Tuesday 5 March 2013

Evaluation - Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?


In order to shoot our thriller, we had to use a camera. We used a canou SLR 1100D camera for this opening . This was a good camera in the sense it gave a clear outlook to the footage and we were able to experiment many different types of shots but it didn't lose the quality which was excellent as now we had different angles and footage which were of good quality which can be used. This also helped that as soon as we shot what we needed, we were able to check and see if it had to be done again or whether or not it was as good as we could get that specific shot.

Despite the positives, there were some stalls that we encountered. The main one being that if we used this camera, we needed to convert the footage and change it into the correct files so we could actually edit it and make it into a film which was time consuming. The other main problem was that of sound; once the clips had been converted, there was no sound with them so our diegetic sound had vanished but we solved this to record the sound using a voice recorder.


From using this camera, we've learnt that even if everything we shoot looks good and everything goes to plan, it can suddenly take a turn for the worse; in this case, us losing our sound so now we know to convert the sound or to ensure the sound has been recorded in the first place.



For our edit, we used the software Adobe Premiere Pro. Being introduced to Premiere pro for our preliminary tasks it was still relatively new in the sense that we hadn't explored every detail of it.
Through my time editing of opening sequence, I feel my skills have developed hugely. I now know how to create a film. I know how to upload soundtracks and how to change the pitch of the sound in times of mystery or times of excitement depending on the film. I have learnt how to input which parts of the footage I need and which parts I don't and also how to add transitions to perhaps build tension. Plus being able to add titles to make it look professional and a quality film.

Here is an example of a cross dissolve that I used in the making of my production. I also used transitions such as fade to black too.




                       
For our research into thrillers and having to produce case studies, we had to use Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB). This was a website which offered everything you need to know about any film you need including casts, ratings, reviews etc... you could also find trailers on there too.

Using IMDB I have learned many things about film in general. Firstly, films I may think are good are recieved in a completely different perspective to many other critics for example. They can be very harsh at the best of times and about very minor details so this taught me that the openings we create have to be spot on to look professional and entise people into wanting to watch them. Shadowed font for example will be picked up and said to be amateur.





It's all well and good using these technologies but without youtube; getting trailers and stills for case studies and work would have been a nightmare. For me, using youtube and seeing many different thriller openings opened my eyes when it came to constructing my thriller.

I learnt from this that my opening had to make people want to watch on and not have it turn into some sort of trailer advertising a thriller which can easily be done.

Youtube helped me dramatically when it came to case studies due to the fact it provided me with clips and for that getting certain screenshots. The screenshots that I used mainly were of many different camera angles showing how they show a scene/object. This helped me to realise that camera shots were very important and made me take more notice when it came to putting practice into an actual opening sequence.



There were also the simple technologies that I used, such as the memory stick. Without it, I wouldn't have been able get any sort of soundtrack onto my thriller. Without the sound, my piece would have turned into something which doesn't aim to provide suspence and any type of enigmatic feel so the memory stick is just as important as everything else that I used throughout this course.





Our group also used specific lighting for certain moments in our thriller; the flashback which used artifical light which in turn created a spotlight which was used to show that in this specific area of lighting is where the main action is taking place.












For our thriller planning, I had to use a scanner. This would be either to scan a piece of work from class or planning aspects, for example my storyboard which I scanned into my computer to put onto my blog.

Believe it or not, I had never used a scanner in my life so I actually learnt how to scan my work in so it was on the computer software.













Perhaps the most important technology out of the whole lot that I used during Media was my media blog itself. With all of my coursework ending up on this blog, it really was a major aspect of the course so everything we need is here in one place.

Using 'Blogger' I have learnt how to use a blog. I had never used any form of a blog in my life so it was all very new to me at the beginning but as the months progress you get the hang of it and understand how to use it and how to upload posts etc....

Blogger is also a benefit when doing work as I didn't need to lug around a ridiculously large folder as it is all stored onto this computer. Plus I could always look at what my classmates were doing on their blogs so I could use ideas on layout perhaps I hadn't thought of or potential ideas I hadn't thought of.

Tutor feedback also enabled me to revise posts that first time around I hadn't done right or could correct.



For our thriller planning, I needed to take location shots for possible locations my group could use; focusing on aspects of Mise-En-Scene and different camera angles so I could experiment different shot types so my stills camera was crucial for this.

When I went out and used it to take practice shots and shots of the location stating why this location could be where our thirller is shot, it helped me to learn that taking one shot from one angle isn't good enough as it just makes it seem monotonous. I realised that if I was to take multiple shots from various anlges, I could choose which one suited best and use that specific one. Being able to see what you have taken immediately after a shot is also a bonus as you can see if what you have taken has beem successful and if not try again but from a different angle. I took my location shots with this camera to help our group decide on what location to shoot in.

2 comments:

  1. Well done Dean for completing your draft question before the deadline.

    Your response is wide ranging, articulate and proficiently references technologies you have used during research, planning and production.

    To strengthen:

    1) Examples from you tube of films that inspired your ideas, you can insert moving image, clips or screen shots.

    2) Editing: examples from footage of tools you used i.e. dissolves, fade to black, sound etc.

    3) Mobile phone if you used this to contact your group.

    4) Examples of location shots from yur blog.

    5) Re blog, mention that tutor feedback enabled you were able to revise posts, you could provide an example.

    6) Re scanning, an example of scanned work.

    7) Lighting, a screen shot from your thriller as an example.

    As you can see examples (clips, screen shots, moving image from researched texts and your own photographs or clips from your thriller) could bring this to the highest level.


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  2. I've just remembered, you could also include the SD card and what you've learned about using this technology.

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