Evaluation: Question 4

Evaluation: Question 4

• 1.
  Q4EVALUATIONHow did youuse new media technology?
• 2.
  CANNON CAMERA ANDTAPES
• 3.
  CANNON CAMERA ANDTAPES For the filming of our media trailer, we used a Cannon Camcorder, tapes and a tripod which were useful in the sense that we could arrange and plan our shots, capture them, pan and track when needed. Filming with this camera was effective as it was a good, portable size to carry with use when filming and made is easy to complete tasks such as tracking that enhanced the overall construction of our trailer.
• 4.
  Despite being anadequate quality, if given the chance our group would have desired to invest in a better camera such as a HD camcorder so that the quality would be at its best, appear more professional and not hinder the trailer so much such as in the ‘Woodland Party’ Scene where the quality becomes grainy and blurry because the lighting is darker. Regardless this camera allowed us to complete what we set out to do which was to film our scenes according to our storyboard, and with simple tools and cables it was also easy to upload and handle footage such as during playback or when putting it onto the Mac for editing on Final Cut Pro. POLAROID BETA
• 5.
  POLAROID BETA PolaroidBeta was a new, quirky programme which I found and downloaded from the internet to create the impression that we made and developed actual Polaroid photographs when actually they are computer generated. By simply placing your photographs from your computer into the Polaroid camera on your desktop you can develop your own Polaroid photographs.
• 6.
  We usedthis programme particularly in the magazine cover as we wanted to create the scrapbook effect in presenting the contents for what is to come in the magazine as opposed to mainstream magazines like EMPIRE. By placing these Polaroids on the cover and then writing the article name that matches it on top in handwriting through the Tablet for example: ‘Behind the scenes: Paperclip’ we can create the appearance of an ‘Indie’ magazine which is like a scrapbook and reinforcing that is from a different genre completely from mainstream magazines or genres. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
• 7.
  ADOBE PHOTOSHOP AdobePhotoshop was used entirely for the construction of the ancillary tasks of the poster and magazine, as well as in research, planning and evaluation when I annotated and labelled aspects of the magazine and poster using this programme. Through experimentation and prior knowledge on the tools available through this programme we were able to match our final product with our initial ideas and main task more precisely such as through a related colour scheme, the magic wand tool to select areas to edit more accurately and the blur or smudge tool to highlight images of focus.
• 8.
  We wereable to use this programme more originally and creatively by combining its use with the Tablet brought in by Clare such as to write the text on our magazine cover so that it is truly handwritten and to draw the small images on the film poster. The tablet allowed us to use the brush and pen tools on Photoshop in a more creative way as we could use our artistic skills directly on the programme without having to scan in separately drawn images – as such the tasks of drawing over Caleb to create the appearance that he is a figment of the imagination or cartoonlike was made much easier as a combination of these media technologies, therefore tasks were also made more accurate and authentic as we had less limitations in what we could achieve compared to before when just using the mouse pad to draw and create effects. In the end, we were able to create a very realistic and professional appearing poster and magazine as a result which were very satisfied with the outcome of through this technology. FINAL CUT PRO
• 9.
  FINAL CUT PROFinal Cut Pro was a massive step up from using iMovie in terms of what we could do and achieve with our footage through editing. With more tools, effects, transitions, colour tools and freedom to manipulate our footage such as using the window tool to be able to move or rotate images and video, we were able to control our editing more despite being an entirely more manual process than previously when using iMovie, which didn't really allow much freedom to edit or alter effects, for example the limited title templates.
• 10.
  By beingable to manually manipulate footage we were able to complete tasks that we were previously limited from doing such as more easily editing the colour hues to blues or contrasts using the specific tools. Also, with the use of the timeline we could more precisely cut and split footage so that it was more professionally completed and accurate down to a millisecond of editing – therefore being more concise with the music, such as cutting precisely on the beat. The timeline was also useful in being able to layer several sections of footage and sound which was usual when creating complex sequences with the split screen using multiple footage, music and dialogue overlaid together.
• 11.
  With theuse of the manual tools to move and alter footage such as to create special effects or cropping we were able to reinforce the idea that our protagonists were living parallel lives by creating a split screen, which was done by cropping and placing layers of footage. Overall the use of this highly professional programme, despite being difficult at first, benefitted us greatly throughout our project as we were able to create a precisely edited final trailer that fitted the initial look and idea for our narrative. GARAGEBAND
• 12.
  GARAGEBANDGarageband was usefulin the way that we could alter and manipulate the voiceovers and dialogue in our media trailer during post production so that we could give the impression that the characters were saying it during filming or create the sense that this was other dialogue from other scenes in the film like any other real media product.
• 13.
  This also allowedus to record dialogue in a controlled setting so that the sound was clear, at the right volume and without any disturbances unlike the sound from the camera which had plenty of disturbing diegetic nose which we wanted to eliminate such as traffic or other people talking. Therefore most of the dialogue used in our final trailer was recorded from the microphone and edited using Garageband before being overlaid in Final Cut Pro.
• 14.
  Likewise our groupused Garageband for research and planning processes to record podcasts of us discussing aspects of our project and film trailer such as analysing the poster of the Cherrybomb film which influenced the construction of our trailer. This provides greater variety of media forms on our blog and research, and new ways of presenting data as opposed to simply using text forms. This style of a podcast also mimics the style that production companies use to discuss their production processes and films such through specialised podcasts for audiences or on the radio which the same thing we attempted to achieve. WORDPRESS.COM
• 15.
  WORDPRESS.COM This websitewas the foundation of our research, planning and evaluation as it acts in the form of an online diary through blogging where audiences can easily follow the process that led to the construction of our film product from the influencing films, script, storyboards and through to the final edit. On Wordpress users can easily post any text, video, images or url onto their blog of their interest and then to be able to share it across the entire internet so that it can be seen, recognised and discussed, such as through comments on posts.
• 16.
  As a vastlygrowing blogging site I was able to easily use many of its tools to instantly share the processes of making our film as they occurred, such as uploading documents and images by the second so that others can follow this at nearly the same time as they occur (as such posts appear in chronological order to fully show the entire process in which planning and research happened, for example the 8 month succession of making our film from initial influences uploaded in October to the final edit of our film posted in March). The layout was also manipulated by html and Photoshop to match the overall image of our ‘Paperclip’ project as if it is realistically part of the media package and also advertising the film. Wordpress is a direct and contemporary way of sharing information with others by any means, and works in the same way as Twitter or Facebook in which those interested can rapidly follow you and your actions as they happen. – creating a connection worldwide. YOUTUBE.COM
• 17.
  YOUTUBE.COMYoutube is avast, social networking and sharing site which allows users to upload and share videos across the internet as well as being an extremely contemporary example of new technology as millions of users join daily, upload their own work and the site develops at a rapid rate. The website allowed us to share our final and rough media product as well as our moodboard/media pitch on the internet at a wide scale and for a greater audience, easily encouraging audience feedback on a greater span as anyone can like, comment or favourite our videos.
• 18.
  Furthermore by uploadingour work on Youtube we could easily share our videos with more people such as by simply sending people the link or url of our videos or being able to share them on social networking sites like Facebook. Therefore we gain a greater audience of our target group and more people to see and appreciate our film. Youtube also allowed me to be able to present our work onto our blog such for the evaluation and research planning so that there a variety of media forms I have worked and experimented from. SLIDESHARE.COM
• 19.
  SLIDESHARE.COMSlideshare was particularlyuseful for the research, planning and evaluation stages of the production process as it helped me to organise my information onto a PowerPoint more clearly and present it onto my blog to give content variety, as well as providing a more creative way of presenting my information as opposed to block areas of writing.
• 20.
  This website allowedme to creatively present my work such as when pitching the initial idea of our film trailer ‘Paperclip’ as production companies would realistically present their ideas in the style of a sales or business pitch. The website allows users to upload their Microsoft documents and to be able to share it quickly across the internet such on blogs, social networking sites or other users who may take an interest in that topic – often encouraging audience feedback on your work.DAFONT.COM
• 21.
  DAFONT.COM This websitewas useful and effective as it helped our group to discover and download more typography and fonts that were more original than the usual fonts available on Microsoft. With a vast range of originally created fonts by other users, dafont.com makes it simple to find a font that matched our image and overall look we were trying to create.This way we were able to find professional fonts that were used in film trailers such as for the end credits and an original font that would fit our image, ideas as well as the typical ‘Indie’ film genre. As such we found the ‘Action Jackson’ font by Divide by Zero which we thought fitted well with our idea of using a childlike, or cartoonlike hand drawn font to give the sense of the transgression from childhood to adulthood, as well as the blurring of boundaries between reality and fantasy.