4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and

research, planning and evaluation stages?

Media technologiesMedia technologies consist of many different types of software, programs, and other forms of digital technology that contribute to the creation of media texts and supporting material.

Examples of media technologies include:

Photo editing software (Photoshop, iPhoto, etc.)

Video editing software (Final Cut Pro, iMovie etc.)

Publishing programs (Microsoft Publisher etc.)

Presentation programs (Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi etc.)

In addition to those already mentioned, other examples of media technology I engaged with whilst making my A2 music video are:

Bitstrip (online comic-making program)

Spotify (music streaming service)

Slideshare (presentation-sharing website)

Pinterest (social network with online ‘pin boards’)

PowToon (online presentation/video maker)

Construction

Research Planning Evaluation

Photoshop ✔

iMovie ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Final Cut Pro

✔

PowerPoint ✔ ✔ ✔

Prezi ✔ ✔ ✔

Bitstrip ✔ ✔ ✔

Spotify ✔ ✔ ✔

Pinterest ✔ ✔ ✔

Powtoon ✔ ✔ ✔

What I used media technology for:

SummaryFrom the grid I made, it is clear that the photo and video editing software was mostly used in the construction of my product. I used iMovie to make a few videos for my planning, research and evaluation, but mostly used Photoshop and Final Cut to put together my ancillary texts and video.

For planning, research and evaluation, I used presentation software and websites like Spotify and Pinterest. I did this because planning, research and evaluation requires a lot of written explanation and examples that are easier to understand and view on some sort of presentation.

The more creative forms of presentation, Pinterest, Powtoon and Spotify, were used to get ideas across in ways other than writing. Pinterest used images whilst Spotify used music. I used Powtoon to make a fun video that would make planning and research a bit more interesting than just more writing.

PhotoshopPhotoshop is a photo-editing program created by Adobe. It is used both professionally and casually for everything from magazine covers to simple family pictures.

The best thing about Photoshop is it’s wide range of tools and features that make it simple for everyone to edit images the way they would like.

I downloaded the 30-day free trial of the program in order to edit my ancillary text pictures at home, as well using it at college. I have had previous experience with using it during GCSE Photography and AS Media Studies, so I got to apply my knowledge for my ancillary texts.

It was perfect for putting together my

magazines advert, as the layers feature

allowed me to really fine-tune the different

parts of the image and focus on individual

sections.

It helped when constructing a simple

structure, and then laying everything on

top to create the finished magazine

advert.As my 30-day trial

finished, I had to find another way of editing

my ancillary texts at home.

I did some research into which photo-editing programs

opened .psd files and found Gimp, which

worked very much the same way as Photoshop

but was free.

Pros and ConsPros

Ability to have different layers – can change parts of the image

without accidentally ruining the whole thing

Tools are easy to use and very extensive

It adds a professional element

Allows you to layer images and add

interesting effects (once you get the hand of it)

Cons

If you’re not careful, you can end up accidentally

deleting everything

The above is due to the attention you have to

pay to the layers you are isolating

Can be really confusing if you haven’t used it

before

Has a lot of features that could be useful but are difficult to understand

iMovieiMovie is a video-editing program created by Apple. I used the program at home as well as on the Macs at college to create videos that didn’t need a lot of precise editing.

I used iMovie to make a slideshow of pictures for behind the scenes posts on my blog and text shots. These were compilations, and they were better for iMovie because I just need to create a simple montage.

iMovie is easy to use, with a lot of templates already built in for quickly putting together a video. I was able to make short videos for my blog without all the hassle of using professional editing programs.

Although iMovie has lots of good features, such as pre-designed themes and transitions that create a template for you, it isn’t

precise enough for music videos.

This is why I chose to use Final Cut to edit instead,

as iMovie is only good for quick, simple videos that

don’t require an extensive range of tools and effects.

The precision is needed when making something

like a music video or a film, but a lack of it is

okay when making a quick video that doesn’t need

much change.

Pros and ConsPros

Ability to choose pre-set themes and

transitions

Easy to use and quick to make videos

Allows you to make something creative out of something

simple

Quick to process and upload videos to

YouTube

Cons

Not enough features to edit a music video

Can be frustrating if you haven’t used it

before

Not many fine-tuning tools to use on video

clips

Doesn’t do much to your video apart from put clips side by side and add transitions

Final Cut ProFinal Cut Pro is another program created by Apple used for video editing. It is used professionally as well as at home and in schools.

I chose to edit my video on Final Cut because I’m used to using the Macs, and I’ve never used any other type of video editing software.

It was easy to use and understand, and I got the hang of it straight away. This made editing the easiest part of the A2 project.

The good thing about Final Cut is the ability to pay

attention to detail. There is an

extensive range of tools hat are

especially significant and useful when making a music

video or film.

It allows you to focus on the precise

elements of the video clips and put

them together exactly how you imagine in your

mind.

This is something I couldn’t find with iMovie, so I tried Final Cut instead

and was satisfied.

Pros and ConsPros

Wide range of tools like ‘blade’, ‘trim’, etc. that

allow you to edit the smallest of clips and

details

Lots of effects that are easy to apply and

adjust

Easy and quick to use once you get the hang

of it

Easy to process and upload videos to

YouTube

Cons

Can be tricky finding what you want to do to

the clips

Can crash if too much data is on the

computer or being edited

Can be frustrating to edit if using for the

first time

May take a while to process the video, although it isn’t difficult to do so

PowerPoint & PreziPowerPoint is created by Windows and is a program used for making presentations. I used it a lot for my planning and research, due to the fact that it is an easy and creative way to display lots of information.

Prezi is similar, but is available in web browsers. It is more of a ‘free-flowing’ presentation, with a lot more choices of templates that make the presentation look like a video rather than just slides.

Pros and ConsPros

Easy to use and quick to understand

Lots of themes to choose from

Makes information interesting and fun

to read through

Doesn’t take long to upload in photo or embedded format

Cons

Can be repetitive, as there are only a

few ways of presenting text

Can be frustrating to use Prezi if you are used to using

PowerPoint

Not much to work with except simple

slides

BitstripI found Bitstrip on a friend’s Facebook page, and I find it interesting because it allows you to make comic strips incredibly easily.

I used it during my AS planning and research, and again this year, because of how simple it is to make something so fun and creative.

It allowed me to put information into cartoon form – making the research a lot less repetitive.

It allows you to create characters – this was

useful in creating myself and actors in

the video.

You can then place then in different

scenairos, all of which are included for free, with props and other

things.

You can add speech bubbles – which was a

great way to present information for my

research.

Pros and ConsPros

Easy to use and quick to understand

Lots of characters, props, scenes etc.

You can start from scratch and build anything you want

It’s a great way to present information

visually

Cons

Can be frustrating getting the tools to

work

A bit tricky to embed the images

onto a blog

Only so much text can fit onto a scene and still be legible

It can be time-consuming getting

the details right

SpotifySpotify is a music streaming service that is available in web browsers and for downloading onto devices like computers, iPods and phones.

It allows you to make playlists, listen to albums and browse what’s new for free. I used it to make a playlist that related to my music video narrative, and listened to it whilst writing up research and planning.

It gave my work a ‘soundtrack’ and helped me a lot with working through research.

Pros and ConsPros

Easy to sign up for and use

Lots of playlists already created

Easy to make a playlist

Millions of songs available – some

aren’t on it but it is very rare

Cons

Can crash when going through

updates

The embedding feature may not

work at first

You can only use it if you have an account

PinterestPinterest is an online ‘pin board’, where you can search for images, recipes, designs and everything else that people form all around the world have uploaded.

It is a great place for inspiration and free to use, so it was perfect for finding inspiration for the music video and displaying my ideas.

I used it to make a mood board online and pinned quirky and fun images I found that related to my narrative.

Pros and ConsPros

Easy to use and quick to understand

A massive online database of images

connected to websites and

everything else

An easy way to find and display inspiration

A good alternative to a simple moodboard

Cons

Sometimes the embed feature

doesn’t display the pins the way you

intended

Might be hard to find the exact image

you want because there are so many

You have to sign up to use it properly

Powtoon

Powtoon is a website that lets you make video presentations using templates and themes. It involves lots of cartoons and creative aspects that make it a great way to display planning and research.

I used it to make a video to present my work, and it was extremely easy to use once I got the hang of it. It was fun and interesting for people reading my work to experience something new.

Pros and ConsPros

Fun and interesting to make and watch

videos

A more creative and dynamic way of

presenting information

You can make really interesting transitons

or use the pre-set ones

Easy to use once you get used to it

Cons

Can be confusing at first

Frustrating to use certain tools because of how different it is

to typical video-editing programs

Have to use it in a browser and so have

to sign up

It can be time-consuming making the perfect video

EquipmentI got to grips with using a video camera and tripod whilst filming. I’ve had experience before, but not that much. The cameras I booked out were easy to use, so I didn’t have a problem with them.

I used tripods a lot to provide stability for shots, so that they didn't look unprofessional and like I had been unprepared for filming.

I also used lighting and backgrounds in the green room for photographing (although this was just a minimal part of the project, because most pictures were taken during filming).

Planning & Research

Planning and research was started with a checklist given at the beginning of the year, but as I progressed down the list, I did a lot of independent blog posts to add to my work. I didn’t have to use much ‘advanced’ forms of media technology whilst doing my planning and research, because all I needed was a way to present my ideas than a way to change or edit them. I needed different ways to present large amounts of text and analysis, and so presentation programs were the mot important things I needed to find. PowerPoint was an obvious and classic one, along with Prezi, both of which allowed me to choose different themes and layouts. However, Bitstrip was my favourite to use due to the fact that it was so fun and creative: with minimal effort on my part. All I had to do was use the resources that were already available to me on the website and arrange them how I wished. Powtoon was also very fun to use, as the end result made me appreciative of the work I put into using it (after struggling with controls at the beginning).

Construction & Evaluation

For construction, I needed to edit my work. This would involve a lot more media technology than just presenting m work. I needed to find things that would be suitable for the fine-tuning and drama that came with making a video or ancillary text. the classics came to mind – Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. These were the simplest for me to use, and the most efficient at editing the video and ancillary texts, and putting them together from scratch. Evaluation, on the other hand, required more presentation: much like in planning and research. I decided to look at the four questions different and see what I needed the most. for example, questions that required a lot more text in response would be best presented on Prezi or PowerPoint, as well as in Blogger post alongside various forms of evidence and accompanying research.

Post-modernismIn the era of post-modernism, it is important to satisfy consumer culture and allow audiences to be active consumers. This is why the best software, hardware and equipment is used to make media texts as appealing as possible to audiences everywhere. Jameson argues that consumers are now more important than the creator’s vision, and to allow them to be active consumers, we must create what is appropriate for target markets. This may be why post-modernism, in fact, happened. During the previous era of modernism, technology, consumerism, and new and exciting things were invented, created, and used. The era of post-modernism followed, in which consumers were left to use everything that they had created and gained from the previous era. This allowed them to take part in what they consume, and have an effect on what is created in terms of the media. The access to digital technologies has become a lot easier, and so, now billions of people can use it to create, consume, and interact. Web 2.0 has allowed audiences and institutions to interact with each other to cooperate efficiently, and the rise of digitalisation has made media texts and things used to create media texts a lot more accessible. This is why digital technologies are such a huge part of post-modernism as well as the creation of my music video and ancillary texts.