This personal skills audit summarizes Laura Davies' skills in digital technology, post-production, research and planning, and use of conventions from real media texts that contributed to the creation of her opening media production sequence. She describes the equipment, software, and online programs used at different stages of the process. Laura discusses how researching the genre, audience, and existing media texts informed her work. She reflects on further developing these skills, such as editing and practical work, during her A2 project.

1. Personal Skills Audit Name: Laura Davies
Skills acquired How did these skills How will you develop these
contribute to the creation of skills during the A2 project?
your product?
Digital technology A HD camera was used to film The camera helped record the In A2 I hope to develop my
- What my opening sequence. The shots in HD creating a high skills and use of the software I
equipment/software camera was used in quality outcome. The track used in AS to create high
packages did you use to conjunction with the track to contributed towards the quality work. Having a better
produce your create specific shots. The creation as it allowed me and understanding of these
production? camera was also placed on a my group to create the opening programs will enable me to use
tripod. Software used included shot that we wanted. Creating more advanced features and
Cubase to record the the soundtrack in Cubase produce work of a higher
soundtrack of the opening resulted in having a soundtrack standard. In A2 I will be using
sequence. Online programs that suited the film very well as Blogger again to present my
such as Prezi where also used it suited the genre. The tripod coursework so these skills will
when planning our production. helped create steady shots. develop further. Online
Blogger was online program Prezi demonstrated the programs such as Prezi and
used to create a blog to show conventions of the genre we Slideshare may be used again
all the research, planning, chose to give ideas and as they were both very good
construction and evaluation of inspiration. Slideshare helped ways of sharing information,
the opening sequence. share presentations that I But the content will be more
Using Slideshare – a website to created when doing research sophisticated for A2
share presentations. and planning tasks.
Post production After filming the opening Features of FinalCut HD As well as developing my skills
- What software did you sequence the program used to contributed towards the with digital technology in A2 I
use to create your create the final production was creation of the opening am also going to develop
production? Final Cut HD. Specific features sequence as it allowed me and editing skills further as editing
- Discuss specific features of the software that helped my group to make our opening was not my main job in the
of the software. create the final piece included sequence suit the noir genre by group. Having a brief session in
being able to incorporate changing it to black and white. the TV studio has made me
transitions. Also features in the After creating the titles we could want to learn more so in A2 I

2. program allowed the sequence easily add them to our opening hope to do more practical work
to be changed into black and sequence to make it suit the using the TV studio to develop
white. Live Type was used to necessary requirements. Using my skills further. As I was the
create titles for the film. After the TV studio helped evaluate main person responsible for
filming we used the TV studio to our product as we played the creating the Wixx website I
create a short sequence of opening sequence behind and know a lot about the program
evaluation. Wixx was used in discussed it. but still I believe I could
post production also to enhance the skills further.
contribute towards the
evaluation. Using Wixx I
created a website to show the
answers to evaluation
questions.
Research and Planning In preparation before filming me These skills contributed In my A2 project I hope to be
- What tasks did you and my group completed a lot towards our product as able to incorporate which genre
complete when of research and planning tasks. conducting research enabled us really well again after studying
preparing to film your We researched into the genre to take inspiration from noir it. I again want to do initial
sequence? (noir) exploring the typical style films we analysed, as well research, not only into the
- How did your planning storylines, themes, visual style as their storylines influencing genre but also into the types of
help the smooth and iconography. We also did our product. Researching into audience that these media
progression of your film? research into audience and the audience and institution products are promoted to. After
institution to help understand helped me and my group realizing how important
the target audience and decides what company would planning and research is to
institution that may release our market our film after seeing create a successful media
film. We watched and analysed which companies produced product, in A2 I am going to
many noir style films, analyzing famous noir films. Also, ensure that I research
the first 5 minutes of the researching into the effectively into the genre I
opening sequence to conventions helped us choose to base my music video
understand where titles are incorporate the genre into our around so that when I create
added appropriately. media product as we could take my final product, it has all the
inspiration from the costume, key elements to showcase my
camera shots and narrative. knowledge of the genre.
Planning helped the smooth

3. progression of our film as we
could easily embed the
conventions of our media
product after researching into
the history of the genre and
understand the genre.
Using conventions of real Noir style films that I analysed Taking inspiration from real life In A2, I am going to use
media texts in research in planning are: media products helped the conventions of real media texts
- Which texts did you ‘Kiss Me Deadly’, ‘Momento’, production of my opening to give inspirations for my final
analyse? ‘Taxi Driver’, and ‘Sunset sequence of noir style film. For media products.
- Did you take any Boulevard’. I also researched example taking inspiration from
inspiration from the into the key conventions of the costume, we used 50’s style
conventions found from these media products so that dresses and trilbys. Our
your research? when producing my noir style soundtrack was inspired from
opening sequence, I could take real media products, using
inspiration from the narrative, instruments such saxophone to
theme, characters, visual style, incorporate the genre with a
setting, and iconography. jazzy sound.
Creativity Despite taking inspiration from These new and unique Creativity in my A2 music video
- were our ideas for your real media products me and my techniques contributed towards is very important to give the
portfolio imaginative and unique group did not copy and had my final media product as they final product an imaginative and
or did you adhere to many unique ideas of our own. were all part of the product different outcome. I do not want
conventions? This included more modern making it a noir style film using to incorporate genre
techniques, especially with our noir conventions. But the conventions too much as it will
camera shots and edits which techniques used were able to create a copy cat product. To
perhaps makes our sequence a make our final product more be creative I intend to be
neo-noir film. When presenting unique and distinctive in terms imaginative with camera shots
my portfolio on the Internet site of neo-noir. Also, in trying different angles and
Blogger I chose a theme suited presentation I kept the colour framing. Being creative in post
to the genre. Something that scheme fitting in with the genre production of the video,
adhered to the conventions was (black, white, gold) using especially when syncing it to
changing our sequence into images from noir style films. To the sound with thought beats
black and white as there are summarise, despite taking and matching the rhythm. To

4. many noir style films with this inspiration from noir style films, develop my creativity skills in
visual style. my opening sequence still had A2 I aim to achieve a better
unique features and a modern understanding of the software
twist. used so that a wider range of
possibilities to make my final
video creative are available.