The technology we most relied on during the research stage was the Internet and this was most beneficial to us. During the initial research we used the website YouTube to watch existing music videos of our genre, indie. This increased efficiency greatly as we were able to understand the conventions of the genre to get a better idea of how to emulate them in our own product. YouTube.com is a search engine of videos which meant we were able to narrow our search to specific videos and artists, for example I looked closely at the video for Regina Spektor "On The Radio" to obtain a sense of the conventions of some videos in our genre and they are handled by different directors. This saw increased efficiency as it was quicker than sifting through vast categories as well as audience control as we, being the audience at this point, were able to actively choose what we viewed.
In addition to this we also used the social networking site Myspace.com to research unsigned bands and possible tracks. Once again we saw minority interest in place as in the 'music' category you are able to search by genre and artist. This increased efficiency as it took much less time than browsing endless profiles of artists not in our genre. Myspace.com also benefitted us as it is an example of media convergence as it is not only a social networking site, but allows browsers to view videos embedded from youtube, read blogs posted by the band themselves, much like the blogs we have been setting up and updating following the progress of our project, and has a music player which allowed us to sample tracks, all of which is free and so provide us with a cheaper media.
During the planning for our music video we used compact cameras and 3G mobile phones to take digital photographs of possible locations for filming. For example, we photographed more than one cafe before deciding which was appropriate to use. We were then able to use multimedia messaging as well as bluetooth on our phones to send the images to eachother. This increased efficiancy dramitically as it allowed us to view, analyse and upload the photographs to our blogs individually, rather than waiting for the group or passing around memory cards which may have been lost or damaged.
The use of MP3 files was also of great use to us, firstly by providing a cheaper media. This is so as we were able to download or purchase the track, "Cradle", from Itunes for 79p as opposed to purchasing the entire album for considerably more. MP3 files are also the most commonly used for music file sharing and are so compatible with MP3 players such as Ipods. This increased efficiency for the group as we were able to download the track onto our mobile phones or Ipods or mobile phones and were then able to develop ideas from the lyrics individually. It also ensured that at least one member of our group had a copy of the track on them at all times. This is also an example of media convergence as 3G mobile phones such as the LG Renoir have recently been updated with features such as music players, providing the foundation of the increased effeciancy previously mentioned.
The social networking site Facebook.com was found useful in the stages of evaluation as we were able to use the messaging feature to confer on what each member of the group thought worked well and could be improved and also to plan filming dates and such aspects such as when we planned to edit the video. This again provided cheap media as Facebook.com is a free website. Its use also increased efficiency as we were able to confer at home as opposed to constantly meeting, this is also helped save time at this stage.
A large amount of our evaluation came from the use of Youtube.com. We posted scenes of and eventually the final product and asked people to view and give feed back on our video. This gave the audience control and allowed audience interaction as they were able to have their own input in what they thought worked well and what could be improved. This is shown by the fact that on youtube there is a feature which allows the audience to post comments on the video they view. This increased efficiency as it is quicker, esier to access and more environmentally friendly than using questionnaires.
The use of the site Blogspot.com has been very helpful and crucial in all stages of the production of all the tasks we were asked to do. During the research stage we used the blog to post analysis of videos embedded from youtube.com in order to attain an idea of the conventions we were working with. This increased efficiency as it allowed us to quicjly access and refer back to the research we had done during the other stages of production. Blogging, during the planning stage, was crucial as it allowed us to create an online schedual of when we planned to film, and to post images of the locations and ideas we had for filming as we progressed. Finally, in the evaluation stages our blog helped us to publish the feeback we had been given, increasing efficiancy as it was very easy to access and reflect on. Blogging has enabled us to keep a working document that we can update at any time. As it is avaliable online it has increased efficiancy dramatically as it is easy and quick to access from any computer, whether it be at home or in the classroom. Efficiancy was also increased by the fact that it did not matter in what order work was published or how it was initially put together, due to the fact that we were able to edit posts at any time and save them as drafts so as to keep working on them as our work progressed. This way of working gave us complete control over the content of our work, and allowed us to add photographs and embed videos which increased the impact of our work as it would have been much more difficult to do all we have if we were working on paper.
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