What have you learnt about technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
Throughout the course of making the Omitted final opening
sequence, I was able to gain new skills and knowledge about using
technologies in relation to media products. When it came to brand
new technology it became a learning process in terms of learning
its uses and know how and when to use them. It is important to
recognize the useful features of technologies and what their
strengths are but also there limitations in order to justify why
they are a popular choice for filmmakers and/or people in
general.
Digital CamerasThe cameras were an essential part of production
as they were used to record all of our footage for the final
sequence. We began using a traditional camcorder and appriciated
its lightweight and easily portable feature. Furthermore, it was
extremely easy to learn to use which helped in terms of allowing us
to spend less time attepmting to figure out how to use it. Despite
its admireable qualities, we found it difficult to use when it came
to zooming into shots. We found that camera shots which involved
zooming in/out turned out jumpy and unprofessional looking.
Furthermore, the quality of shots depended a lot on lighting and
the majority of scenes which we had wanted to shoot were to be done
in dimly lit settings. This left our shots blurry and uncleary.
Due to the issues we had with the camcorder we decided to switch
to a digital SLR camera. It had been suggested to us by our teacher
when we brought up the issue of having difficulty keeping the shot
steady when zooming in. The DSLR camera was relatively heavier
compared to the camcorder where tracking shots were easier to film
due to its light weight, however, the DSLR was still easily
portable and gave a much clearer image in a wider scale of lighting
environments. In addition, having the DSLR allowed us to change the
lenses which we were using. This meant that we were able to zoom in
from longer or shorter distances and have the image stay clear.
Final Cut ExpressFinul Cut Express was the software used to edit
all of our footage together and create the final opening sequence.
The software was extremely useful as it allowed us to cut, trim and
overall edit all of our clips whether they were short or long.
Features of Final Cut allows users to add effects, adjust timings,
edit audio and so much more. Although its appearance may seem very
confusing, once you have practiced using Final Cut, you get used to
its layout. Admittedly, it was hard to begin with when learning how
to use the software and about where all the tools and hidden
features are, however, once you have learnt the basics it becomes a
fun process of trying out editing different clips in order to
explore the program more. It is easy to understand why Final Cut
Express is a popular choice for filmmakers and other people as its
editting features allow them to create a professional looking
product from something which may have not been seen as so to start
with.
BloggingBeing familiar with blogger made the process of starting
the blog a lot easier for me. Id preciously started a blog using
the same website, however, the layout and settings had been updated
and were different compared to the ones which I had used the first
time round. And so, although some features were familiar, others I
still had to learn. Blogger was not particularly challenging when
it came to learning its uses. It became apparent after a few posts
that images were hard to place in a post and were much more easily
done when a document was embeded through scribd or slideshare.
Blogger has many useful features which make it a respectable
choice for people when making blogs. Creating posts is not
challenging and bloggers features allows different settings such as
a variety of fonts, the ability to change sizing, allignment
options, the ability to add images and other media, typography
editing and so much more.
Scribd/SlideShare/PreziThese websites were extremely useful in
allowing me to share my research and evaluations. They are easy and
quick to use and eliminate having to copy and paste or screenshot
my work to put onto my blog. Learning to embed my work from these
websites to my blog was an easy process to pick up. Scribd and
Slideshare allowed me to share my powerpoints and word documents
which I had chosen to do work on. Prezi was the more dificult to
get used to out fo the three. It allows users to make professional
looking presentations which I found really useful when presenting
work for evaluations.
Youtube/Social MediaYoutube is a video-sharing website which has
grown vastly throughout the years. The platform allows for
umlimitedly timed videos to be uploaded for viewers around the
world to see. It is an obvious popular choice for people to upload
their films and work onto due to its wide audience variety that
allows them to comment feedback s well as give likes or dislikes.
Furthermore, Youtube is also a popular choice for advertising new
film products through the sharing of trailers or teaser clips.
Advertising this way is effective as audiences are easily able to
access it and also give immediate feedback. In addition, Social
Media programs are lso a popular source for film advertising.
Websites such as Twitter and Facebook appeal to those who market
the film as they are able to reach a wide audience range throught
he different platforms. The more active advertisement is on a
variety of social media, the more likely it will be noticed and
reach its target audience.