A- Level Media Evaluation- Question Six

1. Question Six: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT THE
TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF CONSTRCUTING
THIS PRODUCTT?
By Luke Newcombe

2. During the construction of the product the technologies I have learnt are;
• Sony Cameras
• Serif Movie Plus
• YouTube
• Weebly
• Photoshop
• Studio lights/ backdrops
• Slideshare
The most crucial piece of technology used while making my opening sequence was that of a Sony camera. This camera was used
throughout the entire production process to film the footage of my opening sequence. During the filming process there were a range
of skills which I acquired in order to make my product look as professional as possible. For example, the use of both high and low
angle shots to reflect authority and power, with high angle shots indicating a character is superior in comparison to a low angle shot.
Furthermore, during the filming process I also learnt about skills on focusing and framing the camera in certain positions in order to
show relevance and importance within different scenes, for example, framing is used for specific reasons such as showing particular
props within the background to convey meaning (for example the use of fake ecstasy pills within my own sequence conveyed to the
audience that the location was a drug dealers house). The use of zooming in and out as well as panning was also techniques that I
gained knowledge of during the filming process, this also further enhanced the professionalism and visuals on screen as the use of
zooming can add an increase sense of drama, and the use of panning shows further details of locations for example. Although
zooming wasn’t a technique used within my own product the skills and knowledge were still learnt while creating my opening
sequence. To add to that, further skills were developed with holding the camera steadily in order to increase the level of
professionalism and also increase the quality of sound, whereas a shaky camera and the noise that would come with it would be
audible on screen. The features above were all aspects which increased my knowledge of the use of the camera and also increased
the professionalism of my product.

3. Another piece of equipment used within the production of my opening sequence is
that of Serif Move Plus. This piece of software was used in order to edit my opening
sequence and make the final product. During the editing process of my opening
sequence I learnt various techniques such as cutting clips in order for the most
relevant aspects of that clip to be used within my product. This also helped with
continuity and flow within my sequence, giving the appearance clips continue on
from each other. Another techniques also gained by using this software was the
knowledge of how to add sound clips and remove sound clips over footage. For
example, within my opening sequence there are certain scenes where the music
couldn’t be picked up by the camera alone and in order to counter this and still
make my product seem professional I added sound clips, found from sites such as
YouTube, over the top of footage to give the appearance that the sound was
diegetic, when in actual fact it wasn’t. In order to add text into certain clips/ over
the top of clips within my opening sequence the ‘T’ button brought up a text field,
this was used in order to add the names of the producer, edited by and actor
section of my sequence. The final technique I learned while using Serif Movie Plus
was that of different affects and transitions that the software allows you to use,
such as fading in and out in as well as the greyscale colour technique in order to
help enhance flashbacks for example. Although I didn’t use these techniques within
my own product these skills were still developed while using the software.

4. In order to place our opening sequence onto the internet and onto Weebly the platform we did this through
was YouTube. YouTube enabled me to create a free account which I could then upload my video onto. From
YouTube links could then be gathered which could then be embedded onto Weebly in order to give a direct link
to my opening sequence. YouTube also enables users to make videos private in order for people with specific
links to be able to view the sequence.
Weebly was used in order to merge out coursework and our opening sequence onto the same platform.
Weebly allowed us to again create free account which gave us a template of a website which can then be
edited, from this template the option to embed a YouTube video meant that my product could then be placed
directly onto a website, with analysis underneath it on the same page. By using Weebly, which has a pre made
template of websites which can then be chosen, in gave my coursework and the video a professional
appearance due to the platform is was presented on.
Another piece of software used to create the titles for my opening sequence was that of Adobe Photoshop.
This software allows for both text and images to be combined in order to make both our production company
logo and the film titles itself. While using Photoshop many different skills were developed, such as the ability to
remove backgrounds and erase certain sections of images using the eraser tool. Furthermore, the ability to add
text, using a ‘T’ button, as well as being able to change the font styles used, using the ‘A’ button, were also
different skills that I learnt while using the software. This enabled me to have a varied choice in terms of what
style and choice of lettering could be used within my titles in order to have a professional look that is fitting to
the title itself. Such as the use of a graffiti style font (hand of Sean) in order to reinforce the working class
theme my production company y has, indicating that the genre of my production company is drama. The ability
to resize images was done through using the squares at the edge of a selected image, this allowed us to rotate
and resize images to fit our specific needs, for example this tool was used in order to resize the train used on
my production company logo in order to give the appearance that it was coming from behind the writing.
Other tools which were also used were tools such as fading and gradient tools. These enabled different effects
and shadows to be used within writing and images within my logo. Although I didn’t personally use these
features they were still skills I gained while using the software. Further reinforcing the professionalism within
my sequence.

5. Another piece of technology learnt about while making my opening
sequence was the use of studio lighting in order to reflect different tones and
attitudes to the audience. For example, the use of dark studio lighting
reflects a dark, grimy tone which would be associated with the genre of
drama and horror. In order to create this dark and grimy tone within my own
opening sequence I used features of the location, such as closing the
curtains, in order to present this dark tone and atmosphere reinforcing the
topic of drama. This was done within my own sequence in order to enhance
the visuals on screen and make it seem more energetic in order to reflect the
behaviour and attitude of the characters within the sequence, whereas using
dark lighting which is commonly associated with dramas would have failed to
reflect this attitude properly to the viewer. Throughout the production stage
of my product the use of lighting enabled me to create a professional looking
product.
The final piece of software used within making my final product is that of
Slideshare. This was used in order to upload our coursework in order for
different forms of viewing on Weebly. Slideshare enables users to upload
presentations which can then be viewed publicity, also, an embed code is
also given which can then be used in order to implement the Slideshare
presentations on other websites, such as Weebly.