Media evaluation

1. MEDIA EVALUATION QUESTION 4

2. BLOGGER:
Throughout the process of completing my media coursework
the piece of software I will use most frequently is Blogger.
Blogger is a free blogging service provided by Google, it allows
users to publish various forms of media on a website that is
entirely their own. The website allows users to customise pages
as well as imported text, images and videos. I have experience
with this site having used it for my AS media coursework,
therefore I was familiar with the way it worked. Additionally,
the multimedia aspect of the site also allows me to
demonstrate my advanced ICT abilities, thus letting me
showcase my work in an informative and captivating manner.

3. PREZI:
Having Blogger as a means of storing all of my media work allows me to be
creative with the way certain aspects are presented. A creative way of
presenting work is through the online presentation software Prezi, this is
basically a more fluid and vibrant form of PowerPoint, it makes presentations
visually exciting to look at and demonstrates good ICT skills. Additionally, you
can insert images, arrows and other shapes on the slides meaning it’s
possible to create a mind map. I utilised Prezi for numerous parts of my
media coursework including

4. EMAZE:
To ensure I didn’t overuse the aforementioned Prezi I also
made use of Emaze, another online presentation software.
Similar to Prezi, Emaze allows users to add text, images and
shapes to slides which they then navigate around. Emaze is
more professional looking and gives the presentations a more
slick and polished look. Before the A2 media coursework I had
never used Emaze before and therefore went wrong on certain
occasions e.g. when I first embedded one of my presentations
it wasn’t correctly formatted. However I soon got to grips with
the technology and became confident with the way it worked, I
later used Emaze for other aspects of my coursework.

5. POWERPOINT/SLIDESHARE:
Yet another presentation method I utilised was PowerPoint, this is an offline
presentation package provided by Microsoft and allows users to create
presentations based on a particular subject. Given that the software comes
from Microsoft I was very accustomed to the way it worked, thus ensuring an
efficient process when using it. Additionally, it allows users to insert text,
images and other multimedia aspects, making the presentation visually
entertaining whilst also conveying an appropriate level of detail via text.
As the PowerPoint software is offline I needed to use a website to embed the
presentation onto my blog. This is where Slideshare comes in, Slideshare is an
online service that allows users to upload PowerPoint presentations onto the
internet so they can be shared online. I uploaded my textual analysis of
existing horror film trailers, analysis of my film trailer, questionnaire feedback
and theoretical research. Whilst this aspects weren’t as dynamic and visually
stimulating as the ones on Prezi and Emaze, they provided greater, more
detailed information.

6. WORD:
I also used Microsoft Word during the analysis stage of my media
coursework. I used the software to present my analysis of existing
horror film posters. I pasted the images in the centre of the page and
then used textboxes to format analysis around the poster, I inserted
shapes from the software package to relate what was written back to
the image of the film poster. Moreover, Microsoft Word also played a
pivotal role when it came to screenshots and other images, I used to
the crop tool within Word to get rid of sections of an image I didn’t
want.
I then compressed the images before saving it
as a picture, this allowed me to insert
appropriate sized images and trim down any
unnecessary elements of images. Finally, I used
word during the construction stage of my
production, its capabilities allowed me to
produce an initial list of shots and, later on, a
script of the final production. Furthermore, I
used it to produce a prop in the final
production, a threatening note sent to one of
the protagonists from the supernatural
antagonist.

7. EXCEL:
At any point during my research stage that I included information of
consulting my target audience I used Microsoft Excel to
demonstrate the feedback. For example, after my questionnaire I
used Excel to create pie charts to represent the popular options
chosen my audience members. This, again, makes the feedback
more visually exciting, the process was subsequently repeated
when I quizzed my audience on a film name, what magazine brand
to use and also what fonts they would prefer.

8. OUTLOOK:
For part of my research I was obliged to contact a professional film
director within my chosen field and quiz them on ways I could
produce a good film trailer. To do this I utilised the Microsoft e-
mailing service Outlook. This software was implemented across all
computers within the school therefore it was easy to access within
school hours, also, considering I have been at Countesthorpe College
for nearly four years, the e-mail package is easy to operate.
Furthermore, due to the learning link on the school’s website and
mobile application, the e-mail software is available outside of school,
thus allowing me to check on any replies from my professional.

9. HP LAPTOP:
My own personal HP laptop played a massive role during my
media coursework, it allowed me to access online resources
such as Blogger and Prezi at home, therefore improving the
efficiency to which tasks could be completed. In addition it
contained Movie Maker software, the basic software I used to
edit my audience research focus group and also Macromedia
Fireworks, the graphics package I used for my ancillary tasks.
My laptop also contains the basic software I used like Word,
PowerPoint and Excel whilst also acting as a prop in the final
production. One of the protagonists is researching the
antagonist and locates an image of him on the web, then he
turns away before the image charges at the screen.

10. GOOGLE:
Google is another crucial piece of software I utilised to ensure a
successful media production. Firstly, Google itself provides access to
the Blogger website thus allowing me to access my work from
effectively anywhere with an internet source. Additionally, the Google
search engine allows me to navigate to various online resources I
utilised during the research and planning section of the coursework
e.g. Prezi and Emaze.
Moreover, Google proved to be an excellent research tool, in particular
when it came to deciding which films I wanted to analyse for my
textual analysis of existing media products, it allowed me to discover
popular films that, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known about. Finally,
Google images allowed me to locate appropriate images to use on the
blog, again returning the concept of showing a confident use of ICT
whilst also creating an attractive blog.

11. YOUTUBE/CLIP CONVERTER:
The video sharing website YouTube allowed me to view the existing film
trailers that I analysed, therefore allowing me to take screen shots and
analyse them. Additionally, the website provided me with a method of
distributing my product. Last year, at AS, I attempted to upload videos directly
onto Blogger, I later discovered that this is incredibly time consuming and
results in a poor quality of film.
This year, however, having that knowledge and uploading it directly onto
YouTube to then embed on my blog saved a large amount of time. In addition,
I used the online software Clip Converter to download Youtube videos which I
could then use in various formats e.g. the sound track on the focus group was
downloaded in an MP3 format from a YouTube video.

12. WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER:
When it came to editing the footage captured from my focus group I
was keen to get it done as quickly as possible. I was keen for just a
basic edit, no fancy effects or transitions, so I decided to use
Microsoft Movie Maker as the main editing package. This software
is really easy to use and is something I am very confident in using, it
allowed me to edit together the focus group in a fluid and enjoyable
manner.

13. MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS:
Macromedia Fireworks is the graphics package that I used to
edit the images for my ancillary tasks, the film poster and the
front cover of a film magazine. I maintained from the minute
I decided on my two ancillary tasks that Fireworks would be
the main software package I use.
As an A-Level ICT student I
already have a firm grasp of how
to operate the software and was
aware that the features included
within the package, such as
feather took, lasso took,
sharpen took and blur took,
would result in a professional
looking image.

14. IMOVIE:
I used the Apple software iMovie to edit my media production together. I
used the same package last year so I was already a confident user and knew
how to effectively operate it. It provided me with effective fonts and
transitions that would appeal to my chosen target audience. Additionally, the
software also allows me to import images and multiple sound tracks on top of
the moving images, this combination was utilised by myself to create creepy
non-diegetic sound.

15. FREE SOUND:
Free Sound is an online audio sharing website, essentially it is
the audio version of YouTube, users can upload original
soundtracks which can then be downloaded and used by others.
I used this software to acquire free, non-copyright music and
sound effects for my media production, whilst also ensuring I
won’t encounter and legislation issues.

16. DAFONT:
Dafont is an online website that stores millions of fonts that
can be used by multiple users. My main utilisation of this,
again links back to the concept of producing a visually
exciting blog. Initially I used it on the sub-headings of the
genres when I researched their forms and conventions, the
horror font was then used again when I wrote about the
sub-genres of the main horror genre.

17. HD VIDEO CAMERA:
Arguably the most important piece of technology I used during my
media production was a HD video camera from the school media
department. This was firstly used to film the focus group for my
audience research and then it was used to film the clips for my actual
horror film trailer. Like a lot of the technology mentioned here, I have
had previous experience with the film camera in question and was
fully aware of how to operate it and obtain a good quality image.

18. SURVEY MONKEY:
As recommended by my media teacher I used the free online survey website
Survey Monkey, a service that allows users to create questionnaires. I
produced a paper based questionnaire during my AS media production, which
I discovered to be messy and untidy. Survey Monkey gave me the opportunity
to distribute the questionnaire online, thus making it easier for my audience
to answer the questions. As I previously eluded to I have not used this
software before, but I found it easy to operate and the way it provides
feedback based on what participants have said was another beneficial
feature.

19. GOCONQR:
GoConqr, formerly known as Examtime, is another
online piece of software I utilised for the
presentation of information on my blog. I have had
experience with this website, having used it last
year. Firstly, I used the flashcards feature on the
site to present information on the horror film
director Tobe Hooper. The mind map tool was also
used for things like information on director Alfred
Hitchcock and presenting information on character
conventions with horror films.
This piece of software allowed me to vary
the way in which I conveyed information,
and has customisable options that
allowed me to change the type of text,
colour and style of either the mind map or
flashcards, relating back to the idea of
making my blog interesting to look at.

20. APPLE MACBOOK:
As previously mentioned I used the Apple
software iMovie to edit my final film trailer, so
that I was able to use this software I had to
also use an Apple Macbook from the school’s
media department. The Macbook hardware
stored the iMovie software and allowed me to
edit my production during media lessons and
free periods. Throughout my time at this
school I have built up a strong working
knowledge of the Mac software and now, in
my final year, I am a confident user of the
hardware and software.

21. IPHONE 5S:
The advanced capabilities of mobile devices resulted in my
iPhone 5s playing an important role during the research,
planning and construction stags of my media production. Firstly,
I used my phone to take some initial images of potential
locations, as they were only rough ideas I didn’t see the point in
renting a HD Nikon camera from school, my phone allowed me
to takes images of sufficient quality.
Additionally, the social mobile applications on my phone
allowed me to share my media questionnaire with friends,
whilst also, with Twitter, letting me reach a more global
audience. Finally, my phone allowed me to communicate, via
text, to my actors to arrange appropriate dates for everybody to
film, this subsequently allowed me to create my shooting
schedule.

22. SOCIAL NETWORKING
APPLICATIONS:
As previously mentioned social networking applications allowed me to share
my questionnaire online to obtain responses from friends and other
worldwide citizens. Furthermore, I discovered that, as part of a cohesive
marketing campaign, films use outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Snapchat and YouTube to promote their film on numerous platforms. Finally,
as mentioned before, I created a group chat on Facebook where I could talk to
all my actors in one chat to arrange a time that was convenient to film.