HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE RESEARCH, PLANNING,

CONSTRUCTION AND EVALUATION STAGES?

ALICE WEBSTER

During the process throughout my research, planning, construction and evaluation stages, I used different types of media technologies such as Photoshop, YouTube and iMovie.

In my research stage, I used different types of media technologies to explore different types of information that I needed for my three media products. For my trailer, I decided to use IMDB and YouTube to research different films and their trailers, focusing on their conventions, and what would be appropriate to use for my own work which could have been influenced by my research. I looked at different trailers which were relevant to my genre, Period Drama, such as The Duchess, The Great Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes and Pride and Prejudice. Using these typical media technologies for my research was helpful for my consideration and exploration of different conventions and narratives which could be used for my trailer.

I also used these similar media technologies to evaluate magazine front covers and film posters in the same genre as my own so I could focus on my other two products and what was most common in different posters and covers. It was difficult to find magazine covers which featured films similar to my genre as Period Drama is not that popular. However, I was able to use media technologies to find similar covers such as those of Total Film which featured Sherlock Holmes. I also Googled other posters of Period Drama films, and then decided that I would continue to update my blog with what I thought was necessary such as mood-boards, and trailers I thought were good examples and aspirations for my own.

In my planning stage, I used my Blogger and Google. During my planning stage, my group and I focused on how we could use the conventions we liked into our products. We focused on the research we had found for our three products, and did our individual work for our blogs. I used SlideShare, Microsoft Word, Prezi and Cameras for my planning stage. I used SlideShare, Microsoft Word and Prezi for work that we were given where we had to research and observe production companies, film poster conventions and looking at what target audiences there were for period dramas. I used very similar media technologies to those of what I used for my research.

During the construction stage, I used more equipment for my trailer product instead of using media technologies. I used different camera equipment to film while producing footage for editing. However, while I created my poster and magazine cover, I used Photoshop for the first time. I was new to using Photoshop, however I got help from my peers and was able to use this media technology to produce appropriate and relative products which looked similar to my trailer.

I was able to overcome my difficulty with using Photoshop rather quickly which was useful for finishing my products reasonably well. I also used certain websites to create billboard texts which was one of the only moments I used the internet for my construction stage.

Throughout my evaluation stage, I used less media technologies than I did throughout my other stages. For my evaluation stage I have only used the internet for reviewing my work on my Blogger, and looking at my final products.