1. Evaluation: The use of
technologies
By Hannah Odlin

2. What technologies did I use in my research and planning?
The technologies I used during the research and planning elements of my A2 coursework such as Social
networks, YouTube, iMovie and presentation platforms such as Powtoon, Popplet and Prezi have allowed me
to carry out research and present it in a wide variety of ways.
Most prominently I used Popplet to present my research, this created a visual and interactive element to my
research. The software allowed me organize my research into small categories, as my research was heavily
text based and would have been monotonous to read. I was also able to include images to demonstrate and
expand upon points that I have made, making it easier for the audience to read and understand.

3. Key example: Exploring the brand identity created by Spring Breakers
By including images I could easily
explain points through including
examples for the audience as opposed
to the audience finding the image or
example themselves.
When explaining the nightclub
connotation created, I included screen
shots of scenes within the trailer that
supported this point. Through doing this
the audience was able to have a greater
understanding of the connotation and
how it’s demonstrated.
The mind-map style also meant that I
could divide the text into a variety of
headings, this broke up the text and
created a structure that was easy to
follow.
I divided the analysis into 3 categories,
Film poster, website and trailer. This
allowed the reader to be able to look at
a specific aspect quickly or each one
separately.
When analyzing the website which is
largely visual, I was able to break up
various aspects of it and discuss the
effect individually.
I did this through screen shots of
different parts of the website and
establish links between them and other
ancillary products. The interactive
nature of Popplet also meant the reader
could access the website through a
hyperlink and explore the website
themselves.

4. Other research and planning technologies
I also used Powtoon and Prezi within my coursework and by using a variety of
presentation platforms I have widened and developed my skills in order to create an
innovative and visually attractive research presentation. Examples include the use of
Powtoon to present my research into crime thriller ancillary products, in which I
analyzed existing ancillary products and their brand identity. I also used Prezi to
present an focus group interview in which I asked a series of questions to a focus
group about the genre and their expectations.

5. What technologies did I used during production planning?
Whilst planning for my trailer I used a variety of different media to create plans, timetables and gain feedback
on any test footage. Planning was a vital stage within my coursework so it was important that I was able to
easily modify any part of the planning if needed. When creating timetables and production plans I used
Microsoft Word as it allowed me to easily create tables and present them easily, I also could modify them easily
should dates/agendas change. An example of this is the location list in which we listed each filming location,
the date, people involved, props and equipment.
The table format created a
visual and easily readable
presentation that included key
information for everyone within
my group.
I was able to modify the table
easily if we needed to
add/remove anything from the
location list.

6. Production planning technologies, regarding audience feedback.
When filming draft footage, we found it important to gain audience feedback at each stage of production and
planning. We found the software ‘padlet’ was most effective and also an interactive way for our target audience
to comment their thoughts and opinions. Once we had created the film pitch, we gained audience feedback on
the storyline in order to make sure our film trailer followed conventions and was appealing to our prospective
audience.
Padlet allowed me to ask our target
audience a question in which they
could then reply their thoughts and
opinions.
The interactive nature of the
software also allowed me to reply
and communicate with them
allowing us to gain more detail
about their opinions. This also
means those who leave comments
can interact with eachother also.
Padlet also allowed the audience to
leave comments anonymously if
they want to leave constructive
criticism and do not wish to leave
their name.

7. What technologies did I use during production?
To edit our footage into a trailer, we used the software iMovie that is an application on an Apple mac, it allowed me to create a
professional high quality trailer. We were able to add transitions and text to footage that followed the conventions of genre and
also music and titles scene.
The title scenes and text slides allowed us to give information
and details about the storyline, characters and release date of
the film. It also allowed us to begin to establish a brand identity
with colours and fonts whilst keeping the trailer professional.
Without this feature the audience wouldn’t know key
information about the storyline and release date and the trailer
also wouldn’t follow the conventions of form.
By adding music to our trailer which was downloaded from the
internet, we were able to create an atmosphere and create
tension, but also we were able to use music associated with
our target audience of teenagers and young adults. Without this
feature our trailer would look unprofessional and wouldn’t
include a key convention.
Fade to black
A key part of editing our footage together was the use of
transitions to build tension and create an effective professional
trailer. Most frequently we used a direct cut between scenes to
create the impression that the scenes were happening quickly.
We used fade to black to create tension within the trailer whilst
dialogue continued.

8. Production continued..
Cropping and Trimming
This feature meant that we could select an specific few seconds from footage, allowing us to delete any unused
footage and easily trim clips. This created a flowing and professional trailer as only high quality footage was used
Audio Inspector
This feature allowed us to edit the volumes of the dialogue from the scenes as well as the music, this
was a key feature as we had to ensure that the sound levels on each scene were equal. This tool also
enabled us to fade in and out the backing music (ducking) to ensure the dialogue was clearly heard
by the audience.

9. What technologies did I use when making ancillary products?
When making my ancillary products, I wanted to create professional products that followed
conventions of the genre. To edit the photos and manipulate colours I used online photoshop
software called Pixlr, it enabled me to darken the image for my film poster as I wanted to convey
the negative tone of the trailer. To create the magazine cover and film poster I then used
Microsoft publisher to construct and edit them, both software's enabled me to create
professional ancillary products that followed conventions of the genre and also the expectations
of the prospective audience.
The variety of
typography available on
Microsoft publisher
allowed me to create a
conventional magazine
that included both serif
and sans serif font
types.
Text boxes enabled to me to
position text where I wanted it
over the image on both my
magazine and poster to create a
professional and conventional
look.
Photoshop enabled me to edit
and manipulate the images to
ensure that they are high quality
and suitable for each product.
The magazine image needed to
be bright and high definition
whereas the film poster could
represent the negative tone of
the film by being darker and
more shadowed.