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

During the research process, the main source of technology used was the internet; this was due to the fact that the information necessary was online. Google was used a large amount of times, as it allows for a large range of sites to be found.

In order to find out the direction in which the product will take, an audience has to be established. To do this, survey monkey was used. This is a site with which questions can be created and emailed to a large variety of audiences (which can be controlled); the types of questions that can be asked are both qualitative and quantitative which allows for different types of responses. It was more reliable than using hard copies of research (such as written questionnaires) as the information can be stored electronically and reproduced much faster.

After establishing which type of audience the product was going to be aimed at, the next step in research was to find a range of models (this regarded music videos, which were discovered/researched using both online media (such as YouTube), TV, and Radio). The variety of media used was to find the distinguished portrayals of models (which in this case was the Indie model). This refers to how indepth the specific media portrays the model. Radio and TV will give a stereotypical portrayal, which gives the majority of shape to how the indie genre is portrayed. However, online media (such as YouTube) will show a broader spectrum of the stereotype (as unique perspectives are crafted with personal videos). This range allows for the niche markets to be considered as well as the mainstream market. As well as forming the base for an audience, the research conducted helped with finding inspiration for my product; this included music video concepts which I believed to work effectively

 To build a character profile, a site called Find Your Tribe was used. This allowed for the user to answer a range of questions to find what tribe they belong to (i.e. Indie, Chav, etc). The questions asked were answered with the answer that referred strongest to the Indie stereotype (i.e. magazine covers such as NME and Q would be chosen for the appropriate question as opposed to Farmer Weekly or an article of Petrol-heads). In using this, the questions asked can be used in my own research and incorporated into my product in order to reach the target market.

When the target market was fully established, the song could be chosen. To find the song, a site called UnsignedBandWeb.com was used: this site aims to sell the unsigned work of a variety of genres, including the genre I wanted to convey (Indie). As well as posted songs, song reviews are also available to view; these reviews can be used to determine what the song conveys and whether it will appeal to the target audience or not.

 To convey the information found, SlideShare.com was used: this was an easy online site which allows for powerpoint presentations to be directly posted onto and shared. The reason behind the choice of slideshare was due to the compatibility and speed with which work can be produced and uploaded. As well as my own work, other media students work is visible on the site, which I could use in order to help structure my work.

 Through the planning stages of the product, a variety of searches were conducted to see how to convey/represent my final product. In order to convey the findings, a variety of shots were taken using a Sony Ericsson C902, which boasted a 5-Megapixel autofocus camera; this was due to the familiarity of the device, which also allows for distribution (using a USB adaptor).

A second device was later used to take pictures: this was the I-phone 5. This device delivers much better picture quality, and allows for much faster distribution of the images (which was beneficial with meeting deadlines). As well as this, information could be accessed from most places (with internet access) which made the process much more efficient, as emails can be sent/received using the I-phone.

Construction of the product consisted in using range of cameras: one for filming and one for photography. The camera used for pictures was the I-phone 5: this was due to the same reasons as mentioned in planning, but the I-phone also allows for use of the app-store which was used to download photo-editing software called Instagram.

This software enabled the images to be edited (with regards to colour and cropping) to the user requirement and distributed online (which helps for receiving feedback from the product). It is quick to use in conjunction with taking photos with the I-phone.

The second camera was a devoted hand-held camera; it was a Toshiba Camileo h30, which was provided by the school. The device was effective for filming shots required, and the camera was also capable of being mounted to a camera tri-pod. The camera has settings that enable it to record with a range of effects, but these were not required for my product. The camera boasted 10megapixels, and is also YouTube ready which allows for quicker distribution of the product (but this was not required for my product). The camera had a 32GB memory card which was easy to remove and put in a computer for uploading for the next stage, which is video-editing.

To edit the video, Adobe Premier Pro CS4 was used: this was simple to work with and allowed for videos to be uploaded and edited straight away. Editing included a large range of video effects and sound editing which enabled the user to create a product which was extremely versatile. The only difficulty with the videos however was the fact that they needed to be encoded before they were uploaded onto the editing software otherwise the videos would be jumpy. In order to do this, we used Microsoft Expression Encoder 4. The encoding meant that the video would run smoothly in the editing software. When the editing was completed, the video had to be encoded again using Adobe Media Encoder CS5, and then could finally be uploaded onto YouTube.

The images that were taken using the I-phone and Instagram were re-edited to ensure they were presentable and tailored to look like a legitimate product. To do this, Adobe Photoshop CS5 was used: it allowed for the adding of words and other imagery easily, and the quality of the images could also be enhanced using appropriate settings (such as changing levels, adding effects to make the writing stand out, etc).

The four images were editing initially using the built-in editing software within Instagram: this allowed for a strong base with which the rest of the image could be edited upon. Top-left, the image of the guitar was further enhanced in Photoshop to enhance the sepia tone of the image (to enhance appeal to the target indie audience). After the sepia tone had been altered (and the contrast changed to further enhance the image), the text was added. Bottom-left, the image of the wall (taken and edited previously using Instagram) was appropriate for its use (as a CD-background). A translucent circle was added to represent the CD placement). Photoshop helped to distinguish between layers; this meant that the translucent circle could be moved without permanently affecting the background of the image.

The top-right image was taken using Instagram (for easy editing purposes), and the image was further enhanced using Photoshop: the writing on the previous image was slightly too dull, therefore the image could be brightened in Photoshop, and the contrast could be altered to enhance the words upon the page (that were previously difficult to read). The image was also cropped using Photoshop: this was necessary as to centre the image and to remove any unnecessary background surrounding the focal image. The bottom-right image was taken (using Instagram), and fed back into Instagram to further enhance the colour effect; initially the image was not as effective as required, and putting it back through Instagram editing (which was very quick and simple using the I-phone) meant that the desired effect was achieved. The bar-code which was sourced using Google images was easily saved and placed within the image as a new layer (something that could not be done using Instagram), and the writing was added to the image to complete the digipak.

 The magazine cover was taken using the I-phone camera, and edited initially using Instagram; the software enabled the image to receive the blurred effect which is visible across the characters face. The colour was also enhanced using Instagram.

For further, more indepth editing requirements, Photoshop was used: the image needed cropping to ensure it was the appropriate shape of a magazine advert (due to the fact that Instagram images are square). After this, Photoshop allowed for the addition of text, and the extra effects that accompanied the text and generated the effects desired (such as colour editing, shadows, embossed effects, etc).

When evaluating the product, a broad range of audiences were addressed through online projection of the product. First off, the product was shared with the YouTube community. This is the easiest way to share the video around the internet (as it creates a shareable link and an embedding code which allows for the video to be put onto other websites). Alone, YouTube is not always the best for receiving feedback (unless you are a recognised contributor), but when distributed to other websites, the video becomes easier to recognise and thus allows for more views (thus reviewing potential).

 The final product was shared with the Facebook community in order to receive feedback. This was a simple way to receive feedback, but didnt enable for direct responses from the targeted audience. In order to receive accurate feedback, a controlled audience was consulted.

 The controlled allowed for reviews to be more suitable (as the audience correspond to my product): the members were shown a video from a computer screen, and were allowed to construct a review using Microsoft Word and sent over using Email (as the responses could be collated and reviewed efficiently).