media technologies in

the construction of

research, planning

and evaluation

stages?

• Media theorist Bentley once said: "The making of the

new and the rearranging of the old”. Reflecting this

quote, to some extent digital technology does turn media

consumers into media producers because it enables

them to consume current media products via cross-

media. This is known as ‘we media’ utilizing technology

institutions’ target audience to create and apply their

imagination instantly.

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• As an A-Level Media Studies student, I have become

more exposed to the technology spectrum that one can

access and become part of this interactive and online

community where it is negotiated and circular.

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• Therefore, for my main coursework project, the music

video is an example of independent production as a

media consumer. I worked in a group of three and as we

have been newly introduced to new and advanced

technology at AS level we shared a primary objective to

focus on achieving advanced effects as an aspiring

professional team.

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• As our team filmed over the course of 2-3 days, I

became more proficient at handling the camera and

organising the necessary equipment on demand.

• I worked in the same group as my AS coursework

project, which benefited us to share the same

motivational work ethic as an ensemble.

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• We used two cameras: one Canon HD camera and a

SLR camera. Unfortunately, one was of higher quality

than the other which we eventually became acquainted

to, yet the SLR camera’s wide angle lense allowed me to

increase the shot-size and space of the setting and

multiple characters. Using the shooting schedule during

filming, I successfully set up equipment such as the

tripod and wire cables as well as the white-balance on

the camera to ensure the best results.

• I constantly updated my progress blog on

‘Blogger’, which helped me document my thoughts and

development from the pre-production stage all the way

to the end. Using social media networks on our mobile

phones helped us update our peers and even ourselves

in our created online group where we shared and

expressed our ideas when not together.

• During the production process, the benefit of using two

cameras for filming gave us the opportunity to increase a

variety of angles, shot-types, change of footage and

double set-up to achieve the best outcome possible.

Applying the same transitions made it more expert and

slick, achieving a ‘less is more’ impact.

• Filming from a birds eye view and extreme close

ups, allowed us to play with the different spaces

available. Having a more matured perspective, I

incorporated stop motion and photographic animation

using a Canon EOS 110D camera to constantly take

individual pictures which I uploaded to Photo-edit on my

Mac computer in order to produce a more avant-garde

effect that suits the indie-genre having researched other

music videos like Sia’s ‘Breathe Me’ and Oren Lavie’s

‘Her morning elegance’.

Sia- Breathe Me

Oren Lavie- Her Morning Elegance

• The chosen song: Five Years Time by Noah and the

Whale is a indie/hipster song which permitted me to

have more freedom with including many characters and

once collating all the required footage, I could freely

build more structure and a hipster styled sequence.

• For instance, I incorporated silhouettes and casting

shadows using redhead lights and soft light gels, which

was inspired by avant-garde cinema films like Un Chien

Andalou to create a vintage effect. I wanted to achieve

image manipulation yet steering away from airbrushing

and image perfection, as it was vital to create a sense of

verisimilitude throughout our video.

• In the post-production process, I found it challenging to

compliment the lip-synching of the song’s lyrics with the

exact timing of the song on Adobe Premiere. Therefore,

using software programmes like Garage Band, YouTube

converter and Sound cloud, they facilitated me

throughout the editing process.

• During the post-production process, it was important to

focus on adjusting colour controls with a vivid palette

creating a summer/hippy-like feel.

• Once uploading the final video onto YouTube, I felt that

the quality appeared weaker than on the Adobe

Premiere screens yet it was successfully transmitted via

my USB memory stick.

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• I used my USB frequently during the editing process to

save photography and any other extra shots that would

be sufficient to use. When designing my ancillary tasks,

the Digipak cover and website homepage which

promotes the band, Noah and the Whale- it was at times

difficult to transform my chosen images using Corel-

Photo paint as I felt overwhelmed by the variety of

options etc.

• Wix, the website homepage software is particularly good

to find a suitable template so I could experiment with

format and presentational devices, yet at times I felt I

could have reconsidered the layout. For example, the

homepage is simple yet effective, however I doubted

that it may lack important details, which is where I could

have improved in order to achieve a more expert-like

product.

• Overall, the basic key concepts of Media Studies

including: camerawork, lighting, editing and mise-en-

scene were very much developed. I have gained a more

diverse and creative approach and have ultimately learnt

more about potential filming issues, public locations and

editing software over the course of 2 years. Whilst

evaluating my work, this was the first opportunity to

experiment with a challenging and alternative music

genre.