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

Question four: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Research

Researching was significant before creating my own media production. Below I have presented a detailed mind map portraying exploring the different research I have done.

Several components have gone into the research I have done. To begin with it was important to watch previous, existing products. I did this through a video sharing website, Youtube. This enabled me to discover different common conventions within the horror genre, as well as identifying key mise-en-scene aspects. Mise-en-scene includes setting, characters and costumes, emotions, lighting and props. Watching previous productions also allowed be to establish important camera angles, editing and sounds, and what they represented. Another way I discovered common conventions was using search engines and different websites, the majority of horror films include; an abandoned setting, usually in the woods or old home, different character types, for example the dumb blonde or the jock. Using a search engine was also useful in finding out what age certificate my product should fall into. It is significant to know this so that it matches my target age.

Finding my target age was important to create my product. I asked the question 'What is your favourite movie genre?' to my friends and family on different social media pages, including Twitter and Facebook. However I realised this question may have been to broad, therefore I created a focus group of five people. This group would give me feedback on my research and help me discover what my target age group wanted and not wanted to view. I created a questionnaire on Survey Monkey asking my focus group their favourite things about the horror genre. This meant that I was inside my target audience's eyes, therefore creating a pleasing product. It was significant to get this right as it would make more money theoretically, if it was on the real big screens of a cinema. Cinema websites also helped me discover what type of age certification films were getting and whether there were more 15's than 18's. I decided to make my trailer 15 age restricted, this meant it was within my target age and more people are able to view my trailer. 

Compared to my research for my AS production there is a noticeable difference. My AS blog contained limited research, which is clear to see. However on my A2, current, blog it is obvious that ten times more research has been done. Therefore I believed my media skills and knowledge have progressed greatly. 

Planning

The next step after researching is assembling it together, creating my planning for both my video product and ancillary texts. Below is a mind map portraying the steps and technology that was used in my planning.

Planning for a project is crucial, as it avoids cutting corners, instead it establishes the core foundations of the project. Above all the aspects of my planning have been considered. The first aspect that the viewer can see on my blog is a Prezi presentation discussing various horror sub-genres. This presentation included a brief description of the horror genre and a video example. Below the presentation are three video analysis. These consist of different sub-genres, ones I have discussed in the presentation. It is significant that the viewer, and myself, understand what makes a horror film a certain sub-genre; therefore analysing three different sub-genres contrasts the difference they have against each other. 

Before discovering what my product would consist of it was crucial to look back on my social media research and questionnaire, granting me to produce the product which they wanted to see. 

Presenting my ideas to a small group was important, to see feedback, what went well and what had room for improvement. However instead of using the same presentation program, Prezi, it was key to use a different program, portraying the various technologies that could be used. My original pitch was presented on a program called Slide Share. I also created multiple mood boards to give my viewers an early image of what I was going to produce. The mood boards were created using a publishing software, Scribus. 

When planning my ancillary texts, my research also linked greatly. Screen shotting my research allowed me to highlight key aspects of the poster and magazine front cover and also commentate on the layout. This enabled me to think about what my ancillary texts needed to consist of in order to meet common conventions and represent the branding of my production.

Construction

Keeping track of my construction is crucial, as it portrays the progress throughout creating my products.

The different technologies I used during my construction process include smart phones, publishing software, photo editing software, screen shots and video sharing programs.

To create my video I needed a camera. My plot includes an antagonist killing a young girl, he films everything he does and sets up cameras throughout the house. Therefore filming everything on an Iphone made sense, as it is always seen from the antagonist's point of view. As well as using my iphone to record my footage, I also used it as a voice recorder to record voice overs. After filming my production it was important to get it onto my blog and onto a website for my target audience to view from where ever they are, therefore I used the video sharing website 'Youtube'.

The publishing softwares I used in my construction were Scribus and Publisher. I used these programs to be able to comment and highlight significant information on my ancillary texts and video production. This meant that the audience know and can see the information that shouldn't be missed.

To create both my ancillary texts I used the photo editing program, Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements enabled me to do various things with my texts. Screen shotting the process of both my ancillary texts makes it easier for the viewer to see step by step what went into creating my texts and video product.

My construction process compared to my AS Level blog differs slightly, although I have followed the same thought process, I feel as if I have gone into further detail within my construction this year; in my A2 blog.

Evaluation

My evaluation consists of analysing and evaluating everything from my video production and my ancillary texts.

Evaluating my product and ancillary tasks is important as it shows my learning throughout the whole process. The different technologies I have used throughout the evaluation process include; video creating website, survey creator, presentation program, mind maps and my blog.

Question one - I have created an animated video explaining which ways I have challenged or developed forms and conventions, I created this video using the website go animate! I have also used my smart phone for this question. Using the voice recorder I was able to put voice overs the scenes throughout the animated video.

Question two - For this question I created a powerpoint presentation, once this was finished I published it onto the slide share website. This was so I could add the question onto my blog for my audience/viewers to see.

Question three - This question was all about social media, Therefore I created several surveys using the survey monkey website to gain feedback from my target audience and focus group. From this information I wrote on my blog what I had learnt, what went well and what things could have been done differently.

Question four - Technology is constantly improving, therefore this question focuses on the different technologies that have been used throughout the evaluation process. A good way to portray to my viewers was to create a mind map for each process; research, planning, construstion and evaluation. This also made it easier to look back on how I represented my work to my viewers.

Compared to my previous blog, the evaluation process has been furthered in detail and been portrayed in different ways. This blog includes an animated video whereas last year I mainly focused on writing my answers onto my blog. I feel like this has shown my growth within the last year and I am open to using different types of technology and know how to portray my work in a more sufficient  way.