This is the technology that I learnt how to use during our Main Task in Media Studies.

1. Technology
What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?

2. Sony 1080p Camera:
Although we didn't need to learn all of the functions and
setting of the camera, we still managed to use some of
the features to our advantage. The touch focus was a
simple, yet effective aspect of the camera, as it allowed
us to focus on what part of the shot was desired. We
also learnt how to record some footage and then play it
back, which meant we could see quickly if we needed to
re-film any shots.
iPhone:
We did not use the iPhone very
often in regards to creating our
opening sequence, however we did
use it to take photos on filming day.
However, we did use my phone to
record Sarah's scream. In doing
this, I learnt how to transfer a voice
recording from an iPhone into
Garage Band.
Tripod:
I learnt how to correctly use a
tripod in order to stabilise our
camera footage. It was very
useful in making our shots looks
professional, and in making the
camera movements flow
seamlessly. Another thing we
learnt with the tripod, was how
to change the height of it, in
order to achieve our desired
camera angle. The extendable
legs, as well as the adjustable
extension at the top were very
helpful with this. The handle on
the top of the tripod was
effective in allowing us easy
movement of the camera.

3. Final Cut Share:
This was how I
learnt to share
our work to other
platforms, such
as a USB or to
YouTube.
Effects / Transitions Bar:
This bar allowed us to place music, effects
and transitions onto our video. I learnt how to
apply filters and distortions to our video clips,
which meant we could alter the lighting in
Final Cut.
Favouriting Clips:
This was one of the most
helpful parts of Final Cut
that we learnt about.
When we first placed our
video clips in Final Cut, we
had over 120 clips. The
favourite tool allowed us to
go through and highlight
the best clips, meaning we
had a third of the clips to
work with, without having
to delete the rest of them.
Video Effect Editor:
In this part of Final
Cut I learnt how to
change the amount of
effect on my video
clips, depending on
how much was
desired. I also learn
how to alter the
opacity of video clips,
which was useful in
being able to overlay
clips on top of each
other.
Playback Screen:
Even though this part of
Final Cut was fairly self-
explanatory, we still learnt
how to use it to our
advantage. The best way
we did this was for one
person to spend a while
editing, and then for
another person to watch
their work and see if there
were any continuity
errors.
Editing Area:
I learnt how to edit together different video clips in this part
of Final Cut. This was probably the most important thing
that I learnt overall in Final Cut as it allowed us to create the
majority of our opening sequence. Another thing that I learnt
in this part was how to add and alter sound of different clips.
This meant that if the audio of two clips didn’t go together
well, I could lay them together to maintain the continuity.

4. Garage Band
Import Media:
Using these 3 options, I learnt how to
insert audio clips from both Garage
Band’s library and iTunes. This meant
that I could download sounds from the
internet and then import them from
iTunes.
Timing Bar:
The bar at the top of the application allowed me to see what time
I was placing particular sound elements. It was useful as I learnt
how to time sounds with our video.
Volume Line:
With this tool I leant how to change the volume of individual
sounds clips at different times throughout the whole music piece.
This was especially helpful in building up tension as I could slowly
increase the volume of a backing track. It was also helpful as I
learnt how to choose the right volume for two or more sound clips
that were layered over each other.

5. Useful Websites
These are some of the main websites that we
used in order to complete our main task.

6. YouTube
Mahara
In this project I have learnt a lot about how to
use YouTube. Towards the beginning of the
project, we used YouTube to watch previous
people’s work and gather ideas, and I learnt
how to get screen grabs using a Mac from
YouTube. I have learnt how to upload videos
straight from Final Cut directly to YouTube, as
well as from other applications such as Garage
Band. After uploading these videos, I also
learnt how to decide on who could see my
video. One of the most beneficial things that I
leant was how to add annotations to my
videos. This meant that I could talk about how
I have appealed to my target audience.
The most useful website throughout this
project has been Mahara. Using this website, I
was able to keep a blog containing updates of
how our main task was going. I had never
used Mahara before, so I learnt a lot of new
things about it. First of all I leant how to create
a new journal and then how to add entries into
that journal. Although I did not need to
understand all of the options that Mahara
offered, I definitely learnt enough about
embedding videos and adding images in order
to create the most detailed blog that I could.

7. SlideShare
Freesound
Prezi
This website was useful in allowing me to find
diegetic sounds that needed to be exaggerated in
our video. I learnt how to use the search bar to find
appropriate clips. Using the pictures that
accompanied the clips, I also learnt how to decide on
what clips would have the best audio quality, as if
one image showed red areas then the sound would
not work well with our video.
I had never used this website before using it in this
project. It was an interesting way to make
PowerPoints more enjoyable and more
aesthetically pleasing. I learnt how to select an
appropriate theme whilst browsing through their
selection. After that I followed the online tutorial
and learnt how to use the main features, such as
text, images and the order in which the Prezi
played.
This website was helpful in allowing me to move work
on my laptop at home onto my Mahara journal. I learnt
how to convert PowerPoints and Word documents into
online versions, which I could then embed onto
Mahara. These were helpful when trying to upload
pictures of the audience feedback sheets.

8. Did you have any problems
with the technology?
Towards the final part of creating our opening sequence,
I had to transfer the video and the backing track from
Garage Band into Final Cut. In order to do this, I needed
to export the whole video, audio included, to the Mac
desktop and then place it onto my memory stick.
However, when I moved to the other computer and
imported the video into Final Cut, the last 5 seconds or
so were cut off. After attempting to place the video back
onto my memory stick and then back into Final Cut, I
decided to export the video and audio from Garage Band
separately. Then I imported them both into Final Cut and
layer them over each other. Thankfully, the audio lined
up with the video easily and I didn’t have to edit any
timings.