Entry 5 (Users and ICT skills)

The main processing involved in my project is: the writing of the lyrics, the filming, the editing, the advertising, the designing of the print-based media (flyers) and the creation of the website. My solution is most likely to be used when young people want to listen to original music, as well as watch a creative and unique video to go with it. If they enjoy it and want to find out more about the members of the group, that is where the website becomes useful. It would be used as an intertextual link for the video. My client's/users would need to know basic ICT skills such as browsing the web and typing in the URL.

Entry 4

I have considered many possibilities of potential clients. I have now made a final decision that I would probably have more than one client. This would be for the different aspects of my project, the video and the marketing and advertising campaign. My primary client would be Preethi, a teacher and former interior designer as she will act as my "manager", and also be able to give me constructive criticism and feedback throughout the various stages of my project based on her own experiences. My secondary client would be Ayra, who is 13 years old, which is relatively close to my potential target demographic and would be able to give me suggestions on what should be included in the video. My clients could give me feedback throughout the development of my product and be the first people to have access to the final product.
I also met with the executive director of Talent Asia, Spencer Douglass, who will act as my commercial client, and who will be involved in the testing of the finalised product, rather than inputting during the production stages. During our first meeting, he gave me his business card:

Entry 3

Today, I began to look at a variety of different music videos on youtube to get an idea of what features I should include in my video and also so that I could possibly incorporate elements of this in my own work. I noted that many videos switched constantly from live footage of the song being performed to reenactment of the situation. I have decided to base the song around love and/or heartbreak as it seems to be a popular theme for songs to be centered around amongst the young people of today. I am still in the midst of making various other creative, technical and preparation decisions for the final process to actually be carried out effectively.

Entry 2

During the planning stages, I don't think that it is necessary for me to upload individual blog posts, but I will post summaries of my progress. I am now up to the stage in my project where I can begin to make creative decisions about different aspects of the project. Mr. Lewis suggested that I modify my idea slightly to make it suitable and realistic. I have begun to look at youtube and other sites to give me ideas for the structure of my video. Obviously, I have limitations such as resources and financial constraints so my video won't be as large scale, but my aim is to still make it have an impact on the audience. I am also trying to get inspired for the theme of the song. At the moment, I am still attatched to the planning of my project as I believe that along the way I will begin to have new ideas or rethink original plans. As far as the website goes, I would like to begin working on it after more in depth work on the project itself. Mr. Lewis told me to consider including information about the band/artists (singers, guitarists, drummers etc) and relevant information,pictures and video clips.

Entry 1

In our first lesson, Mr. Lewis talked us through the IEA Diploma itself as well as our 2 year project. We had a look at the marking criteria and started brainstorming ideas. We were then asked to come up with 3 ideas, and to write up 300 words on each. These are my ideas:

-IDEA 1-
Create a music video which I could produce and promote. I could use a variety of tools and ICT skills to create a 4/5 minute video. Using digital video or animation software I could produce the video for an original piece of music. I could also promote the video by creating a website or print based media, which would be another ICT skill. I would start by composing the music and working on lyrics, as well as using a program such as garage band to mix and match sounds and instrumental tunes. I would then brainstorm visual images or scenes that I would like to depict in the music video. I could then use a video camera to record sections of the video in various locations and with different outfits and appearances just like in official music videos. Once the video is completed, I would start to think about the other promotional techniques I could use. The website could have a catchy URL that is easy to remember and would feature pictures, lyrics, album release dates, recording company and other information as well as a link to the actual music video. By using print based media such as flyers or posters for stores such as HMV, it would be yet another ICT aspect of the project. Potential costs involved are only to do with borrowing/renting equipment such as a camera and tripod.

-IDEA 2-
Create a new fragrance for a woman’s perfume which I could then promote with an advertising campaign. I could create the fragrance with ingredients such as rose petals, honey, jasmine, lavender, sandalwood and an assortment of essential oils. I could then design a net of the box the perfume would be sold in on a program like Corel Draw and make the packaging for the perfume. Maybe I could make the box out of eco-friendly materials to raise global awareness of the environment as well. I would also carry out market research and think about lines of appeal and the scent combinations likely to be in demand amongst women. My initial clients or target audience would be my mum and my sister, but after adapting my product I would also get opinions from friends and teachers. I am thinking of using software such as Premiere Pro, Final Cut, Windows Movie Maker or i-movie to produce the video for the perfume. I might consider creating a promotional website for the perfume, using a program like Dreamweaver. I could use Microsoft Publisher to design a leaflet or poster suitable for cosmetic shops and window displays to further enhance my product. Potential costs would be the ingredients and the cost of the recycled cardboard or other suitable materials which I may choose to use for the packaging.

-IDEA 3-
I could design and make a short movie as well as use a poster and other marketing tools to increase the popularity and ratings of the film, as if it were a cinema release. This would also give me more ICT skills to incorporate into my project. I would like to base my film around a globally recognized issue, perhaps global warming or famine in Africa. I would begin by mapping out a storyboard and outlining transitions and key features of my short film. This is an effective way of planning location, duration of shots, content within each frame and effects that could be included during the editing process. After filming and editing the film on software such as Windows Movie Maker or Premiere Pro, I would then go on to designing a poster advertising my short film using software like Adobe Photoshop. My target audience would depend on the content of my video and the techniques I use in the poster. Initially, I would aim for it to be my parents or neighbors. Finally, I could also create an online survey to collect data on the number of people who have watched the video and would allow viewers to put in comments and opinions. I could then analyze my results, and transfer this data into a spreadsheet or database. Printing/photocopying are the only potential costs at the moment.

After talking to Mr. Lewis, and discussing my ideas, we ruled out the third idea and came to the conclusion that my first and secnd ideas would work and were both going to challenge my ICT abilities. Mr. Lewis left it up to me to decide which of the two I would do for my final project. After much thoughtful consideration, I decided to work on the first project, the music video. The reason for my choice was because I love music and compositions so doing a project related to something I am interested in would probably end up producing the best final result.