Media technologies- Evaluation

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation?

Through out this course I have used a wide range of media technologies. Firstly, I have used this website; Blogger.com to create a blog to present my work. I did this because I thought it required a higher skill level to use and looked more impressive then your average PowerPoint slide or Word document. I did the Microsoft PowerPoint and Word programs to collect notes and do rough drafts before typing up on my blog.

The biggest media technology I have used has to be the Internet, I have used various platforms like GoogleChrome, Firefox and Safari depending on what computer I am on. I used Google and YouTube to research existing media products. I have used the website Moodle to communicate with my teachers and submit work for marking. I have used the e-mail system called FirstClass which the school uses to keep in contact with teachers and my client. I have used the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter to advertise my music video on the band's pages and I used a hyperlink to make it easier for the fans to find the video on YouTube. I also used SoundCloud to give the band a place to promote their music and get the song on the web for fans to listen too.

To construct the research videos I made about media theorists I used a program called ClipGrab to get the clips of the music videos. I used Garageband to record my voice over. I edited through FinalCutPro 10  then uploaded it to YouTube.

To construct my music video I used Canon camera to collect my shots. For this I needed an SD card and tri-pod. I used the stage lighting and lighting deck to create the atmosphere for a real performance on the stage.  To edit my music video and add effects I used Final Cut Pro 10 on my Apple MacBook Pro. As the band did not have their song already recorded, I recorded it for them using the software Logic Pro.

To construct my ancillary texts I used Photoshop CS6. I also used the Canon camera to get the shots for my Digi-Pak.

I used a hard drive to transport files around and back up my work during editing.

In my evaluation to make the audience feedback video I used a flip camera and edited it on Final Cut Pro 10 then uploaded it to YouTube.

Evaluation

I was happy with using mostly all the software, I came up with few errors and issues. I think I was efficient with my time because I have a vast experience already in using most of these programs. I gained a vast amount of knowledge from last year and felt I made far fewer mistakes then last years coursework.

I did however have a problem with Blogger, as this is the first time I am using Blogger I am unsure how to change the layout of how my blog posts appear. I wanted the first blog post I wrote to appear at the top, but it appeared at the bottom and every more recent blog post would go on top of it. As this is a coursework blog not a gossip blog I think it is stupid having the evaluation as the highest post, the introduction should be at the top. The only way I could get round this was to make a contents page and date archive to try to make it easier to understand.

I feel the quality of the sound I recorded on Logic Pro is quite average/poor. This was because of again my in experience with this particular program. As I am an A Level student that is using basic equipment, I was never going to achieve a high standard of a recording studio. I do think that I have a good recorded song for the equipment and opportunities that were available to me.

I think using a wide variety of programes and different technologies has been a great bonus to the quality of my work in producing my three products, and how I have presented my theory and research work. As this is a media course I think it is important to use media as much as possible in every aspect of my coursework which I have done.

Final Music Video

Pathos- Music by Mahogany Drum- Produced by Jack Taylor

http://youtu.be/OXdF7yF-KqM

Audience Feedback- Evaluation

 What is the importance of audience feedback?

I got some audience feedback to get posotives and negatives about my three products. I took many forms of feedback. Some interviews which I recorded, I also did a questionaire. The interviews were good for getting a bit more depth and explination to points made were as the questionaire was better for getting statistical anwsers and I could get more people to fill out a questionaire.

Interview Feedback:

• The video was interesting, entertaining and comical.
• The video was edited well, the cuts were used at the right time.
• The syncing of the instrument playing was good to that of the music.
• A unique and interesting way to present titles.
• They liked the extended narrative start of my music video.
• They liked the rock band narrative idea to get into the song.
• The sound quality.
• There could of been a crowd at the stage performance.
• Certain sections of the main singer were not lip synced correctly.

I am pleased with the feedback that was given, I am happy with the posotives given back because it was what I target to get across to the audience. I spent a long time editing the music video to get the cuts in the right place, and I spent a lot of time planning and thinking about shots and the structure of my video so I am glad they liked that. I wanted the titles to be unique and individual to me which I feel I achieved. I said that I wanted my music video to be very entertaining and comical which is what all of the interviewies said it was.

I agree with the negatives about my music video, when I made it I had concerns about the sound quality. The reason I decided to go ahead and publish the music video on youtube and not being happy with the sound was because my band were very happy with the sound quality, we had originally recorded different vocals, but they wanted to re record them, I thought the quality of the second vocals was very poor but the band were very pleased, and I thought as my music video is representing the band I want to make them happy by producing something which is how they want their music and style to be.

I agree with maybe it would of looked better with a crowd at the stage performance, but I discussed earlier the difficulties getting a audience to attend the shooting.

I will improve the lip syncing section in which the singer walks away from the mic whilst the note is still being sung.