Evaluation Question 4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

YouTube
I used YouTube throughout my advanced portfolio, as at the beginning of the year, I researched existing music videos, and existing students music videos to give me some ideas of how I could make my music video better. I also used YouTube to watch tutorials of the editing process and to use the correct level of lighting. I benefited from watching the tutorials, as my music video was filmed at night so the lighting had to be correct to have the right effect and for my video to look professional.
When I started to edit my music video, I used YouTube again to upload my drafts, which then enabled me to put my progress onto my blog. This then gave me the opportunity to gain feedback from peers/ students in my classes, which I could then improve on. My final music video can be watched on any device, as YouTube is accessible on phones, computers, Ipads, Tablets etc.


I experienced problems with my camera on my first filming day, as the DV tape would not go into the video camera as the camera was damaged, which took a lot of time up from my filming However, eventually I managed to get it working. However, once I had set up my lighting outside and got my actress onto the scene, the video camera ran out of  battery. As my filming was all done outside, this meant I couldn't charge the battery whilst filming. I was lucky enough to have borrowed 2 different video cameras from college, so I decided to get most of the shots on the smaller camera.
As I produced my music video to be during the night, it was essential that I had access to cables/plugs for the lighting I used to allow me to have a professional effect. I was really lucky throughout the days I chose to film as the weather wasn't always warm but it never rained, however, if it had, I would have had to cancel the filming day, because the lighting would have been affected and could have potentially become dangerous. It would have been very difficult to reschedule as my actress was very busy as she worked most days.

Adobe Photoshop and Final cut pro were the most significant piece of media software I used throughout the whole process of my project. They enabled me to create everything I have to a high degree with the features they offer. Final cut pro enabled me to keep up to date and store my filming footage so I could begin the editing process and slowly piece my music video together. It allowed me to use a variety of different effects, such a cross dissolve and a black fade out. For example:

Black Fade Out Edit:

Cross Dissolve Edit:

Photoshop allowed me to produce my ancillary texts to a high standard and for them to look professional. Photoshop allowed me to edit my personal images that I have taken on the filming set. For example, for my magazine advertisement I changed the colour of the artist eyes to the same blue of the costume to show continuity and coherence throughout my products. the image below shows the construction of how i produced this effect.