Influx - Promises

Influx- Get On The Night Album Cover

Influx Get On The Night Album Cover

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Influx Website (click image to visit the site)

Influx Website

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Saturday 3 December 2011

Evaluation Question 4

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?


In our project in general the use of new media technologies was constant and thorough as we knew that the more we exploited the technologies the greater and the better the quality the output was going to be. We therefore took advantage of the resources that were luckily available to us.

 (click pictures to enlarge and cycle through)


HD Camera:


Overview:
  • Optimised focusing functionalities
  • Various zooming abilities with different effects
  • High definition footage
  • Color balance options
  • Handheld for smooth moving shots
When did we use it? 

The camera was used throughout the project at any oppertunity available to us. In terms of planning it was used to plan shots and to create a narrative video storyboard. Also we used it to document ideas and findings as well as to record group discussions for the evaluation. Of course the main use of the camera was during the production stage where we fully exploited its features in order to get the best quality footage to bring to edit.



Lighting:





Overview:
  • Give a professional look to footage 
  • Allows an atmosphere to be created depending on the colour and intensity of lighting.
  • Lit features we wished to be expressed
  • Got rid of unwanted shadows
  • Created camera effects such as lens flares
When did we use it?

In the production of our music video. Our project relied an awful lot on lighting and lighting techniques. The performance was lit from many angles with different lights for many different reasons. Firstly five spotlights were used to light the performance from behind which blinded the camera and produced natural lens flare and when all other lights were turned of provided a great silhouette look. Then we had the strobe which was used to show a lot of dancing and gave a great effect when all other lights were off. The performance was also lit from above with spot lights to light our singer and red and blue lights on each of the DJ's to create there image. Lights were also used on our photo shoots to exploit the features of our group members and give a professional look.   

  
Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 editing software:

Overview:
  • Allows scene capture when capturing footage which is faster and easier than it was on the previous version of the programme
  • Advanced grading options which can be tuned to the very highest degree of accuracy and allow perfection in grading if the user wishes.
  • Many different special effects and transitions to choose from.
  • A comprehensive cutting tool which is fast and easy to use.
When did we use it?

Whenever we had footage we had to edit it and therefore meant we were using Adobe Premier Pro a lot. It gave us a platform to perform simple tasks such as putting together a video story board and advanced tasks like the final cut of our music video with many different grading techniques, effects and speed changes.


Photoshop:




Overview:
  • Ability to download and use professional brushes for effects
  • Advanced options of effects and colouration on top of the norm (hue, contrast, saturation, brightness)
  • Ability to vary sensitivity of cropping tools for very specific desired cropping.
  • Avanced shape and text effect options such as emboss, bevel, outer glow, and drop shadows.
When did we use it?

Its main use was for the production of the album cover. It provided great options so that one could keep to the constitutions of a real album cover production with templates and guidelines. The programme also provided all the necessary functions and more to create a professional looking product. The software was also used to to create posters, logos and photos for the website and all the promo shots that ended up being used in our project were all photo-shopped for the best looking outcome.


Web 2.0:



Overview:
  • Allows interactive multimedia sharing.
  • Social networking is extremely popular and great for a number of tasks involving marketing and audience research.
  • Everyone and anyone can contribute to the web providing they have access and is used everyday for even mundane tasks.
When did we use it?

It was used every day from day one for research into music videos, audiences, artists, album covers etc, planning, production (WIX programme in particular) and of course this evaluation. All the below websites are just a selection of what we used Web 2.0 for. Social networking played a large role in our project and for good reason. 96% of 16-24 yr olds in the UK use social networking sites.

Facebook:
     

Overview:
  • Facebook is a global phenomenon with 500 million users last year around the world.
  • It provides a great platform for one to advertise something especially music which can be shared and liked with links to Youtube.
  • Music, bands and artists can be favourited by users and displayed on thier profiles where other people can see them and explore for themselves.
  • Groups can be created for events or to create a fan bass which can provide a wide selection of specific audience to market to. 
When did we use it?

At the beginning of the project Facebook provided us with a great platform to organise our group. We created and group and sent messages via this group which which come up like texts on our mobile phones. We used it to exchange ideas and organise shoots etc. Then when it came to audience feedback it was used as a place for the video to be posted responses provided by facebook friends and people could like the video or criticize areas.  

Twitter:


Overview:
  • Ability to follow which is great for famous people and fans alike 
  • Can 'tweet' tour dates or other relevant info and receive feedback or have it re-tweeted for a larger reach.
  • Ability to find new artist through suggestions of a large community and keep track of thier lives if one wishes.

When did we use it?

It was used as another social opportunity for fans to keep up to date with Influx and follow the artist they are curious about and want to know more about. We used it for audience feedback and research which helped to aid the production and the evaluation stages. Linked to the website it means that fans can tweet about the band and spread word off thier activities and potentially advertise the artist to friends. 

Youtube:




Overview:
  • Create a channel and upload your videos 
  • Ability to like videos that one enjoys
  • One can subscribe to channel and receive updates of all the videos that are uploaded onto the channel
  • Users can comment on video and discuss with other users any relevant topics to the video beneath it.
  • The best place to have footage viewed and exploited due to the number of daily users.
When did we use it?

Before posting any videos from planning or production on Facebook or anywhere else this was the first place they were uploaded. This is due to the fact that this site was built to upload videos onto and is incredibly intuitive. Also it was a great place to promote our artist via the music video as millions of people world wide use YouTube every day. It also provided us with a platform on which we could store all the footage from the entire project and then access it from anywhere with an internet connection to be added to blogs or shown to friends and family who could help exploit the video through word of mouth.

WIX:



What is WIX video:

   


Overview:

  • Powerful drag & drop platform that allows for the easy creation of customized Flash websites
  • Easy to use software for producing websites at comparatively low cost
  • Great contemporary look of website produced
  • Various options to enable interactivity to the site produced
  • Perfect for advertising a band with direct links to social networking sites.

When did we use it?

In the production of our website. It proved a great and relatively simple way for us to produce a professional looking site from which we could promote Influx. No messing around with coding just simple drag and drop with many templates such as picture gallery types and visually interesting animations to choose from. Pictures and videos were easily uploaded to the site as well as music tracks with an option of having a background running media player when the site was opened.

Conclusion:


The synergy between different forms of new media technologies ultimately aided us in producing media products of the best possible quality within our ability's in the allotted time. Due to the further development of the internet we were able to better link the different areas of our project together. 10 or even 5 years ago much of the technology available was not yet fully developed or as intuitive as it is now. The constantly improving technology facilitates the advancement in the possible professionalism of projects such as this and for that I am am very grateful. If this new technology was not exploited be the group and myself the project would look very different (not forgetting that Blogger is a form of new media technology that all media students are now using to present thier work!)




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