q6

1. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this media
product?
The process of constructing my media product involves 5 different stages. This includes
development which is essentially the idea, screenplay etc. The next stage is pre,
production which involves the casting, storyboard, planning of equipment and locations,
shot lists and handling the budget. Next is production and this is the filming. After
production is post-production which is the editing, special effects, sounds etc. Lastly is
distribution which is essentially where the film goes after it has been finished. Depending
on these different stages of producing my media product, the technologies i used varied.
When planning my idea I used the internet for lots of research, looking into my favourite
directors, finding films similar to my idea, getting inspiration and watching loads of
opening sequences, even if they weren't too similar to my idea. Youtube was extremely
convenient for this, providing me with unlimited opening sequences for me to discover
and to widen my horizons. I used youtube a lot to watch tutorials, as all the adobe
programmes I used were completely new and unknown to me so I taught myself with
content found on youtube. I also used Art of the Title, as it also has many opening
sequences for me to watch, giving me a vast selection of openings. I also used IMDB a
lot in my planning process, it helped me to find similar themes with similar ratings to films
I was looking at and also gave me easy access to budgets, box office numbers and so
much more information.
Apart from research, in my planning I constantly used Blogger. Blogger is a website i had
never used before, and allows people to publish blog posts on their own personal blog. I
recorded every step and direction I took in my process in chronological order and also
upload press’s or youtube videos using embed codes. I also uploaded my shot lists,
equipment lists that I could easily refer back too.
On my blog I also uploaded 3 drafts of my script in which i created on Celtx, a simple
programme which allows one to create professional looking scripts. This meant I could
hand out my script to my actress, and it helped her to understand what was expected of
her in a written, professional form. I used slideshare to upload these celts documents to
my blog using embed codes.
For my production I used a Nikon D90 camera with a big manfrotto tripod which allowed
me to get a wide range of shots, especially fluid pan shots. I also used a sound recorder
to record the voiceover. I used two camera lenses, mainly a wide angle lens to try and
replicate the Wes Anderson style, and I also used a 50mm lens.
I used Adobe After Effects to make idents, and this is a program I had never used before.
I made about 5 idents, however only ended up using one of my own, and one from
criterion collection as I really liked it. To help me make these idents i followed tutorials on
video co pilot as i was new to the software and struggling.
Adobe Premier Pro was vital in the contracting of my media product. It was the first time i
had ever used it, and struggled to get used to its features to use all its benefits to the
maximum. I prefer this program to others such as iMovie, because it gives a more
professional finish, and can make my piece look like a real opening sequence.
Free sound websites were also used for foley sounds. This was done by finding the
sounds, downloading them and adding them into the clips, and I learnt how important it is

2. to spend lots of time on sound. I also used a directional microphone to create my own
sounds, mostly the voice over, which was extremely necessary in my opening to describe
what is happening. My aim was to create my own foley sounds, however I didn't like the
outcome, they didn't sound professional and i preferred the clarity in the sounds that I
found on websites such as freesound.org etc. For my titles I used fonts from dafonts or
other free font websites. I did this after lots of research and looking at a wide range of font
options.
For the distribution side, I used Youtube and Facebook to upload my opening and also to
get audience feedback.