What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Camera
We used a Cannon fully HD ready Camera. We used the basic
features of the camera, for example Zoom, record, playback and importing to PC’s.
We did not use the more technical features such as the pull focus feature and
the night vision mode. This is because we did not need to use these features.
Crane
For the preliminary task we used a crane to get the camera
high up. Using a crane enabled us to create a surveillance effect. However we
had to be aware of the camera looking down upon the character.
Tripod
We learnt from the
first day footage that using a tripod is a basic tool which can affect the
whole of the production. This is because we did not use a tripod whilst filming
the first footage, reason being that we were not allowed to take equipment out
of school premises without a teacher’s supervision. For this reason we used
Georgia’s camera to film but had no tripod to put it on. The problem that arose
because we didn’t use a tripod was, the footage was too unsteady. This not only
affected the quality of the footage, but it also affected the footage once
imported to IMovie. This was because the software detected that the footage was
not steady and therefor started to stabilize it. Not only did this take three
times more the time of importing it, it also made it lag once played.
iMovie
However, because I movie is a non-linear editing software it
was easy for us to just put the shots together to create a storyline. This
enabled us to spot our mistakes and reshoot what we needed to, then place it on
the storyline.
GarageBand
This is the software Georgia used to make the non-diegetic
sounds. She had used the software before but not up to the level we needed to
for this production. For this reason she spent a long time composing the music
for the opening.
Adobe After Effects
This software was used to create the “Forever Hold Your
Piece” effect, the “Ace Pictures” logo and the “Uncut Productions” logo.
However, because no one in our group had used Adobe After Effects before
Vivien, our group member took matters into her own hands and learnt how to use
the software by looking into YouTube tutorials.
YouTube
We used YouTube to post our videos on; this was useful
because we could use the URL link or the Embedded Code to post our videos in
different places such as our blog. However it was essential that we had a
YouTube account which was not a problem, because we could just use our Google
account which we needed to make for our Blogger account.
Blogger
This was the blog we used to record our stages of
production. From our audience research to Evaluation, it was also easier for
teachers to review our progress. I had not used Blogger before this, but now
that I have learnt how to use it I might consider starting my own blog.
Prezi
Prezi is a fancy way of presenting a presentation. Not only
that but you can embed it into websites and Blogger. It is better than
Microsoft PowerPoint because first of all PowerPoint has become too cliché
whereas Prezi is still a unique way of presenting presentation. I had not used
Prezi before this, however now that I know how to use it and know about it, I
might consider using it before doing a presentation.
IPhone
On the IPhone I was easily able to access the blog where I
could continually look back at our audience research and reflect upon it. It
also meant it was easier to update the blog and post what was going on in our
group.
Tablet
The tablet was useful when getting audience feedback,
because it was mobile and not time consuming. The feedback was useful because
we could then reflect and see how well we did compared to the audience
research.
