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

evaluation stages?

Apple Macs• We used Apple Macs for all stages of our construction of our

music video, we did this because these computers allow us to use software we couldn’t use on a Microsoft computer.

• The programme we needed most that was on these Macs was Final Cut Express. This was a software that allowed us to capture what we had filmed straight from the camera and onto the computer. Once we had captured we could “cut” the film up and rearrange sequences of shots appropriately. We could also add affects, some of which we were inspired by from our textual analysis’, to our production, e.g. slow shots down or make them faster. We could change the colour of shots using the “desaturation” effect which slowly can fade the colour or make it completely black and white.

This is what final cut express looks like:

This shows where each clip can go as part of the sequence and how we can order, and move them

around. The music or any sound clips go in the bottom half and the visual clips go above the divide.

Sequencing

This shows one of the screens. This is where we could see our video playing and any effects applied to shots while they were being altered, which was helpful as

while the effects were being altered individually from the timeline, the other screen would be on the effects tab and not showing the alteration to the clip.

This is another of the screens where we could see our filming playing, but not the video as a whole. From this screen we could cut out the shots we would like to use and drag them into the timeline to form a sequence.

It was also from this screen we applied the effects. This could be done by adding and altering the effects first and then cutting out the shot we would like to use. Or it could be done by double-clicking on a shot in the timeline and then changing the effects to it.

This is where we can look at and organise the footage we have captured before we add it to a sequence or add any effects to it. This is also where we can double click on a particular piece of footage and for it to play on the screen

(previous slide) where we can then

cut the shots we want into the

sequence on the sequence toolbar.

• We used final cut in our planning stage to have a bit of practise with the software and to find out what effects work best.

• We filmed a short bit similar to what we wanted to do for our main and called this our preliminary exercise.

• We have our preliminary task on our blog and said what we have gained from this in order to do better for our main music video. I have shown an example of bad positioned lighting (next slide) as it shows the curtain in the background which should be blacked out, only showing the subject and nothing around her. This shows we need to make sure we learn to position the lighting equipment better in order to create the effect we want for when we film it.

Planning

This shows we need to use a better technique when using the lighting equipment as we can see the curtain behind.

• Editing involves making sure the lip synching is in time with the music as it means using the cutting tool to cut the bit you want from the footage and then placing it in the sequence in time with the music. We did this well when we did our preliminary and were confident we wouldn’t have any

problems using the software to do this for our real video.

Photoshop

• We also used Adobe Photoshop for our planning for the construction of our Ancillary texts.

• From this we gained experience of the effects and tools which can be used in this software to alter and transform images in different ways.

• Through planning the ancillary texts in Photoshop, we also gained a more visual representation of what we would like our eventual ancillary texts to look like. This was far more useful in gauging what would be possible and what would be more effective than the initial rough sketches.

• From this experimentation we also found short cut ways to perform certain tasks which would help with time management.

Final Media Product

• We used many different effects in our music video using Final Cut Express on the Apple Macs and of which I shall outline and give examples of, through shots of our video.

• The final ancillary texts were created using Adobe Photoshop Elements and then displayed using this software in the digipac format, as the different aspects of the CD case were inserted over the file as separate layers.

Photoshop

• During the production process three different ‘types’ of Photoshop were used depending on the time and place of work. The Apple Mac’s had one version installed, while the school Microsoft computers used another version, and the version installed at home was of a different type again. From this we learnt which versions were more suited to ease of use for the creation of different type of effects. However, overall the same general effects and designs can be applied in any format.

• This is a screen shot of Photoshop CS3.

• With various complex toolbars consisting of a wide range of functions many different effects were applied to various aspects of the ancillary texts.

• This shows a new blank canvas on which the background to an image would be placed.

• The canvas is currently ‘restored down’ to allow other open Photoshop files to be access quickly.

• The canvas can be resized to any proportions specified, which was used when designing the different areas to the ancillary texts appropriate to certain dimensions.

• These are a series of tabs to quickly navigate through different functions and apply effects.

• The ‘Recipes’ option also offers helpful guidance on how to alter layers as you wish too. This tool was used when trying to find out how to change the style and colour of text. The Recipe tool would outline specifically how to do things or offer short cut keys to jump straight to that option.

• History was also of great use when comparing effects without having to undo actions several times before restoring an original image.

• (The toolbar to the left of these tabs, as shown two slides before, just consists of the expected print option, magnification button and save button etc. )

• This toolbar shows the quick selection buttons used to outline an area of an image quickly, depending on the colour differentiation, with the magic wand tool.

• This tool bar also shows the colour which shall be applied if the fill button was selected.

• This toolbar was used in the creation of all ancillary texts for simple functions in selecting aspects of images and the basic editing of them.

• The hints tab, to the right of the screen, gives a brief description of the function of each button. It was used when developing an understanding of what the different buttons could be used for. However, we found to just try out different buttons and see what they do was a more progressive way of learning how to use the software to its full potential.

Layering• Layering is an effect we used

for photos, it is a similar effect to a cross dissolve, which we have used several times through our video. We used layering here to create the effect that the relationship is not “what meets the eye” there is more too it, and that it is diminishing, and these happy moments are fading.

• Layering is created by reducing the level of opacity of several shots all in the same time frame on the timeline, so they can all be viewed at once depending on how much the individual shots have been reduced in opacity.

Desaturation• We have used desaturation to the full extent on

some shots, and these shots are to act as memories, with the connotation that they and the happiness once felt are fading away.

Fade In Fade Out Effect

• We have used this effect when we have cut many similar shots up and stuck them together, by adding a fade in fade out effect it doesn’t make the shots jump but rather flow together well. Another reason as to why we used them was to show time transitions for example, going from a memory to the singer. Or from the present time of the relationship to the singer.

This shows the time transition of going from a memory to the singer, to allow it to flow together more smoothly.

This time using the fade in fade out effect is used between shots that are similar and would jump into each other and

wouldn’t look good, this way they flow together well.

Further usage of desaturation

• For these shots of the pictures we desaturated them but rather than fully desaturated, we did it progressively. The first picture is of 38, 2nd is 62, 3rd is 67, 4th is 74, 5th is 85 and the 6th is 90. This was so we slowly drained out the colour and so the last one is almost completely black and white, like the memories. This was to add to the effect that the relationship is slowly being drained and fading away from what was real and happy to nothing but a memory.

Speeding shots up – AppleJ control• An example of where we have applied this effect is here where there was a mid shot/close

up and when using the camera we used a reverse-zoom from the first shot and ended up with the second one below. We speeded up this process as the faster pace of editing we created was then synchronous with the pace of the music, so this editing worked well.

Slowing shots down

• We slowed certain shots down to extend their time on the screen to invoke emotion from the audience. This was aimed at the happiest times, as you can see above on the left, and also for the unhappiest moments, as you can see on the right (watching the locket fall).

Cross Dissolves

• Cross dissolving allows similar shots of the same scene to follow together while giving the meaning that the relationship is “dissolving” and fading away.

• It also creates a sense of distortion, both actually for the audience and metaphorically in the sense of the distorted perception of the relationship, due to the underlying ‘cracks’.

Brightness and Contrast

• We used this effect to create vibrant colours, to represent the present time. These vibrant colours were to show that what’s happening now is real and there’s no going back now, the memories are fading, and also so the audience could easily follow the narrative. Finally, we originally only did this for the rose scene by the river as red is our theme colour as it means love and destruction, however, we liked the effect and though we the justification above we could use it throughout the second half of the filming where its an unhappy present.

• We used this effect by changing the levels of the normal filter that it was on. We made (for all shots, to keep it consistent) the brightness -11, but the contrast 33.

Example of Enhanced colour shots of the present in the narrative

Gamma Correction

We used gamma correction for footage that wasn’t brightly lit, this was to enhance the lighting that had already been captured from the filming and so that it was

clearer to the audience for them to see, and so it wasn’t so dark. This was however, mainly where we used ambient lighting for example in the outside scenes, where

we could not set up any lighting equipment. We used a gamma level of 0.58.

RGB – Red, Green, Blue• We used this to follow our continuing theme of red, which is associated with

our ancillary texts as well as its representation of love and heartbreak. We made the red levels higher than the blue and green in order to bring a sense of a subtle red background on stage which is seen through the smokiness surrounding the singer.

Lighting

• We used real production lighting for the stage scenes where it was possible to set it up easily and use it on the day we needed it. For outside scenes we had to rely on the ambient lighting as we could not bring professional lighting to these places. We did avoid dark days however, to prevent capturing anything too dark. Finally, for scenes at other locations or in a house we used spotlights to capture the main subject in frame to highlight their significance and maintain a high quality of lighting.

Spotlight

These are two examples of the use of a spotlight. The 6 picture scenes were especially effective by the use of this, as it emphasis’s the main importance which is the detail of the

picture and nothing surrounding it.

Production lighting

• This was used only on the stage and was where the singer was filmed, we wanted to make her the only lit part of our filming on the stage, and therefore we had to move the lighting equipment around until we had the background completely blacked out.

Camera• We have had previous experience of working with the Sony

Handycams’, e.g. last year for our coursework we used them, and so we found it easy to opporate and set up. Furthermore this wasn’t a technology we had to learn more about in order to use it effectively.

• In our planning we used the tracker which we didn’t use very much last yea. However, from this planning we realised it wasn’t going to be of much use to use, as the ground was uneven at all locations including the stage which made the camera look as though it was shaking.

• On the other hand, in the planning phase we tried to practise using the camera to make lots of different angles that we incorporated into our final product.

Reverse zoomClose up

High angle Mid shot

Extreme Close up Long shot

Panning shot Tracking shot

Evaluation Stage• For the evaluation we used the camera and final cut express for a

couple of questions, as we filmed the audience feedback and did a podcast style of response. This was so we could analyse or justify any criticisms and show why we did certain things in an actively engaging way, while taking snippets of what our audience had told us about our production.

• For the other evaluation questions we used Microsoft PowerPoint, to establish clearly shots we used with justification of the editing used upon them. We have also included an audio track, which is to actively engage the audience watching and to show our media complexities. The audio click was recorded on a microphone and then transferred to the computer and added to slides on the PowerPoint.

• Further evaluation responses have been gathered in the form of comments on the blog, directly below the relevant post (however, some comments were posted under the wrong section, yet still apply).