Evaluation Question 4
- knomezkid
- Feb 11, 2016
- 5 min read
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Using a variety of technologies in the research, planning, construction and evaluation stages of my A2 coursework was essential in order to create a authentic and well produced product. In the film industry, technologies such as Final Cut Express, Facebook, Google, Wix and also Youtube is a greate way of not only creating the short film but also going on to market and distrubute it. The different types of technologies I used were:
Research into your chosen area (short films) is key the the success of the product and should be done at the very start and in depth. As I was creating a short film I concluded that the best place to research was the internet and on particluar websites like Youtube that are known for having an aray of short films at the click of a button. On Youtube I looked up many short films in order for me to analyise and evaluate them in a blog post where I would outline the camera, editing, mis-en-scene and sound elements that feature in them. Youtube also helped me to post many test shots and my preliminary video which would help me notice my progression in my camera and editing skills. I could also find short films that other students had done so that I could draw inspiration from them and also evalutate some of them.
The internet itself was an essential tool as it was the home of many technolgies that I used throughout my A2 coursework process. The internet gave me the chance to look at various websites that have information about short films e.g. Sundance Film Festivial website which featured independant short films and the awards that have been given.
There was however an issue with the computers when in the research process as the iMac's we were using at school kept on crashing and the when they were working the interent would be very slow. This meant that most of the planning had to be done at home or quickly when the Mac's were working and also I had to locate the most important information to collect in order to get the most out of research.
WIX.COM
As a way of storing and showcasing my research, product and evaluations I used Wix. In my foundation prodction I used Blogger for this purpose but this year I wanted to push myself and progess my skills further. Haven't not used this before, it was a challenge to get to know the buttons and how to work webiste. I then, after spending a few hours on it, managed to become very familar with the program and is now writing and pubishing posts with ease. I used Wix like a diary, posting my findings and progess throughout. In the reasearch section I posted blogs which consisted of short film evlautions, test shots, distingiushing the conventions and unconventions of short films, evaluating posters and magazine review pages and also analyising the theorists that relate to my product.
I wrote the majority of my coursework on Wix, however I found that using other programmes such as Prezi, which I embeded into my Wix website, was a good way of showing my research in a fun and interactive way. I also used secondary progams like Powerpoint and Word to layout my research as I wanted to add multi-media to my coursework, which was also complulsory to include.
Futher on in the process I used Wix to store a copy of my short film and evalution questions so that my teacher can eaisly access them.
SLR CAMERAS
To actually film my short film, I used an SLR camera which also helped with the planning and research side aswell. The camera had many features which included taking pictures and recording footage. I used the 'camera' feature to take pictures of the locations, actors and written class work. These pictures helped me to create my posters and magazine review page. Using the Mac's I was able to upload the images, using unfamiliar programs like iPhoto, so therefore adopting a new skill.
The main reason I used the SLR camera was to film and upload footage. In my foundation coursework I used a handy cam which was accpetable as I was a beginner. Now that I know more about cameras I decided to chose the SLR in order to create more professional and crisp footage that looks authenic. Having not used this type of camera I did a few test shots, testing out the different features and buttons it included. There were many benefits of using the SLR cameras inclduing the interesting 'manual focus' tool which I found very useful. I used this feature when I wanted to do a pull focus or adjust the focus before shooting.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Even though social media is one of the most effective ways to market and distrubute short films, I rarely used it. It would have been useful if in the research and planning stage I looked on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see how other people have marketed their short film e.g. posting their short film draft on Facebook and getting feedback from friends and family on how to improve it. The times I used social media was in order to contact my actors about shoot dates and other information. I did this by creating a Facebook and WhatsApp group whcih seemed very affective and useful. Towards the end of my coursework, I tweeted a link to my short film and asked people to message me with any feeback, both positive and negative. This deamed a success as I received many comments which helped me to improve my final product.
FINAL CUT EXPRESS
Additionally, Final Cut Express was the most important and useful editing software as we used it to assemble, edit and render my short film. used a program called Final Cut Express to edit my short film. This program gave me the opportunity to add footage, sound, special effects and text which are all the essential elements for a successful short film. I used many effects including cross dissolve, colour corrections, echo and layering. All these features are conventional to a short film so I was very happy that the program let me include them. After using Final Cut Express to produce my short film, I now believe I have gained essential techniques and skills, from adding professional filters to creating and overlaying text, to create a authentic short film.
Overall, I believe I have gained knowledge and skills when using these software's. These software's are used in the film industry and enable film producers to make a professional and successful film that will engage the audience. Most of these software programs were new to me but from watching my short film I think I used them to our advantage and made a really authentic and successful product.
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