How did you use new media technologies in the construction research planning and evaluation

stages?

QUESTION 4

For our media production we had a variety of equipment that we could work with in order to make our short film ‘Birthmarks’ Professional and successful. Starting with the tripod we used this in a lot of our production allowing our shots to be steady or if Iwanted to include panning shots I would use the lever on the tripod which allowed smooth and easy shots. The Canon 7D cameraand the Macro lens was the main piece of equipment that we used throughout our production, the camera has a lot of options that weBecame familiar with such as auto focus, however we manually focused our shots as we believed that it looked clearer. We haddifficulties with the NTG2 Rode Microphone which we was supposed to use with the Boom pole however, as it did not seem to be working we soon realized that it was damaged so we couldn't’t use it which was unfortunate therefore this left us with no choice but to use the camera’s built in microphone which didn't’t give us the best results of audio recordings. The shoulder mount was also used throughout the production for shots such as the tracking shot as it made it easier for the cameraman to hold the camera and follow the character. We had access to the Pro-aim Hand-held Steadicam however we felt that we did not need to use it as the shoulder mount and tripod were a lot more useful in terms of steadiness and moving around getting better angles and shots. In order to store the filming files we used a 32GB SD card which allowed us a lot of space to have which was useful as we did not need to have a device with us to empty the SD card whenever it reached its limit of storage. In total we had 3 batteries, one to insert into the camera and two spare ones just incase we ran out of battery while filming which was convenient. Lastly, when we had finished filming we needed to transfer all the video files onto the computer so we could start our post-production process of editing. Therefore we used a Canon SD card reader which read all of the files on the SD card and allowed quick and easy transfer of the media product clips.

The main programme that I used in my media production is Adobe Premiere Pro CC as this was the main source used to for editing my short film. Premiere was used with ease as I had previous experience when I was creating another media production in my AS year, so I was able to use the main features in the tool box, throughout the process I learnt how to use more features which built on my skills. When I was un aware how to do something on the programme I used to YouTube and looked at tutorials this helped a lot as I could visually see the steps to the feature that I was looking for. I also used Adobe premiere for my evaluation when I filmed my audience feedback which allowed my different interviews to run on one clip instead of many different ones. Using this programme also allowed me to include titles before each video allowing separation of the clips.

When creating my ancillary tasks I used Adobe Photoshop CC to create my film poster and double page spread review. I am very experienced with Photoshop and I am aware of most of the features on it as I have been using this programme for many years due to creating many different texts. Through using Photoshop I was able to place images and insert fonts to reach my final product of both my film poster and double page spread. As I didn't’t find a font that I liked on photoshop I went on a website called ‘Dafont’ which has a variety of different font styles which allowed me to download them and use on Photoshop which was useful as I could use the relevant font to my genre.

I used YouTube as I mentioned above for tutorials for not just Adobe premium but for also my research on short films and other texts for inspiration. YouTube was a big part of my project as this is mostly where I got all my influences from and if in doubt I was used YouTube as it has various media texts which supported me throughout my whole project. YouTube also allowed me to upload my final version of my short film, VoxPop and audience feedback which made it easier to upload to my blog through just a link. I also used YouTube for one of my evaluation questions it has the option of adding annotations to the video which makes it a lot easier to refer to parts of the short film through just finding the right scene and being able to comment on the same screen.

In terms of communicating with people in my group, the actors and people in the locations we needed to use etc. we used a variety of different social media platforms. The prime social network that I used was WhatsApp as this allowed easy communication with my media group as I was able to create a group chat which was instant and helpful. Through the group chat we sent each other information about the film, actors, editing and much more as communication was key within this project. In order to find our actors we went on a website called StarNow, this website has many experienced and non-

experienced actors which are willing to take part in many different media texts. This website was convenient as there was an option for not paying the actors, which was good as we had a low budget. There was an inbox where we could contact the actors which lead to further contact information being sent between us and the actors. For example we spoke to our female actor later on through Skype as we were able to see her through video chatting and she was able to see us which allowed a better judgement of her personality. After using Skype we exchanged numbers and started using WhatsApp as a communication source.

Tumblr is my blog where all activity during the project is being updated. Tumblr is useful as it has many different forms of uploading texts. For example Tumblr made it easier to upload SoundCloud recordings, YouTube links, VoxPop etc. and after this I am able to add a title and caption adding detail to the text I have uploaded. Irecorded one of my questions through using SoundCloud website, this website is beneficial because you can record the recording straight from the website which means it can be uploaded straight away and shared to Tumblr. Microsoft outlook was used to send attachments through to my group if it was needed for their project

or blogs. I was able to contact many different art galleries so I could find out their filming policy and if we were able to film there depending on our budget. I also used it for contacting the painter of the twin painting that featured a lot in our short film, using outlook allowed us to show evidence of contacting many different people on our blog. It was useful as we could reach many different people to find out different bits of information or send attachments etc.

At first we started writing our script on Microsoft word and we made different drafts and we were able to go back and change different parts around. However, we soon discovered a website that someone recommended to us called WriterDuet which is a script-writing software which has all the features of scripts which made the process a lot easier as all the conventions of a transcript were a click away which speed up the process and the layout looked a lot more professional compared to the Microsoft Word version. WriterDuet was beneficial because me and my group were able to view the script at the same time, change it, chat to each other all on the same website.

To introduce the plot i created a a Voki which is an animated character which reads out what you have typed up. This allowed my project to look a lot more creative as it is being produced through a different media platform that is unique and different.

In order to compile all of my film analysis I used Prezi as this website allows easy clips and images to be added including text. Prezi also allows you to pick different themes so your work can be presented professionally. I also used Prezi for my evaluation question which I divided into sections alongside images.

As we needed soundtracks for our short film we researched through a lot of websites in order to find a secured website which had relevant soundtracks for our genre. We finally found a website called Meejah, we used both our soundtracks from this website. The soundtracks were copyright free and we were also allowed to download them for free

As we took over 400 clips for my short film I decided to back up on the files on my google drive. This was incase any problems or took place or if the SD card was cleared for whatever reason. Google drive kept the clips secure and safe and I was able to access the clips anytime and from many devices such as any laptop/computer, tablet and phone.

Lastly, as we had issues with our journey to the art gallery as the car broke down we had to order an Uber. So we used the Uber app throughout the day so we could travel from location to location. Uber was convenient as we were able to carry all of our equipment with ease in the car.