How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
1. How did you use media
technologies in the
construction, research, planning
and evaluation stages?
Alice Sophie Turrell
2. Media technologies have been vital in the whole process of
my trailer and ancillary products, and I could not have
achieved the results I did without them. Such technologies I
used included hardware and software and online tools
including Sony digital video cameras, Adobe Premier
Pro, and YouTube. Often, these different technologies
worked together to help me achieve a goal. For example, I
used all of the technologies just listed to film, edit and post
my trailer.
4. Sony Digital Film Camera
The Sony Digital Film Cameras I used
were one of the most important pieces of
hardware I used during my
construction, as without them I would
not have been able to film my video in
such good quality. What I really like
about using this video camera was how
compact it was, meaning it was not
bulky to carry around locations but I still
got a really high quality results. Another
aspect of this camera that I really liked
was how the viewer could be adjusted so
I could film from different angles – for
example when I filmed the antagonist
walking towards the camera, I placed the
camera on the floor, and tilted the view
finder so I could see what was being
recorded easily.
6. Zoom H1 Digital Sound
Recorder
I used a Zoom H1to record all the sound for my
trailer. I recorded the sound to the filming as
through using the Zoom I got a much
clearer, louder sound with no added background
noise which I got on the video clips. It was also
portable enough for me to take out when
filming on location so I could record some
sound there, as well as back in the studio. I
could also attach a mic to it which allowed me
to get closer sound while standing further back.
This was particularly helpful when recording
the chain saw sound.
7. Mac
I used a Mac throughout the entire process, from research
through to the evaluation. This is because Macs have all the
software I needed, including things such as Live Type
which is only available on a Mac. It is also easier and better
to use programs such as Photoshop and Premier Pro on
Macs.
8. iPhone
I relied on the use of my iPhone throughout the whole process of
research, planning, construction and evaluation as it allowed me
to work on the go, and access information when I was away from
a computer. Apps such as IMDB allowed me to research existing
films while shooting my trailer and ancillary tasks to get
inspiration on the go. Other apps that helped me while on the go
was Facebook and Twitter as I could easily contact my target
audience and quickly gain their response. Having a phone with
internet access really helped during the filming of my trailer and
the preparation, as it meant I could easily access my emails and
get in touch with the actresses/actor easily to clarify information
as well as get in touch with the owner of the location on the day
if I needed to.
10. Adobe Premier Pro
I decided to use Adobe Premier Pro to edit my trailer as I liked how easy it
is to navigate and edit clips, whilst also having a range of different editing
techniques which I found extremely helpful. For example, one of my clips
was quite dark due to it being filmed at night, and the editing effects
allowed me to lighten the clip add a bit more contrast. The editing tools
made is so easy to cut the clip and change things such as speed and
transition duration, therefore allowing me to be creative and have freedom
with what I wanted to do and how I wanted my trailer to look.
Premier Pro also helped me to present one of my evaluation questions in an
exciting, visual way with a combination of text, commentary and clips from
my trailer.
11. Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop was a crucial piece
of Software during my construction
stage, as it allowed me to edit my
images to a high and professional
standard for my poster and magazine
cover. The levels and curves options
allowed me to adjust colours and
contrast to give different, dramatic
effects to make the images stand out.
The Spot Healing tool let me to
smooth out any imperfections on the
models face, and the drop shadow tool
allowed me to add shadow and create a
more 3D effect on my magazine cover.
12. Live Type
Live Type really helped me in
making my trailer seem more
professional, by allowing me
to add intertitles which are
commonly seen in horror
films to increase suspense.
Using Live Type I also
created my logo for my
production company, and
through using Live Type I
could mimic existing
conventions and create a
realistic and professional
logo.
13. Microsoft PowerPoint
I have used PowerPoint throughout the planning, research and
evaluation stages as it has been a good way of presenting
information as it allows me to separate and spread out information
rather than have it appear like an essay. It also allows me to
include some creativity through different colours, themes and
images to give visual aid to what I am presenting and the ideas I
am putting forward. One area where I found PowerPoint
particularly useful was presenting results from research, as I could
use a slide or two per question, and add visuals such as graphs.
14. Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word allowed me to present large pieces of written
work and create tables throughout the evaluation, planning and
research stages. It also allowed me to create important legal
forms and disclaimers for the actresses/actors and property
owners to sign. I found that the option to make tables really
helped me present information in a strong professional manner
in the planning process – especially when making call sheets as
I could organise the information efficiently.
16. YouTube
YouTube has been a very useful and
important online tool throughout all
stages, allowing me to research existing
movies and trailers, include trailers in
my work – for example posting on my
blog and embedding into PowerPoints
via Slide Share. YouTube was most
important however during the
construction stage, as it allowed me to
upload my trailer easily, and share it via
Twitter and Facebook in order to gain
responses from the audience on how to
improve. As YouTube is such popular
and easy to access website, my trailer
could be viewed by a wide
audience, therefore not limited to just
who I shared it with or my Facebook
friends.
17. Blogger
I have used Blogger extensively
throughout G324, as it has allowed
me to post all my work – no matter
what format they are in, word
document, image, or video – on an
easy to use and navigate blog. The
labels help me to organise my work
according to different
stages, making it easier for me to
find, look at and refer back to what I
have done as well as making it
easier for others to look at.
The fact that the entire blog is
customizable gives me the
opportunity to make it more
personal, and tailor the blog around
my project, fitting the work that I
have posted.
18. IMDB
IMDB really helped me with
research, as it gave me easy
access to various pieces of
information relating to films
including release dates, budgets
and audience response. Another
handy feature on IMDB is how
they list the top films in the
genre, this showed me trends in
the horror genre as well as
showing me how horror films
have developed over the
years, therefore giving me ideas
on what to include in my film in
order to appeal to the target
audience.
19. Slide Share
Slide Share has allowed me to upload and share PowerPoints and Word
Documents throughout my G324 project and embed them into my blog
making them easy to view without being redirected to another site. This
has really helped with the organisation of blog, and given me more
ways of presenting my information.
One feature on Slide Share that I particularly like and have used a lot is
the opportunity to embed YouTube videos in between different
PowerPoint slides. This has been helpful when talking about existing
trailers giving me inspiration, and can then add them to show people
exactly what I am talking about.
20. Prezi
Prezi has allowed me to present information in a
fun, interactive way, spreading out information so it does
not look daunting and hard to look at. I found Prezi
particularly useful when making timelines on the horror
industry in my research stage due to the way you can create
the path to move in a timeline style.
21. Facebook and Twitter
Facebook really helped me with gaining valuable audience research throughout the research and
construction stages of creating my trailer.
While in the research stage, I could share surveys and blog posts on Facebook and get responses
from a wide audience on what appeals to them and what they look for in a horror trailer. This
then allowed me to tailor my trailer and ancillary tasks to meet their expectations.
Also during the construction stage it allowed me to share my results and get feedback on how to
improve. For example, I could not decide on a font for my poster, and I shared the poster with
different fonts, and the target audience told me which one they preferred, therefore allowing me
to create a product that the audience will respond positively to.
Twitter has allowed me to reach an even greater worldwide audience, with using hashtags as a
way to popularise and spread my trailer, surveys and ancillary products further – helping me
gain wider and more varied audience feedback.
22. Survey Monkey
Survey Monkey has allowed me to create
easy to use surveys that contain all the
information I need to gain a detailed
response from my target audience. I
could also embed a link into my blog as
well, which looks a lot neater than
posting a web link on a blog post.
The results collected are also shown in a
neat graph, clearly and easily showing
what people think giving me clear and
understandable evidence for me to work
from.
