Media

1. How did you use media
technologies in the construction,
research, planning and evaluation
stages?

2. During all stages I used a variety of programmes
such as:

3. Research
 In order to find inspiration for my own short film I used a variety of
video sharing websites such as Vimeo and YouTube. Once I had come
up with a narrative for my film I was then able to search key terms such
as ‘short films about identity’ and ‘diary short films’, further allowing
me to watch similar short films centered around my specific film
narrative.

4. Research
 I also used a number of social media sites when collecting audience
research. Social media sites allowed me to gather research from my
intended target audience (teenagers) within a short amount of time. It
also allowed me to reach a wide range of people, therefore gathering a
variety of opinions and feedback. The social networking sites that I
used in particular were Tumblr and Facebook. I used Tumblr as it is a
site that is mainly used by teenagers, therefore allowing me to reach my
intended target audience.

5. Research & Planning
 To display my research and planning I used Blogger. Blogger allowed
me to present my ideas as they progressed and it was incredibly easy to
use. It also allowed me to embed images and videos alongside text,
therefore showing where I got my visual ideas and inspiration from.
Other planning documents such as the audience feedback screenshots,
storyboard and prezis could also be embedded onto my blog, ensuring
that all of my work was kept together in a chronological order. This also
meant that I was able to see my progression when creating my media
product.

6. Planning
 In order to create my digital storyboard I used the programme imovie.
When creating my storyboard I was able to scan in my drawings onto
my computer. Once I had completed this, I imported the images into
imovie. Using imovie allowed me to crop and move the images where I
pleased, also allowing me to write comments beneath the images and
set a duration for the amount of time each shot was shown. I also added
in a similar genre of music to the one I was hoping to use within my
film. Once I had completed the storyboard I published it to YouTube
and posted it onto my blog.

7. Planning
 When experimenting with prop stills and film poster ideas I used the
phone app called Instagram. I used this app as I felt it resembled a
strong sense of personal identity, therefore relating to my short film. I
also felt that this was a creative way to display any experimental stills in
preparation for the short film. This allowed me to identify shots that
were successful and could be replicated within my short film, in
comparison to shots that weren’t.

8. Planning
 8mm was another phone app that was extremely effective when
conducting experimental footage. I used the app to record parts of my
day. This gave me some ideas as to what kind of things to include
within the girl’s diary. The app also meant that I was able to experiment
with vintage/ retro themed effects. Once I had filmed my day using the
app I used imovie to edit the footage together and posted it onto my
blog. I could then watch my footage back and see shots that were
successful and shots that weren’t.

9. Planning
 Another digital programme that I used within the planning stages of my
media product was a programme called Adobe Illustrator. I used Adobe
Illustrator to edit photographs of the actress to include on the film
poster for our short film. I also used illustrator to create my film review.
This programme meant that I was able to manipulate and change the
photographs of Daisy into something far more interesting and abstract,
therefore making them a perfect way in which to promote our film.

10. Construction
 The camera that was used in order to film our main media product was
the Canon EOS M. This camera was incredibly effective when filming
our footage. This was because it provided HD quality, along with both a
manual and automatic focus option. The focus on the camera allowed
us to capture a variety of shallow depth of field shots that were of a high
quality. We also used a tripod to ensure that the majority of our shots
were stable. The use of this camera allowed us to achieve a final product
that was of a high quality, professional standard.

11. Construction
 Our short film was created using the programme Adobe Premiere Pro.
The programme allowed us to import all of our footage into one file.
Once all of the footage had imported, we used premiere to select the
footage that we wanted. After this we were able to trim and cut the
clips, as well as muting any sound that wasn’t needed. We also used
premiere to add titles to our film, as well as any music or additional
sounds. Once the film had been completed we used premiere to export
the final product onto YouTube.

12. Evaluation
 I imported our short film onto YouTube as it is a site that provides easy
access to everyone. This therefore meant that distributing our film (in
order to gather audience feedback) was also easier. This was due to the
fact that all we needed to do to share our film was to copy the embed
code or hyperlink onto any social media site. The two main sites we
used to distribute our film were Facebook and Twitter. The response we
received from Facebook was extremely helpful, with individuals stating
what they liked about our production, along with any improvements.
Twitter, on the other hand, didn’t provide us with as many useful
responses.

13. Evaluation
 Other websites that I used to display my evaluation included prezi and
slideshare. I used these websites as prezi meant that I could create an
interactive mind map in order to display my answers. Slideshare also
allowed me to post my powerpoint onto my blog, providing an
alternative interactive viewing method.