1. How did you use media technologies in the construction, evaluation, research and planning stages? By Dan, Geoff, Shanel & Toby

2. Use throughout our research There was one piece of technology used through our research which stood out amongst the rest, a YouTube downloader tool. This was a downloadable piece of software which enabled us to take the URLs of YouTube videos, namely the music videos which we were using as inspiration, and to save them to our computers/USBs. These videos were then used for textual analysis’ and for note taking in regards to what we particularly liked about them. Once we were done using the videos for textual analysis’, they were then uploaded onto our blog. At a later point however, we learnt how to use embed codes rather than using the YouTube downloader software. This enabled us to embed videos directly from YouTube rather than posting videos which we had downloaded. Other technologies used in the representation of our research was Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Docs, as well as our blog of course. The group produced a PowerPoint, which was eventually broken down into smaller chunks of information which explained several details of what we intended to in our music video. This was then uploaded onto Slideshare.net and the embed code posted onto our blog. Other documents, such as textual analysis’ and semiotic analysis’ were produced in Microsoft Word, and then uploaded to Google Docs. These documents were then hyperlinked onto our blog which resulted in a less clustered, and a text-free looking blog.

3. Use throughout our planning and development Once again, in order to present our planning, this time of our storyboard, we uploaded Microsoft Word documents onto Google Docs. In turn, these were then linked to our blog page so they could be easily viewed without taking up space on our blog. Once again, MS PowerPoint was used. During our development, we completed two workshops in order to practice lip syncing, and continuity editing. Two aspects which would play a key role in how our final music video looked. In order to do these two workshops, we used equipment including a video camera, a tripod and a dolly. Once we had acquired the necessary shots to practice with, we then used a fire wire to capture our footage and begin editing it in Final Cut Express. Final Cut Express, editing software which we used, played a major role through not only our own task, but through everyone else's also. We used Final Cut to edit the footage we had captured in our workshops to meet the intentions of what we set out to do, whether that be to practice continuity, which was done by filming the same thing from multiple angles, and then cut together so it was smooth, or lip syncing, which was also filmed from multiple angles and then cut together. The final videos were uploaded at vimeo.com and the embed code was used to embed the videos into our blog.

4. Use throughout construction In regards to the construction of our music video, we simply used a camera, tripod and dolly and edited our captured footage in Final Cut. This was a long winded, time consuming process which required us to venture to various locations to film including Burnham Beeches and Windsor. We edited our shots together taking into consideration the practice we had already gained from the two workshops we completed which resulted in a contemporary video directed at a mainstream audience. Our ancillary texts were both produced in a program downloaded from Paint.net. Each step taken to produce these were displayed in PowerPoint's which have been uploaded to Slideshare.net and embedded on out blog. Without this software, we would have found it difficult to produce the ancillary texts due to having limited knowledge of how to use Photoshop. The ancillary texts themselves were merely posted onto our blog using the ‘Insert Image’ tool. Although the pictures of these on the blog are somewhat small to medium sized, a larger version can be viewed by clicking on the smaller images.

5. Use throughout evaluation The evaluation, a stage which as a group we struggled with. Technologies and processes we used in this stage of our task included the use of PowerPoint, sound recordings, filming with cameras and editing using Final Cut Express on the school Apple Macs. Question one was completed by filming a question/answer session which addressed the matter at hand. Initially, the plan was to just use a sound recording of the answer, however, we decided against that and filmed it instead. Question three was also filmed but was answered differently to question one. Rather than filming us answering a question, we filmed our peers giving their opinion on our video and edited in the shots which they were talking about, so it was clear what they were referring to exactly. We then added our own comments to this. Question two and question four were both addressed in PowerPoint documents. These were then uploaded to Slideshare.net and the embed code used to embed the PowerPoint's on our blog.