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?
SIMISOLA ADEYEMI

INTRODUCTION:
DURING THE RESEARCH, PRE-PRODUCTION AND PRODUCTION AND
POST PRODUCTION STAGES OF MY ADVANCED MEDIA PORTFOLIO, I
USED SEVERAL FORMS OF TECHNOLOGY TO GATHER RESEARCH
AND INFORMATION IN ORDER TO PRODUCE MY FINAL PRODUCTS
WHICH INCLUDED A MAGAZINE COVER, FILM POSTER AND THE
TRAILER.
I ALSO USED VARIOUS PROGRAMMES, EQUIPMENTS AND WEBSITES
THAT ENABLED MY RESEARCH AND PLANNING PROCESS TO GO
SMOOTHLY. THESE USES OF TECHNOLOGY, PROGRAMMES AND
EQUIPMENTS MADE THE PROJECT POSSIBLE AND WITHOUT THE
EXISTENCE OF THESE THINGS, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT MY
PROJECT WOULD HAVE BEEN CREATED OR IT WOULDN’T HAVE
BEEN PRODUCED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD NECESSARY,
THEREFORE THE AUDIENCE MAY BE EASILY BORED.

STUPEFLIX
Stupeflix is a video maker I utilized during the planning process of my coursework. I
used this programme to create a video of my idea for the trailer plot. This website
helped me pitch my idea in an effective and simple way and I was able to share the
video with my partner. I aimed to be more creative in pitching my idea to my group and
this was a great and effortless alternative as opposed to using Adobe Premiere Pro.
The reason why I like this program was mainly because it allowed me to avoid any
unnecessary watermarks usually found in other video making websites that have not
been paid for.
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Social network sites such as Twitter and Facebook were limitedly used during this
coursework process. The only social networking platform I used was Twitter and the
reason why I used this was to get in contact with the company who distributed and
promoted the Beyoncé's song which was to be used in the trailer. Due to the fact that
we couldn’t contact them by email, my partner and I created a joint Twitter page in
order to gain permission to use the song so as to avoid any copyright issues.

WORPRESS:
AN IMPORTANT STEP THAT WAS NECESSARY FOR US TO TAKE WAS TO SET UP A BLOG
THAT WOULD ENABLE US TO BACKLOG AND KEEP TRACK OF OUR WORK THAT WE
INTENDED TO PRODUCE TO OUR TEACHER AND THE EXAMINERS. THE WEBSITE WE
FOUND BEST SUITED TO OUR NEEDS WAS - WORDPRESS
Setting up the blog’s page was quite straight-forward and simple. We had the choice to choose
any theme we desired. I chose the theme “Twenty-Twelve” simply because I liked how minimal it
was. The website permits anyone (mainly my teacher) to leave feedback on my work I have put
so far on the blog. Being the type of theme it was, it offered a plethora of features that I found
to my advantage. Features such as embedding and uploading videos and adding pictures.
Overall, the blogging site allowed me easy navigation and accessibility through my blog. It
also allowed me to upload all forms of work with several forms of media. Through all of this,
the website didn’t prove to be difficult and enabled the construction of my blog to be as
effective and successful as it can be.

PREZI & SLIDESHARE
The programs I used during my research, production and evaluation process included Prezi
and Slideshare. Prezi and Slideshare allowed me to produce and present my research in a
slideshow format. I used mostly Slideshare to upload evaluation and research such as my
dialogue script and character profile, done through PowerPoint. Likewise, I used Prezi to
make slideshows and presentations such as the analysis of existing film posters. I enjoyed
using both of these websites because it made my blog page and my overall research more
engaging and aesthetically appealing.

YOUTUBE
YouTube is a video uploading and sharing website. It offers a plethora of
videos that can be viewed from anywhere. I made use of this website a lot
for research. Firstly, I used it to research and analyse existing film trailers in
the hope to find codes and conventions that will apply to my trailer.
I also used YouTube to do more research around film trailers that were
already produced by other A2 Media students. Being able to look at other
media products from A2 students gave me guidance on what to do and what
to avoid repeating in my own project.
Finally, I used YouTube to share my trailer making it accessible to all and
sundry to watch and YouTube offers users the opportunity to leave
comments which may be prove to be useful for my trailer.

• I used Microsoft Word quite a lot from typing up my risk assessment to typing up
one of my evaluation questions. I used Microsoft Word to correlate all of my
research together. Microsoft Word incorporated features that allowed my overall
research to be presented in a professional way. I used Microsoft Word to construct
my questionnaires and survey and provide analytical and critical responses to
them.
• Microsoft Excel was instrumental in my research. Any written results accumulated
from surveys and questionnaires were converted to quantitative data in the forms of
graphs and pie charts on the software. I feel Excel is the best program for things
like this as the program is designed to organise and handle data helping to simplify
things for my use.
• Microsoft PowerPoint was the most utilized of all the software as I made
presentations on there to convert onto Slideshare. It also provided more themes
and features to work with and it made my research and presentation more
engaging.
MICROSOFT WORD, POWERPOINT &
EXCEL

Google is a search engine I have found myself to being very familiar
with over the past few years. Google can be used anywhere as long as
there’s connection to the internet. It is very quick and straightforward to
use. I used the search engine to research and develop any information
about codes and conventions, audience research and existing real
media products such as trailers and songs. Without the accessibility of
Google, I believe my project and research may not be as outstanding as
I may have wanted to achieve.
Overall, Google has allowed me to gain wider knowledge on information
that strengthened my coursework further.
GOOGLE

Communication is critical in group work. In order to communicate effectively, my
partner and I whatsapped each other. We created a group chat titled “Media
Coursework” which originally consisted of Jade, Reece and I. The departure of
Jade meant Reece and I were the only active participants left in the group chat. The
purpose of the group chat was to plan and discuss any group work that the other
individual may find difficult to approach or handle. Whatsapp was also used to get
in contact with our actors and actresses and find out about their availability
concerning filming.
Additionally, we used email to communicate as there were several other pieces of
group work that we needed to email to each other. We also used email in order to
contact artists in the hope to gain permission to use their music. However, the
remixed version of Beyonce’s Crazy in Love song proved to be difficult to find the
email contact of the people who distributed and promoted the song.
EMAIL & WHATSAPP

During the filming of our trailer, we used two different types of video camera.
The reason behind this was because whilst filming, the first video camera had a
low battery and died.
VIDEO CAMERA
This camera is a Canon 700D. It was lent to us by a friend when the first
camera’s battery died. She advised us that this camera will be better in terms
of achieving a more professional and high definition quality for our trailer. This
camera was also used to take a picture for the magazine cover.
The first video camera, a much smaller Canon camera was provided by the college
and was used to film a majority of the scenes implemented in our trailer which
proved effective in producing focused shots and high definition quality.
Both video cameras had similar features to each other. They both consisted of a
small screen that enabled the cameraman to see what is being shot or filmed.
They both had zoom levers that made it easy to zoom in and out during the
process of filming a scene. Both of the cameras were portable which meant they
were easy to transport to any location.

I used the scanner during my research and planning stages
and this was only used once. I used the scanner to scan my
storyboards onto the computer in order to produce my
animatic. It was a simple and effortless process.
SCANNER
I used Paint to save screenshots in a JPEG format so that I
could easily transfer images onto my blog.
PAINT

ADOBE PREMIERE PRO – FILM EDITOR
The use of Adobe Premiere was another
main piece of technology in my
construction stage. Premiere was the
program we used to edit all of our shots
together in hope to create a cohesive and
professional video. In comparison to Final
Cut (editing programme that was used last
year in AS), I found it to be very user
friendly and generic to use. The program
did not give us any trouble of any form and
was efficient in allowing my partner and I to
organize our shot and crop any excessive
piece of sound and scenes that were not
needed. It also gave us the opportunity
add any effects and filters we needed for
the trailer. For my trailer, I used a lot of
“Fade to black and Dissolve” transitions so
my scenes could integrate better, adding
continuity to my trailer. The programme
enabled us to darken the concentrated
light in the video so it could fit within our
intended genre.
All imported images, videos or audios
appear in this section of the page. Also
any title screens created are stored
here too.
This row of tabs incorporate provide
functions available to the user so that
they can create different effects and
make use of different features
provided.
These tools are available to edit
footage and audio. The razor tool
is used to cut out footage that’s
unnecessary and useless
This shows the footage on the top row
highlighted in blue and pink and the audio
is on the bottom row highlighted in the
green. This is where you can add and edit
footage and add effects and also add
songs etc.
This section
allows you to play
footage whilst it’s
been edited.

Similar to Photoshop, this is a
window that shows any product
added into the editing of your
project. Layers are added in
order for the user to easily
navigated and move them.
This tab gives the
option of using generic
fonts during the
process of editing
This also gives the
user more types of
fonts to texts added
to the project look
more pleasing. It
shows the way the
font will come out
when actually used
which is helpful for
someone who doesn’t
have much time to
test out all of them.

In order to create the magazine poster and cover, I used the software Photoshop to do so. The software
provided features that enabled my ancillary to look professional and presentable.
PHOTOSHOP
This tab bar enables you
to see all the projects
which are open and in
use in that moment. It is
extremely helpful
because you can drag an
image onto the page you
need in conjunction with
your project.
This is one of the most essential panel on Photoshop and it
can located on the left hand of the screen. These are the
basic features of Photoshop as this is where you can select
and add text onto your editing panel. It is where you can crop
any excess aspect of an image and also zoom in and out.
Overall, this panel is the basis of Photoshop and the user
must know how to handle this panel in order to succeed in the
use of Photoshop.
This is the editing
panel where the
image is created and
edited. I can as
many layers as the
page is willing to
permit.
Layers currently on the editing
panel are shown on the right
hand side of the page. Any
text, images or effects added
to the page will automatically
be appear there, allowing the
user full control on how the
page is constructed.
This row of tabs incorporates more features and
functions of Photoshop, enabling you to filters and
3D effects to your image.
The colour panel is also present on the right hand side
of the page, where the colour used on the page can
be controlled and altered. The option to change the
saturation and hue is amongst the options of functions
that can be used

Soundcloud was used in response to question one of the
evaluation questions. It is a user generated website that
allows the sharing, uploading and the distribution of sound. I
used Soundloud to upload and transfer a voice note of me
answering one questions – the sound was directly recorded
from my phone and transferred to the Soundcloud app.
I also used Souncloud because a lot of musically talented
people put their songs and productions on the platform to
promote themselves and I hoped I would gain access to a
sound that would be suited to the first part of our trailer.
SOUNDCLOUD

I used my smartphone, an iPhone, a lot during the duration of this
coursework. My phone was used for various reasons such as taking
location shots whilst planning and filming. I am constantly on the
move so anytime I couldn’t access a computer or a tablet, I used my
phone to gather more in-depth information.
They were times when I couldn’t attend my media lessons, so I
mostly emailed my teacher from my phone to inform her of my
absence.
SMARTPHONE

Using a tripod proved to be a necessity
as it allowed me to gain really stable and
coherent shots. I found that the tripod
helped in manoeuvring the camera safely
as long as the camera was tightly
screwed onto the plate of the tripod.
During the filming process, we used a
microphone attached to a boom pole so
that anything said while acting will be
picked up by the microphone. Another
form in which I used a microphone is
through the voice recorder in my phone
to answer evaluation question 1 and also
to record the voice over played at the
beginning of my trailer.
TRIPOD & MICROPHONE
The purpose of the
tripod plate is to hold the
camera in place and
prevent any shaking or
falling off during filming.
This helps in adjusting the
camera movement which I
found was helpful in filming
tracking and establishing
shots.
The small bolt allowed us
to modify the position of
the tripod when needed

IN CONCLUSION, THE USE OF MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT IN THE SUCCESS OF MY FINAL
PRODUCT.
I HAVE USED A RANGE OF DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES
DURING MY RESEARCH, PLANNING, CONSTRUCTION
AND EVALUATION STAGE. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE
MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES PROVED TO BE QUITE
DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH, I OVERCAME ANY DISBELIEF
IN MY ABILITY TO USE THEM AND IN TURN CREATED
EFFICIENT AND PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS.
CONCLUSION

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

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