Evaluation Question 4

 How did you use Media Technologies in the Construction, Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

 

Media Technology is a generic term which can refer to anything within these 4 areas;

 

• Audible media ( sound and sound effects)
• Visual media ( Screen and seeing)
• Print media (Newsprint & photos)
• Social media (Facebook, twitter etc.)

 

For the Research section of our project, we had to set up a Blogger account in order to document the development of our ideas through the research and inspiration that we collect. One of the main servers we have used would be Google; to look up certain websites to gather information as well as using sites to understand our genre and target audience. YouTube was also a major component in the research process and we watched a variety of  music videos, tutorials and A-Level work in order for us to understand what made them successful and unsuccessful, taking ideas from their narratives, filming and editing techniques. They helped us gain inspiration and really allowed us to create the most successful outcome we could. As well as this, we compared music videos, this helped us to understand what type of music video would work best and which types of music videos/genres we wanted to focus on. I would say that the research and initial stages of the project were the most fundamental as they were the platform for which we built everything else off of. 

 

Prop/costume wise, we started by looking on amazon and eBay, in search for a red cape and roses. We looked into buying roses in bulk, through florists and other private companies online and found a few capes on amazon for a good price. However, we also looked into other cheaper, more resourceful options and in the end decided that would be the best route to take considering our budget and time restrictions. We ended up scrapping the bulk roses idea and using single ones from Morrison's instead. As for the cape, we did manage to get hold of one which was lended to us by a friend. We liked the coat that she had, which was quite cape like and in fact looked more realistic and professional, plus it was warm. We looked into different editing techniques on YouTube and found that we would be able to turn her blue coat red using the colour pick tool in adobe premiere pro. From this, we found that it is extremely important to research into each element of the final product as it will benefit us financially, time wise and visually. 

When researching into bands to cast ( when the idea was still fresh in our minds and on the storyboard) we used social media such as twitter to try and find local ones and contact them through their twitter page. Unfortunately, whilst scrolling through their tweets we found that they had just split and so, decided against the idea. We also researched into instruments and transportation, getting to the studio etc... and that's what helped us to finalise it. ( We also decided that it might confuse the narrative slightly as it would introduce more cast members).

 

Once we had come up with a rough idea and developed it into a story board/shot by shot plan, we moved onto the Planning Section of our project.  This involved the preparation and decision process leading up to the filming. During these time periods, we kept in contact through Facebook messenger on a group chat, allowing us to alert and update each other on filming arrangements as well as costume/prop decisions. This was particularly useful as it is instant and allowed us to express ourselves correctly . As part of our preparation, we also had to hire a studio, this was arranged by email and paid for online. We then found their address and arranged for transport to take us all there and back. 

The day filming at Mousehold required forward planning transport as we were unsure as of how to get there. We researched into bus times and looked into the best areas to film in. This made our work much easier when we got there as we were able to film within the time slot we had allocated. Looking at the weather forecast beforehand also helped us to dress accordingly and bringing snacks and plenty of water helped us to stay energised and film/direct more efficiently. Time management throughout the entire filming process allowed us to get awesome shots which were dependant on time of day/weather etc. We ended up not using the shots taken in the evening as they were too dark so afterwards planned to shoot primarily early morning/afternoon.

Before filming Charlie during his wolf scene, we planned ahead by bringing face paints and all required materials included inspiration and brushes. This meant that we could paint him quickly and with ease. If we had had more time, we would have got it done professionally however as explained previously, we did not have the money or time required.

For the Construction Section of our project, we used one SLR camera as well as another Canon. We made sure to bring 2 SD cards so that we wouldn't run out of memory and the back up camera came in handy for the behind the scenes photography as well as when the main camera ran out of battery during the first day of filming. ( Because we were shooting for such a long period of time). It was also very handy to have two good quality cameras because it improved the continuity of our footage, taking different angles of the same shot for example.

We also used the canon to take the Photographs for our Digipack and Poster. We took advantage of the white walls and lighting at Butterfly Studios and took them there. We used Photoshop CS6 to edit the Photographs, adjusting their contrast and brightness accordingly. We also adjusted the colours in order to improve continuity by focusing on B&W with the flash of red.  We used the Magnetic Lasso tool to select Meghan’s lips and the rose and erase so that the background image shows from underneath. 

Although we used the canon for a few of the behind the scenes shots, we wanted to use it for the footage too so during these times, we used a mobile phone. It still had a good quality camera and we made sure to include ourselves in the shot to show the process and development.

The editing program we used was Premiere Pro CS6 and we used it to edit our footage, crop the videos, add titles etc. We found it effective and really developed our skills on the software throughout the project.

When we had finished our music video, we exported it as an MP4 at a high quality and uploaded it to YouTube and finally onto our media blogs.