Hannah Costin used various media technologies at different stages of her documentary project. In the research stage, she used computers to watch documentaries and analyze their codes and conventions. She also used Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and blogs like Scribd and Slideshare to conduct research and present findings. In the construction stage, she used Photoshop to create graphics and logos. She used InDesign to layout the double page article. She filmed interviews using a video camera and tripod, then edited footage in Final Cut Express. She created a radio trailer by importing audio into GarageBand and adding music and sound effects. She evaluated her work using PowerPoint and Prezi, which were uploaded to her blog
2. How did you use media
technologies in the
construction and
research, planning and
evaluation stages?
3. Research
• To start with we had to research in to
documentaries and look at their codes and
conventions in which we needed to mould in to
our documentary. We didn’t use any technology
other than computers to watch the
documentaries on.
• We then had to think of a topic for our
documentary which we just brainstormed using
pen and paper. These were then put on to the
blog using Scribd.
4. Research
• To put things on to the blog we used:
Prezi: Scribd:
Slideshare:
5. Research
• To write our questionnaire and
other research up, we used
Microsoft Word:
• To present our research and
our questionnaire results we
used Microsoft PowerPoint:
• To create the graphs for our
results, we used Microsoft
Excel:
6. Construction of our media products
• Using Photoshop:
I used Photoshop to create the TV CHOICE
logo and to create the unused masthead:
7. Construction of our media products
To start the union jack
masthead I wrote' Britain’
on a blank Photoshop
document.
I then on a separate blank
document I placed a union
Jack picture from Google on
to it.
On the toolbar I selected
image then ‘define
pattern’ and saved the
pattern in to Photoshop.
8. Construction of our media products
Here is the final
product. Although it
I then went back on to
wasn’t used on the final
the text and clicked
product, it was used
on ‘fx’ at the bottom of
during the production of
the tool box and then
the double page
‘pattern overlay’ and
spread.
chose the union jack
pattern from the
pallate.
I also added a
stroke to make it
stand out better.
9. Construction of our media products
When I started to create the TV CHOICE
logo, I started with a simple drawing of an
intersected circle and rectangle using the
shape tool from the left hand side toolbar.
I then used the ‘fill’ tool to make them
both block red.
I then used the type tool to
write TV CHOICE in bold
lettering on the block red
shapes.
10. Construction of our media products
I then clicked on ‘fx’ on all the
layers including text and
shapes to add drop shadows
and an outer glow to the
shapes to make then stand out
more and to make it look more
like the actual TV CHOICE
logo.
11. Construction of our media products
The final product is to
the right and
although it looks
almost the same
there are a few key
differences that I
would change if I
were to make it
again. I would soften
the shapes a bit
more, add more of a
shadow to the text
and blend the two
shapes together
better.
12. Construction of our media products
We then used InDesign to create the double page spread:
To start off with we
had to create
columns for the text
which meant us
going on to the
‘margins and
columns’ selection
and chose three
columns.
I then had to make sure that
the images that we put in the
article would have text
wrapped around them.
13. Construction of our media products
To place an image in the article we
had to go on to ‘edit’ then ‘place’
and chose an image from the files.
This translucent image then
came up and it had to be
dropped where it needed to be
placed with a double click.
14. Construction of our media products
Once the image was placed it
came up full sized on the double
page spread.
I then shrank the box down and
to get the image to fit inside it I
had to left click and then went
on ‘fitting’ and then ‘fit content
to frame’.
It then shrank to the size
of the box in proportion at
the top left hand corner of
the page.
15. Construction of our media products
To create the pull quote in
the middle of the text I
created another text box
inside the columns and
wrote the pull quote, I then
brought the text box with
the ‘bring to the front’ option
by left clicking on the box.
I also had to get the text
to wrap around the quote
with the option at the
toolbar at the top of the
page.
I also did the same with
the image caption
underneath the
photograph of Ellie.
16. Construction of our media products
Creating our documentary: We used a video camera, a tripod, microphone
and headphones. (Original photographs apart from tripod)
We then edited the documentary for many weeks using the Final Cut
Express iMac programme.
iMac
17. Construction of our media products
3. To upload the
recordings we had to
plug the camera in to
charge on the wall.
1. We had to turn the dial to set
it to video recorder mode. 4. Then we had to plug it in to the
iMac. We then copied the folders from
the camera in to our documents.
2. To record,
we had to
press the
middle button.
18. Construction of our media products
Once we had uploaded the files from our
video camera that we had filmed, we
went on to Final Cut Express, then file,
then Log and Transfer.
This screen would
then come up as the
files would transfer
from our files in to final
cut express.
We would then change the
file names and click on
add clip to queue.
19. Construction of our media products
Once all the files had been
transferred they would come up
on the screen like this in the top
left hand corner. We would then
drag them on to the timeline.
After we had aligned the
clips on to the timeline we
could add some effects
under the effects
heading. These could be
for text transitions and
clip transitions.
They would come
up like this
between the clips.
20. Construction of our media products
This is the tool that
was used to lower and
This is the tool we
heighten the sound on
used to cut the clips
the documentary. The
down to just the parts
tool allowed us to
we needed.
create points on the
sound level and drag
them up and down as
we pleased.
To add text we
went on to text
and wrote what we
wanted, we also This is what it
added a fade in looked like on the
and fade out. timeline.
21. Construction of our media products
For the title page we
needed to speed it
up so we clicked on
clip and went on to
modify and then
‘speed’.
This box then came
up and we changed
the speed
accordingly.
This is what the clip
then looked like on
the timeline.
22. Construction of our media products
Creating our radio trailer:
To begin with we uploaded the
voiceover into final cut express
using log and transfer. We then
went to ‘modify’, then unclicked
‘link’ so that we could just delete
the image part of the clip. It
looked like this in Final Cut
Express.
We then had
to chose what
to export it as
We then had to export the and we
voiceover by going on to ‘file’ then exported it as
‘export’, on to ‘using QuickTime a ‘wave’ file.
Conversion’.
23. Construction of our media products
We then clicked on to GarageBand,
which was the programme we needed
to create the radio trailer. We then
clicked on to ‘Create New Music
Project’ so that a blank timeline came
up.
Then we chose a piece
of background music to
add underneath our
voiceover and clips of
our documentary. To
view all these categories
we had to click on the
We ended up choosing
eye to bring them up.
‘Beats’ and chose the club
dance beat 7 to be the
background music to our
documentary.
24. Construction of our media products
We added the clips of our
documentary and voice over
in to the timeline and then
controlled the volume using
the dials at the left hand side
of the screen. To control
each layer of the radio
trailer.
Just like Final Cut Express we could use the same tools to heighten and lower the
sound at certain points of the trailer by creating points along the sound level and
dragging them up and down as we pleased. This is an image of the background
music as it is lowered during the speaking parts of our documentary and
heightened during the voiceover parts.
25. Construction of our media products
When we added the music in to the radio trailer, we had to extend it by dragging
it across the timeline. This would create a long repetitive club beat throughout
the trailer. The music would automatically blend in to the new clips to create a
smooth sound and sound levels. Below is the finished product in GarageBand.
The vox pop about percentage
of homosexuals in the UK.
The club music background.
Views on homosexuality vox
pop.
Voiceover 1.
Voiceover 2.
Sound levels of the background music.
26. Evaluation of our media products
The evaluation of the media products has been done by me on Microsoft
PowerPoint and Prezi. It has been uploaded using Slideshare on to the
blog.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Then uploaded on the blog
Prezi using slideshare.