How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Research and Planning/Evaluation:
Youtube -
- It enabled me to look at other music videos of my genre for inspiration and guidance when it came to considering the generic conventions I would be maintaining and which ones I would maybe develop or break.
- It allowed me to look up other A2 coursework pieces to see if there were any of a similar genre if not the same music video to see how they have tackled the complexity of the songs themes.
- I was also able to use it to see if there were tutorials on how to do things on some of the other technologies i was using.
Online sites such as blogger, Soundcloud and Dafont.com -
- Online tools such as Soundcloud and blogger have allowed me to present my work to a higher standard. They have also helped me organise my work, into sections such as; evaluation questions, final draft's into sections and then subsections. Dafont.com has helped me to create a unique product as it has taught me about the ability to share and create different fonts online. Dafont was crucial for me as it gave me a much wider range of possible fonts when it came to deciding which i would use in my final pieces. I felt that the pre-installed fonts that come with such software as premier pro and Photoshop were to generic and weren't good enough for an A2 piece, whether that be my ancillary or main production.
Instagram -
- I used Instagram for inspiration with fashion, as I looked at some clothing labels latest trends and posts.
- Instagram was vital for me as mainstream rap is about everything that is popular right now. Instagram is a showcase of all things that are considered 'hot'.
Production stage:
Cannon EOS 700D -
- The quality of this camera was one of the main reasons i chose to use it for all of my products.
- it was extremely light weight which was useful for the shots when the camera is moving.
- it could auto focus which was helpful during the video and photo shoots.
Additional Lighting -
- This equipment improved the quality of my products a tremendous amount as it helped to make the shots clearer and was key in making sure you could see event the smallest detail in the shot.
Spotify -
- This enabled me to play the song to my artist and he was able to lip sync during the shoot. i was therefore able to place the shot into my video with relative ease as i could hear the part of the song he was singing and all i needed to do was place the clip and remove the sound from it. also the lyrics software hat now comes with spotify was incredibly useful as it meant he didn't have to keep pausing the song to look up the lyrics we could just turn the software one and continue to shoot.
HDMX JAM -
- I used this as it meant that the increased the volume of the music. this meant i could keep the speaker out of the shot and my artist didn't have to have his phone right next to him when the music was playing. this was useful but one of its major issues was its short battery life as it meant we had to stop filming after about 2 hours just to recharge the speaker.
Photoshop, Premier Pro -
- Photoshop was key in the creation of my ancillary products, I had to use a wide range of its tools including the quick select tool, the guides and rulers, the place tool and altering the opacity.
- the guides and rulers made it easy for me to ensure all of my layers are aligned perfectly. Creating a sleek and professional look to my ancillary products.
- my level of skill on Photoshop greatly improved as I was able to achieve far more complex designs and layouts for my pieces. This was in part due to the fact I had had to use Photoshop far more in my A2 coursework than in my previous AS piece.
- Premier Pro was a completely new software to me as I had previously only used Final Cut when creating a video. The software was relatively easy to use and enabled be to use short clips with the place marker tool. this enabled me to keep my editing fast paced and allowed my music video to keep the interest of the audience.
- The fact i could use multiple layers whilst editing allowed me to sync up the music with my artist lips as I could mute one layer the finally remove the sound from the recording completely when it came to exporting the video.
Youtube -
- I used youtube to research different tools and conventions when it came to creating my final product.
- I also put my final music video on my own personal account on Youtube.
The technology i have chosen to use demonstrates a high dependence on new media, such as spotify, YouTube and blogger. This demonstrates its importance in the modern music industry. as they allow the producers a direct view into what the audience would like to see in the mainstream rap industry. the use of media convergence, such as the GTA franchise using famous rap stars as their characters, and their tracks on their radio shows demonstrates this use of new media as it shows how the rap genre has forced itself onto the mainstream scene.
