Research and Planning

Throughout the media studies course, research and planning has been a significant part of each project and allows the production of our work to run more effectively. It also allows us to produce work to a higher standard. The planning for projects such as the music video, Thriller and opening sequence, involved researching conventions which help us make the final piece more suitable for purpose. It also gives us a clear 'to-do' list of what to include which were written on our blog throughout each project. For example, one of the conventions needed in the thriller project was dark lighting which we wrote on the blog and reminded us to filter the shots when editing. Time management is important in getting everything done, so things such as shot lists are important to the quality of the final work, as if you run out of time towards the deadlines, the editing or filming loses quality. For example, in our music video project, our shot list wasnt long enough, so when it came to filming we didnt have enough footage to shoot and therefore had to improvise on the day. Luckily this worked out for us, but if we had originally planned our time better, the overall video would have been better. Storyboards help prepare everything you need to do, in a similar way to updating your blog. The feedback received on the blog helped us refine our ideas. Research using the internet (sites such as google and youtube) helped us include some intertexuality which helps us connect more with the audience, for example, in our music video we used 'space invaders' from a popular video game.