Question 6 of AS Media Evaluation

1. What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
By Chloe Carman

2. Research and planning

3. Search engines
I used search engines via the internet for my research.
Using a search engine narrows your selection when it
comes to finding information, and they only include words
that you have put in the search bar. I used google and Bing
to research the history of film noir. This was because I could
be specific in what I researched. YouTube was used to
watch various OTS, so we could list what they all had in
common (conventions), and get inspiration for our own
OTS.

4. websites
Once we searched for specific information, we got PowerPoint,
Presentations, videos and pages of writing that came up, that was
specific to our search. I used these sources of information to take
inspiration for our OTS and what we need to include. Prezi is an online
software where you can create 3D presentations that is interactive . I
used this throughout the pre-production, production, and post-
production period, to create interactive presentations which I could
embed into my blog. In comparison to Microsoft PowerPoint, this
software was more interactive, was easier to embed online, and had
professional pre-set themes that are regularly updated to make your
presentation looking current.

5. SlideShare is an Online software that allows you to upload
Microsoft PowerPoints online, or to create your own from
scratch online. This software makes it easy to upload
PowerPoints online, and to be able to embed them onto other
websites such as my blog. In comparison to Prezi it is less
interactive, however it is a lot easier to make and to upload. I
used SildeShare to find other research that other people have
conducted to inspire my own creation. I also used the site to put
all of my information I collected together, and to present it to
the class when we came up with our initial idea.

6. Vimeo is an online software where you can upload
videos online for people to see. Once the videos
are uploaded you can then use the link to embed
them onto your blog or other websites. I have
never used Vimeo before I started this project, but
now I have learnt how to use it, and how to upload
videos, as well as how to embed them onto sites.

7. Blogger is an online software where you can create your own
online blog. You can post lots of things on a blog like: writing
(text), pictures, videos, hyperlinks, and you can embed Prezi’s,
SlideShare’s and Vimeo videos onto your post. I used my blog
to keep a record of how I did things, and what I learnt. If I
learnt how to use a software, I recorded it onto my blog, so the
next time I use it, I don’t forget how to do things. The good
thing about Blogger is that everything is in one place, and I can
rearrange the order of my posts so the more important posts
are at the top so I don’t have to search for information.

8. Gmail is an online method of communication. It is used
to send messages, hyperlinks, video’s or software
documents to people all over the world. I used Gmail to
send information and video link to my partner, so she
could just follow the links to see what I can see. The
advantages of this are that you can get emails all over
the world as long as you have Wi-Fi or internet data (3G,
4G, hotspots).

9. iMessage is an apple software used to communicate
between iPhone. This is a free way to text people who
have iPhones, and to keep in contact to arrange times to
meet, and to send pictures to one another. This software
also allows you to create groups, so more than two people
can have a free text message conversation at the same
time, and you can see each others messages where ever
you are as long as you have signal.

10. A DVD is a hard copy of a film that you can watch over and
over. DVDs contain film trailers, credits, the OTS for the
film, and the film itself. I used DVDs to watch and get an
idea how different genres of films do OTSs. On DVD I
watched the OTS for: Sin city, Casino Royal, Skyfall and
Priest. From the DVD I studied the conventions of an OTS,
and got the feel for how long they are, and how they link
into the film, and the narrative.

11. Countdown+ is an app on an iPhone that counts down the
number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds till an event.
The app sends you notifications through a day before to
give you a reminder of the event. I used the app to set
dates and times when I was meeting my partner, so I could
have reminder notifications about when, where, and how
long I have till I meet her. The countdown is a visual app
that is clear how long I have got till I meet my partner.

12. Facebook is a social media site used to communicate with
people, and to interact with people on an everyday basis.
On Facebook you write statuses telling people about what
you are doing that day. You can create events on Facebook
and invite your Facebook friends to the event. There is also
a way of communicating through Facebook massager, and
creating a group chat to talk to two or more people about it.
I was communicating with Megan over this site as its quick,
and there is an app you can download on an iPhone that
makes it easy to access.

13. Production

14. For our the filming of our OTS we used a sony handycam
HDR-CX220 camera that had a built in microphone. We
didn’t have much diagetic sound in our OTS, but the one
sound we bit of diagetic sound we did want was the bottle
rolling across the floor. The only piece of dialogue we used
was the “shhh” of the femme fatale, we done this because
we wanted her to be mysterious. The diagetic sound and
the dialogue wasn’t our main focus for the OTS, which is
why we didn’t need a more professional microphone.

15. We used a Sony handycam HDR-CX220 camera for the
filming of our OTS. The camera was very light weight, and
was easy to transport around the the various locations that
we used. The quality of the camera is very good considering
they are only a small hand held video camera. The camera
was very easy to use, as it didn’t have too many
complicated buttons, however I found the zooming in and
out very difficult, because you had to press the button at
the right pace, and keeping the speed consistent
throughout the filming.

16. We did try to film a section of our OTS using the camera on
my iPhone and iPod. This was a bad idea as the quality
wasn’t great and we ended up re-filming it with the Sony
camera because it didn’t pick up the light very well. We did
film the shot of our iPhone in the rain, this also made the
video blurry, and we couldn’t see anything in the clip except
blurry bits of light from the street lamps. I have learnt that
Apple product with cameras aren’t good for high quality
shots, and they don’t work in the dark. Next time I won’t
bother filming on my phone, I just thought it might have
been easier to film by the river.

17. We used a tripod throughout our filming. This contraction is
invented to keep the camera still while filming. You screw
the camera onto the tripod, and this fastens it so the
camera can’t fall off and break. By using this device we have
got smooth pan shot, that would be hard to keep straight
and still if you are holding the camera. The height of the
legs can be adjusted at the required height, and you can
also adjust the angle of the camera. This is handy because
the camera mans hands are free to direct the actors.

18. The editing software we used to put our OTS together is Final Cut
pro. This is a new movie making software which amateur film
makers can use. Some aspects of Final Cut are easy to use once
you have the hang of it. Its easy to upload the videos you want to
uses, and all your clips appear in a new library project. You can
click on the clips you want, and drag them down onto your movie
timeline. This is where you see your film coming together. The
hardest bit about final cut was adjusting the colour of our clips
from normal colour clips to black and white, with a hint of red.
Also I found it difficult to know what all of the symbols do, and
what one does what

19. Garage band is a software used to create music and sound.
The program has different instruments uploaded that play
different tunes. You pick an instrument that you like, and
drag it onto the timeline. You can then add different
instruments and different tunes on top of each other to
create an individual sound that works for you product. We
created two different pieces of music that we used through
out our OTS. We struggled to get them to match up, but we
have managed to get the two pieces to work together to
match the image in front of the sound.

20. An SD card is a method of storing data, and video clips and
transporting them from the camera to the computer. You
can store memory on the SD card, so if any clips get deleted
off the computer or the camera, there is a copy safe on the
SD card. We used a SD card to back up all of our clips,
however, one of the memory cards was full, so we had to
use another one just so we could store all the clips. Once
we had finished our clips we had to delete our clips off the
SD card so there was room for other people to put their clip
onto the card.

21. iMovie is a movie making software like Final Cut pro,
however it is a lot simpler, but is the effects aren’t as good.
iMovie is easy to uses, and for a beginner like I was is
simple to pick up the basic techniques that are required to
put a film together. We decided to use final cut rather than
iMovie because final cut has a lot more effects, transitions,
sounds, and titles that we could uses for our OTS. Because I
was a beginner it would be simpler to learn how to uses a
much better program rather than wasting my time trying to
master iMovie.

22. The computer we used was an Apple Mac. Apple is a
technology company that creates new technology products
that are current, virus free, long lasting, fast and efficient.
The Apple Mac is quick considering how much data is
connected to it. Apple work to make their products easy to
use and are top of the range. There products are very
expensive to buy, but in the long term they work out
cheaper as they should last around ten years without
getting slower.

23. Safari is the Apples version of Internet Explorer, Google
Chrome. We used safari to search for information, or to
upload anything online. We had to search online to find out
how do do certain things on Final Cut pro. There is no set
guide to how to use Final cut so we had to look up how to
do things like changing colour. Once we finished our OTS we
had to go on to Vimeo via Safari so we could upload our
OTS online. Safari seems to work quicker than Internet
explorer, and does exactly the same thing, so its more
convenient to uses if you have the choice to use.

24. We used lights when we were in the studio shooting some of
the clips. We didn’t need lights when we videoed at the
outside locations as we shot during the day, so we didn’t
have a problem to see. When filming the “shhh” we were in
Megan’s room, so we had to use a lamp to make sure my
face wasn’t shaded. The lights we used in the studio made
the room light up to create the Film noir shadow affects on
the walls behind. The lights we used were good, but we used
them quite basically as me and my partner have never used
them before.

25. Editing/ Post production

26. Transitions are effects that you can add to your movie to
connect the clips. The Transitions finish off our OTS by
linking clips that either don’t relate, so need something to
link them, or they are similar and need a transition to not
look repetitive. The only Transitions we used in our OTS
was cross dissolve. The Cross dissolve transition is where
one clip fades out, while another fades in, so for a short
period of time, there is two clips overlapping one another.

27. Wix is an onlite site that you can use to build your own
website either for free, or you can pay a certain amount
each month and get a more premium set up. I used Wix to
create my website. On my website I have uploaded both
my pairs OTS and our group continuity task. The website
also allows me to upload videos from Vimeo and YouTube,
and to upload pictures from either online, or from your
files. I created my website to have a way to present our
OTS to an audience.

28. Emaze is and online software where you can create
presentations that explore you into the picture. It is brilliant
for visual learners, and especially for children. Children will
enjoy this program as it takes you on a journey to get to
each side of information. Emaze is a combination of Prezi
and SlideShare, accept it’s a little bit more complicated to
create. The software is still quite simple to uses. I personally
prefer using prezi and SlideShare as I just find them easier
to create the look and feel I want for my information to
come across as professional.

29. I used Vimeo as a way of uploading my OTS online so that I
could get to it quickly, and so that I can embed them onto
my blog and website quickly. I have uploaded my all of my
videos onto Vimeo rather than Youtube as even though
anyone can see it, its more private as you have to go on
Vimeo specifically for it to come up, rather than it popping
up in a Google search like YouTube does.

30. VoiceThread is an online software where you can have
a talking head pop up, and you can talk through and
show what you are doing on the screen at the same
time. VoiceThread is quite complicated, and it takes a
while to pick up. I would rather video myself over
Photo Booth and edit using iMovie just because it does
all the stuff I require it to do, but in a simple way that’s
easy, and and quick to achieve results.

31. The Photo Booth App on Apple Mac is program that is
free to come with a mac book. The software allows you
to take pictures and videos using the built in webcam. I
used Photo Booth record myself speaking about the
processes I went through to make my OTS. Once I
recorded all the clips, I edited them together using
iMovie.

32. If our OTS actually got turned into a film I would what it
to go on to a pay monthly movie site like netflix. Netflix
is a provider of on-demand Internet streaming media
available to viewers. I would want our film to be put on
Netflix so that a niché market can watch my film, and
also it will get advertised more and people are more
likely to know about it. Its all about getting the product
out there for the audience to know about.