Rebecca discusses the various equipment and software she used for her media production course, including an iMac, Canon camera with a large lens, tripod, Final Cut Express for editing, Photoshop for designing and editing photos, WIX for creating a website, YouTube for hosting and receiving feedback on her video, and Blogger for presenting her work. She explains that this equipment challenged her skills but also helped her create professional-level work and feel more confident in her media abilities.

1. EQUIPMENT USED WITHIN
MY PRODUCTION
BY REBECCA POLLEN

2. INTRODUCTION
The course this year in media has personally been extremely challenging in
comparison to the previous year. This is because although I am familiar with
most types of media creation for example PowerPoint, Microsoft etc. I prefer
work which consists of much simpler technology; at the beginning of the
course I didn’t have a great idea on editing programmes other than small
details within Photoshop which I developed last year. Blogging was also
something that I was newly introduced to within the media A-Level course,
however this was a challenge of which I overcome and hope that I have
developed skills in greatly.
So this course has challenged me and my skills in ways I could have never
imagined however I do believe the aftermath of all of this, is that I am a much
more confident media student within displaying my work in not only in paper
and pen but also online using difficult and professional software.

3. USING AN IMAC
When I was informed that we had to use iMacs
for our coursework I was pleased however also
cautious. I am familiar with most of the
software within an iMac because I have had
one for personal use for a couple of years.
However using the more complicated software
was something I was wary of.
In the past people used to hold the film out
and with a razor blade actually cut the footage
they did not want and then place the film they
wanted together. However if we were to do
that it would be extremely time consuming
and the editing would not be as professional
as they are today in the media industry.

4. TECHNOLOGY
The next type of technology and equipment I used was a
canon camera with an extremely large and long lense.
The footage was uploaded onto a card and using a card
reader could download the footage onto the iMac’s.
However if I was to able to film again I would not use a
camera with such a large lense as when using other
equipment it made it extremely hard to balance as the
heavy lense continually weighed the camera and the
equipment used to hold it down.
This leads me to talk about
the tripod I used when
filming. A tripod helped a
tremendous amount when
filming, this was because
with the music genre I had
needed clear, sharp shots
and so the footage I
captured had to be
perfectly framed and be
perfectly clear. If I didn’t
have access to a tripod I
would have had to film
freehand which meant the
shots would not have been
as steady or tightly framed.
Which as a result would
not have had looked as
professional within my
final piece.

5. The next piece of equipment was a piece of computer software which I
used in order to edit my production. I used final cut express; if I didn’t
have access to this programme I would have had to use Adobe premier
which is no where near the professional standards of final cut. I believe, as
it has more effects and you can cut the exact point where the unwanted
footage is, unlike Adobe where you have to delete the whole entire clip, in
the end it creates a more professional look which has continuous editing.
In designing my digipak and editing photos that I had taken through
production I used Photoshop. I could also use this software to manipulate
the pictures if they required it. If I wasn’t able to use programs like these I
would had to use paint which would not have been able to hold the
professional status and look and I would not have been able to erase all the
flaws in photos to perfection like Photoshop does. If I did not have access
to WIX to I would not have been able to create a website and so would have
just has to create a music advert instead.

6. It wouldn’t have been possible to get instant feedback if I didn’t have
access to the internet. It would also be extremely expensive for record
companies to promote there bands by only just concerts and gigs
without advertising them via YouTube or on social networks such as
Facebook, Instagram and twitter.
In order to actually receive feedback in the first place I needed a
program to host my video. YouTube is the host where I could
upload my video and then embed the code anywhere for the
public to watch and share there opinion on our video. In my case I
hosted the video on YouTube and then shared it to Facebook to
receive my feedback. This was quick and fairly simple to
complete. However if I did not have this available it would have
taken me days to get feedback from enough people.

7. The final piece of media which I had to
get to grips with this year as well as last
was how to use blogger. This piece of
software allowed me to present and
share my work with teachers, students
and more importantly the exam board. At
first it was a hard piece of software to
get to grips with, especially when
concerning the text type and design of
the blog. This was mainly due to the fact
that it was unlike any piece of software I
had used before, I had also never read or
created a blog before. However after a
while it became easier to get to grips
with and now that I have finished my
production feel that I completely
understand the software.