I used new media technologies extensively in the research, planning, construction, and evaluation stages of my documentary project. In the planning stage, I used the internet to research my topic and find source materials. I used Microsoft Word and Excel to design questionnaires and analyze results. To construct the documentary, I filmed interviews and footage using an HD camera, tripod, and microphone. I edited the project together in Adobe Premiere Pro, adding effects and adjusting audio levels. I also created a radio advertisement using Audition and designed a newspaper ad in Photoshop.

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

2. Whilst doing my research and planning, I used the internet to research the topic of fears and gets
information and facts for the voiceover, and ideas for the content; to formulate my interview
questions. I had also used the internet to find other fear documentaries so I could look at their
editing and effects and also looked at other documentaries which were analysed.
I used Microsoft Word and Excel to construct my questionnaires and produce results and
conclusions. I also used Word to analyse documentaries and create scripts for my documentary
and radio advert.
Whilst constructing my documentary, I used a range of different software and technology. I used a
HD camera, tripod and microphone to film the material for the documentary such as interviews,
vox pops, stock footage, cutaways, opening titles and reconstructions. When I filmed the
interviews, my group and I set up our video camera and got the camera at the right height using
the tripod which also made it static. When we filmed our reconstruction material in Liverpool, we
used the camera handheld which gave a jittering effect which was fitting to our documentary on
fear.
My group and I used our mobile phones to take pictures of our filming and editing process as a
record and we used DSLR’s to take pictures for our newspaper advert.
The software we used was premiere pro to edit the production. We used basic cutting, transitions
such as cross fades, exponential fades, constant gain and constant power. We also added effects
such as the black and white effect, the jittery effect and also we sped up some of our footage and
slowed some down. We also adjusted sound levels and the pitch and tone of voiceovers and
interviews. Overall, premiere pro was enjoyable and once we got the hang of how to use it, it ran
smoothly and we got quicker at it.
We used Audition to record and edit our radio trailer which we found pretty easy to use. We added
lots of effects and transitions in order for it to link with our documentary. We added our voiceover
and cut out the bits we didn’t want and the parts we did use we edited the pitch, tone and speed
of.
We used Adobe Photoshop for the construction of our newspaper advert which we found simple
enough and added effects and changed the lighting and contrast of the image used. We could
easily manipulate the image in order for it to conform to the codes and conventions of a fear
documentary.
We also sued a radio studio to record our voiceovers for the documentary and radio advert.