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

Through out my media course I have used various forms of technologies in the construction, planning and evaluation stages.

The new technologies available to us now such as the Media 2.0 has enabled me to firstly research into already existing artists and their products and then go on to learn about certain conventions of digipaks and music video's in order to create my own products and using the technologies available to me in a more professional manner.

Before I'd even began the initial planning stages, new technologies available to me helped me in choosing and finding an unsigned artist, due to the Media 2.0 and thanks to sites such as Myspace, which allows unsigned artist's to freely upload their music onto the internet and promote themselves, without the help of a record label.

There once was a time when the media and music industry was controlled by record labels and there for what we could listen to and also distribute ourselves was controlled. In order to create a video or record your own music you required expensive equipment which only the professionals could afford. These days anybody is able to record a video of themselves using phones, camera's or even just web cams. These videos can then be freely and easily distributed globally on sites such as You Tube where home made video's can be viewed by the general public.

Because of the media 2.0 era, unsigned artists are able to create, promote and distribute their own music without the help or need of a record company. This can then be similarly uploaded onto the internet for download, so now audiences are less passive and more active as we are able to choose what we want to watch/listen to.

I was able to find my chosen artist 'Gorge Clarke' on 'Myspace.'

http://www.myspace.com/gcaoa

(above is the site I discovered him on)

One of the first technology related tasks I did was to link my phone up to my college outlook web mail, which meant that I could update my calendar and make notes using this application whilst outside of college and on the go.

Using outlook web I set up a calendar for the months of November and December and used this calendar for my planning, filling it up with tasks I had to complete and the deadline for these.

Here are screen shots of my calendar for each month and also a task screen screen shot which is were I would write my description of the task in further detail.

When I knew the type of music I would be using I was able to research further into this genre, which in my case was folk/acoustic music.

Using Google/Google-images I was able to see already existing folk artists and their products, such as their own digipaks and any music video's they had.

From this research I was able to develop my own idea's using what I'd learnt from my research and taking into account the features included in them.

Once I had completed my research I was then able to start drawing up some of my initial idea's and sketches and then present them on prezi.com, a website on the internet which allows you to create on-line presentations.

This is a screen shot which shows some of my designs and my write up on each sketch.

Once my research/planning for my ancillary texts was complete I was able to go about creating them. To do so I photographed my model using a Nikon D60 camera which enabled me to be creative with the different settings available to me.

One aspect of photography I was interested in using was the depth of field setting. I wanted to create a shallow depth of field in my photographs but I had to learn how to using a coke bottle in my classroom.
This is an example of Technological determinism, which is where society's technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural views. Some would argue that because I knew this technology was available to me I'd use it and there for in some cases determined what I aimed to create, but I feel that I more carefully used the technology available to me to create the product which I wanted, there for helping me be more creative with my photography and not just using the straight forward settings.

This prezi presentation shows how I used technology in the creation of my print tasks. Using all this technology available to me I was able to create a more professional looking product and make them look coherent, as the professionals do in the industry. I was also able to experiment a lot more with the tools available for me to use. There for making me more adventurous and creative.

Again the Media 2.0 played a part in the production of my ancillary texts as I was able to download a template of a digipak and then copy this straight to adobe photoshop were I could start layering my photo's and text.

When it came to the planning of my music video again the Media 2.0 played a part as I was able to research into already existing music video's suitable for targeting a folk/acoustic audience.

I was also able to use YouTube to research time-lapse video's on rotting apples. This was a feature I wanted to use in my video and the Media 2.0 enabled me to see how to create a time lapse video and also watch them to see if they would be a creative feature to add.

Here is an example of a video I found on YouTube

Using Adobe Premier Pro I was able to create an animatic story board using sketches for each frame which I hand drew. Using this piece of software I was able to take photographs of these drawings and open them in Premiere Pro where I could also import an MP3 of my chosen song and create a draft of how my music video will look, using drawings instead of footage.

Here is my animatic storyboard. Because of the technology available to me I was able to create a draft video which would give me an insight into how my finished product will look. Without this technology I wouldn't have a rough idea of how this would look.

I also had a miming lesson with my chosen model. I was able to do this using the Media 2.0 through the social networking site Myspace which offers me the free listening to my chosen songs on my artists music page. Having this available to me allowed my model to practise miming and improve this before the actual filming. It also helped to boost his confidence.

For the actual filming of my music video I used a Panasonic DV camera. I could on this create focus pulls, linking into the idea of the shallow depth of field in my photographs for my ancillary texts. I used this technology available to me in order to create the image I wanted which was the sense of a dream like state of mind, where all is not as it seems for my model.

To edit my music video I used Adobe Premiere Pro, where I had a vast array of editing options available to me, which again helped to boost my creativity.

I was unaware you could layer two pieces of footage and change the opacity.

Below is a section of my music video where this is clearly demonstrated.

Finally I have used Blogger on the internet to create a series of blogs throughout my media course, for the planning/research stages, actually putting my finished products on the blog for marking and to create my evaluation.

For my evaluation I have again used the Media 2.0 in order to upload both my ancillary texts and finished music video in order to receive audience feedback. Without the Media 2.0 I would be able to get audience feedback so easily, as facebook enables my friends on my site to watch my video and comment easily.

I have also used my camera to record video's of audience feedback and them upload them onto YouTube and embed them in my blogs as well as using prezi to present some questions.

Because of the technology available to me such as the Media 2.0 I was able to do extensive research into my products in order to learn about the features included them so I could then include them in my work and create an over all package with a much more professional outcome.

Thanks to the recording equipment available to me I was able to record footage of a decent standard and quality and then go onto to edit this footage on advanced editing software. Without these forms of technology I wouldn't of been able to a: create a professional, creative looking package, b: research into existing products in such detail and finally c: make my work viewable by my audience easily.