Evaluation Activity 4: Media Technologies

Here I are some pictures and information about the equipment and technology I used, for developing and creating my final trailer, and why.

I provided my own camera to record my footage because then I would have complete access to it 24/7. Because I was unable to use a tripod while filming the footage I wished to collect the footage had consistent shaking, due to it being hand held. However I believe that with having the handheld footage it adds to the trailer making it seem slightly more like a documentary, it also adds to the realism of the memory flashbacks providing more realism.

I used a H4n Handy Recorder, which is a technical piece of equipment used to record audio in high definition. I used this to record the voice over in my trailer as well as part of my evaluation. From using this piece of equipment I noticed that it picks up even the smallest of sounds, therefore you would have to record in a quite room so that all the microphone will pick up is the sound of your voice.

The school computers and my own laptop as well as my friends apple mac were all huge contributors towards my final piece. I used the school computers for my blogging mainly however I also started using it for my editing when I came across some problems and I then had to use a different program. So the majority of my research and panning was produced on the school computers. I also used my own laptop, for editing my blog and posting some diary entries while I was editing my film. However my friends apple mac laptop I have used the most to create my final trailer, for I used her laptop for editing my trailer, magazine and poster on. This is because I didn't have the programs I needed to create my trailer as well as my poster and magazine.

I used blogger.com to create a blog which shows all my research and planning and all my coursework. It also allowed me to upload various youtube clips which I could then analyse and compare to my own ideas. It also provides all the information which the examiner would need to see all in one place making it easier for them as well as ourselves, so that we can refer back to past posts.
From using a blog to provide all my coursework it then means hat I am unable to loose any of it as well as access it from any computer no matter where I am, allowing me to work in different places and not just restricted to the school computers.

I have used a program called ivpid, which I was able to use for free off of the Internet. This is a program which allows you to create you own personalised institution opening. This was an experiment to see whether or not I should provide my own institutional opening or whether I should stick with using a professional well known company.
I chose to use an institution which already exists and is known for their work because I thought it would make my final product look more professional and provide it with a unique selling point, due to the other films which the institution would have been involved with.

I used the Internet quite a lot throughout my research and planning, however as my projects progressed I began to use it less for I was then focusing on my own project therefore not needing to research much else than other trailers. For it became all my own work and just analysing it all, which |I didn't need the Internet for to complete.
Using the Internet made me realise the way in which we take technology for granted and seem to be starting to reflect media texts than, media texts reflecting our lives.

I used a program on the school computers which enabled you to create a mind map. I used this to brainstorm ideas and things which related to trailers and the genre in which I wished to take my trailer. This was helpful because I was able to get all my ideas written down in one place and therefore I could then keep referring back to it when I needed inspiration or just to see in which direction I wished to take my trailer in next.

Another Internet program I used to help me brainstorm ideas and to show the type of thing I wanted to apply to my own trailer was Prezi it is a free program, based on the Internet, which is basically an elaborate powerpoint / mind map. It is a very clever program and is a good way of presenting work for it is all provided in one place and it flows through the path which you lay out for the order of the presentation. I liked using prezi because it is a fun way to present your work and makes those having to watch it find it more enjoyable.

I have used Paint as one of my technological medias, this was so I could edit screen grabs as well as create mood boards and maybe edit some pictures. I found using paint was easy and efficient saving a lot of time, so that I could then spend that time on other things.

Youtube has always been a huge help towards developing my final idea. I used youtube for researching various trailers which would be similar to the type of trailer I wished to produce, this was so I could analyse them and then see what conventions I would have to include to make my trailer look professional.
I also used youtube to upload my trailer so that I was able to then apply it on to my blog page, as well as upload it on to my facebook page so that I was able to get feedback off of my friends and family, which was really helpful with telling me whether it would appeal to my target audience, which it seemed to achieve.

For my editing I originally began using Adobe Premiere Elements, however half way through my editing I came across multiple problems leading to a dead end where I was unable to edit anything without the program freezing. After encountering these problems I came up with the solution of using a different program therefore meaning I was having to start all over again from scratch. So I got a hold of a friend of mine who owns an apple mac laptop, which I knew had a program for creating movies on it, therefore I was able to borrow her laptop and use a program which would keep freezing on me.
Imovie was the program I used to create my final trailer, which I found to be more simple to use and easier because the computer worked faster therefore there were no glitches or problems with trying to edit, concluding with my trailer, Passing By.

I used Photoshop on the apple mac to edit the magazine and poster. From editing them in photoshop I was able to get a selection f different effects and was able to really explore with various techniques to make my poster and trailer the best I can.