example essay (DIGITAL TECH)

EXAMPLE ESSAY:

Introduction:

Over the two years of Media Studies I have constructed to major productions which were a Thriller Opening and a Music video, which consisted of using different digital technologies in order to complete the productions to highest standard.

Main paragraphs:

Throughout the course including AS and A2 I used Blogger to document each section of my work. Blogger functions not only as a way in which I can display and write up posts regarding anything of interest or importance but also a type of social networking site, as I was able to interact with other pupils and individuals on the internet through connecting with them and commenting on their blogs. This was a great way to display all the work that I had created throughout my AS project as I was able to get constant feedback from others. However, in A2 I used another way to document the work I had produced through using a website called WIX. WIX was not only a way in which I documented majority of the work; I also used this as a marketing method for the Music Video that I created. The website I created went live, which meant that any person around the world was able to access my website and visualise it. I was able to access my website and Blogger from any computer that I had access to because I was using the Internet.

Premiere PRO for AS was relatively easy to learn how to use, whereas Final Cut Pro was more advanced but it did however have similarities to Premiere Pro. I had to spend longer getting to know how to use it. I was able to pick up the tools and develop my skills quickly ready for the post production of my music video where I completed preliminary tasks which offered me the opportunity to test and practice before my final production. Both programmes allowed me to use a variety of effects and transitions which enabled me to be very creative and explore different styles to make my work more aesthetically pleasing especially for my Music video however Premiere Pro introduced me to the use of timelines and the basic transitions of the dissolves and fades and layering audio over images. When it came to producing my music video the skills I learnt and used were more advanced where I had to become skilled in the ability to be able to lip sync, use filters and more quality effects such as ‘Earthquake’. Through doing this I was able to ensure that my music video would be exciting and engaging to an audience. The major tool I used over the course of two years was the ‘trim’. ‘cut/scissor’ tool which enables footage to be cut at appropriate times. In AS where I was beginning to learn the use of these I found that I struggled to cut footage in time with the imagery and sound. However, from this experience I had to ensure that I improved these skills for the music video as being able to cut and trim shots in pace with the music was going to be challenging.

Photoshop was used to edit and manipulate photos taken throughout the process of A2 especially for the professional photographs taken of the music artist I created. This is a professional editing software that has enabled me to hone my skills for further and also create the professional and stylistic photographs that are attractive to the target audience. I often used the ‘lasso’ tools to remove the background because when it came to stylising each shot to match a consistent style with the banner I created and the digipack I created.

As part of the A2 course I was required to find an unsigned artist, therefore the best place to look for this was on the music social networking site MySpace, where it is bombarded with artists and bands who are unsigned and are wanting to be. This technology was beneficial as it meant I could search online for an artist and even find an already existing fan base which helped me out when it came to creating the fan base/target audience for my music video. Through the use of FaceBook, YouTube and Twitter, I was able to reach out to many different individuals with different taste and expectations. This benefited me as I was able to gather plenty of feedback and constructive ideas about my music video for development and improvement. I was also able to see the type of standard I needed to in order for my work to be on the professional scale. With the use of web 2.0 we were able to reach a wider audience for people to share and comment on our video for development of our rough-cut, whereas in the previous year we relied heavily on the constructive criticisms given by our peers in class.

Lastly the use of my camera skills which have had a major improvement; my ability to use more technical and creative shots in A2 had developed especially where I had to be more creative as I was making a music video.

What were the technical pros and cons of the hardware/software?

In what ways was technology used to create the production?

In what ways did the technology constrain or enable the production?

You might make some observations about how easy it is to get used to technology these days, particularly for young people who have access to it outside of an educational setting. Refer specifically to how you used the technology in particular tasks.

Now open up the question of creativity: what does it mean to you, and where have your ideas about creativity come from? What do other people say about what creativity might mean? How have the tasks themselves encouraged creativity? Refer to examples from what you have done.

Conclusion

Finally, try to bring together these strands - technology and creativity - to answer the question. Here you might refer to ways in which the technology has also allowed you to develop other skills - teamwork, organisation, planning, research, negotiation. You might finish by opening up to a wider conclusion - that digital technology has given media consumers the opportunity to become media producers too -particularly via web distribution, and that this, in turn, has allowed creative comment in wider communities such as YouTube.