Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Throughout the duration of the course I developed my skills in using editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, and I am now confident in using this program to produce a media product to a high level. I have now learnt to fully utilise the programme by not only using it to cut and arrange footage, but also by using colour correction and stabilising footage.
I have also used Adobe After Effects to apply title to my final product. I practiced using this program by applying titles to three existing film openings, through which I also learnt how to change the opacity of the titles to make them fade in and out, allowing me to conform the the conventions of a tile sequence.I later used After Effects to create my ident along with the guidance of a Video co pilot tutorial. Through creating this ident I learnt a lot about the different features the program has to offer which has made me more confident in using the program. I also learnt how to use Adobe Photoshop which was useful in creating the storyboard of my final film opening. Using photoshop enabled me to prepare for filming my final product in a more professional way than just drawing it.
For the majority of the filming tasks I carried out such as the preliminary task and the shoes task, I used a DSLR camera on a tripod. This camera gave me sufficient control over the footage I filmed as I was able to control the aperture and IOS. However, at the beginning of the course I did not utilise the aperture feature, yet through practice I was able to display the use of this in my final product by changing the depth of field mid shot. I later experimented with a GoPro Gimbal which stabilises footage, this proved useful when filming the chase scene in my final product. Despite allowing me to produce smooth tracking footage, The GoPro did not produce great quality footage as it appears quite grainy, therefore I did not use this to film the entirety of my film opening. I also used a macro lens on an iPhone to film the close ups of leaves for my final thriller opening.
I have used the website WordPress to create an a blog on which I have documented all my work in chronological order. WordPress was a was a very useful medium for me to use to easily upload my work in multiple forms such as images, videos, hyperlinks and text. I also used Viemo to upload my videos, from which I could embed on my blog. I used Survey Monkey to create my target audience survey and Prezi to then analyse the results. Survey monkey was very easy to use as I was able to share the link to the survey with people, making it more accessible, and therefore allowing me to gain more results. My knowledge of technologies from producing my opening has been greatly enhanced and I would be confident on editing programs and using a camera to film a high quality piece of media text and then be able to document it on the internet in the future.
Amy Wallsworth 