Media- Technology

Task 6- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of

constructing this product?

Sophie Dixon

CameraThe camera was VERY important in the filming of our production as without it we wouldn’t have been able to gather any footage. It was quite easy and simple to use, as to record there was only one button to press and the strap on the side allowed us to safely handle the device. The camera’s settings were rather primitive, this meant we were not able to adjust things such as the aperture or shutter speed to as high a degree as necessary to obtain the exposure that we needed, to create a more professional piece. As an alternative, we needed to use studio lighting although there was limitations to this as we weren’t allowed to move these outside. We were initially aiming for low key lighting, we needed to use studio lights behind the shot otherwise the image went blurry and pixilated, which looked unprofessional. I have learnt that not all cameras offer the same exposure so adjusting to this made me understand the importance of light when shooting. In editing we attempted to change the exposure however it didn’t work and ended up looking pixelated so had we removed this and added a darkening effect instead.

When we placed it on the tripod (another piece of vital equipment used), the connecter was very loose so left us with some shaky shots at times. When we looked over these shots we realized they fitted in well with the montage, but for some we had to reshoot after, once tightening it up.

If we were to record the opening sequence again we would make sure the camera has full battery before, as half way through it ran out of charge so it required a change. To be honest, this wasn’t really much of an issue for us because we made sure we bought two with us when we were shooting on location as they run out really quickly. However this change was quite time consuming as we had never used this camera before, so this meant we had to learn how to place it in.

ComputerIn post production we used the Mac Desktop computer to download our files onto. I had previously used this computer type so i knew the basics such as how to turn it on and find certain files. However before this project i had never made and edited a video properly before so working my way round the software of Final Cut Pro on this device was quite challenging.

In addition when completing primary research, i carried out some external research so i used my personal Macbook air. This was useful as it is the same software to the Mac Desktop so helped prepare me for further editing.

In both evaluation and planning, i used google drive multiple times to make powerpoints which we stored information on and also photos for later use.

TripodA tripod isn’t a piece of technology but something that was very useful and vital when creating the piece. For our continuity editing we needed the camera to be still and precise in order for it to look professional. We used the tripod on its second to highest level so that it was inline with the character and matched up to follow the rules of thirds. This created a nice long shot. This meant that it was easier for the audience to depict the scene. Before, in the Prelim Task we also used a tripod but with this one we explored different heights which gave our piece more dimension. I have learnt that using a tripod makes a very big difference, especially in determining the audience’s focus (they focus more on the character if the piece is not shakey). We created an establishing shot in the montage scene that used a tripod, to pan across the screen to reveal the location which we found very effective.

YoutubeYoutube is a software we used regularly in this whole production process so was very important, especially when carrying out planning and research. We looked upon youtube for inspirations e.g. other opening sequences. In the post production stage i created an account and uploaded Vani[she]d on it and gained some audience feedback. I had used youtube before this process so i was quick at using it however i never realised the extent of information stored on it and that i had access to.

SoundSound was a very important aspect of creating an emotive and relatable piece. The diegetic sounds that we made were recorded on a professional sound recorder. It was very sensitive to any sound, so we had to go to a silent room to record. I had never used a piece of equipment like this before as it recorded everything so sharply, so we had to be careful what buttons we pressed. For example the text noise and footsteps were recorded very precisely. We learnt how to use this by going on youtube tutorials as well as the teacher’s advice.

In addition we used Garage Band when attempting to create a non diegetic soundtrack. This was very difficult as i had never used it previously, and when there was a fault the unsaved work was deleted and there was no time to recreate it. Following this issue we decided to use the other programme of Freesound to look for some soundtracks. This however was unsuccessful. In this event we went onto youtube and found an artist that had a piece of music that would suit well and credited him in our piece. We learnt that you should make sure the piece is 100% saved before we shut the computer’s down. For some diegetic sounds we searched on freesound. From here we uploaded some sounds, but then decided we didn’t want to use them as we could create our own ones, using foley that sound more realistic.

lightingStudio lights were an important piece of technology and they are very delicate. We used them to manipulate the scene with shadows. For example we used it to make the light look as though it came from the TV. This helped to reinforce the theme of realism whilst being very simple to do.

ResearchWhen conducting research we used many different programmes to help us build it up. These included Pearl and Dean and Art of the title, both of which i had never previously used before. They helped us gain an insight into other successful thrillers which influenced our decisions. These programmes were easy to direct ourselves around so found theses the most valuable. Lastly we used IMDB, which i had previously used. This showed us information such as the cast of a film and its target audience.

editingWhen creating the ident, i used photoshop to map out the idea of the ‘logo’. This then lead to an easier time when exporting it to Final cut pro.

Final cut pro was the master programme that dominated our editing. We learnt how to change opacity, add in fades and transitions, change exposure and layer sound etc.

Mahara is a software that we uploaded all of our information and data onto. It was an ongoing blog of everything i did. I found this easy and useful as all information was put in one place.

My ability to use final cut pro meant that we could add in different effects to make the piece look more like a thriller. We chose a darkened vintage effect to give the idea of a flashback (past), as well as making it more eerie.

The purple boxes show the titles we added in, with a fade in and out.

The change in the green boxes meant a change in music. We used a fade to make the music change with a diminuendo.

We overlapped two of the same clips and changed the opacity to give the illusion of the girl disappearing.

Screenshots from Final Cut Pro

These are some extra screenshots from the programme of Final Cut Pro.

Real photosTheses pictures were taken on filming day. They clearly show the tripod and camera that we used (in the corner of the image). Also it shows that we were holding our storyboards on filming day. This was so that we accurately filmed all that we wanted.