1. How did you use media
technologies in the
construction and research,
planning and evaluation
stages?
2. Photoshop
I had already used this software in my AS media work and was
familiar with the layout and how to use it. when using
Photoshop for my poster image I firstly just changed the image
into black and white as you can see on the image to the right.
This was the first step in creating atmosphere.
When developing the photograph further to better
fit the conventions of a horror/thriller poster, I
changed the contrast and levels to create
something that looked slightly grainy. Giving the
image a sense of mystery, also I used the opacity
tool changed to black on Photoshop to blend the
girl into the background so it either looks like she’s
emerging from it or disappearing into the
darkness. The black and white is important it
portraying emotion and is often related to the
more thrilling horrors. As well as simplifying the
image for the viewer, the black and white also
represents a clear distinction between light and
dark- right and wrong.
I have discovered that there are
many different ways that you can
manipulate an image on
Photoshop to make it look
different and fit a certain style or
genre you were going for. In this
edit I experimented with the
brightness and contrast In order
to make the image look lighter
and sharper. I then used the
opacity tool again but to
exaggerate the different colours I
could see within her face giving
the image a unique quality. I
thought that the outcome was
effective, however I didn’t think
it fit within the thriller/horror
genre, but I had fun
experimenting with the different
ways of changing an image.
3. InDesign and Illustrator
• I created my magazine cover on InDesign.
I had used this software to create a
magazine cover twice before, so I was
confident with how to construct the
layout and the conventions of a magazine.
Before writing the text I started simply by
placing boxes fames onto the page where
text or images would go following a
popular film magazines layout ‘Total Film’.
• This was easier than placing each box and
completing it one at a time because I was
then able to see which images would fit
where and what text I needed to include.
• I used Illustrator to create the boxes at the
top and bottom at the circular boxes in
the middle which grab your attention.
By using illustrator to create the boxes I was able to produce something
unique to develop my own magazine design. This also helped to suggest the
style of the product, black spikes suggest an ‘edginess’ about the film. The dark
blues and blacks suggest a chilling narrative.
This was my practice design
of a film magazine, which I
made before starting the
real one in order to test out
different styles. I knew
from this design that I
needed to create
something that was more
controlled in the layout-
the buyer often wants the
information to be easily
accessible and clear to see,
whilst still being attractive
and interesting. So I used
some aspects of my
practice piece to add more
creativity to my final
design.
4. Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro was initially quiet difficult to understand how to use , so I
had to use Google and YouTube to research how to achieve certain
things, for example I found a tutorial on YouTube that showed me how
to change the lighting of videos. I wanted to make the scene appear
darker, and the tutorial gave me step by step instructions on how to do
this. Once I had placed all videos inside the software it did not take me
long to become accustomed to the layout. It was then a lot easier to
achieve what I wanted with the product and concentrate on the finer
details such as effects like fade to white and titles which helped
develop narrative. I discovered that Premiere Pro was a very well
developed programme and could do so much to make your trailer as
professional as it could be.
5. Platforms and camera
• YouTube is the most popular and trusted website
for sharing videos. This is the site I used to
upload my development of my trailer, it is an
easy process and does not take up too much
time.
• Edublogs is where I keep all my work and update
my progress throughout the course. It is easily
accessible for others how might want to view our
work and can comment on our progress so we
know what we’ve done well and what might
need to be improved.
• PollDaddy is a website in which you can create
polls and surveys for your audience to take. I use
this to make my own surveys and embed them
onto my blog so I know if I'm meeting the criteria
of my target audience.
For the filming of my trailer, I used a Lumix recording camera
which was of a high quality- producing a sharper image. For
more of the in depth scenes I used an iPad and handheld
camera to make it more personal. These shots definitely added
to the realistic aspect of the film as if felt like the person
featured in the film was trying to give a message to the viewer
personally .
To create the clearer and steady shots, I always used the tripod
as it allowed me to get a smoother movement throughout the
shot, making it look more visually appealing.
