Evaluation - Question 4

In my planning and research I used various media technologies including:

• Youtube
• Blogger
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Social Medias
• iMovie
• Adobe Premier/Photoshop

To begin my research into existing music videos I used platforms such as YouTube and google to collect information. Both are particularly useful tools as I was able to watch music videos from different music artists - Beyoncé in particular - on YouTube and then research further into the semiotics of the video and the branding of the artist on google. I collected this information on Microsoft word, analysing my findings through essays and then presenting them digitally on my blog – CharlotteDaleA2Media.blogspot.com. The benefit of these platforms is that information is readily available and accessible at any time anywhere. This is a recent development as in previous decades information was only available through traditional sources for example textbooks, or TV channels. The technological development enabled my research to be more proficient and therefore aids me when constructing my own music video. Similarly, Web 2.0 allows consumers to be active online rather than passively taking in information. This benefitted me as I was able to collect information from more sources and opinions from a wider range of people.

Throughout the early stages of developing my music video idea I conducted a lot of research and planning which I used blogger to present. For me, blogger acted as an online diary tracking the progression of my ideas from the initial idea, to the production and now evaluation. The benefit of blogger is that it is online and therefore accessible anywhere at any time. It is also extremely easy to use and enables me to embed videos and images to my research making it more proficient. To create a more varied range of research I also presented some of my research in PowerPoint format such as my research titled “Beyoncé – Brand or Artist?” This gave me the opportunity to try different technologies as a method of formatting and enabled me to combine images with my research for extra depth. 

Social medias were also crucial media technologies in both planning, and production. Firstly, as part of my planning I used social media to research into Beyoncé and explored how she engaged with fans, advertised her products, and how different audiences reacted to her. A headline which developed during this period was her announcement of being pregnant with twins which was particularly useful for my research as she used Facebook and Instagram to share the news and create a ‘media’ frenzy. Social media was also used as part of my audience feedback as I used the platform twitter to distribute a questionnaire relating to my music video to the potential target audience. Finally, I incorporated social media into my music video and had a shot which used Instagram to display the effect such new platforms can have on a person’s own self-image and worth. Therefore, through using social media throughout the process of producing a music video an artist, I learnt how important it is within media and people’s lives and how it can both positively and negatively affect society.

Arguably the most crucial media technologies in the entire process were my video editing tools iMovie and Adobe Premiere Pro. I chose to use both tools in conjunction with each other when editing as they offer similar features however Adobe Premiere is more advanced and thus I find it more confusing to work with. Therefore, to overcome this I did all my simple editing for both my music video and evaluation Question1 on iMovie which allowed me to do simple cuts, add transitions, add colour filters and add text to my chorus images. I then transferred the first draft of editing into adobe premiere to add more details.

Similarly, another adobe product which I used was Adobe Photoshop which aided the creation of my print products. I hadn’t previously used this tool and therefore found it tricky to work at first but it was crucial in ensuring that my print products were high quality and to the right dimensions. Photoshop is a newer technological development and when mastered enables professionals to morph and edit photos into seamless designs. This is highly topical to the theme of my music video as often images we see in the media are edited to look ideal as opposed to real. Therefore, when using Photoshop, I had this in mind to ensure that I made my products remained simple and realistic and not overly polished and professional which would take away from the message of my video.

To conclude, media technologies are ever-developing and expanding allowing creators and media professionals to accomplish and create innovative videos, images and design. When creating my three media products I tried to explore as many different technologies as possible to understand how professionals work to create real media products. I am pleased with the outcome of using all the different products and believe my skills have developed significantly through doing so.