1. What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
2. Technologies
There were many technologies, some new and
some familiar, that i used in construction of the
project. All these technologies allowed me to either
interact with my audience and analyse their
response or do research and present my work.
Some of these technologies worked hand in hand
like slideshare and google docs.
3. Getting in touch
It was very important that I interact with my audience in order to get to know them better and evaluate
their voice. There are many online mediums out there which allow you to interact with people around
the world, potential target audience.
Whatsapp allowed me to target specific audience within my contact list. The rest of my group also
shared the link with their friends so we could get a wider response. The good thing about whatsapp
was we knew who we were addressing so we could also get additional comments back from them
regarding the survey and the project as whole.
I learnt that on whatsapp you can broadcast messages. This function allowed me to get my message
across to wider audiences saving me some valuable time. Within the function, it also tells you which
contacts actually read the message and with the results of the survey I had a rough idea if this
individual took my survey or not.
4. Getting in touch
Facebook was the most efficient way of getting a strong non biased response to my survey. I learnt that you can
share the survey link to your own page and a notification would come up for your friends and get their attention.
What was even more impressive about Facebook was that I could even share the link to groups and anyone in the
group would see it on the recent section. After posting the link to facebook I say the responses to the survey rise
before my eyes.
5. Blogger
Blogger is a software which allows you to share information on a mutual level and on
regular basis. I have not used blogger prior the the course work so I was not familiar
with it. It took me a bit of time to get the hang of it.
After any research, I could uploaded all my findings on blogger and it would save my
document instantly. I did not have to worry about losing my work due to fear if the
computer crashes mid way through a document.
Blogger has many functions which were new to me. The html and the compose
functions worked hand in hand and I have learnt that in order to upload a presentation
to blogger I first had to get an Embed link so blogger could process the presentation.
Blogger come with many cool themes and layouts. It was a learning process for me
from day one to the last upload. It had many things on offer that everyday you would
need a tutorial for the new functions available.
The final thing to do after completing all the blogs was to link them together so it is
easier to navigate from one blog to another. With the assistance of my teacher, I
learnt that you will need to get individual links to blogs and using the settings I could
merge them together.
6. Recording equipment
The filming process was always going to be the most daunting part of the project. We used a
canon digital camcorder to record our film. I personally do not own a digital camera so I had to
double check with my group forefore pressing any buttons. Ultimately, by the end of the filming
I knew how to handle a camera and which angles to shoot from to add emphasis on the object
being recorded.
The setup for the tripod was straightforward to me but the concept of tilting and maneuvering
was something I had to learnt. I came to terms that the quality of the footage using a tripod is
much better than having it handheld. Tripod produces more steady and smooth shots whilst
handheld shots look sloppy and unprofessional when used in the wrong context.
As it was my first time handling a camera to shoot a film, I learnt that the lenses could be
altered from one shot to another. I learnt to use a wide angle lense when filming a massive
crowd that are so near in order to get them all in the same shot.
7. Other useful online technologies
Throughout the course, I have used many softwares and key web addresses to
present my work.
Google Slides was the most useful software that I used to present my work. With unlimited storage and online access, I
did not have to worry about losing my work or running out of memory. I learnt that in order to put the slides on
blogger I had to retrieve an embedded link so it could be accessible on blogger.
I also learnt that Slideshare and Google slides worked hand in hand. I leant that I first have to save the presentation as a
pdf format before putting it on slideshare which then gave me an embed link to go with my blogger. .
Prezzi was another software that I used quite often over the course of the project. Just like Google slides, it allowed me
to present my work but in a more professional and unique way. Prezi seems more advanced and engaging hence
why most of my research and planning and evaluation are done through the software. I have used prezi in the past
but with the new updates, I could use better themes that are relatable to the project. I also learnt that prezi provides
its own embed code so putting the information on blogger was made much easier and less time consuming.
8. More on equipment
In nearly all of our shots, the camera stayed on the tripod so we could get a clear steady
shots.One good use of the tripod was producing steady panning shots like the one shown
on the left. I learnt that the tripod had limitations so we had to adapt to other forms. It is
not possible to record a chase scene with a tripod since you would need to follow the
action. Although there are tripods with wheels, our one did not have them so we could only
use it for shots that didn't require tracking a character.
Due to lack of availability of certain equipments, we had to use other alternatives to get the
same outcome. We came up with the idea of using a BMX as a dolly shot. The shot on the
right, Jimmy chasing Frank , shows the outcome of the BMX, dolly, shot we produced. It
took a while to adapt to the situation as it was our first time filming while recording at the
same time. We made sure we made no mistakes by making the scene last for a very short
time, we did not want to risk losing focus and producing unsteady shots.
The whole experience opened up our mind and made us be more imaginative and
resourceful. The BMX example was one of many shots that we had to look for alternatives
in order to recreate good shots that would normally would have to be done with expensive
technologies. We really liked the helicopter shot in the film The Drive so we decided to
reconstruct it by going on top of a bridge and capturing a panning shot as our establishing
shot.
9. Work Station
We used Apple iMac computers to do the editing and blogs. I rarely use a computer these days
and the one I have at home is windows so the whole Apple iMac world was a bit alienated to me.
Because apple products are so different to others It took me awhile to get the hang of it.
I learnt that the iMac is extremely powerful and good for multitasking. I was able to blog whilst
editing which made the whole process easier to handle and less time consuming. The machine is
more compatible compared to the one I have at home and has a better processor. I did have to
adapt to it though.
Features I had to adapt to:
The printscreen function
How to upload applications
Home buttons
Mouse functionality
10. Surveymonkey
I used survey monkey create my survey which i distributed to my audience. The
software came with its own free analysing function that did all the maths for you. I
could go back to it and see the results illustrated into tables.
What was good about the software was that it shows you the whereabouts of the
respondent. I could use this information to see which regions are dominant to my
results. It meant that I could do research on them and identify their needs and
interests.
11. Editing devices
We used adobe after effects to sort out the clip and edit. We decided to use
adobe after effects because people in my group had experience using it and it
was a free software which has many after effects. I had little or no experience in
the editing field but with the help of my group I started to notice my editing skills
improve.
I learnt that with editing, you need patience since it can be repetitive it times and
you must show interest in the field as it is very time consuming. I learnt that
adobe after effects is capable of allowing us to review the clip and add text and
music on the same shot. We could also trim the clips we have gathered so we
could match them with other shots.
A downside from the software was that every time we wanted to review the clip
we had to render it which took a bit of time. It also meant that we could only view
it in low quality as it was less time consuming.
Uploading the clip from the software took a long time. It took roughly overnight to
upload the clip and there were fears that it could crash.
12. Skills gained
I am able to carry out more reliable research with all the techniques I gained.
Can differentiate reliable from unreliable sources.
I have a better understanding of how to handle a camera. I can come up with
alternatives to tricky and non accessible equipments.
Can understand the effects of an edit and how it can shape the meaning
Can display information in a clearer way. Have experience on all the
softwares such as blogger, slideshare and google slides.
I can work faster and more effectively, learnt to multitask efficiently.
I have improved my team working skills, i know to split the task into chunks
and work around it with the team. I know to contribute to task if I feel I
am strong at that field.
