Evaluation Question Six

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

My knowledge about technology has increased from the process of constructing my media product. I and my group had to use the technology available for us effectively so that our film was of the best quality we could make it.

To film my footage I used the Canon XAH, this camera came with the following equipment:

·         Battery(portable and charge pack)

·         Lens cap

·         Camera bag

·         Chalk

·         Clapper board

·         Tape

This was my first time using a camera like this to film, but after a lesson on how to operate it I found it quite simple and straightforward to use. You first take

1.       The lens cap of

2.        Put the battery in the camera

3.        Then your tape

4.       Take the viewfinder out

5.       Turn camera on by turning to record mode

6.       Check focus

7.       Press record

8.       Film away!

The camera was used together with the Libec L8200 tripod.

To set up this tripod I had to do the following:

 
1. Take the tripod out of its protective case
2. Release the legs of the tripod by taking off the lock
3. Open the locks at each leg
4. Extend legs to shoulder length
5. Lock all legs

I then placed the camera on the tripod and checked the shoehorn was locked tightly. I then had to check the spirit level and make any adjustments to it if it was not at the right level.

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For editing I used the program Adobe Premiere CS4. I love editing because it transforms what could have been a poor film to a whole new product; this is where the filming process really comes alive for me. I enjoy using Adobe because it is not complicated to use, and if used correctly, you can edit your film quickly, it also makes the whole look of your footage look so much better because of the vast variety of tools and effects to choose from. This program was used to put together my raw footage, cut the shots to the appropriate length, add effects, add titles, add the sounds, and to edit the sounds.

After digitizing the footage there was a number of mistakes found, this was because while filming, I used dim lights so it was hard for me and the camera operator to spot things that were not meant to be in the shots as it was so dark. So to get rid of these mistakes I had to re-film certain shots or just make certain shots lighter.

I stuck to using three particular transitions: cross dissolve, fade to black and fade to white, an example of when I used fade to black is during the cutaways, when the credits were shown and the voice overs were played. I learned that using many transitions takes away the realism of your footage and makes it look unprofessional. I used one or two effects to lighten one or two shots, and if I didn’t use effects then I adjusted the contrast itself.

The credits were also created using Adobe, I chose a simple white font for the actors names and my teacher actually said the font makes it look more like a thriller opening. I created my production companies with an I.T teacher, for example ‘Mad Man Movies’ was a production company I created and developed. Also me and the I.T teacher spent time creating the title as I specifically wanted a title that appeared in a way that was common yet special in thriller films, and eventually we found a smoke effect. The production companies and title was imported into Adobe and adjustments were made to them if needed.

Once the soundtrack was imported, I made sure it started at the right moment of the opening sequence by moving it to right place on Adobe. I used a fade effect to fade out the soundtrack at the end so the wind effect was heard properly at the end.  A few voice overs were imported to add more emotion and meaning to the opening sequence, like, ‘How can he lay hands on my daughter?!’ This is a significant voice over as it gives the audience a vital clue of what the story is about. Editing these voice overs was kind of a challenge. They all sounded different; either too loud or too quiet, so I had to lower the volume on each voice over properly so that they all had around the same level on the volume bar. Sound effects were also imported to give more meaning to my opening sequence, for example, the heartbeat monitor was added as a clue to show someone has passed away in the story.

To record the voice overs and other sounds, the Sennheiser Microphone and headphones were used with a boom pole.

The clarity of the voice over was decent, they were not perfect but they were clear enough for the audience to hear properly. We recorded footsteps of one of the characters and I believe the clarity of them was very good.

As the microphone was so powerful and picked up voices from other classrooms, I and my group had to find a derelict place to record, and so we used the control room to record as it is hardly used. In the end this room proved useful despite the ridiculous amount of heat the room generated.

Overall, I believe my ability to use all the technology has increased and I know I will be confident with my next practical task.