Question 4

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research?

In the research of our media product we began by using YouTube to look at different music videos within the indie genre. YouTube allowed us to explore the different conventions of the indie genre which we could then apply to our

own music video. We studied three different artist; ‘High hopes’ Kodaline, ‘Summer’ Frank Hamilton and ‘Bones’ Josh record. By using YouTube we were able to compare and contrast the different conventions. To present the

information we used ‘Prezi’. We also used this research to form our directors pitch, where we could take into account all of our

research into the genre and then creatively form our own idea for the production of our video. When we stared to film our product, we stared by using a video camera, however we found that the time of day in which we wanted to film made the picture rather grainy as it is hard to film at night, so we use an IPhone 5 to film some of the

darker scenes which ensured that the quality of picture was better than the video camera. However when it came to editing our video we found the sizing was hard to match between the video camera and the IPhone to make the video

consistent. To edit our video we used iMovie on a Mac laptop. This program was easy to use and it allowed us to explore different editing techniques, we were able to change the saturation and contrasts of the picture as some of the shots on camera were quite dark, we also were able to put shots in black and white like the dancing, and the very beginning. This contrasted between the coloured scenes because the scenes that were in colour are a sort of reflection to what has happened. The use of black and white intensifies the emotions. We were able to use different transitions between scenes, however we wanted to keep the video quite naturalistic therefore we used a lot of jump cuts and some fading between scenes; the fading was used as a sort of thought insight to his mind for the audience. By using fading between scenes in our video, it overlaid the dancer and our main character, suggesting how they are

fading away from each other. Also using IMovie we were able to put the ending in reverse, we did this to show that he is rethinking everything that happened and reflecting. It suggests a feel of regret which is why we have him stood at the door before and after the reversed scenes begin. We also used Moviemaker in order to make the compilations of the mother and son pictures, we did this to represent his thoughts. By presenting these pictures through the projection on to his face it gave the suggestion that the audience are looking into his thoughts which builds the connections between audience and artist. In the indie genre this seems to be an important convention as they want to create something that the audience can relate to. During the dance scenes we used a lighting desk in order to get the right lighting to set the atmosphere for these particular shots. Also using the lighting desk with the white background created a good balance of light which on camera created a very clear picture, which we also added black and white to the dance scenes to add to the effects of all these elements. To create our digipak and advertisement we used a combination of Picmonkey and Photoshop. We used these programs to create the templates for the digipak and to adjust the pictures. We adjusted the colours to become consistent with the style of video that we went with. We did this to make a distinctive look for the artist so it is consistent through the video, digipak and advertisement. To create these digipaks and advertisements we looked into different artist and the conventions of the digipaks and advertisements and then presented this information in slide share. Overall our use of technology allowed us to create a music video that conformed to and challenged the conventions of the indie genre. We also were able to use what we had learned throughout AS and apply it to our final product at A2.