This is Question 6 for my AS Media course Evaluation.

1. What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing
this product?

2. When creating our media product we used all of our own equipment which made
the process a lot easier and more efficient.This is because we had more
experience with this equipment and we therefore knew our limitations and didn’t
try to do things which could have taken a lot of time.
In the process we learnt how to use the camcorder in a lot of different ways and
we learnt how to add things like filters when recording the scenes.This was useful
because this has now allowed us to think ahead and plan how we could use these
filters in the future on any other media products.
We also learnt how we could effectively film to make some of the scenes look
more dramatic and atmospheric. For example, in some of the scenes we held the
camcorder in order to get a scared and panicked feeling.
This was a really useful way of quickly learning how to use the camcorder because
we were learning in the process of filming our media product.We also learnt how
to use it faster because we were experimenting with setting which we wouldn’t in
other situations.

3. We were also using our own SD Card when filming which allowed us to film a variety
of the same scene and see which turned out better and which would make our
product look more professional.
The SD Card also allowed us to film as much as we liked without constantly worrying
about not having enough space and therefore having to shorten our film.We could
therefore film freely and get shots that we didn’t even plan on getting in the first
place.
This also links to us learning how to use the Camcorder because some of the shots we
filmed came out wrong because we were experimenting with some of the different
settings.This also allowed us to figure out what settings and filters would be useful for
certain genres of films.
We also learnt that different camera’s can do different things, for example, we had
another camera to take behind the scenes photos and this allowed us to see the
difference in quality and the different settings which were available for us to use. We
also found out that the camcorder that we were using could only take Micro SD cards.

4. The tripod made it a lot easier to film the majority of our shots and it also made them all at the
same height so the perspective was always the same.This made it a lot easier to do things like
high angle and low angle shots because it made them clearly different from the other shots.
Also, because the tripod was our own we didn’t have to worry about causing any damage to it,
this allowed us to put it in some really strange places to try and get some of the shots and not
worry about a leg snapping off or something similar.
At one point we put the tripod in a tree to try and get a high angle shot, although this shot
wasn’t used it was nice to be able to experiment with a range of shots and put the tripod and
camcorder in a variety of places.
Throughout the process of filming our media product we learnt haw to use the extendable legs
on the tripod to our advantage and for some of the shots in the classroom we had to stand it on 3
different surfaces to get the perfect shots.
Furthermore, even though the tripod was on a variety of surfaces when filming some of the
shots it was still very steady, this allowed us to put it in places which didn’t seem very sturdy but
the shot would still be steady.

5. We used our own computers to edit our media product as this allowed us to use all of
the resources we wanted without and restrictions which would hold us back. For
example, the computer we used was fast and had a lot of space on it, this allowed us
to download sounds and filters and software to make our product better.
At school we may not have been able to do this because it may not have had a lot of
space on it or some content may have been restricted and therefore it would have
stunted our progression.Also, at school the computers aren’t very fast, this would
have made the editing process of our product very slow and irritating.
Furthermore, at home we were able to work at our own pace and we weren’t being
watched over and therefore felling pressured to do it faster and change things. I also
think that us working at home made us more motivated to work on it because we
knew the amount of time we had and what we could do in the time we had.
Also, when we were at home we could look on the internet for things like tutorials on
how to do things and learn as we were editing. In my opinion, we wouldn’t have been
able to do this at school because of a range of distractions and a limit on the time we
had on the computers.

6. The editing software we used was SonyVegas 13, this software allowed us to use a range of
filters and setting which the editing software at school wouldn’t have allowed us to.The editing
software at school was iMovie, we had no experience with this and it didn’t have a lot of settings
which we were able to use in our media product.
As we were working on our product at home we were also able to use our own editing software
which our main editor had a lot of experience with.This meant that we could use filters which we
already knew about and also find new filters which would add to the atmosphere of our product.
Furthermore, our main editor also had experience with cutting shots down and putting shots
together to make them better.This gave us a big advantage when editing because we already
knew how to do half of the stuff which we needed to do.
We also used a program called Magic Bullets, this allowed us to add a cinematic effect to our
opening sequence. This made it look a lot more professional than it would have looked without
this. I think that this is one of the main reasons that the finish product looked so good.
I think that we did well editing our product considering we had to learn a variety of new things to
make it perfect for us and we also used software which was also new to us.

7. We didn’t have to use a lot of websites in the process of creating our media product
and uploading each process.
One of the essential websites that we used wasYouTube.This allowed us to quickly
upload each stage of editing and have others view it and give opinions on it.Without
YouTube I don’t think that our product would have been half as good as it is because
we wouldn’t have been able to get other peoples opinions on it.
Another website we used was Edublogs.This is a website which allows you to create a
blog about anything you want, in our case it was media.
This allowed us to upload our planning, research, production and post production
thoughts and ideas. I think that this was the most important website which we used in
the whole process because it allowed us to put things on their in chronological order
and keep track of what we had done and what we still needed to do.
This website also allowed us to keep things safe and so we knew where they were
whenever we needed them. For example, we put audience research analysis on there,
this allowed us to keep looking back at what we needed to add.

8. When we were blogging about our media project we had to present it in a variety of different
ways, this meant that we had to use a range of different presenting tools.
One of the main websites I used to present my work was Emaze. This is because it was quick and
easy to set up and also, there is a huge range of different things it allows you to do. On of the
main things I liked about this website is that everyone is able to view the PowerPoint's which you
create, I found this really motivational because I knew that people were looking at the things I
created and getting ideas and inspiration from it.
Another website I used to present my work was SlideShare. This allows you to upload word
documents, spread sheets and PowerPoint's quickly and easily.This also allows everyone to view
the work that you do which I also liked.
One of the main things that I really like was that it allowed you to present a word document
where people could read the whole thing without having to download a file to look at it and then
for it to not work.Therefore I think that this was one of the most important websites for me to
use because of all the things it allowed me to do.
PowToon is also a lot like Emaze where it allows you to creatively present your work and upload
it onto your blog. I really liked this website but I didn’t use it as much as Emaze because it doesn’t
allow you to do as much as I would have liked to.