Evaluation: Software

Throughout the process, I've used the Internet to find websites that have helped plan, develop and evaluate several aspects of the project.

I used search engine 'Google' to find out how to construct an effective CD Digipack. I used several 'how to' websites to explore my possibilites - which proved endless as I could find out how to: craft CD booklets, CD disc and case templates, DVD folding Digipacks and booklets folding out into posters to name but a few, all through simply searching Google with 'how to make a CD packaging'.

To maintain communications and develop ideas throughout my group, we all used social-networking sites 'Facebook' and 'Skype', places where we could send ideas to each other whilst we were not in school. This sharing of ideas started as conversations about what our next step concerning the project should be, yet eventually extended to sending website links to each other so we could recommend ideas that we had seen in music videos as well as even sending pictures of potential costume ideas (as seen above; group member Georgina Kerwin showing a picture of herself wearing blue hair extensions to ask if they looked conventional of the rock-music genre - "are they suitable for filming?").

Of course, I've used 'Blogger' to document my planning, development and evaluation of the project. I have found Blogger reasonably easy to use and have tried to use each of its features such as embedding links into text, uploading videos, and highlighting text of importance, to name but a few examples of my exploration of Media technology. Another social-networking site I've used along with Facebook and Blogger, is video-sharing website YouTube. This has been particularly of use; it has allowed me to upload our progress, through video blogs and the developing music video itself, allowing our footage to be viewed across the web - exposing us to opportunites of evaluation from users of the website while also allowing us to manually send links to the videos to friends and fellow peers for their views and points of possible improvements. Indeed, we made a group account 'WhitePalmParamore', which allowed us to 'like', share, and view current music videos with each member of the group. YouTube therefore has proven to be invaluable in the research aspect of the project - we viewed countless current music videos to determine codes and conventions of the music video and its subsequent genres.

As part of our band shots, I have played the bands guitarist. During our first attempt at filming, I simply strummed along to the song hoping my musical improvisation was effective. However, when we took the footage to the editing process, we realised because I had improvised the guitar parts, it was incredibly difficult to synchronise my guitar work with that of the song. I therefore used the website 'Ultimate Guitar', which provided me with the guitar tablature for our song, which I learnt; this had a noticeable effect when filming (and editing) as it was significantly easier to synchronise the footage to the non-diagetic audio track.

During the planning stage of the project, we explored possible narrative ideas for our chosen song, 'Misery Business'. We decided to use research the song for potential ideas; indeed we searched the song in the website 'SongMeanings', which allowed us to see users comments on what they personally thought the song to be about, as well as there overall opinion on the song. This effectively acted as market research - we were reading the views and opinions of our audience - and therefore this helped us with exploring both Reception Theory and Audience Theory, as we could use the existing views of the audience concerning the song and then incorporate them into our video allowing us to ensure we would be following ideas that would already be developed by the audience.

Also during the planning stage, was our research into our video's Mis-en Scene. One of the aspects of this, was deciding how to develop the costume and prop aspects of our video.We therefore explored several websites, such as fashion sites solely dedicated to each member of the existing band Paramore, allowing us to browse conventional costumes of the Rock Music genre as worn by bands members such as lead singer Hayley Williams.

To develop my Ancillary tasks at school as well as at home, I used the official Adobe website and found a trial version of their products: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator etc, so I installed Adobe Suite CS5 on my home computer allowing me the freedom to construct and edit anywhere.