Evaluation Question 4

Research Stage

During the research phase at the beginning of the course and at later points, I have used different media technologies in order to collect information about existing ‘rock’ genre media texts such as CD covers and music videos.

Technologies I used Internet ExplorerGoogle ChromeYouTubeBloggerAndroid PhoneAdobe Photoshop Adobe FlashAdobe Premiere ProApple iMacGraphics Tablet

Google Crome and Internet Explorer

I used programs such as Google Chrome and Internet explorer as the main tool for research. I used these programs to access a variety of websites in order to research different media texts by using websites such as youtube to research and evaluate existing media texts. This allowed me to evaluate, get ideas from traditional media conventions.

Google 

I used Google's search engines in order to search for different media products and research. This allowed me to access sites and resources, such as the barcode generator.

Apple IMac

• I used an IMac to access numerous resources such the internet and the wide range of software avaliable in order to research, help plan and design different ideas for my own ancillary tasks and out main media piece.

YouTube

• I used Youtube as the main research tool, this allowed me to research various different existing media texts, by searching for real media music videos we were able to analyse rock genre videos more closely and pick out conventions of rock that we would be able to replicate.

Android Phone

• The use of android devices in my case my phone was useful in the research stage as I could use the phone's camera to take pictures of ideas and sketches, as well as watching more music videos using the youtube app 

Blogger

• I used Blogger during the research stage to show the analysis of music videos, and show update preposed plans and ideas

• Blogger allowed me to ‘embed’ most of the selected music videos for the analysis stage.

• Blogger has been useful as it allowed me to view, edit and add new posts from almost any computer with an internet connection, this allowed me to analyse and research some videos at home.

Planning Stage

As my media project is an animated music video the planning stage was

different to those that used a camera.

Windows Live messenger

• Windows Live Messenger( MSN) was used by my both myself and my group partner Simon and myself during the planning stage in order to organise various aspects of the animation, along with various discussionsand character ideas.

email

• The use of email was also another key way to communicate and also show each other the progress we had made when drawing. By print screening and sharing various documents to one another.

• Because I has a much older version Windows live messenger sending items via email appeared to be the only way of sharing files and to help with each others work.

Graphics Tablet

• Both Simon and myself used Graphics Tablets, as well as more traditional means of producing character concepts. The graphics tabs were crucial drawing the planning stage.

• Both of us were able to practice using our tablets in order to improve my artwork, and overall quality of the characters before and during the animation process.

Construction

The making of my media ancillary tasks and music video

I used the following media technologies During the construction of my media piece

• Macs • PC and much later on a laptop• Photoshop • Graphics Tablets• Barcode generator• Premiere pro • Flash • Sound booth• Scanner – mixed media

Apple IMac

• During the construction of the various media texts I used the apple IMac in order to access certain programmes, e.g. Adobe Photoshop in order to create my media music video, CD cover and magazine advert. 

Graphics Tablet

• I used my graphics tablet in order to draw using the computer.

• After scanning the images I did on paper I used my tablet along with artist computer programmes Sai and Photoshop to trace and colour the image

Design on paper After image was scanned, traced and coloured

• I used the graphics tablet in the construction of my ancillary tasks and music vide

• I used it to draw the digipak and magazine advert

Scanner

• I used my scanner in order to scan in numerous images that I had drawn on paper.

• This allowed me to use both new and traditional methods to produce work. 

Adobe Photoshop CS3• Photoshop was used in the construction process and was useful in numerous

ways, (to quote Simon) "it is much more complex than SAI". (at this point I hadn't used SAI to compare the program capabillities) Photoshop offers a wider range of brush tools and has numerous effects that can be used . 

• I used Photoshop throughout the various stages of construction in order to give a more uniform looktoallthework I had done.

Barcode Generator

• I used a free bar code generator from: http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php in order to create barcode for my digipak

• As barcodes are a convention of digipaks, both CD and DVD cover it was expected for my own work to include at least one style of barcode in order to meet this convention.

Adobe SoundBooth CS3

• In some ways I regret having to use Soundbooth in order to shorten the original song the pretender from 4:31 to 3:11

• We used in order to shorten the song down, and therefore our music video would be shorter. As we are doing an animated video this was a necessary task that then allowed us to meet the deadline as animation is a very time consuming process.

Adobe Flash CS3

• The use of flash CS3 was used to animate the static images we had drawn.

•  As we imported each image from a Photoshop document we were able to animate each layer separately.

Adobe Premier Pro CS3/4/5

• Premier Pro was a key tool used to create our music video.

Time lineDifferent video layers

Video clips

Audio

• We uploaded our animated clips onto from flash to Premier Pro and used Premier Pro’s time line to construct the music video. Premiere pro's functions allowed us to edit clips, zoom and Structure our now animated clips in order to create our music video. Using the time line we created the basis of out video.

• We used numerous functions of Premiere pro that was used was the video transitions, the most common that we used ‘Dip to Black’ transitions lot and later during post production removed most of the transitions .

• As Premier Pro was the programme that both myself and Simon previously used during AS coursework, we was able use the controls with relative ease, and as I had more background knowledge of the program we were able to over come most editing problems that arisen.