MAY SIMPSON

1. How did you use media technologies in the research and planning, construction and evaluation stages? MAY SIMPSON

2. Media technologies • Television • Newspapers • Books • Magazines • Social Networking Sites • Computers/Laptops • Cameras (Film and Still) • Blogs • Broadband • Software • YouTube • Search Engines • Email

3. Old Media Technologies • Magazines • Books • The above media technologies have helped me in both the research and planning sections of the project. • Magazines helped with the planning section of the project, especially when it came to the advert for my CD, as it meant that I could get inspiration from other existing adverts.

4. New media technologies • I have used new media technologies in this project in order to create and enhance the quality of the final product. • New media technologies vary in what it is that they can do, from changing imagery, searching the web and creating videos. All of these technologies are now so complex that you can create almost anything that you want to. • This has been great help in the project, as it has meant that I have had more freedom to do exactly what I want and challenge myself into experimenting with two types of new media technology; software and hardware. • I have used things that I hadn’t used before and this has helped me to expand my knowledge in areas that I never had before and with equipment that I had not used before.

5. Computers and laptops • Without a computer or laptop, then I would not have been able to complete the majority of the project. • The computer enabled me to do things such as create my video, blog, use various software and get feedback from others on my project. • This means that computers and laptops have influenced every section of the project, proving that these new media technologies are vital to the media industry.

6. Social Networking Sites • This new media technology has helped me in the research and evaluation stages. • It has enabled me to get many different opinions and feedback from various people but also in a quick way. • Sites such as Facebook and Twitter allowed me to post my questionnaire online, which was particularly useful as a lot of my work had to be done from home. • Without the use of these social networking sites I would not have been able to complete the questionnaire stage of the research. • This would also not have been possible without broadband, which has made the internet faster and more accessible than it was in the days of dial-up.

7. Blogging sites • Having a blog is a big part of the project, as it helped me to show my work online, in order to get more of an audience for my work. • Blogging also helped to inspire me, as it showed other’s work that had been shown on their own sites, giving me more ideas and helping to develop ideas that I had already had. Blogging is popular because it is interactive, and with so many people on such a variety of blogging sites, it means that there is more chance of a diverse audience feedback response. • Blogging is a form of ‘We Media’ and shows how ‘ordinary’ people have the chance to express their own work and opinions on various subjects. • I used a blog for different reasons; for the production log, the evaluation and to present my work. • This worked quite well as it helped to show off what I can do in a smart and professional way, as well as it being easy to find everything that I have done.

8. Software • During this project I have used various different software creations, such as Word, PowerPoint, Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. • These different software programs make it very easy for people to create the exact image that they have in mind. • I used these different programs throughout all 4 stages; research, planning, construction and evaluation. Without these software products it would not be possible to have created almost all of the things that I have created for the project. • Photoshop and Final Cut Pro were two pieces of software that helped to create the final tasks and without these it would not have been possible. They are both helpful to the media industry and my project because they are now so advanced that you can create almost anything that you can think of.

9. Cameras • For this project, using a camera is a very vital part of the final creation. Without this new media technology, then I would not have been able to create the product, as the imagery that is always used on these products would not have been able to be created in graphics form. • I used the cameras for both film and still photography, which was mostly for the construction of the final products. • Using the camera I was able to capture real life moments that the audience would be able to relate to, and also create eye capturing imagery that draws in the audience’s attention – making the products look professional and drawing the audience into buying it.

10. YouTube • YouTube is a new media technology that is always used for the creation of a music video. It is used as a distribution method, as so many people use it as a way of watching videos online. • I used YouTube for the construction part of the project, to get my video running online so that it was possible for people to see it. • This can also link with social networking sites, as you can post the link to your videos online and people will continue to share them so that more and more people will see it, therefore your audience will continue to expand.

11. Email • Email was also a very helpful new media technology, that made it very easy to find a song to make my music video to. • Without email, I would not have been able to contact the band who’s song I used and therefore would not have been able to use a song unless I knew someone that would give me rights. • Email is a quick and efficient way of contacting people, and also helps to make things global, as it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, you can still speak to someone that is hundreds of miles away – like I did to my Canadian band. • However, social networking and broadband were also important for this, as I found the band on MySpace, a social networking site for aspiring artists and this would not have been possible without broadband.

12. conclusion • All media technologies, old and new, have played a bit part in all of the sections of the project. • Each media technology allows me to do different things and means that I can express my ideas in various different ways. • It also shows how reliant we are on technology, as we could not create any of the things that we do, for example the music video, advert and digipack that I created, if we did not have these media technologies. • It shows that although these things are a part of our everyday lives, we do not realise how much we depend on them until it comes to the creation of something such as a music video that you realise how much you really do use them.