getting a media product to the consumer. Digital technologies use an advanced form of binary code to speed up the process of production and consumption. They have replaced the old analogue form of technology. Binary coding allows for a much faster speed of streaming, downloading and computing data. The old analogue system used electrical impulses along a thick cable to communicate information and images. Whereas the new digital system uses a mixture of codes, either 1 or 0 to communicate information, this can be done on a wire as thin as a hair. Meaning new technology can get smaller due to the far smaller cable width. They are introduced to help reduce costs in the production of a media product. During the creation of our pop video we have used a wide range of new media technologies as a fundamental resource. We used new media technologies in all stages of our production, during the research and development stage, the planning stage, the shoot, the post production and 
finally the distribution and exhibition stage. There are 4 main reasons why new media technologies have been introduced: PQIC. The first is proliferation, this means channels such as Sky can now stream all their 840 channels and 700 radio stations at a far high quality, faster and far cheaper than would’ve been possible with analogue technology. The second is the quality issue, media products can now be communicated at a much higher quality than before, such as Sky HD and 3D TV. The third issue is the interactivity of digital technology; digital technology uses a two way form of cable which allows users to interact with a channel or server. Activities such as Sky Games, Sky Betting and teletext services have demonstrated this very well. The fourth and final reason for digital technology being used is the convergence that is available. Organizations can now converge into new forms of media very easily, for example The Daily Mail have created a very good website which features all their news stories full of charge, and industry specialists predict that they will create a TV channel in the next could of years featuring all their latest news stories.We used all of these advantages of digital or new media technology in our production. We followed a structured rule of what order we were going to do things. This is to ensure everything is done at the correct stage rather than forgetting things during the process. We first did our research and development which entailed getting our song chosen and treatment decided. The second step we followed was planning, we needed to plan our shoot day meticulously so created a call sheet to ensure all actors and crew knew exactly when and where they needed to be. The third stage was the shooting, this involved us physically shooting our video and capturing all the potential footage we wanted to use. The fourth stage was post production, this is where we edited, colour corrected and added aftereffects to our media product. The final stage is distribution; this is how we physically get an audience to see our media product.
We used a wide range of production technology, this was to ensure that all 5 stages of our pop
video were carried out as quick and effectively as possible. We wanted to ensure that all stages were carried out to as well as they possible could’ve been with the technology available to us. We also used new media technology to try and plan as accurately as we could each detail of the production to eliminate any confusion or miscommunication that could happen.The use of new media technology is very evident in the construction of our pop video, and the distribution. However is not so evident in the research and development, and planning aspect. The introduction of new technology such as colour grading and after effects has made special effects possible on a scale that would’ve previously been completely impossible. High concept media product has showcased what can be done with special effects, such as The Dark Knight. These new media technologies contributed a lot to our pop video as it allowed us experiment with new methods that had potential for great success.
When considering new media technology we had to think about whether or not they would add to our pop video. This is very relevant in the production aspect of our video. We had the ability to use greenscreen and a huge range of other special effects but felt this wouldn’t add to our pop video, we felt it would detract from our video as we are trying to promote the band’s simplicity and real talent rather than technological trickery. We also felt we wanted to just display the band’s performance, hence the lack of a narrative element so using any aftereffects would take away from our original idea.
Research and development was a fundamental piece of our pop video and in industry, professional research and development teams use a huge range of technology to make their lives easier and to make the process a lot quicker than would’ve been possible with analogue. We were no different in using a wide range of digital technology. Especially, we used the Internet extensively during our planning process. When researching what band we wanted to do and what song we wanted to do we used www.youtube.com extensively, we also visited www.thetoyhearts.com once we had decided the band to see what other material they had which we could look at, such as pictures and gig information. Once we had decided the band we then used email to contact them, this made the communication easier and quicker than would be otherwise possible. Before new media technologies were available research and development teams would’ve had to go to libraries or news teams to try and get information about artists or trends that would be occurring. Once they had found their band they would’ve written to them as opposed to email. Using new media technologies has sped up this process dramatically compared to what would’ve been possible before digital technology.
The planning process benefited hugely from the ability to use digital technology. For our first location we planned to shoot in we went to and took pictures with a digital camera to show the rest of the group and to put on our blog. We also used these images to put into a storyboard on a computer, this meant we could depict exactly what the environment would look like and we could speed up the storyboarding process. We also then used a computer to type out our call sheet and print it. Using digital technology has sped up this process substantially. If new media technologies were not available to professional planning teams they would’ve had to write the call sheet on a typewriter or write it manually which can be a very lengthy process if it is a long shoot involving lots of props and actors.
The shoot day really benefited from new media technologies dramatically. We shot the whole day digitally on a JVC 150 and Sony 21 camera, which had many advantages. The first of which
was the maneuverability of the camera, we could move the camera around very easily without needing more than one person. This was especially helpful for our video due to the nature of the pivoting camera. Shooting digitally also allowed us to shoot a lot more, as footage doesn’t take up as much space as it does on film. This ability to shoot more footage without having to worry about card space allows us to be more creative as well. This means we shoot high ratio, this means we capture a larger amount than is needed by us in the final production as we have more availability to do so. For our pop video we needed 48 shots so we shot at a ratio of 3:1. The availability of digital technology also allowed us to use greenscreen had we desired, however we felt greenscreen wouldn’t promote the image we are aiming for. During the shoot we also used a CD during our shoot day for playback so the band knew to play in time.
The post production process also gained hugely from using new media technologies. We used Final Cut Pro non-linear editing and Adobe AfterEffects.Due to us shooting digitally we were able to colour correct the shots we were using, this process is called “Colour grading” .We were able to edit far quicker than would’ve been possible if we had used analogous methods it would’ve been a far more lengthy process. Editing with analogue would’ve been linear, meaning the editor would need to cut the film and add shots to a long piece of film which the product would then be shown on. Whereas nowadays we use a non-linear effect where we simply drop in the shots where we want them, the other shots simply move up, it creates a ripple effect along the whole filmstrip. Editing digitally also allows us to see the effects we put as and when we want to, for example, we used a lot of dissolves in our video. If we had to edit analogously we wouldn’t have been able to see the effects until the product was finished.The final aspect of the pop video is distribution; this is the main area that has benefited from new media technology. Digital technology has made this distribution aspect a completely different game; it allows copies to be made within minutes at a very cheap cost. This is good for us as the band wanted a copy of the video and we did not have the budget to do a costly copy like analogue would allow. Digital technology also allows us to email a copy of the video rather than sending it, again making the process even cheaper. We can also put the video up on www.youtube.com in order to distribute our video quickly and free of charge. This renders our video watchable to up to 123 million people a day, making it accessible and viewable to a huge potential audience. Something which previously would’ve been very difficult to do under analogue frequency.
In planning, we researched possible locations on the Internet. Looking for old buildings or theatres. We roamed the UK in our search, this way only possible my new media technology. In production, we shot shots with low light, and achieved our effects that way. Again only made possible my new media technology. In post production, editing so quickly and easily is only made possible through new media. Our tracking shot which dissolves to mid shots of the band were possible only through small digital video cameras and after effects. As far is distribution is concerned, which showing our pop video to potentially millions is only achievable through through www.youtube.com/thetoyhearts digital technology underpins the Internet makes this possible.
For evaluation digital technology is also vital. We could load a questionnaire and our pop video onto various sites to get people's reactions. And have potentially hundreds of people who would respond. We decided that a questionnaire would not guarantee that people would take it seriously and so we decided on the focus group, a face to face discussion which meant they did take it seriously. This meant we could ask support questions when necessary.
"Digital technology has changed the media world", says Nicholas Negroponte. For us this was definitely true.
