EVALUATION QUESTION 4

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH:To keep all my work and research in one place, I used my experience from last year’s coursework and used Blogger. I was able to differentiate between composing posts and using the HTML option in order to embed videos in certain posts. For example, for my music video analysis I embedded the music video I was analysing in order to reference specific parts and examples. I also knew from previous experience how to import JPEGS and alter the size and position of them on posts. Due to this, I decided to complete my advanced portfolio on blogger instead of another blogging software such as wordpress. Blogger also allowed me to save posts as drafts and edit them before I published them but more usefully, I learnt to change the time and date of posts which meant I could set my posts in a logical order.

Other key softwares and hardware used in the preliminary research stage were world wide video hosting site Youtube, international search engine Google and social media sites, in particular Facebook.

Youtube enabled us to conduct research into various different music videos, particularly from indie bands. The vast array of videos on Youtube meant that we could conduct detailed research into many existing music videos, meaning we could identify clear conventions for the genre. Google enabled us to conduct research into the band itself, as we felt that understanding the background of our band may help us create a more authentic product. Google also allowed us to research into the record label ‘Rough Trade’ and the audience of The Libertines. I also used Google images to find existing digi-packs and magazine adverts as part of my preliminary research.Facebook was used as a means to communicate between members of the group, which was useful to discuss research and organising filming days. I also used the Facebook messenger to share either my survey and products as a means to collect audience feedback,

MARKET/AUDIENCE RESEARCH:The first thing I did after my preliminary research was to research existing indie music videos and magazine adverts. To do this, I used Youtube and Blogger again, but I also used Power point and hosting software SlideShare. This meant I could record my work in a different, more visual way. I also used powerpoint hosting site Prezi as this meant my research was presented in a more varied way. I was also able to insert powerpoint slides into the Prezi which meant that I could record more information in the otherwise small boxes. I used the Snipping Tool to collect screenshots and saved them as JPEGs in order to be able to insert them into my presentations. I also embedded the HTML codes into blogger in order to be able to access the music video directly from my blog.

I then began my audience research. To start, I posted a survey on survey hosting website Survey Monkey. This allowed me to post an interactive survey and also showed me my results in a visual way with pie charts and bar graphs. I also filmed an interview with a member of my class in order to collect some more detailed feedback. This meant I had both quantitative and qualitative I then edited it on premier after importing it by using the SD card and card reader. I then exporting the video and saved it as a MPEG file and uploaded it to a Youtube channel. I then evaluated my audience research using powerpoint and slideshare and could then see what we needed to include in order to appeal to our target audience.

PLANNINGI then began the planning stage of my advanced portfolio. To start my planning, we decided to search for locations that we could use in our music video. To do this I used the software Google Maps. This allowed us to enter the potential locations into the search bar and see satellite images of the location using the street view function. Using the direction arrows meant that I could view the location from different angles. This meant that we could come up with more informed ideas for the shots we were planning.

Although we did our storyboard, magazine advert and digi-pack plan by hand, we had to usehardware in order to be able to upload it onto our blogs. To do this, we used the scanner in the library as when we scanned them in, they were sent directly to my gmail account. I then forwardedthe documents to the other group members and we were then able to upload these onto our blogs.

Another software I used in the planning process was Gmail. This allowed us to send pictures and attachments to each other within the group, as well as enabling us to contact people for permission, for example the record label and the people in charge of Olympia Leisure in Scarborough.

Another software that I used in my foundation portfolio as well as this year was Microsoft Word. I did not use this as much as Microsoft Powerpoint as it is not as easy to upload to blogger. However, a document can be uploaded as a JPEG by using the Snipping tool and exporting it as a JPEG and then uploading the images to blogger. This is what I did in the planning stages to complete the risk assessment. Word is an effective software to use when creating longer documents.

We used Photoshop in a more varied and complex way when completing our magazine advert and digi-pack in the construction stage, but I used my basic knowledge of creating mock ups on photoshop to create the poster used for the props. For this I simply inserted images and fonts and layered them over one another. This is because the poster did not need to as intricate as the advert or digi-pack and we didn’t need to edit any photographs, so we used our basic knowledge in the planning stage to quickly make up the poster.

CONSTRUCTIONThe construction of our music video would not have been possible without the use of hardware. For our filming, we used a Canon 600 DSLR and a tripod. Although my experience of using a camera is limited, I was able to set it on the correct settings using my experience from last year. I was able to swap between photo and video mode. However, a member of our group had more knowledge using a camera with her being a photography student. This meant that she was able to change more complex settings. For example, when we first got to Scarborough and went to film our panning, establishing shot, we found that the natural light was too bright. This meant that she adapted the ISO in order for the lighting to be a more desirable level. We also encountered this problem when filming in York as it was too dark, I then had a go at changing the ISO to make sure the actors can be seen in the shots without manipulating the light. The tripod allowed to use camera movement such and panning or even still shots, without making the quality too shaky and unprofessional.

To create the magazine and digi-pack, I developed my skills that I gained using Photoshop last year. The first stage was to edit the levels of the image and change it to greyscale, because my magazine cover was black and white, it meant that I already knew how to do this. I used most of the skills that I gained last year to create the advert and digi-pack, as the process is similar to creating a magazine cover. For the digi-pack, I imported a example digi-pack format and set it as the background, meaning I could stick the the correct measurements for an authentic digi-pack. I used the font website DaFont to download the fonts to use as the text on the cover. I then used the software Run to be able to use these in Photoshop.

CONSTRUCTIONTo edit the music video, we used Premier. We the knowledge and skills from editing our audience research videos, which meant we were able to import clips and cut them. However, one thing we learnt through our use of Premier was how to adjust the level of brightness on individual clips. This was extremely useful to us as we found in editing that some of our clips were either too light or too dark.

We then uploaded the video onto Youtube and shared the link on our personal social media sites, particularly Facebook Messenger in order for the video to reach a wider audience and receive feedback.

EVALUATION For my evaluation, I used the same software that I have been using throughout my coursework, Word, Powerpoint and websites such as prezi or slideshare. However, one software that I did not used until the evaluation stage was iMovie. This was used on my personal laptop when filming videos for my audience feedback. This is very different to using Premier, meaning I often had to use Google to research how to do things such as cut in the middle of clips. However, using iMovie meant that I was able to present my audience feedback in a more visual manner than just written text. Clearly labelling my posts on Blogger meant that it was simple to refer back to previous posts.

To conclude, I feel that throughout my advanced portfolio in media studies, I have both used and enhanced my technological skills. I feel that throughout my coursework I have demonstrated my skills in various softwares and hardwares.