Evaluation question 4
- 1. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
- 2. We used various different media technologies to create our final video and ancillary products.
- 3. YouTube played an important role in both the research and production stages of our project. We used YouTube in the research stage to watch videos from Avril Lavigne, this came in handy when we were deciding what we should incorporate in our music video, YouTube gave us the opportunity to watch various videos on repeat to fully get the picture of what the typical conventions of an Avril Lavigne video included. During the production stages of this project, we used YouTube to post our video drafts online to get feedback from viewers. This came in handy as there were a few vital points made by viewers, that, when corrected, made our video better and easier to understand and watch. After posting our finished video on YouTube, we received many great responses from people, commenting on what they liked about it, thus helping us in our evaluation stage of the project.
- 4. Blogger was probably the most used technology throughout the entire project. We all used blogger to present our work. Throughout the different stages in this project I have learnt how to effectively use the different tools on this website to present my work in a more appealing and easy to read manner. We were given the choice of either Blogger or Tumblr, the site we used last year. Looking back I am glad that I chose to use Blogger, as it is a lot simpler to use, and I haven’t had as many problems with Blogger this year as I did with Tumblr last year.
- 5. We used Photoshop for the production stage of our project. The final Digipak and advert were both created using the various tools of Photoshop. Using this particular technology proved difficult at first, as none of us really knew how to use Photoshop, but after a few lessons we managed to grasp it and produced our final products. Photoshop gave us the tools to manipulate our images any way we wanted to, which made it easy to experiment with ideas and try a few different styles before we decided on the one that fit the type of genre we chose.
- 6. Google proved to be a very important tool to us throughout the process. We used Google in all aspects of our project. In the research stage, we used Google to search information about different artists, so that we could chose one that we all liked, then we used it to find out information about that artist, for example the music genre, target audience, albums and songs etc. We also used Google in the planning stage of the process, searching different Avril Lavigne albums and videos to give us an idea of what they look like, so that we may incorporate it into our own products. We used Google maps in the production stage, as we were searching for locations we could use to film, but to also find directions to our locations, as some members didn't know how to get there.
- 7. SurveyMonkey was a helpful tool in the processes of our project. We used SurveyMonkey originally to send a questionnaire out to find out about Avril's fanbase, to generally find out more about them. This made it easier for us to choose an appropriate song and start thinking about what we are going to do for the video. During the planning stage, we sent out another questionnaire to the same people, asking them more specific questions about what they would like to see in a Digipak and a video. We used their responses as a guide as to how we should create our products so that they appeal to our target audience. We sent out our final questionnaire during the production stage, to find out what people thought of the video so far, and what improvements they would make. This proved very helpful in tweaking our video to make it that best it could be and also make it appealing to our target audience.
- 8. We used a group member video camera to record footage for our video. We chose this over the cameras provided at college because Chris knew how to work his camera to get the best quality footage we could, instead of having to learn how to use the ones at college which would have used up valuable time. Chris also knew how to frame the shots so that they could be edited easily, and to give us the best shots we could get. The camera was an essential piece of technology in the production of our music video.
- 9. Our mobile phones came in very handy during the planning and production side of the project. We used our phones to keep in contact when we were out of college, if one of us came up with a good idea, or if we weren't sure on something we could get in contact quickly without having to wait until we were in lesson again. During the filming, I used my IPhone to play the song for the actress who played Avril in our video. This helped her with the timing of the song so she knew when to start singing so it was in sync with the actual song. We also used my phone to conduct interviews with people about Avril to get more research.
- 10. For our group, we felt it was important to find the right font to use on our Digipak and advert. We wanted to use a font similar to the one that Avril Lavigne has on some of her products, as it is well associated with Avril, so any of her fans who saw our products would know straight away that it was for Avril Lavigne. After looking on Microsoft word and not finding what we wanted, we went to Dafont.com, where we found the perfect font to use. This font fitted well with the genre and style of music that we were promoting, and was clear to read and understand.
- 11. To edit our footage, we used Sony Vegas, as a member of our group had used this before to edit footage, and was very confident in using it. We though that by using this, it would save time learning how to use a different format, and also we would get a better result using technology that we were familiar with. The editing software was perhaps the most important technology we used throughout the project, as we couldn't have produced our final film to the standard that we have without it.
- 12. Looking back on this project, I have realised how easy it is to forget about all the different technology we need in order to make our products. The technology we had around us made it quick and easy to access information, or edit our images and film. Without the aid of all the technology we had, I doubt that we could have made a product that is up to the same standard that we have produced with technology.