My AS-media question

1. What have you learnt about the
process of constructing this
product?
Izzy Chambers

2. Hardware
The camera lens which I used was an prime lens this allowed me to do shots
where certain things were in or out focus. This was useful for my over the
shoulder shots as I wanted the photo album to be in focus and my actors
shoulder out of focus. This created am interesting shot. The problem with this
lens is it is easier to film out of focus as it does not focus your shots unlike a
normal lens where it automatically does it. I found in my work some shots
were not fully in focus however this can be due to other factors such as
lighting. The pros out weigh the cons as I really enjoyed the effect the lens
created.
They was other hardware which I debated using such as the tracks to create a
smooth tracking shot however I did not find use for them in my film. I
attempted to use a steady cam but I found it to hard to use as found it made
my shots more shaky rather then steady.

3. Software
From constructing my product I have learnt how to use multiple software's.
For the creation of my video I used Final Cut Express this software was simple
to use. To ensure i was using the program to its full potential I watched
multiple tutorials on YouTube. These taught me how to add effects on my
video and sound, within my work I used the blink video effect this helped
create my flickering opening credits. I feel I could have used more of the
features within the program such as the colour corrector to improve the
quality of my videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIBEl35_wB0#
For the creation of my production logos I used Photoshop. Due to my earlier
studies of media I had an knowledge on how to work this software. Even with
my past experience I still feel my logos were not up to professional standard.
The reasons for this is I still need to prefect my skills by practising. I feel I did
not explore all of the features within the program.

4. Hardware
For the production of my product I used multiple devises for my filming. The
camera which I used was an Canon D300 this provided an clear image
however in the light conditions it did not perform how I would like it to. My
video was very pixelated this made my film appear ammeter to improve this I
should have added more light however this would have effected the impact of
the lighting.
To stabilise my shots I used a tripod this devise worked very well to ensure I
had appropriate shots. The problems I found with this was for close up shots
it was to large to fit where I needed it. I found most of my most creative shots
were when the camera was hand held this was due to my freedom of
movement. Also setting up the tripod for different shots was very time
consuming my video included a range of shot types so its position was
changed every take.

5. Professional practice
Organisation of my actors was very important for filming. I was at an
advantage that I only had one character as this meant I could easily plan
when to film as I didn’t need to wait for all my actors to be free. To organise
my actor I used my smart phone and verbal interaction. I was thinking of
creating a new scene for my opening however due to problems with actors I
was not able to.
When filming I used a shot plan to insure I had all the shots I needed for my
opening. I found I filmed more footage then I needed however this helped in
the editing process as I had a range of content. My original story board was
changed in the editing process as I filmed better shots. If I were to just film
shots from my story board it would have hindered my work.
To ensure the safety of my actors I did a risk assessment they were no serious
hazards in the location where I was filming in my blog is my whole
assessment.

6. Creative tools
I downloaded my font from DaFont this has a large range of different styles of
fonts. In research and planning I asked audiences which ones they preferred
and DeadBitch was my final font choice. What I like about this website was
the different ranges and styles for me to chose from. I feel the font made my
product look more professional then it would with a generic font.
For my sound I used two website freeSFX and freesound. FreeSFX has a large
range of sound effects I used this website for my heat beat and scream. The
quality was high as they were no background disruptions so my effects
blended well with my music. Freesound was used for my music this website a
reasonable range of music. I feel the quality of freeSFX was higher.

7. Practical skills
Before I went out to film I did many practice shots using the tripod as I
wanted to explore different shot types and angles. I found I worked very well
with the camera and filmed interesting shots. My work does not show my full
potential as an director due to lack of different shot types. I used mainly close
ups as I wanted to create mystery I didn’t want grades interfering with my
creativity.
In post production I feel I was quite efficient with Final Cut Express. I was
successful in time management in editing as most of my editing was done
earlier on the credits and finishing touches took up most of my time. Over all I
feel I was productive in pre and post production.