Throughout the duration of my advanced production, there has been a wide range of new media technologies used. Some of many I have incorporated in previous projects and some new technologies that I haven't used before until my advanced portfolio. It is clear to say that I have also developed many new skills throughout this advanced project in order to create a dynamic music video.
Construction
My development skills with the use of the magic wand tool, removing the green screen background from the original image.
Throughout construction stages of my advanced production new media technologies were used frequently. These included industry standard software such as: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, and InDesign.
Adobe Photoshop was mainly used when for the images as I am confident in using this software to rasterize images, place a drop shadow and add other effects onto the image or text. I created the first stages of my tour dates poster/ album release without body copy. I find that Photoshop CS6 is able to help me crop, transform and alter images on this software as it is a programme I have been rigorously since studying media at GCSE.
It was Adobe InDesign CS6 that helped me too finalise and finish up my products so that they fit the conventions of a tour dates and album release poster, because you can layout the body text much easier. I would create my image based ancillary on Photoshop and then place the documents on InDesign when I would then add text. I developed hugely in my ancillary tasks in terms of my layout creativity, as I found out how to group layers and use more technicalities, it then progressed and enhanced my work further. I also used the Adobe software; InDesign, which was what I used to create my digi-pack on.
I began to understand how to develop the codes and conventions of a real outside tray card. I had to transform the text box to 180 degrees anti-clockwise to face the right way when I put the finished product in my tray card.
I learned a new technique called'masking'where you put to layers together and you take the opacity down on one layer so that they can be visible underneath.
This project has made me become confident within the use of InDesign I have learnt new things by using this software. I had never transformed text on the software, nor placed another documents within the software either. Below is a video talking about the construction of the text wrapping that I had learned, through the use of InDesign.
Adobe Premiere Pro was the chosen media software to edit and construct the music video with, which at first was daunting as most of the group had little experience with the software, however from trials and practises of creating an open day video at the beginning of the year which essentially was our prelim task, we were able to develop and enhance our knowledge and confidence in the programme which led us to explore more effects that we could use to edit the video with. Click on this link to look at some of the videos I posted previously on the development of my music video. All of the material featured in the music video was shot on a Sony HD Handycam which enabled us to create high quality filming throughout the project. For all other vlogs taken of myself and of the feedback of my work was taken on my IPhone, which I then uploaded onto YouTube and them uploaded them onto my blog posts.
Research
Research is a key function to the success of any project that you undertake and it is a fundamental starting point to gather ideas and structure the project into sections. Through the use of new media technologies such as search engines like Google, video-sharing networks like YouTube and picture-sharing networks like Flickr and Photobucket have helped me to create and develop my understanding of the aspect that I wanted to include in my project. Throughout the project, I have had to carry out extensive research on a number of different things ranging from Adobe Premiere Pro tutorials, images to use for my band logo, codes and conventions of album release and tour dates poster, to the shots I will incorporate in my main task; the video. A wide variety of information can be found exclusively online which can be found via search engines such as Google which I most commonly use.
YouTube.com is a video sharing site that helped me to research real media texts it also was used to upload my own music video, feedback videos and my commentary of development. The site enabled me to study the Pop/Rock genre as I was unfamiliar of this particular genre and wanted to discover more about the codes and conventions of this niche, hyrbrid genre.
I used Flickr and Photobucket for the first time to upload images of the band shots for my ancillary tasks, test shots and other images that were taken over the course of the project. I wanted to use a different media platform to import my images to give a variety to my blog posts and show my development in the new media technologies. I also used Dropbox which is another site where you can upload documents and share them with people and keep tem in storage like an internet based pen drive.
Throughout the updates of my blog posts I used a combination of my school computers and my own personal laptop at home which allowed me to have access to the internet and upload posts of work I had done at home as part of my research. As well as this, I have used new media technologies such as USB and TV throughout the research stages.
Planning
In order to ensure that our group completed the brief of the task in the arranged deadline, we decided to create a thorough schedule plan (click here for schedule) which we could have been better at sticking to but essentially we did meet the brief and the deadline set. At the start of the project we thought it would be best if we exchanged numbers and texted each other at any point in the project when we needed to discuss some research one of us had seen and share with the others or if we needed to meet up the following day for a meeting or filming. Overall, our communication was pretty good and we often had quick meetings to check the progress of each others work and see if the similar codes and conventions were being reflected throughout.
We documented all of our style guides,location settings, research, cast, costume and production schedule all onto our Dropbox account so that each of us would be able to have access to each others work and take notes and gather information from them as a group.
To begin the project we were set a pitch date and a pitch brief that our media teachers were to film and give us feedback on the end at the direction we should go in. This again was another use of new media technologies as we used the handycam to record our pitches and this was then imported onto premiere pro, edited and then uploaded onto YouTube. The pitch enabled us to get a second opinion on the progress aim we were going to try and achieve.
Evaluation
During the evaluation of our project I took videos from IPhone to record audience feedback from peers and parents at the creative arts evening, which I uploaded onto YouTube and then Blogger on the night of the showcase of our video. which we then uploaded onto our blogs (click here to see creative arts evening blog post). I also took videos with my phone when I received feedback about my ancillary products.
This a graph of the feedback that was attained from a year 11 media class during their lesson
Throughout this advanced project, I have regularly accumulated audience feedback which has enabled me to progress within the development of the project. From the start of the project to the end we have changed many elements of our project because of the constructed criticism we received from our audience and professional advice. Without the feedback our final tasks wouldn't have been half as good.
The narrative of our music we initially thought was clear and understandable to every audience, but after the showcase of our music video we released that the narrative could have been developed further with the use of a better equilibrium that gave a beginning, middle and end of the narrative and was reflective to the audience the 'Emergency' state that the narrative actress was in. This I feel would have improved the video and made it clearer to the audience, as well as the band shots as there would be a clear indication of the relationship between the singer and the narrative actress. The mise-en scene for the music video seems to portray what we wanted to achieve but again the setting could have been using better with another location of the actress and her journey on that day instead of having her just walk around London. I see now why the audience would be confused of what the story was suppose to be getting across.
Our teachers helped us by regularly having group discussions to see our progress within our ancillary's and giving us advice on things like the triple jump, as we had the singer slow motion of her jump but we were advised to change that by multiplying it and we took that comment further and incorporated a triple jump. The teachers also gave us professional advice on the composition of the album release and tour dates poster as I was struggling with the lining up of objects.
An element where audience feedback has proven to be successful, was by the use of consistent jump cuts and this was to reflect the fast paced song but we could have incorporated this more throughout our music video to really show off that as the motif of our video. When we presented the first draft video to peers, it was suggested by someone that we add a scene of the narrative drunk to show she is an Emergency state and that she is desperate need for help. The change was amended, and we believed that this worked better because it helped the audience to establish straightaway what is going wrong for the girl in the narrative.
It is clear to say that without the audience feedback our music video would be in a critical state and we all acknowledge how it is vital to get feedback from your audience throughout the development. Having others critique and evaluateyour own creation makes you aware of flaws in your work that you were not aware of because often or not we tend too overlook flaws especially as we have seen the product loads of times and understand the plot of the story. It's made me learn an important lesson, to utilise others opinions and critique to be able to improve and progress.
It was Adobe InDesign CS6 that helped me too finalise and finish up my products so that they fit the conventions of a tour dates and album release poster, because you can layout the body text much easier. I would create my image based ancillary on Photoshop and then place the documents on InDesign when I would then add text. 
All of the material featured in the music video was shot on a Sony HD Handycam which enabled us to create high quality filming throughout the project. For all other vlogs taken of myself and of the feedback of my work was taken on my IPhone, which I then uploaded onto YouTube and them uploaded them onto my blog posts. 
