technology
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Although technology is mainly associated with playing a major role in Production and Post Production in film through the use of Cameras and Editing Software. It also played a major role in Pre Production, through how we used the blog in order to display information in creative and easily understandable formats.
A range of technologies we used included, Blogger, Slideshare, Prezi, Scribd, eBay and we even used editing and filming tools in order to create a Mockumentary.
In terms of Post Production, Blogger was the main piece of technology I used as it allows you to publish posts online. I used blogger to keep track of all my research as well as my own ideas which were important to the pre production stage of my music video. Blogger enabled us to creatively display posts regarding the research and planning stage of our music video as we could easily embed images, videos, power points and word documents to add variety to how we displayed information. The website also allowed you to personalize your blogger, dependent on your own individual style as well as having templates available. This meant our blog looked aesthetically pleasing and well presented.
Tool used to embed videos and other documents into posts.
However, there were few limitations to Blogger which restricted how we could creatively display our work during the research and planning stage. Often when bulky texts and pictures were uploaded to the website without the aid of an online source such as “Scribd”, pictures and text often moved about after the post had been published. It was also difficult to align pictures, and you couldn’t display images next to each other.
Another online technology we used during the research and planning stage was Prezi, this is an online tool used to create interesting power points using a single canvas.
We used Prezi to display information in a more interesting format than a conventional PowerPoint as the viewer can simply glide to the next piece of information. It’s also an easier way to display text heavy posts and images, as unlike Blogger, you can rotate images and place them next to the text and each other.
We used Prezi when illustrating typical iconography within the rap genre and when we analysed our own video of “How to Make a Rap Video” which highlighted some of these conventions and iconography.
Like Blogger, you can embed videos to make your Prezi more lively and interesting to watch. Prezi was a useful tool in the research and planning stage as we could create interesting PowerPoints which displayed our research findings. Prezi was also a simple online tool to use and was easy to learn.
However, there are a few limitations to Prezi. Recently the design and tools of the programme changed and so I had to begin as a new user and familiarise myself with the programme. Some of the tools are also slightly difficult to grasp, simple tools such as zooming in and out. However these are quite simple to overcome. The major limitation is the ability to personalize your Prezi, unlike Powerpoint and Blogger it’s simple to change backgrounds and fonts, however with Prezi you’re limited by the amount of fonts they have access to.
Slideshare was another online technology I used to display information, as PowerPoints could be uploaded to the site and then embedded onto the Blog. This was useful for text heavy posts and it reduced the amount of text which appeared on the Blog and meant space wasn’t taken up by lengthy posts, but was rather condensed into one PowerPoint.
This was especially useful when showing how we created our “Frame by Frame Remake: Little Mix “Wings”” due to the huge amount of editing it required, rather than having a huge blog post with pictures and text, we could create a PowerPoint with each stage of editing on individual slides, breaking up the text making it more readable.
The programme was simple to use and embed onto the blog, as viewers could easily move through the slides and read information.
There was really only one limitation with Slideshare, often once you had uploaded your PowerPoint to the website the content would often have been moved about, or not all the text and images were visible and you’d have to view the PowerPoint in full screen.
Technology played a huge role in the construction and production of our music video. From the technology we used on our blog to create diary posts about what we’re doing and the filming process, to the technology used within the studio in order to create our music video.
Throughout the filming process we documented our process using Wix, an online tool which allows you to create your own website. As filming was done over a long period, using Wix meant we avoided a text heavy post that took up a lot of space on the blog. We could also easily personalize the webpage and embed videos from Youtube to make the webpage more exciting. Also, unlike Blogger we were able to easily upload picture and place them next to each other. Wix also had a variety of interactive features to liven up your webpage such as images and sound.
However there were some limitations to Wix. As I was a new user I had to familiarize myself with the programme, and there were some tools which were difficult to use which meant they were incredibly time consuming.
To record my music video I used a standard digital video camera. The video camera was extremely simple to use and could be used with a tripod. The footage could be easily transferred over to the Mac computers using the SD card. I had used the same cameras before in my AS coursework so was already familiar with the simple and easy to use design. The camera included all the basic functions, including the ability to take photos, zoom in and out and even add effects and alter the image such as the contrast on the screen.
The cameras did come with some limitations. For example the quality wasn’t as high as we would have liked, especially for a Pop music video, this meant we had to add effects to the footage in Final Cut Pro, such as adjust the vibrancy and contrast. And it was difficult to take pictures using the camera as they were low quality and couldn’t adjust to changes in light, we therefore had to opt to use an iPad in order to take photos.
We also used a Green Screen in the production of our work. The green screen could be set up anywhere using a metal framing and back lights could be used to get rid of shadows on the screen. We could then import the green screen footage into Final Cut Pro and use the Keyer tool in order to remove the green. This was an incredibly valuable piece of technology used during the production and construction stage of our music video as it allowed us to create a variety of locations that our audience would find appealing but also typically appeared within Pop music videos.
However there were some limitations when using the green screen. Because we had to use the lights in such a way so that there were no shadows projected onto the green screen, this meant we needed someone experienced to help with the positioning of the light. As we didn’t always have a member of staff available this meant we had to position them are selves which often led to shadows appearing making it more difficult to use the keyer in editing. However, Final Cut Pro did provide us with tools so that we could alter the edge distance and remove shadows. It was also time consuming setting up the green screen which meant we would have less time to film in order to get better quality footage that wasn’t rushed.
During the production stage I also made use of an iPad we had access to. We used the iPad to take images for our Digipak and Magazine article as the camera was high quality and the larger screen meant we could see the images in more detail. It was also easy to take images and then import them onto the computers using a USB.
One of the main pieces of technology we used during the Post Production stage was “Final Cut Pro” . This is the software we used to edit our music videos together. The programme had been updated to Final Cut 10 and was simple to use as I had already familiarised myself with the programme in my AS year.
The programme meant I could edit my music video together quite easily, I could simply import clips and then drag them into the timeline and the “snap” tool meant the clips could be edited easily.
There were also a variety of tools that I could apply to my footage in order to create a professional looking music video. Such as Keyers, Vibrancy and Contrast, Split screens and mirror effects.
Final cut pro was a really useful piece of technology due to it being easy to use and the variety of effects it had available and the capabilities of programme.
I also made use of the programme during the research and planning stage, e.g Mockumentary video to illustrate iconography and Frame by Frame remakes, in order to add variety and liven up my Blog. I could condense information and display images etc without taking up too much blog space, for example, I made an animatic to show how my shots would work together rather than to just post the images on my blog in a lengthy post that took up too much space.
I also used Final Cut Pro during the evaluation process, using interview styled videos to illustrate the ideas of media theorists and to create feedback videos and a running commentary of my music video. I used the tools on Final Cut Pro so that I could add inlays to make my video more interesting. Using videos at this stage was also useful to condense information into a short 5 minute video that was easy to understand but also FUN and ENTERTAINING.
Scribd is an online tool which allows you to upload word documents and then embed them onto your Blog. The tool was useful as I could embed text heavy word documents onto my blog without taking up as much space as if I had just put the text directly onto the blog. I used Scribd as a tool to document my editing as my editing was so complex it would have potentially taken up too much space on my blog.
Often once Word documents had been uploaded to the website the fonts and the layout of the document would change. We could also only view the Scribd document from our own computers at home, due to the programme being blocked within the college, due to “Pornography”
Fotoflexer was the tool I used to edit my Digipak images, this was because I was familiar with the programme and knew how to use it, rather than using Photoshop, as I hadn’t used the programme before and It would have been too time consuming to learn how to use the tools available.
Fotoflexer was useful as I could easily edit my images, by using the “cut” tool to remove background and could edit the contrast and brightness in order to make my photos look professional.
I also used an online website called DaFont, to download fonts that I could use for my digipak and magazine advert in order to create a distinct style that is recognizable as my artists.The fonts were easy to download and could then be added to images just like any other.
Tricider was also another useful piece of technology during my construction stage. Tricider allows you to create polls with images so that people could come onto the website and vote for their favourite. You could also add Pro’s and Con’s to the ideas to influence the voters. Voters could also leave comments after voting about which ideas they preferred the most.
I used the site to help decide on the ideal album cover image and magazine advert that would appeal to my audiences and reflect my video.
However the website wasn’t very successful as voters didn’t understand how to use the website and I ended up getting very little feedback which was not what I desired.
I used Youtube to distribute my Music Video once I had finished the final cut. I uploaded the video to the website and was able to give it a Title and a Description and also add tags to the clip so that Youtube viewers could find the video easier, therefore increasing the chances of people viewing my video. Youtube was one of the most useful pieces of technology as it played a valuable role during the entire construction of my video.
I used Youtube during the research and planning process so that I could watch and analyse other Pop videos and then go on to apply the conventions to my own work in order to create a final product that was professional and effective.
Youtube allows you to easily look at the statistics of your video which was useful during the evaluation stage. Youtube also comes with tools so you can embed the video or even share the video directly to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
On Youtube viewers could also leave comments and like your video. This was useful during the evaluation stage to see whether my video was successful and audiences liked the video.
Facebook was the final piece of technology I used. This is an online social networking site that allows you to communicate with friends. I posted my video onto the website, both my rough and final cut, in order to gain feedback.
I used Facebook as people who use the site are within my target market so will find the video more appealing and are more likely to leave feedback. People could like the post and leave comments to indicate what they thought about the video.
Facebook was really useful as I could easily share videos from Youtube onto the site, either through the Share tool on Youtube or by posting a link. Other than obtaining feedback through direct interviews this was the easiest way to gather feedback as audiences were already aware how to use the site and often used Facebook so were more likely to see my music video on their timelines.
Technology was useful and played a valuable role through the entire production of my music video, whether it be through presenting information on my blog or software I used to create my finished product.
I think my creativity played a vital role when deciding which technologies to use. As I used each technology to my advantage and chose the best form of technology that was suitable for each post on my blog, whether it was videos, power points or Prezi’s. I was able to use technology creatively, shows through my decision to use Fotoflexer instead of Photoshop, because I knew how to use the website to my advantage in order to create an effective finished product.
Although occasionally technology can limit your creativity , I believe it is more how you use technology creatively, rather than what you know about technology and lack in creativity.