of the files, such as presentations or documents, they were be backed up on
Dropbox. Also, I shared the Dropbox account with my group, for example Sezgin recorded Question 3 with his phone, and
uploaded it to Dropbox, so I signed in, downloaded and edited it. Without that it would have been incredibly difficult to
transfer files with ease as the devices in our school do not accept USBs/external hard drives.

18. EVALUATION - CONTINUED
Canva – I used Canva as it is another presentation website, the reason I used this rather than PowerPoint or Prezi is because I
wanted to use a different website altogether and branch out to more technologies. I had not used this website prior to this
evaluation which forced me to learn as I use it. I used it to answer Question 2 of my evaluation and liked the variety of
templates.
Sony Vegas Pro – I used Sony Vegas Pro to edit all the vlogs, the production vlogs, Question 3 of the evaluation and all other
vlogs. I am quite confident with Sony Vegas Pro and have been using it in my own time and experimenting with it as I find it
enjoyable. Sony Vegas Pro is a top level editing software, however I could not use it’s maximum potential as I was only editing
small scale videos, but it got the job done. Sezgin recorded Question 3 with his phone and uploaded it to Dropbox, which I
downloaded and edited at home using Vegas Pro.

19. CONCLUSION
Ultimately, I believe that the most important media technology was the internet as everything we used is
connected to it. All of the research and planning was due to us learning information about the music
industry through websites and articles which gave us the tools we needed. Without YouTube we wouldn’t
have watched as many music videos and really understood what codes and conventions belong to which
genre and we wouldn’t be able to create our websites on Weebly (or Wix for some) and use websites such
as SlideShare or Prezi. Also, over the course of the two years I have learned a lot and through trial and
error and am starting to understand what it takes for a production. Thank you for going through this
presentation.