Evaluation Question Four

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

Hardware

One of the main pieces of media technology I used was the HD Sony Handycam. This video camera allowed me to film my preliminary tasks, research tasks, main product and evaluation questions. My music video had to be bright and vibrant - the high definition of the video camera allowed this. This is an improvement from the standard definition cameras I used for my AS Level product. The picturesque scenery within my music video was amplified greatly due to the increased quality. The HD Sony Handycam is a lot smaller than industry standard cameras are and so they can easily be positioned in tight spots. For example, when I filmed the high angle shot within the female character's bedroom, I needed to fit into a very small space. The camera was small enough that I could fit it in and still get the angle I required. The Handycam is also very light weight, meaning it is easily portable. This helped when I was transporting all the equipment and props up onto the hill.

High Angle Shot

Another piece of hardware I used to add multi-media to my blog and help with my ancillary tasks was a Fuji-Film digital camera. The digital camera allowed me to take my own original images for my blog such as the actor, costume and props board. This was important as I needed to anotate these images as part of my planning for my main product. As well as this, I also took a variety of photos of the sky for my ancillary tasks. These were then modified and evaluated so I could choose the best image. The Fuji-Film digital camera I used is quite a recent model and so the megapixel quality was more than decent. This helped in that it gave me the best quality images for my ancillary tasks to make them look professional.

Keeping my shots steady during the filming of my main product was important as it helped give the music video a neat, professional finish. Shakey shots would look unprofessional and put the audience off watching it. To keep my shots steady, I use a standard tripod. The tripod I used was very light weight and therefore easily portable.

The computer and laptops I used during the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages of my project were probably the most important aspect. The laptop held all the software I needed to edit, connect with people, and write up every section of this project. I used a computer during school hours because they were easily accessible in the classroom and study room. When I got home, I used the laptop to touch up or finish up any work I was doing. This meant that no matter where I was, I had the opportunity to contribute to this project in some form.

For my hand-drawn animation in the first minute of my music video, I used a webcam to take frequent photos of the picture I was drawing. So when I merged all the photos together (using software), it became animated. This webcam allowed me to add an interesting aspect to my main product.

Software

When editing my preliminary task, I used the school's Corel VideoStudio Pro X3 to edit it together. This software allowed me to make cuts when necessary, add text and over lay, and add music. I used this software when editing my main product because it's very simple to use. I'm also experienced with this piece of software because I used it last year for my AS Level product. Corel VideoStudio Pro X3 is great for simple cuts and edits. When it came to my evaluation questions, I had Corel VideoStudio Pro X5 installed on my laptop. This piece of software had all the functions that VideoStudio Pro X3 had and more. It held more transition effects such as 'burns' and more text effects. This helped to increase the level of professionalism in my evaluation questions. Overall, both versions helped me to edit all the video footage I needed to add multi-media to my blog and to put the finishing touches on my main product.





To bring my hand-drawn animation from my webcam to video, I used Stop Motion Pro to connect all the photos together. The webcam is connected to the computer, and through the software, the photos can be directly added to the current production. This means that not much actual editing work on my part is needed. This was a quick and easy process that ended with an interesting result in which my peers complimented in the feedback.

Social media has really helped when going through the stages of this project. Firstly, it allowed me to comment of a video on YouTube for the Owl City song 'Galaxies'. I pitched my idea to Owl City fans through YouTube and ended up getting an overall positive response which gave me the go-ahead on the planning. It also allowed me to use the Space Shuttle Challenger launch that played a key role in my music video as overlays on the artist shots. Facebook helped in that I could gather peer feedback on my finished main product. Peers contacted me via comments on the post and in instant Facebook chat. Social media is almost instant and so I was able to gain feedback quickly.











Instead of using Adobe Photoshop which could only be accessed from school, I used free photo editing sites. This way I could work from home and still get the same results as I would from Photoshop. PicMonkey was the first site I used and it gave me the fonts I needed for the band name and album title. However, PicMonkey found it hard to stay free and so launched it's premium service. Meaning free members had to pay to get extra effects. This only restricted me somewhat and I still used PicMonkey for it's fonts. I then moved to Pixlr to do the majority of the editing for my magazine adverts. This site had exactly the same tools as PicMonkey and served just as well when I needed to crop, add overlays, and use transparency. 

Blogger and Vimeo are two of the most frequently used websites within this project. Blogger is the host for my blog and has helped in that I can unpload unlimited posts. It also allows me to add images, videos and sound bites. Blogger's acceptance of multi-media has allowed me to create a varied, interesting blog. Vimeo is my chosen video hosting service. Vimeo allows me to upload videos whenever I choose and is quick to render and upload them to the site. This efficient upload means I can easily add new videos in a very short amount of time.

Evaluation Question Three

Eval 3 from Holly on Vimeo.

Evaluation Question Two

EVALUATION 2 from Holly on Vimeo.

Evaluation Question One

EVALUATION 1 from Holly on Vimeo.

Audience Feedback

It is important when you create a media text that it has the desired effect upon the audience. To test this, getting feedback from a selection of people before publishing it means that any sections that they think didn't work so well can be improved before the final edit.

Whilst my music video was still in production (in the process of editing), I got a few older, more experienced Media Studies students to give me feedback on my work so far. Both of these students immediately picked out the hand-drawn animation. They said it stood out to them as different from what a normal music video would include. They said it showed a good use of various media formats and made the music video more interesting. They also liked the way the artist shots were positioned so that the artist could be seen from flattering angles. The strong lighting helped this. The one thing they did have an issue with was that the artist's lip movements were slightly out of sync with the music and that disrupted the flow of the music video overall.

Facebook Feedback 

Once I had finished editing my music video, I uploaded it to Vimeo. To gain some feedback on my final cut, I posted the video on Facebook for peer evaluation. The first peer commented on the build up to the sky lanterns showing that he appreciated the narrative and sentiments behind the sky lantern launch. The second peer thought the music video on the whole worked well and impressed him. The third peer commented on how well the video worked with the choice of song. He also commented on the use of the hand-drawn animation, showing that it was a success in making the music video more interesting. The one improvement that all of these peers suggested was the artist shots. They felt that the artist's lack of emotion when singing did not fit the upbeat mood of the song and the narrative. When filming the artist shots, I could have told my actor to put more feeling into his singing. I felt his singing was emotionless because he did not know the song or artist as well as I did. His enthusiasm was not as great.

Audience Feedback from Holly Jones on Vimeo.

MAIN PRODUCT - Final Cut

Final Music Video from Holly Jones on Vimeo.

This is the finished version of my music video to Owl City's 'Galaxies'.

Prelude from 00:00 to 00:37

ANCILLARY TASK - Digipak

Front Cover

Back Cover

 

Left Inner















Right Inner
















Spine

ANCILLARY TASK - Magazine Advert

END PRODUCTS

Image Editing Websites

As I create my ancillary tasks, I need a place in which I can edit and manipulate images and text. My first thought was Adobe Photoshop. It's a well recognised image editing software and has been installed in my school. However, I wanted to work from home and buying Adobe Photoshop is expensive. For years I have been using free image editing websites  to manipulate any photos I have taken. Most free photo editing sites are a lot more basic than Photoshop and therefore easier to use. They can provide ready made filters to which you can set the transparency of and erase in places. They offer spot healing and other such tools Photoshop would offer.

The first website I used was www.picmonkey.com. It worked as a basic photo editing website and was free to use. I used this website for the most part of my ancillary tasks; adding text, overlaying images and basic shapes (stars). Picmonkey offers the basics (contrast, cropping, colours, re-sizing), filters (Orton, Cross Process, B/W, Sepia), 'touch ups' (air brush, wrinkle remover, red-eye fix, reduce/melt/fill), text (variety of fonts), overlays, frames and textures.

Halfway through editing my portrait magazine advert, Picmonkey changed it's policy. Like other photo editing websites that were once completely free, Picmonkey introduced the paid membership system where only 'premium' users could access all areas of the site. This left very little aspects free. This was a problem as I'd been using the fonts provided only on this website for my digipak and wanted the same fonts for my advert. If I moved to a different editing website, I wouldn't have access to these fonts. Luckily the fonts I was using weren't for premium users only. This meant I could add my text and then carry on editing in a different website.

I found a new, free photo editing website called pixlr.com. This website has three levels of editing. The first is 'Advanced', which has the basic style of Adobe Photoshop and is aimed at professional editors who have experience with software such as Photoshop. The second and the one I chose was the 'Efficient' level. This has many of the same characteristics as Picmonkey and so I knew I'd be able to use it easily and have set filters and text ready to use and manipulate. The last level is 'Playful' which allows the user to add filters and frames to their images but they don't have much else in the way of photo manipulation such as 'contrast' or 'cropping'.  Pixlr 'Efficient' level, as mentioned, functions just as Picmonkey does with the exception of it being completely free.