The document discusses the technologies used in creating a film production. A camera was used to film footage, but it had limited settings which made lighting adjustments difficult. A tripod helped produce steady shots. Final Cut Pro was used for editing, though it took some time to learn. Sound equipment precisely recorded audio, while YouTube provided planning resources. Photoshop and lighting tools were also utilized. Overall the document reflects on learning how to operate various technologies through the filmmaking process.

1. Task 6- What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
Sophie Dixon

2. Camera
The camera was VERY important in the filming of our production as without it we wouldn’t have been able to
gather any footage. It was quite easy and simple to use, as to record there was only one button to press and
the strap on the side allowed us to safely handle the device. The camera’s settings were rather primitive,
this meant we were not able to adjust things such as the aperture or shutter speed to as high a degree as
necessary to obtain the exposure that we needed, to create a more professional piece. As an alternative, we
needed to use studio lighting although there was limitations to this as we weren’t allowed to move these
outside. We were initially aiming for low key lighting, we needed to use studio lights behind the shot
otherwise the image went blurry and pixilated, which looked unprofessional. I have learnt that not all
cameras offer the same exposure so adjusting to this made me understand the importance of light when
shooting. In editing we attempted to change the exposure however it didn’t work and ended up looking
pixelated so had we removed this and added a darkening effect instead.
When we placed it on the tripod (another piece of vital equipment used), the connecter was very loose so left
us with some shaky shots at times. When we looked over these shots we realized they fitted in well with the
montage, but for some we had to reshoot after, once tightening it up.
If we were to record the opening sequence again we would make sure the camera has full battery before, as
half way through it ran out of charge so it required a change. To be honest, this wasn’t really much of an
issue for us because we made sure we bought two with us when we were shooting on location as they run out
really quickly. However this change was quite time consuming as we had never used this camera before, so this
meant we had to learn how to place it in.

3. Computer
In post production we used the Mac Desktop computer to download our files onto. I
had previously used this computer type so i knew the basics such as how to turn it
on and find certain files. However before this project i had never made and edited
a video properly before so working my way round the software of Final Cut Pro on
this device was quite challenging.
In addition when completing primary research, i carried out some external research
so i used my personal Macbook air. This was useful as it is the same software to
the Mac Desktop so helped prepare me for further editing.
In both evaluation and planning, i used google drive multiple times to make
powerpoints which we stored information on and also photos for later use.

4. Tripod
A tripod isn’t a piece of technology but something that was very
useful and vital when creating the piece. For our continuity editing
we needed the camera to be still and precise in order for it to look
professional. We used the tripod on its second to highest level so
that it was inline with the character and matched up to follow the
rules of thirds. This created a nice long shot. This meant that it
was easier for the audience to depict the scene. Before, in the
Prelim Task we also used a tripod but with this one we explored
different heights which gave our piece more dimension. I have learnt
that using a tripod makes a very big difference, especially in
determining the audience’s focus (they focus more on the character
if the piece is not shakey). We created an establishing shot in the
montage scene that used a tripod, to pan across the screen to reveal
the location which we found very effective.

5. Youtube
Youtube is a software we used regularly
in this whole production process so was
very important, especially when
carrying out planning and research. We
looked upon youtube for inspirations
e.g. other opening sequences. In the
post production stage i created an
account and uploaded Vani[she]d on it
and gained some audience feedback. I
had used youtube before this process so
i was quick at using it however i never
realised the extent of information
stored on it and that i had access to.

6. Sound
Sound was a very important aspect of creating an emotive and relatable piece. The
diegetic sounds that we made were recorded on a professional sound recorder. It was
very sensitive to any sound, so we had to go to a silent room to record. I had never
used a piece of equipment like this before as it recorded everything so sharply, so
we had to be careful what buttons we pressed. For example the text noise and
footsteps were recorded very precisely. We learnt how to use this by going on
youtube tutorials as well as the teacher’s advice.
In addition we used Garage Band when attempting to create a non diegetic soundtrack.
This was very difficult as i had never used it previously, and when there was a
fault the unsaved work was deleted and there was no time to recreate it. Following
this issue we decided to use the other programme of Freesound to look for some
soundtracks. This however was unsuccessful. In this event we went onto youtube and
found an artist that had a piece of music that would suit well and credited him in
our piece. We learnt that you should make sure the piece is 100% saved before we
shut the computer’s down. For some diegetic sounds we searched on freesound. From
here we uploaded some sounds, but then decided we didn’t want to use them as we
could create our own ones, using foley that sound more realistic.

7. lighting
Studio lights were an important piece of technology and they
are very delicate. We used them to manipulate the scene with
shadows. For example we used it to make the light look as
though it came from the TV. This helped to reinforce the
theme of realism whilst being very simple to do.

8. Research
When conducting research we used many different programmes to
help us build it up. These included Pearl and Dean and Art of
the title, both of which i had never previously used before.
They helped us gain an insight into other successful
thrillers which influenced our decisions. These programmes
were easy to direct ourselves around so found theses the most
valuable. Lastly we used IMDB, which i had previously used.
This showed us information such as the cast of a film and its
target audience.

9. editing
When creating the ident, i used photoshop to map out the idea
of the ‘logo’. This then lead to an easier time when
exporting it to Final cut pro.
Final cut pro was the master programme that dominated our
editing. We learnt how to change opacity, add in fades and
transitions, change exposure and layer sound etc.
Mahara is a software that we uploaded all of our information
and data onto. It was an ongoing blog of everything i did. I
found this easy and useful as all information was put in one
place.

10. My ability to use final cut
pro meant that we could add
in different effects to
make the piece look more
like a thriller. We chose a
darkened vintage effect to
give the idea of a
flashback (past), as well
as making it more eerie.
The purple boxes show the
titles we added in, with a
fade in and out.
The change in the green
boxes meant a change in
music. We used a fade to
make the music change with
a diminuendo.
We overlapped two of the same clips
and changed the opacity to give the
illusion of the girl disappearing.
Screenshots from Final Cut Pro

11. These are some extra
screenshots from the programme
of Final Cut Pro.

12. Real photos
Theses pictures were taken
on filming day. They
clearly show the tripod
and camera that we used
(in the corner of the
image). Also it shows that
we were holding our
storyboards on filming
day. This was so that we
accurately filmed all that
we wanted.