Essay - 1A) Explain how your skills in the creative use of technology…..

Plan:

Explain how your skills in the creative use of digital technology developed over time. Refer to a range of examples from your media production in your answer.

Throughout my A-level course, I have developed my skills while producing a horror film introduction at AS and a  Indie Pop/Rock music video at A2 through the creative use of digital technology with the aid of programs such as Blogger, PicMonkey, Youtube and digital cameras, mobile phones, editing software such as iMovie and more recently, Final Cut Express, PicMonkey and Gimp (a free form of Photoshop). These digital technologies have been essential throughout the production of my foundation and advanced portfolios. 

During both AS and A2, Blogger played a large part in allowing me to document my research creatively by allowing me to use power points  and images to show work. AS was my first introduction to Blogger although I had a basic understanding from my use of another blogging format: Tumblr. During my A2 portion of the course, I used blogger's easy access online during the production stages while on location, filming my music video.  Having my storyboard to hand for example, made it easy for me use on location and I could easily edit it or take notes on an app called Paint Fx on an iPad.

My first introduction to Apple Macs and the Macintosh software was at the beginning of my AS course and I found it challenging at first to use at an advanced level such as importing images from the internet or a camera as they were not automatically saved to a Photo folder, but the desktop. However, at A2, my basic understanding had grown and developed to a more complex level and I am now able to use shortcuts such as take a screen shot, and software such as Final Cut Express instead of iMovie where at AS, was used a majority of the time. At A2, I was able to use Final Cut Express because I found when producing my audience research, iMovie lacked the precision I would need for my music video. This developed understanding of general editing software has helped me to successfully use unfamiliar photo editing software such as PicMonkey and Gimp to create our digipak and magazine advert at A2, as we did not have to produce something like this at AS. For example, I used PicMonkey to import and manipulate our original photographs, select appropriate fonts and design a professional layout; through this I was able to create synergy between all the A2 products by manipulating the same photos and fonts and also incorporating stills from the music video. 

At AS and A2, I used a digital camera to record a voice over during the course. At AS, I included a voice recording in my final product whereas at A2, my audience research analysis took the form of a voice recording over images the subject was expressing- this was so I could produce my findings in a more creative way.  Comparing my skills from AS and A2 when using a digital camera to film my film introduction and music video; I think I have more of an understanding of how to film shots and place the frame well to capture the full image. At A2, I used a digital camera in a third way; taking photos to create the stop motion elements of my music video such as the sequence where multiple mugs of tea are being filled and emptied magically. 

At both AS and A2, I had to layer sound over the top of my clips, having to strip the audio. However, at A2, I had to match the lip-syncing to the words, making this tricky to get exactly right, that is why I started to use Final Cut Express as it is more precise; I added markers to help me change the shot on the beat and change the speed of some shots to fit the lip syncing to the music. At A2, I have added some swankier new techniques compared to at AS level such as stop motion and some animation of words going over the artist's head. 

While editing at both AS and A2, I added filters to my shots: At AS, I cut from black and white scenes to colour scenes which I had enhanced by adding cool tones to the shots to give it a darker, colder feel such as when my villain is digging the victims grave. At A2, I did this and also played around with other effects such as exposure, back light, brightness etc. for outside shots I filmed on location in Italy so the shots would not contrast too heavily- only enough to have the desired effect.   

In conclusion, I think my skills using digital technologies have developed in a way to form a more professional product through my audience research and my past experience at AS. Now having this experience, the technology became a tool, allowing me to create something original, unique and more professional than at AS. 

1b) "Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of audience"

"Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of audience"

plan:

• state audience target interests, style and how that is reflected in music video
• mise en scene (costume, 
• editing (in rhythm, 
• lighting (natural)
• use of silly humour, she is content in herself therefore she can be silly, audience are your friend so you can act like you like and be playful wit them
• physiographic profiling
• audience research 
• confident identity female individuality (Mollie) its okay to me, i dont have to be like everyone else - who is you, reassuring herself that she is ok in herself, shouldn't change into something else for someone else - link to audience (determined, not to be dictated to by society
• qwirky
• freedom of expression
• tried to make as different, imaginative as I could
• Hidden messages (symbolic references) in the video - number of cups of tea symbolises glass half empty half full, ypu have to keep constant in your life and surrounding change, audience can recognise it and translate as the main message, this applies to me also humorous  
• Why people watch music videos: escapism, idealism, encouraging being yourself
• Am both the audience and the producer so easier to communicate effective ideas on the screen, had to appeal to ourselves as a n audience but also connect to a wider audience
• Hybridisation – indie Pop/Rock necessary to maximize target audiences
• All positive research, met target audience effectively, applied demographic research I learnt earlier
• make sure audience could recognise through synergy of digipack, music video and magazone advert by using...cloud pic - connotes freedom and independance, plane flying away to a distant future of peace and relaxation 
• editing pace
• audience feedback
• Theorists: Goodwin iconography that appear accross their work
• Barthes – theory of semiotics – the use of signs and symbols in texts – denotation and connotation. white=innocent, red=danger
• Andrew Goodwins music video theory [lyrics and visual connection (Strong), close up of artist, intertextual refernces (records)]

For my A2 Advanced Portfolio, I made a music video if the indie pop/rock genre to Kate Nash’s song ‘Mouthwash’. Hartley's Classification states that like a record company, I had to create invisible fictions of the audience to accommodate to my target audience as neither of us spend the majority of my time listening to the genre of Indie Pop/Rock, so target audience research was essential during the pre-production stages. 

The hybridisation of Indie Pop/Rock allowed us to maximise my target audience, it being mostly female although I can expect to see younger males of my age range of 14 - 27 listening to this genre. Typically, this target audience would be un-married, living a very care free life. This reflects the song and genre's core message of 'being yourself', showing the forest setting - a place people tend to visit for relaxation (ie. country walk) and also mirroring the idea of escapism, a key reason for an audience member to be watching a music video. 

Synergy was created through the iconography of the cloud  picture on my digipack, magazine advert and music video connote this idea of freedom and confidence in independence, from the judgemental grip to conform our audience typically feel today from society: and the plane represents an escape to a distant future of true inner peace. Using a confident female actress who is qwirky emphasises this idea of being content in yourself, as the song speaks about being happy about the things oyu do and how you do them. De to this message, my actress was allowed to portray a silly persona, allowing the  artist to connect with the audience through humour, creating a friendly relationship between both parties. Both these points link to Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratification Model as my music video was used by my audience to create a role model whose personality and care free attitude they could aspire too. 

We included symbolic references in my video to help convey a more powerful messages with the audience because they recognise the symbols and can relate to them. For example, the cups of tea resembles the ideology of the glass being half full/empty, and that you have to keep a constant in you life while your surroundings change (the tea spoon stays whereas the levels of tea rise and fall), always staying happy and positive, a main message of the songs lyrics.

There is strong use of Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory in his 1992 book 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory', as he states there is usually a relationship between the visuals and lyrics. This is very sting in my music video as I decided to stay very literal, especially with my stop motion work. My work also consists of many close ups of the artist during lip syncing sequences, as record labels insist and intertextual references such as the records.

In conclusion, the relationship between the audience and my artist is strong in my music video, shown by the feedback I was able to collect easily as the target audience, I was easily accessible to due to age and sex, and social medias such as Facebook and twitter. The feedback showed that my music video was quirky, different and intriguing: what I had intended, therefore I think a possitive audience is a necessity when creating any form of media.