This section of my blog will contain my weekly progress & plan
Term 2
PRE-PRODUCTION
Here is the list that helped me keep track of my progress throughout term 2
Week 1
This week our project was introduced and we were also introduced into media ecology. We created our first few blog posts and started some research into the industry.
Problem: We are late in finding a team and are still struggling to do so. This is because of the divide of those taking the A level Cambridge exam and those who aren't. Being unable to find a group makes research harder as we aren't sure what music video we want to do yet
Solution: We decided that it's best for those doing A level to create groups together and those who aren't to create their own groups. However, we still struggled in looking for members but in the end, I managed to be invited into a group I believe I can trust and I look forward with working them
To-do:
- Finish industry research
Week 2
This week we started our genre research. We decided to go with indie pop as we felt that since it indie was typically more lower budget, it was more realistic for us to do and most audiences are familiar with pop. I initially thought I wasn't familiar with the genre but after looking into it, I realized a lot of the artists I enjoyed actually fall into this genre which made me feel more confident
Problem: I need to manage research among other tasks
Solution: Try to finish as much research as possible during project lessons
To-do:
- Finish industry research
- Finish genre research
Week 3
This week we mostly focused on genre research
Problem: I was having my AS level psychology exams during this time which caused me to miss a couple lessons.
Solution: Keep updated by checking on teammates
To-do:
- Finish genre research
Week 4
This week we worked on our statement of intent and did classwork on Richard Dyer's theory of stardom
Problem: We struggled to pick a song
Solution: We picked one based on which one we felt that we could create a good narrative out of
To do:
- Finish statement of intent
- Finish theory of stardom blogpost
Week 5
This week we worked on our moodboard , storyboard and lyric sheet.
Problem: We needed to start putting down our ideas which was hard as we often struggled in figuring out how we want to pair the narrative with our song. One of our options required a child actor which would be difficult as we aren't sure where we could get one, especially since they have to look similar to our actor.
Solution: Explore other possibilities that would not require a child actor. Even if we end up going with a child actor, it is good to keep other possibilities in mind
To do:
- Finish moodboard
- Finish storyboard
- Finish lyric sheet
Week 6
This week was dedicated entirely into our project so we all worked on finishing up all our work. Additionally, we all worked on the screen test together this week
Problem: I was taking my AS level media Cambridge exam this week on Wednesday and my teammate, Cheryl, was staying home to study for her AS level economics exam and was absent the day after due to her exam. This meant that most of the time Regine had to work alone. This was hard as it meant that we had limited communication
Solution: Regine kept us updated on her work which allowed us to catch up on our own work easily
To do:
- Finish screen test
- Finish classwork
Week 7 (Final)
This week was our final week for the deadline of our pre-production. We did some practice for semestral exams and focused on finishing our pre-production
Problem: Our teacher gave us feedback that would need us to do a lot of reworking in our narrative and we still needed an actor
Solution: Consider how we can utilise his feedback and we found suitable options for our actors
Term 3
After finishing the first semester, we had to create a new schedule for the following term
PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION
Week 1
This week we started by practicing music video filming through creating a music video snippet from scratch. We also practiced our knowledge of media ecology by making a short video about the role of personas on YouTube
Problems:
- We had a lot of weather related issues when shooting
- Regine was unable to attend school for 2 of our meetings this week
- Technical issues with editing our short video (storage issues, missing features etc.)
- My laptop broke so the amount of work I could do for the team was compromised
Solution:
- We changed the bad weather into an advantage by leaning towards a more humorous/ironic approach
- Regine communicated with us via WhatsApp and helped us as much as she could before she had to leave
- We downloaded a program that was more suitable to use
- I borrowed my sister's tablet and did most of my work on it while I try to get my laptop fixed
To-Do:
- Finish music video practice blog post
- Finish filming
Week 2
This week we practiced multicam editing and studied post-colonialism in the media. We also tried to finish most of our filming this week
Problems:
- My laptop is still broken so I had a lot of problems editing as I was not familiar with the editing program on my phone causing my work to be left unfinished
- We realised that our storyboard isn't very clear due to timeline confusion
Solution:
- I took this as an opportunity to learn. Even though I could not achieve much with my editing, it was valuable to learn how editing would be like on devices other than my laptop and gain an idea of what our editor, Regine, may have to work with which would allow me to be able to assist her better should she need it
- We made some changes to make our narrative clearer by creating a simpler easy to follow timeline
To-do:
- Filming schedule blog post
Week 3
This week, we focused on learning the role of branding in creating media products so we could curate our social media, digipak and our own overall branding. With my team, I discussed the persona and brand identity we want to create for our star
Problems:
Problems:
- We realised we had not come up with a name for our star
Solution:
- We researched some names with meanings that we felt would fit our star
To-do:
- Digipak research
Week 4
We only had 1 media lesson this week as most of the week was a holiday. In the 1 lesson we spent it working on our parts for the project and during the holiday I did my digipak research and finished my colour research. In our 1 lesson, we were tasked to do 2 more blog posts (file organisation and behind the scenes) which we worked on together as a team.
Problems:
- For my digipak research, I often found myself struggling to find material I could use for my research
Solutions:
- It took some time but I managed to find images that I felt would be suitable for my research
To-do:
- Finish digipak research
- Finish digipak development
- Finish typography research
- Finish blog posts (behind the scenes)
Week 5
This week we focused on starting our audience feedback forms and improving our work based on the feedback we had received
Problems:
- We noticed that although for the most part our audiences aligned with our vision, occasionally there were some parts that did not align to our preferred reading such as the lower class aspect of our representation.
- We asked our teacher for feedback on our music video but our editor, Regine was sick at the time so was not present to hear the feedback.
Solution:
- We realised that we had neglected the use of technical elements to portray the lower class. By this time, it had already become too far into post-production to change much so we chose to take this as an opportunity to learn so that in the future, we would pay better attention to every element of our narrative.
- Regine took the initiative to ask us to note to her any important information so we relayed the feedback to her through WhatsApp messages.
Week 6
This week we had online classes due to really bad weather. We focused on our audience feedback and started our CCR
Problems:
- I had really bad internet due to the weather so I struggled to work on my CCR as it made my Google docs really glitchy and it was hard to hear the Zoom call's audio
Solutions:
- I communicated this issue to my teacher via Zoom chat and he helped by writing important info through chat
Week 7
This week we had a lot of mock exams, including for our media studies. We spent 1 lesson reviewing, 1 lesson for the mock and so only 1 for the project. During the project lesson, I focused on working on the digipak.
Problems:
- Timing was a huge issue in this week as I had to balance mocks with my media studies work.
Solution:
- I tried to study in class when I could so that I could have more time to work on my project at home
Week 8
This week we only had 2 lesson as Thursday-Friday was for our grade's camping trip. In the project lesson, I continued working on my digipak and refining my blogposts.
Problem:
- I was unable to attend our second mock exam as I was attending Cambridge's Award Ceremony.
Solution:
- I planned to take the mock next week.
Week 9
This week I had to do 2 media mocks since I missed my second one. I also focused on doing my digipak in the project lesson and in the weekends
Problems:
- I had a lot of mocks to do, including media. This means that I barely had time to focus on our project
- I intended to finish my cover's photoshoot by Thursday night but my printer broke which means I couldn't print out the music sheets I needed as props
Solution:
- I compromised by doing the project on Thursday-Sunday instead as I would have finished the week's mocks by then
- I asked a friend to print me a copy of the music sheets they had at home and bring them to school for me. After that, I finished the photoshoot during the media project lesson. This was actually better as I could immediate ask for feedback from my teammates and teacher and make the changes while still possible.
Week 10 (FINAL WEEK)
This week was our submission week so we spent most lessons refining our project and asking for final submissions
Problem:
- Our original submission date was to be Friday but our school website closes on Wednesday which means that our submission date had to be changed. This caused a lot of issues as we had to rush our products
Solution:
- I tried to do as much as I could when I had the time and helped my teammates when I could
Reflection:
- Having a plan to our project help us keep in track and helped keep our progress organised. This is usually something I struggle with so I'm thankful for this plan as it helped me a lot.
- I enjoyed logging our progress as I enjoy journaling and this helped me recognise what I've done since I often had an issue of fearing that I'm behind so this ensured me that I am on the same track as my classmates by providing an easy comparison.
- However, sometimes it felt overwhelming as the amount of schoolwork I've had has made me demotivated but having an entire week where media sessions are dedicated to the project has helped me by as working with other people made me feel better
