Evaluation Q.4. How did you use media technologies in the construction, researcch, planning and evaluation stages?

From the very beginning of the project technology has been essential at every stage and at every point. When we were first collecting our thoughts and ideas, trying to form the basis of the project, the computers at college were extremely useful. After deciding on the genre of our video, we spent some time looking through hip-hop/grime songs on youtube.com after finally choosing 'Goodnight'. After this decision was made we then used the search engine google.com to explore different locations using the map service provided by google as well as street view which allows you to see a 360 degree angle of any street in Manchester. This was extremely useful as it allowed us to plan out the most economical routes for filming saving us cruciall time before the sun set. Not only this, due to street view we could sit in class and seemingly walk the streets on Manchester discovering new locations without physically moving. Because of this software we managed to discover some locations especially around the northern quarter that maybe without it, would have gone a miss. Additionally, when we looked further into digi packs and magazine advertisements, google images in particular was incredibly useful as it has a huge database holding thousands of images to look at and gain some ideas. This is also where we accessed the images with which we completed several analysis'.

Youtube.com also became very useful when we completed our research into other music videos of the same genre. We were able to look at various videos to see how they achieved the hip-hop/grime feel that we wanted for our video. Songs such as Kozzie's 'Destruction' (URL - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75nkUensTUU) have inspired us greatly as it's shown us how to utilize the urban environment we live in effectively without spending as much as some of the larger hip-hop artists spend on their videos.

However, two of the most crucial pieces of technology we've used in this project has to be the Legria FS306 camcorder and the Megax MX-475 tripod. Without these the video could have never been produced at such a high standard as it was. The Legria FS306 camcorder which uses an SD memory card, happens to be Canon's smallest digital camcorder ever with video snapshot, 41x advanced zoom, dual shot and image stabilizer. This camcorder also offers users intelligent battery life & quick charge. We chose to use this camera as provided by Loreto College as we believed we could produce an excellent quality of video with it. The camera definitely lived up to those expectations and we were able to film some great shots. As for the tripod it managed to keep the shots steady, straight and worked perfectly in complimenting the camera.

However, this camera maybe isn't the best of quality when compared to the high definition, professional filming cameras that are located in the college studio. Our filming session in the studio in October is where we feel we filmed our crispest, most professional shots with help from the studio cameras. Having said that, the reason those shots looked so great wasn't just down to the quality of the cameras, the time we spent positioning the lighting must be given huge credit as these shots were all about the way Kwame's body was lit or not lit. Pictured left is an example of one of the great shots we managed to get by using the studio lighting effectively. Unlike many groups before us we decided not to use the green screen for some very important reasons. Seeing attempts made by other groups to use it seemed not to work very effectively. Instead of adding some nice shots to their videos, the shots looked surreal and inauthentic actually gaining their videos nothing. For our video we wanted to make it as realistic looking as possible and we thought the green screen wouldn't be able to achieve this look for us.

Once we finished filming we began the editing process using Final Cut Pro. We had over an hour of clips to sift through, choosing only the best ones to put onto the time line and include in the video. One of the hardest tasks when editing a music video, as we have come to realise, is making sure that the lip syncing is in time. As our video is entirely performance based this was absolutely essential and was a constant struggle throughout the process as the clips would tend to 'jump' out of position in a frustrating manor. Another of the obstacles we had to overcome was actually learning how to use the software. Unfortunately no member of our group had been involved with editing last year when we had had to produce the opening of a film. This meant that we were thrown in at the deep end but fortunately Owen was prepared to jump in with both feet, eventually getting the hang of it and managing to produce a really good piece of work. Effects such as fades and dissolves were added once the time line was complete to give the video a smoother feel. Some clips have been given other effects aswell such as glass distortion (pictured right) which just gives the video a more interesting, more attractive look.

With 40% of the project mark been given for the blog we knew that we'd have to work hard on it and produce a substancial piece of work. We posted regularly throughout the project but since we've stopped editing we've really knuckled down and tried to post everyday. Through blogger we've been able to post pictures, screen shots, and videos. It's been a very useful tool as it's a space where all our posts can be held in an easy to read format. We've been able to provide a detailed account of what we've done outside and inside college, posting evidence to go with it.