Question 3

During the research, planning, production and evaluation stages of our project, we used a wide variety of different technologies and equipment to make sure that both our music video and ancillary work is made in a way, which appeals to our target audience.

While we were still in the research and planning stages, we used a few Internet browsers such as Safari and Firefox. This enabled us to look at many already existing music videos on websites such as YouTube and Vimeo, make notes of the common aspects and conventions in the particular genre that we noticed in some of them and include those in our own music video to represent the genre (indie pop). But obviously none of this would have been possible without using computers, so they were probably the most important technology we used. We browsed through different pages and read information on other existing indie pop artists, which made us aware of the main elements.

We also used Google Maps and Google Images to research different locations where we could potentially film – I made a Gif using pictures of Richmond and showed it to my group and it is how we collectively decided we should film there. Following that, we used Google Images to find a particular cafe where we wanted to film based on its appearance, which was admittedly easier than actually going there in the cold weather and searching for hours for the perfect place to film. One incredibly important app that helped us with our organisation was WhatsApp – we created a group conversation including everyone from our group where we could discuss any issues and keep everyone updated. The alternative to this would have been text messaging, but WhatsApp was better as we were all able to communicate with each

other at once.

Another important technological device that we used was our hard drive. We were given one at the start of our project in order to be able to organise all of our files on there, rather than saving them in different folders so we wouldn’t misplace them. An advantage of this was that its capacity is very big and we were able to store many pictures and videos from our research and planning stage, as well as our actual footage and the final product. Furthermore, it’s portable which made it easy for us as we were able to use it on any computer without having to worry about where we had previously worked.

We used Blogger to keep track of the research and record our ideas. This helped us in many ways, as we were able to organise our project better by setting dates to complete different parts, creating brainstorms and putting links to a few music videos that inspired us. On my blog, I was able to be independent by working at home and organising my materials for the lessons such as planning the mise en scene which we were going to include in our final production. It was also useful to me because it helped me get into the habit of blogging regularly and organising my work in a digital format. I tried using a different type of technology in each one of my post including GoAnimate, PowToon, Voki and ZooBurst which were animation websites. To present images, I used Photosnack, Animoto, Kizoa and Photobucket.

What I enjoyed using the most, however, were Gifs. I found a website with different Gif reactions which I embedded into my blog. Then, I began making my own Gifs from pictures using a website for that purpose. I even managed to create a Gif out of a small clip from our footage which was hilarious – I then embedded that on my blog too. In terms of the more traditional presentation softwares, I used SlideRocket, Prezi, Power Point (which I had to import through Slide Rocket as .ppt files can’t be uploaded to the blog). My favourite type of technology to use on my blog was undoubtedly Glogster – the website provided me some really cool layouts to present my information.

Overall, blogging helped me develop my planning and research skills to a great extent and increased my level of creativity. Another software we used linked to our blogs was Mpeg Streamclip. We used it to convert our footage from Final Cut Pro into a different format, which is smaller and can be uploaded onto the blog more easily. From this I learned about some file formats that I wasn’t aware of before, which I will be able to use in the future. We did the same with our feedback as the size of the file was too big to be uploaded on the blog, so we converted it using Mpeg Streamclip. Another type of feedback I received was via email – I emailed my teachers JPEGs of my ancillary products and asked them to tell me what could be improved, which I found incredibly helpful. One other way in which I used my email was to ask for copyright clearance of my song so we could use it for our coursework.

The JVC cameras were one of the fundamental parts of the equipment that we needed to make our music videos. We used it to capture our footage, in a variety of ways such as high/low angle shots, close-ups, and location shots. They were all important aspects of our music video, which showed its genre and allowed the audience to gain a better knowledge of the artist as she isn’t well known yet. One of the benefits of using a professional camera was that we were able to apply the rules that we had learnt in class including the 180-degree rule and the rule of thirds. This made our music video seem a lot more professional, but this was also because we were able to focus the camera really well to show exactly what we wanted our audience to see. In addition to that, we were also able to capture the artist from different angles, track their movement and use good shot composition.

Following that, we began using Final Cut Pro to review our footage, mainly because it provided an easy way to see what we had shot and pick the specific clips that we wanted to use. After picking the right clips, we created the base tracks for each scene in the music video. Then we dragged other important parts of the footage to our timeline such as cutaways. We were also able to add effects, such as making colour corrections, changing the saturation, brightness and contrast in the shots that needed altering and to give it the overall vintage effect which we wanted. By using this program to edit, I realised how much effort it takes to make even one scene seem continuous. However, we overcame this challenge as we were working in a team and had different creative ideas. We were able to cut, re-arrange and select different parts of our footage to make sure it makes sense to the viewer even though the music video followed the disjuncture theory and there wasn’t a specific storyline.

In addition to that, we used another two types of recording devices – a still camera and a flip camera. With the flip camera we were able to record our teacher giving us feedback so that we can later go back to it and make the changes suggested. This enabled us to improve some aspects of our music video and make it seem more professional. On the other hand, with our still camera we took many behind the scenes pictures, in order to be able to document everything that happened while we were filming. This made me feel more creative as I was able to capture various different aspects of the process. The other way in which we used a still camera was to take pictures for our ancillary work. One interesting thing I learnt was that if we took screenshots from the actual video, the quality would be awful, therefore we had to go out and take pictures with an SLR camera. After taking 491 pictures, we discovered how much better the depth of field was when we used this camera as opposed to the one we used to film our footage. Just like with our footage for the music video, we continued following the rule of thirds so we had a good shot composition.

To edit my ancillary work I mainly just used Photoshop. I had previous experience with the program so it wasn’t very difficult for me – although I learnt how to add text and use many many layers which was something I hadn’t focused on before. I also learnt quite a lot of new skills through searching for Photoshop tutorials on YouTube. Especially for my ancillary work, I installed a specifically chosen font from a website, which was also used in our music video in order to create synergy. To make my CD cover seem more sophisticated, I also downloaded Photoshop brushes with floral patterns which I incorporated on the back panel and the inside of the CD. The other editing software I used was a website called PicMonkey, where I added some effects which I wasn’t able to add on Photoshop. The combination of both editing software made my images look exactly the way I wanted them to. (MORE DETAILS ON HOW I USED PHOTOSHOP IN THE PREZI BELOW!)

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In terms of distributing our media product, we used a variety of social networks. Initially it was uploaded on Vimeo, after which I uploaded it on YouTube too. After sharing it on other social networks like Facebook, Twitter and even Snapchat, we got over 200 views which shows just how effective social promoting is. We had also created an Instagram account for our artist and a Twitter account which we used while filming to let our teachers know what’s happening and where we are.