1. How did you use new media technologies in
the construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
Sophie Dixon
2. Research and Planning
The research and planning stage was imperative for the success of our final piece
For the research and planning stage i used a variety of equipment including:
● Adobe Photoshop- this was the first time we used this in this whole process
when i created the drafts for my
3. Filming Day/Practical
The only digital equipment we used was the Canon 80D and a phone. (reflector,
tripod and shoulder mount as well however they are not digital).
The camera was very important in allowing the filming day to go ahead.
There was specific bits of the teaser trailer that we cut out due to the time
pressures such as the notice board scene, shown in the storyboard (insert image
on this page) however we feel as though the final product looks successful as we
added in other ‘simplistic’ shots such as the handprint on the tree, with dripping
blood which added to the rising tensions reflecting our themes of mystery and
death.
5. Software- Adobe Photoshop
This is the first
Magazine Front cover- There was some issues that we as a team had to
overcome. One included the way the photograph for this main piece was shot-
the hair was flying away, around the
6. Software- Final Cut Pro
The first part of the research and planning
Match on action created when creating an order for the first continuity scenes
In Final Cut Pro i had to overcome many issues of nver using the software in this
advanced mannar before. I alrady knew how to insert clips at the begi ning of the
post production but it was
7. Software- Adobe Illustrator
For me, i felt as though this piece of software was the most challenging to use as
it is a piece of software that i wasn't familiar with at all before this project
started. I had to adjust my skills from Adobe Photoshop
Before we created the main magazine front cover, we created drafts of both the
magazine front cover and poster and at this stage is when i learnt most about
Illustrator. I used the gradient tool and the eraser to create a vignette
background for the draft.
8. This piece of software was most important in the production and post production
process, when creating the products. Some strengths and weaknesses include:
11. Internet
1. Freesound
2. Storyboard animator- to start the basis of our storyboard however because
our ideas were ‘complicated’ so felt as though it would be easier to sketch
our designs
12. Software- Microsoft Powerpoint
Powerpoint- it is an ‘easy to understand’ layou and i am familiar with it and it looks very presentable
I uploaded the powerpoint presentation to slideshare so i was able to embed it into my journal. - it
allowed me to be visual (the flexibility of using this platform meant that for more text related
presentations was possible. Powerpoint is something
Because of using online powerpoint in some cases it made it more difficult to use transitions but i
ensured i explored the font and colours to engage the audience especially for the ones i presented e.g.
The Pitch presentation. For this current powerpoint i am creating i have looked into the transitions . I
have linked youtube videos into my powerpoints so it is easy to navigate what i show my audience for
example with my pitch presentation and research of the real media se7en;.
13. Software- Microsoft Word
I used powerpoint and word to gather information.
Word- the script, gathering research, lighting research
14. Software- Youtube
● Youtube was a very important in the whole process of producing my 3
marketing pieces. I used it not only to upload my rough cut and final cut but
● In the research and planning process i used youtube to develop my skills and
technical ability using tutorials such as the beginning sound creating the
muffle for the headphone. Thes tutorials made me more familiar with the
adobe and final cut software so i could advance my piece. Other examples
from Suspect include; colour grading. I realised that with colour grading there
needs to be a consistent
● I uploaded a video surrounding the process of my first soundtrack that i made
● Look at teaser trailers for the real life examples-
● For my evaluation i uploaded a video
15. Software- Prezi
This was a piece of software that i found extremely useful to use in the research
and planning stages. Before i started creating this promotional campaign i wasn't
too familiar with prezis functions and default layouts. It was an uncomplicated
piece of software- i was learning the functions such as the text tool and
embedding youtube videos
16. Software- Onedrive
This was an important document in order for the whole of our group to stay
connected- easily share documents (the script) and the to do lists (group
production meetings)
This was good for sharing images and putting them on mahara.
I created word documents on here and shared them with the group
18. Digital- Camera
We used the Canon 80D to film - used the different techniques
Changing the focal length- ‘zooming’ into focus (for most of our piece we felt as
though Mia should be in focus)
Locking in the exposure- important with the external and police investigation
scenes because the natural light was constantly changing and the spotlight let
too much light in- controlling this important and was possible on the 80d.
The touch screen made it easier to focus when we were panning the character.
For the low angle shot of Mia looking up at her, this was important because we
chose to create shallow depth a field where the woodland was blurred. To do this
we looked at tutorials such as ‘ ‘ whilst we were still
19. IMAGES- the draft images that we took with the
camera and screenshots of the teaser trailer- ones
we used and didn't use.
20. Digital- Phone
My phone was an important piece of equipment through the whole process; i used it
to take photos for the location recce.
On the filming day we didn't have access to the computers; which is where i
previously was sourcing tutorials and real life media examples. For reference we
needed to look them up especially when taking the photos from the magazine front
cover and film poster.
Use mic on phone For the voiceovers (evaluation question 2 and the animatic-
research and planning, recorded the garage band sound whilst i was creating it and
sent it to my group- to get some feedback of what i could change and keep the same)
and recorded real life sound- added some realism to the piece to vary the
soundscape (the leaves rustling
22. Digital- Computer
The computers were a key part of my production process. I used different
softwares on a Mac and PC. The difference between these devices is significant
but i used both in different ways. All of the post production and production
process was conducted on the Macs as this is where is Final Cut Pro X and Adobe
Softwares were. The system of an Apple Mac became more familiar to me as we
went on
A lot of the planning research was created on a PC, using online powerpoint and
creating slideshares. However both systems were similar.
The main softwares used for post production;
24. Digital- Apple ipad (possibly for souring stuff and garageband experiments- easier to use when playing the
piano)
25. What was the most challenging and rewarding to use/learn?
1. From a personal perspective i felt as though garageband was good
2. The most rewarding was most likely to be Final Cut Pro X skills because
these are something that i can continue to develop and the majority of my
skills learnt were on this software- the animatic and the teaser trailer.
However photoshop was rewarding looking at things that i had never looked
at before such as the gradient
Editor's Notes
How did it help me to overcome problems and find creative solutions?
Challeneging
Using powerpoint for: Billing block research, images of filming day (looked more organised and i could add in a caption describing what occurred),title research, ident research, poster inspirations and remakes, my test shots, sound, magazine research, magazine front cover analysis, film marketing releases, teaser trailer analysis’,storyboarding, the pitch, group research task,
Using word for: the script, gathering research, lighting research
As you work through, include discussion of how the technology enabled you to overcome problems/find creative solutions.
What was most challenging/most rewarding to learn/use? (i had never used it before and it helped develop much skills on a different platform and understanding- creating synergy in my mind)
Strengths and weaknesses of these technologies in helping you create your products, journals and evaluations.
Go into particular detail when discussing post-production e.g. the functions and tools you used in Final Cut Pro X and what this enabled you to achieve and the effect of this o the audience. If i didn't do this what would the effect be e.g. less engaged and wouldn't be able to understand the narrative as much