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

• Wix: Wix enabled me to make a website that could organize my post into specific areas for example I used the tagging option to give posts tags that put them in specific groups. By doing this I was able to separate my work out enabling it to make it easy to understand what my post was about. However the problem with this was making sure everything was tagged and in the correct area as otherwise the post would not appear on my wall. Furthermore, each blog page could only have a certain amount of posts otherwise it would leave out the oldest post; this meant I had to manage each page in making sure nothing was taken off the page automatically. I was able to successfully have all my work on display and this has improved my organisation skills.

• SlideShare: I used SlideShare for one of my evaluation posts as it enabled me to present my work in different way instead of simply posting on the blog. This was very easy to use as I simply created a PowerPoint on Microsoft and then converted it on the SlideShare website. I did this with no problems. However on Wix I don’t have the option of posting URL’s on a post meaning I could only put the hyperlink to the post. Luckily you can still access the PowerPoint but I would of preferred to of had the slides directly on the blog.

• Mobile Phones: I used my mobile to take the photos during my test shots. Due to mobile cameras become so advanced, I was able to get a really good quality photo which I was able to edit on Pixlr after and give a god concept of what I was hoping to achieve on my blog. My camera was also used for the original photos for my digipak and poster, which went very successful s it, enabled me to edit he footage in great detail and not be limited through restricted quality on the picture.

• Apple Macs: I don’t usually apple macs through not having one at home and having them only available at school, this was a great difficulty when coming to the editing stage of my music video through having to get use to the controls. However by the end of my editing, I was developing my mac skills and able to use new tools and controls with ease.

• Digital Video Cameras:I used a digital video camera for my test shots to have an idea of what the forest would look like on video. I was to use the camera with ease through using it last year and I was able to film and upload footage quickly onto the macs. However the only problems with the small cameras unlike the SLR cameras is they are not the same quality meaning the test footage would be very different to the real music video footage. The camera however enabled me to enhance my camera skills and make it easier when using the SLR camera as they are similar to operate.

• Digital SLR cameras / other stills cameras: I used a SLR camera for my music video and it was very easy to operate through using the smaller camera for test shots. I had someone else film the music video as I was in the music video and they were able to easily use the camera. However the one problem with the camera was the difficulty in focusing it, it took sometime 30 seconds – 1 minute to focus which disrupted much of the filming schedule. Although the shots were clear and of good quality, it was very difficult to focus the camera wasting a lot of time. When uploading the footage, this was done very quickly through the test shots. Also I used a GoPro camera to film a Q&A on

an evaluation this was done very easily through being my own camera. Although a GoPro does not have a screen to look at whilst filming meaning I didn’t know if any parts of myself were missing in the shot and I didn’t know if I could hear myself through the small mic. Furthermore, you cannot go back over shots to see if they are good unless you plug the camera in meaning I was very lucky that the footage came out good.

• Final Cut Express: I used Final Cut for the editing part of my music video and this was very easy to use as it was the same program I sued last year for my AS work and I used the program for my test shot video. This made it very easy to use and not many problems occurred when editing. Last year, I had huge problems with sound but this year the song was the only thing playing meaning the sound did not matter in my music video this enabled the editing process to go very quickly. The only problem I had in editing was fitting all the footage together in what shot and making sure it matched the beat of the song otherwise it would be out of sync, the process did go successful in the end, however the process did take a long time. Luckily I film plenty of footage making it flexible in editing the footage together and not being restricted to a short amount of footage.

• Pixlr: Pixlr was used for the creation of my poster and digipak through images taken from my camera. This program can be found online and I have used this program before in the creation of a video game cover for my work last year. This enabled me to use the program with ease, especially with the number of editing tools available. I was able to create a professional looking poster and digipak. I made many different posters and digipaks to give me a choice in what poster I liked most, and to see what different ideas I could come up with the photos I has already taken. Using this program has helped me develop my skills in photo editing and using programs such as Photoshop.

• Live Type: Live Type was used for the creation of the titles in my music video; I used this program last year for my AS work meaning I was able to use the program easily. The only problem I had was making sure the titles appear on the screen for a long enough time which can only be done on Live Type but this made it difficult in knowing if it was too long or to short when importing it to Final Cut.

• You Tube: YouTube was used a lot in my research for my music video as I searched for music videos which I could analyse and use as inspiration for my music video. I was able to search for music videos of certain genres and artists making research link to my work. I was able to directly upload footage to Wix making it easy to be accessed when analysing the video in my blog.

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