Question 4: How did you use media products, technologies in the

construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?

VideoPadVideo Pad is a lot like final cut as it is a movie maker/editor you can insert video clips, pictures, sounds and allows you to add effects and transitions. I downloaded this onto my laptop as I dont have a mac at home and therefore couldntuse final cut for my evaluation. It is very similar to final cut however I personally find it easier to use.

From using VideoPad I have learned how to edit my own footage, add in clips, cut bits, add a soundtrack/sound effects and export my movies onto YouTube and create new pieces of film. I have also learnt that there are many film editing pieces of software and that some are easier and cheaper to use than others. I now know how to improve simple pieces of footage into something a lot more technical and interesting.

Final CutBy Using Final Cut express on the Apple Macs I have learned how to edit footage taken on the video cameraswe used. We used razor tools to chop up the shots and make them into faster action shots and cut out the bits wedo not need. We used features on the program to add in effects such as the appearing figure in the door way. I have also learned how to

improve pieces of footage and make them more skillful and exciting. I now know how to add a soundtrack along with a clip and I know how to cut rubbish bits out of shots. Final cut has taught me so much about film editing and I feel that I have learnt so much in making this trailer as before this project I had no idea how to use film editing software at all where as now I feel very confident in using it.

PreziI used Prezi to mind map and to create a clear path that I followed throughout making my product. This helped me make things clear and outline the key features in each section (analyzing products). Before using Prezi I didn’t know how to plan/mindmapthings clearly, instead I would write things down on paper but this caused many problems as I would lose bits of research and not be able to understand/read my writing properly. Now I know how to use prezi I can clearly lay things out and plan neatly without losing it as it is saved to my acount on the internet.

Photo BoothPhoto Booth enabled us to record our target audience talking about our products and giving us feedback. It is a program a lot like a webcam and records you talking. I have learned how to record feedback in a different way as an alternative to writing things down, it is a more technical wayof logging exactly what people say and can help make the feedback more accurate, coming directly from the audience visibly.

This is an example of some feedback recorded by using final cut express. It has taught me that it is sometimes a lot more easier and effective to get feedback like this instead of writing it all out as transcript.

Da FontDa Font is a website that you are able to download unique fonts for free and use them in your products. It was really fast and easy to use and enabled my work to be a lot more professional and stand out. From using this site I have learned how to download interesting, unique fonts for free and as an alternative to using custom fonts on my computer. It has enabled me to find a wider range of more appropriate fonts for my products.

BloggerBlogger was a great way on to show the process in which I took in order to make my product. I wrote separate posts to explain each part of the process to record exactly what I did.

By using blogger I have learned how to keep an online blog and how to record information in a alternative way to writing a diary. I have learned how to organise things properly and keep track of what I am doing when and explaining how I did it. I have learned how to group together images, films and text together to show the path in which I took to make my final pieces.

Photoshop

Photoshop has been a great way of editing and creating our flat plan products. I have learned so much by this program, such as:

• How to make an image stand out more (adjusting colour and brightness, Adding colour and brush strokes, Inserting images onto different backgrounds, creating magazine covers and posters)

• How to insert and arrange texts

• Layer images

• How to crop and make shapes/images smaller and cut out unimportant bits

I have improved my skills a lot on photoshop and I now feel so much more confident in using it and have gained many new skills.

Free SFXFree SFX is a website in which you can download sound effects from for free. We used these in the making of our trailer. We also downloaded a sound track from this. It was a fast and quite mysterious piece and fitted well with the shots we used.

From using FreeSFX.com I have learned how to download effective and more interesting sounds, effects and sound tracks. I have learned that there is more than one way of creating/getting music to go along side shots and make the movements more emphasised. I have also learned by downloading lots of different types of sounds, playing around with them helps find the perfect sound/s for that particular shot.

Video cameras/tripodsAlong with final cut these have been one of the most important tools to creating our trailer. They have recorded our footage whether its been good or bad and allowed us to video actions, dialogue and characters.

By using video cameras and tripods we have learned to much about what and how to make a good shot and what makes a bad shot. I have learned how to carefully move the camera whilst filming, getting the right speed when zooming, getting the right amount of light in a shot and what creates more interesting looking shots. Before this project I had rarely used a video camera before and was hopeless and holding it still and creating good shots, where as, now I believe I can do all of these things to a much better standard.

TwitterTwitter is a website for social networking website which allows companies, people, etc to communicate and advertise. For example popular musicians and celebrities use it to keep in touch with their fans and communicate with them, and companies use it as a way of advertising. Lots of films and television programmes have a twitter account in order to make it trend. Twitter trends are topics that are getting talked about most at that given time so the more something trends tends to mean the more its being talked about. Therefore, If your film is getting talked about a lot by people it will be an easy, free way of advertising and making the world know about your film.

We used it to get feedback from our target audience and see what they think of our products. From doing this I have learned that it is a much easier way of getting feedback and getting in touch to a greater and wider audience by just the click of a button gaining more and more followers. I have learned a lot about advertising and getting in touch with audiences by using this site.

Macs

Macs have been fantastic to use during the making of my products, they are fast, effective, have up to date software and programmes and so easy to use. By using them I have learned how to use different types of PC and how to use its unique features that are unique to it. For example Photo Booth, garage band etc.

SLR CamerasBy using SLR cameras I have learned how to take decent looking photographs that are to a professional standard in order to feature on a film cover or poster. I have learned how to zoom in and out, what the best lighting for the shot would be, how to focus the lens what should be in the background/foreground etc.

Before making these products I could use a camera but not to the standard I know to now. I feel as though I have improved a lot in my photography skills.