Question 4
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Wix
Wix is a website builder which I decided to use to present all my coursework in a single place. This was effective as I was able to make different sections and multiple pages to section up my work into the different elements and it was still all very easy to navigate. Last year I used Weebly which I found was a much simpler version of Wix as there was less tools and options which meant that it ended up looking less professional. Wix is a lot more complex and has a lot more tools and options meaning there is endless options as to designing a website which means it can end up looking a lot more professional.
iMovie
iMovie is a video editing software. I used this in both years for editing my final products. In AS it was my first time using the software so I was getting used to it and seeing what you could do, in A2 I knew how to use iMovie and I was able to get more use out of it. The tools available allowed me to do things like adjust the speed, add music, add transitions, change the colours and use green screen etc... As there is a lot of options I was able to get my finished products exactly how I wanted them and it also looked professional and of a good quality.
Survey Monkey
Survey Monkey is a website which allows you to create questionnaires and share them with people. I used this to get information from my target audience as to what sort of music videos they like for my research. I also used it in my planning to ask them if they prefer videos with performance, narrative or concept etc... The results helped me find out what would best suit my target audience to get the most success with my finished product. The site was easy to use and they had lots of different styles of questions you could use to get the most out of your survey, it was also easy to share the survey with lots of people.
Photoshop
Photoshop is a photo editing and manipulation software. I used this in both years but a lot more in A2. In AS I used this to create my logo for my horror film which was quite basic so I didn't get much use out of all the tools available. In A2 I used Photoshop to create my ancillary texts which included a digipak and magazine advert. I used things like layers, text, overlays and effects to achieve my desired look. The options available allowed me to be really creative in the outcome of my final products.
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing website which allowed me to upload my finished products as well as drafts to the internet. In AS I only uploaded my final product where as in A2 I uploaded drafts as well as my final product. By uploading drafts it meant I could get feedback as I went along to help me improve my work. I was also able to embed my final product from YouTube and onto my website which was useful as it kept all my work together. Being able to embed YouTube videos also meant that I could show them alongside my research into music videos so you can see the video that I am writing about. I was able to share my work with a lot of people through this website.
Prezi
Prezi is a website which allows you to make presentations. This is similar to PowerPoint but I chose Prezi as it is more interesting, interactive and professional looking. I used this for my evaluation questions in both years. I found it useful to present my work in a more engaging way and I like that there is loads of layout options so that you can make it as creative as you like.
