Evaluation response by Kezia Downing

1. QUESTION 6: WHAT HAVE
YOU LEARNT ABOUT
TECHNOLOGIES FROM
THE PROCESS OF
CONSTRUCTING THIS
PRODUCT?
“UNLOCKED”

2. With reference to online services used within the construction and research
of the opening sequence, I became familiar with many free music
downloading sites such as Sound cloud and Free SFX; these services gave me
the ability to filter the music available to find ‘spooky’ or ‘chilling’ sound
tracks, in which I downloaded and tested alongside my edited video, resulting
in my filtering out my options for the one perfect soundtrack that was also
praised in my focus group video.

3. Furthermore, my use of cameras was greatly improved within the construction
of my foundation project. Within my preliminary sequence, I touched upon
camera angles, lighting, and shot movement minimally. Whereas for my
foundation project, I found that manipulating these variables gave rise to more
thrilling and anticipation-building aspects within the final media product. For
example, with use of the tripod, I introduced the audience into the sequence
with use of a panning shot, which gradually and smoothly turned to stop at a
shot of the house. I also wanted the shots to provide inferences of the
characters; the shot taken from the top of the stairs looking down onto the
character opening the door made her look small and more vulnerable, giving
the sense that she is being watched, and that we as an audience are almost
superior in the sense we are more knowledgeable of the disaster found within
her home due to the shot of the damage in her home. The storyboards I had
created when planning the sequence greatly assisted me when carrying out the
practical, and the recce shots I had taken provided me of knowledge of factors I
had to take into account, for example the limited space in the hallway for
filming. I also manipulated the lighting with use of filming times: I knew that
at 5pm in January/February, the natural lighting would begin to darken,
providing a more chilling atmosphere and hopefully, pathetic fallacy.

4. Throughout the construction of my media opening sequence, the software involved in which I
used was Adobe Premier Elements (video editing software) and Adobe Photoshop Elements
(photo editing software). As a reader, you may question why Photoshop was required within
the construction of a film; however when filming, the fake blood I had ordered had not arrived
after a week, and therefore the blood I could use was only ‘make-do’. As a result, I took to
Photoshop to add blood to the body in the bath, with blood ‘trickling’ down the arms and
stomach of the male character in a more realistic and naturalistic appearance. My knowledge
of the video editing software improved massively. At the start of this course, I had no
knowledge whatsoever about how string videos together, let alone make an opening film
sequence. However, I began to enjoy planning the sequence of shots I had previously taken,
and there was a sense of satisfaction when the sequence I was creating began to consist of a
real, enthralling plot. Eventually, I was forced to learn how to create realistic title sequences
and music alongside the video, which are now a new learnt skill of mine. Each of these skills
learnt were necessary in enticing viewers and glamourizing the shots I had taken, with the
purpose of increasing profits.
Finally, Wix was the blog site I used to provide all of my research, planning, and construction
information. Although it took me a week or two to get my head around and work out all the
gadgets which could be included, my knowledge of how to add and produce a blog grew.