Note to the Moderator

 Dear moderator, welcome to my blog. Please use the labels on the right hand side to navigate my work. Work has been split into three main categories; Research and Planning, Product, Evaluation. I hope you enjoy reading through my coursework journey. 

The Vaccines I Always Knew (Final Video)

Ancillary Texts (Digipak and Advert)



Digipak

Front and Back cover of booklet

 

 

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

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

During my coursework I have used numerous different methods of technology, with a lot of them being used in conjunction and to complement one another. The availability of such technology has aided every part of my work and enabled its completion to be of a higher standard than if such elements weren’t available, as well as making it more efficient.

The main base for all stages of my coursework (a central hub as such) is Blogger, the Google powered blogging website. I had previously used it for my AS coursework so quickly re-familiarised myself with its settings and had no trouble with using it as a basis for my work. It enables me to post work in a variety of formats, as well as allowing users such as my fellow peers to comment upon my work, something which is vital in such an audience focused task. Moreover as I have briefly touched on the beauty of Blogger is its ability to incorporate many other programmes and presentation formats. 

A lot of these formats allow me to present work differently but also in a way that looks professional and modern. The first of these is the video production site Animoto. By a free sign up you are able to create short 30 second features of your own chosen content. I used this software to display various mood-boards of styles I wanted my artist and video to incorporate, by adding images words to explain my ideas. I was also able to add music of my choice and choose a pre-created style to my Animoto, giving it a professional edge. I was able to create this Animoto’s quickly but they still looked well designed, whilst the website is very well laid out and simple to use.

Another format is Scribd, which allows you to upload Microsoft Word documents to your blog, by using their website. It is less aesthetically pleasing than something like Animoto, but allows you to fully maintain the format you have used in word. I used this for uploading analysis grids and items of more detailed text, as well as mood boards of album covers. Like Animoto it is really simple to use and doesn’t require you to sign up, which is an added bonus.

As I said both methods can then be displayed on my blog, which is achieved by the copying and pasting of the items embed code. Such a process is again easy and makes my blog more diverse than if it was just post after post of text, with accompanying images. This for me highlights the benefit of using Blogger as it allows you to use its software as well as others to display your work professionally and uniquely. These were invaluable especially in the planning stages as they presented my ideas and inspirations accurately.

I also used email to help my work, it didn’t directly complete any tasks for me or appear on my blog, but in the background it was vital. Things such as transferring pictures and word documents to then be displayed on my blog would not have been possible upon without Hotmail. Whilst I could also contact my teacher out of school hours which aided the efficiency of my works completion. During my work the transferring of information was also achieved by saving items to a USB and then using them on different computers. This meant I was able to complete work in a variety of locations and not just at school because of such technology.

Similarly to email Twitter meant it was possible to contact my teacher instantaneously between the Media Departments account, if I had any technical difficulties or questions. This meant without having to be with them I was able to get support and advice, which without such technology would be impossible. Also with Twitter on my phone I was able to make contact at any location, further enhancing the ability to complete tasks coherently, which was vital in construction stages when deadlines were set.

Briefly mentioned there was the use of a phone in my coursework. Using my iPhone 5 I was able to take photos of ideas I saw and then email them to myself for later use/reference, as well as using the Safari internet browsing app to find out information when not at a computer, as well as arranging when to film my music video with my artist via text or iMessage. Such an instantaneous form of communication allowed me to undertake work out and about, such as sending emails and smaller tasks, something not possible without such technology- as well as making the research sectors of my work a smoother process. 

Moreover using the music on my iPhone/iPod I was able to choose a song for my video after careful consideration of many songs. The technology on hand meant I was in the position to jump between songs. If we go back 10 years I would’ve had to complete (what is now a simple task) by playing CD after CD to find an appropriate track, highlighting the benefit of such technology.

The majority of the technologies looked at above were predominantly used in the research and planning stages of my coursework, whereas the following pieces were only used in the production stage.

I used the Digital Still Camera to capture photos for my booklet (inside my digipak). The camera provided me with high quality photos, as well as the option to utilise all typical camera settings such as zoom, flash and red eye removal. As a result because of its similarity to cameras I have previously used it took no time getting used to. It sounds crazy but as little as 15 years ago, digital cameras were very expensive and most people used cameras with films, which then took time to be processed before creating physical photographs. Therefore without digitalised image files such a task would’ve proved both time consuming and costly, which would’ve been the same scenario regarding the transferring of footage from a video camera.

Such photos were used on Adobe Photoshop for their inclusion in my booklet. Photoshop is a programme I had used during my AS coursework so it was just a case of carrying on with my knowledge I had gained last year. Moreover Photoshop was ideal for designing my digipak as I was able to add shapes, selected fonts and images, as well as incorporating a digipak template to make my work as authentic as possible. Without the use of such software producing both the digipak and poster would’ve been tricky as no software has as many capabilities and a tools, therefore having it on hand was vital to making my work a credible success. One final thing is that my files from Photoshop could be converted into Jpeg image files, allowing them to be uploaded onto my blog quickly and smoothly for display.

For filming my music video I used a HD Video Recording Camera, as this offered the best quality picture available to me. The zoom maintains the resolution, whilst the camera itself is user friendly as well as being the same as the one I used in preliminary tasks. It also has a playback option to review recently filmed pieces, making filming out and about easier. Whilst as mentioned with the Digital Still Camera the modern technology makes conversion of files far quicker.

This camera was then used in conjunction with the editing software Final Cut Pro. I had used the software before but only briefly, so in some respects it was a bit of a learning process. However I got to find the programme easier to use every time I did so, as well as discovering all manner of tools at my disposal for editing my footage. The only slight problem with Final Cut Pro was the importing of my clips as the files were not accepted. As a result I downloaded some software which enabled me to convert my files from MTS to quick time player files. These then loaded into the programme and no further issues were found.  Finally the completed video could be easily uploaded to YouTube and then embedded onto by blog.

The overriding feel from the conclusion was that the whole process would’ve not been possible to complete to the standard that can be achieved with all the technology at my fingertips. It speeded up all sections and elements of the coursework, but more importantly maintained a professional and authentic finish to my work.

EVALUATION 3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

EVALUATION 2. How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product and Ancillary Texts?

EVALUATION 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?