1. What have you learnt abouttechnologies from the process of constructing this product?

2. My basic technology knowledge Before coming into Media AS, I would like to say Ihad an average intelligence of technology. For example, the basic blocks such as surfing theinternet, using social networking sites such asFacebook, Twitter and using applications such asInstagram and Microsoft Office programs. I also knew how to make music and record onGarage Band through my previous years in schooland therefore know how to get around an AppleMac. However, I did not use any other programs ortechnological equipment such as camcorders, hightech cameras ect. I had little experience for making videos throughWindows Movie Maker so I could add images, textand transitions at a basic level. Despite this, I havenever made any videos or vlogs to upload or share. Overall, after going through Media AS, I have learnta significant amount of new programs andequipment than previously. 3. Equipment: The Apple Macs The Apple Macs are the computerdevice we used throughout ourresearch, editing and blogging socouldnt live without! The Macs are very interesting as theyinclude unique programs which othercomputer brands do not have iMovie,Garage Band, Photo Booth ect. The Macs were a very crucial resourceand I have learnt that without them, itwould have been extremely hard tomake our unedited footage look like afilm opening without the programs itprovided. From the Macs I learnt how to useprograms such as iMovie which wasWeaknesses of the Mac:-vital and the making of our film On iMovie, you cant manually save which Iopening, Garage Band for recordingaudience feedback and Photo Boothfound a bit annoying.to take images which is great for future You cannot log into different Mac as youruse of making videos or voicework will not be there- only on the originalrecordings.Mac you were previously on.Strengths of the Mac:- The majority of programs used on our work, Simple and easy to use are restricted to only Apple computers which A excellent range of applications andmade it very difficult for anyone including meprograms useful when creating movies,videos, records, pictures ect. that doesnt have a Mac to continue work at Fast speed and clear definition. home. 4. Equipment: Lighting In the making of our film opening, we experimented withlighting and learnt The Standard 3-Point Lightingtechnique. This helped us exceptionally to learn how different keys oflight, affect the audience to view a character or object. Lighting is a crucial aspect especially when filming inorder to create the atmosphere you want. We had a problem using the LED light. We tried to use theLED light on top of the camera at night but this createdan artificial bright light on the set and on charactersfaces. Instead, we used the street lamps and houselighting to our advantage to create a naturalistic viewingexperience.Weaknesses of the LEDlighting:- I learnt how to attach and detach the LED light to thehead of the camera which was very useful when filming. Sometimes looks to artificialStrengths of the LED Lighting:- to use whilst filming. Good at highlighting the importance of characters If your are using more than You can adjust the brightness of the light one LED light, you need extra Portable and Compact- very useful to carry aroundtripods to place them on Creates a good array of light so no need for expensive however we did notprofessional lights. experience this problem. You can create different effects (tension, mystery, Only projects light to aimportance) with the use of The Standard 3-Point Lightingcertain proportion of space.technique. 5. Equipment: The transition of Cameras Throughout our media course, we experimented with 3 cameras (Flip Camera, DV Camcorder and CanonDSLR) but all have different capabilities.We used the Flip Cameras to film interviews for audience research. From the Flip Cameras I learnt how to turnon, record and stop filming. I also learnt how to upload the footage onto the computer using the handy USBwhich flips out. We used the DV Camcorders to film our Preliminary Task. These where much different to the Flip Cameras asthey had a bigger screen, more clear definition and you could pause film unlike the Flip Cameras. Filming actionwas much easier due to the strap on the side so made it easier to hold and carry. I learnt how to film match onmatch action, reverse shots and the 180 degree rule. For our actual film opening, we used a Canon DSLR 650D camera. The Canon gave us the best filming qualityfor our thriller opening and I think the most important element of the Canon compared to the other to camerasis that you could focus in and out for example, I filmed the moon at night by focusing in to give a blurry effectand slowing focusing out to see the footage clearer. From the Canon, I learnt how to attach a lens on and offand how to use the lens to zoom in/out and focus. I also learnt how to take photos with or without flash andhow to use the enhancements. Most importantly, I learnt different camera shots such as low angle and highangle shots, establishing shots, two shots ect as well reverse shots and the 180 degree rule. 6. Equipment: The transition ofCamerasStrengths of the Flip Camera:- Easy to use Portable, can carry it in your pocket It fufils its purpose, you can record footage easily. It has a USB fixed in ulike other cameras where you need a wire to upload footage. You can attach it to a tripod You can record interviews ect without needing a tripod. You dont have any enhancmentsStrengths of the DV Camcorder:- Easy to use Portable, can carry it easily especially due to the strap at the side. Unlike the Flip Cameras, you can pause footage and then play Much clear definition than the Flip cameras. You can attach it on a tripod. You can zoom in and outStrengths of the Canon DSLR:- You attach a lense, you can therefore adjust to whatever focus you want much like how a filmdoes. It includes a flash It includes enhancements such as different settings (night vision), you can also change thebrightness of the camera, it includes a timer so you can take pictures You can attach it to a tripod for more stantionary filming. It has a timer so that you can take pictures without one person staying by the camera. 7. Equipment: The transition ofCamerasWeaknesses of the Flip Camera:- You cannot pause your filming, it just stops. It has a very small screenWeakenesses of the DV Camcorder:- It doesnt include any enhancements. You cannot focus in/out You dont have a lense to choose how to focus your camera. It doesnt include flash You need a wire to upoad footage.Weaknesses of the Canon DSLR:- It did at times keep refocusing itself which can be good howeversometimes you want the focus to stay the same ect You can take pictures as well as film. You need a have a wire in order to upload footage and pictures The flash is too bright especially when taking pictures at night. From the school Macs, it look a while to upload your work. 8. Programs: Blogger Blogger was the first program I had ever used to make a blog. I hadnever made a blog before and now after doing AS media, I cannow set up my own blog. I have now learnt how to make posts and how to upload pictures,videos, Prezi presentations and Slideshare presentations. I also learnt how to lay out work in a creative and interesting way toreaders through colours, different fonts and pictures so that it is notjust plain black blocky text. I learnt how to post consecutive posts each appealing to thereader. From learning how to use Blogger, I feel more confident in makingother blogs for my other interests such as fashion or beauty. I found Blogger a easy program to use and the best way to get aWeaknesses ofmix of colour and engaging posts as well as rich detailed content.Blogger:-Strengths of Blogger: Easy and simple to use, you can make an account in just seconds. It can be very A very good layout: you know how to edit, draft and publish postsas well as view previous posts in date order. tedious, scrolling down Very easy to edit a post(just click edit) and also easy to rearrangepages.the order of your posts. Others groups can Well known- the program is through Google.view your groups User friendly- anyone can make a blog.work. It is an very innovative way to present your work. You need to have a There is a bar at the side, so that you can click on a particular Google account (butpiece of work without having to scroll pages. who doesnt?) Other groups can view your work- you can show your film opening. 9. Programs: iMovie iMovie in my opinion, is the most practical, efficient and simplest way to create anykind of movie. At first I was sceptical for using this program to make our film opening as I was worried itwasnt suitable for creating a realistic thriller opening. However, after experimenting on how to import videos and edit, I was astonished atthe capability (from an Apple program which is free with the software), that you cancreate good quality videos. iMovie has a wide selection of transitions and sounds to choose from, I particularly likedhow the sounds were created in different categories such as Ambience or Jingleswhich made it easier to browse.From iMovie, I have learnt how to import video clips and pictures and to drag anddrop certain clips to join together. Ive also learnt how to edit clips so that the video flows for example by fading out toblack or cropping clips using the precision maker. The precision maker was particularly useful for getting an in depth sight to make minorchanges. Moreover, I have learnt how to add text and credits on top of video footage makingthe movie look more like a film and could alter how they appeared on screen. I have also now learnt how to add different sounds to my video such as the main musicShogun and with added sound effects fused together such as the police siren andthunder roll. This was very effective in creating realism to the footage and createadded tension for the viewer. Furthermore, I also learnt how to alter timings of each frame and how to lengthen orshorten a frame. Overall from iMovie, I have learnt how to make a good quality film opening using aprogram which is not used for making real products in the film industry. 10. Programs: iMovieStrengths of iMovie:- It is very easy to learn how to use. I got the hang of itafter using it in one session. It is great for not just the making of our film opening butfor creating videos of interviews It has a wide range of sounds which are categorisedand transitions, also animations such as the one weused of the world It is easy to share to different sites such as Facebook orYouTube.It is more effective and suitable for making any type ofvideo but especially a film opening as it has the rightcomponents compared to Windows Movie Maker.Weaknesses of iMovie:- As mentioned before you cant manually save, for me itwas a nuisance. iMovie is only restricted to Apple products. Your work is also restricted to one computer, you haveto use the same Mac to edit your work.In my opinion most of the transitions available were notsuitable to include in a film opening to make it realistic. 11. Programs: You Tube I was familiar with YouTube before making our productbut that was only to browse at music videos and vlogs. YouTube was great to use as you sign in using yourGoogle account making it easier than to make anotheraccount. From YouTube I have learnt to upload videos onto my Weaknesses ofchannel.YouTube:- It was very hard to I have also learnt how to edit my videos and addupload videos from theannotations, captions, audio and enhancements.Macs in school toYouTube however we Furthermore, I also learnt how to view my videos andfound a way to uploadstatistics through analytics and video manager which Ithem from a Windowsfound very useful.computerStrengths of YouTube:- It is easy to use, you dont have to make an account ifyou have a Google one. Easy way to share videos. Very creative way to present work, engages viewer. 12. Programs: Slideshare Slideshare is a program I used to upload my presentations Icreated on power point on my blog. Without Slideshare I wouldnt have been able to present mywork on the blog as a presentation. Therefore, Slideshare helped me to present my work in adifferent way so that it was not just the same layout. From Slideshare I learnt how to used the embedded code toupload onto my blog. I also learnt that you can use share your presentations ofFacebook, twitter ect so it is versatileStrengths of Slideshare:- Again, like most programs this was very quick to learn how itworks just click upload and pick your presentation. You dont have to make an account, you can use Facebookfor example. You can be able to view a presentation on the internet Like other programs, it is free to use which is very helpful.Weaknesses of Slideshare:- When pasting the code onto the blog, it can take a long whileswitching from HTML and Compose for the icon to appearinstead of just the code. You cannot adjust how big you want to present the iconinstead you can only press full-screen. 13. Programs: Prezi I had never used Prezi before so I didnt knowwhat to expect from it. Prezi was another way in which you caninteract your work with the audience creatively.It is a fun and inventive way to show work. Prezis make your work look more attractiveStrengths of Prezi:-and interesting with the use of animation, Easy to use, its free A very creative and attractingbubbles, brackets and squares to present yourway to present work especially onwork as well as a range of diagrams, templates blogsand cartoon images to choose from. Easy way to engage with your I learnt how to make my work more structured viewer You can customise your Prezi towith Prezi, each bubble had a title and writingsuit your style through Themethat answered the title so you really thoughtWizard where you can chooseabout what each bubble will include and howcolours and shapesyou will layout your work. Weaknesses of Prezi:- I also learnt how to add/remove brackets ect, Like Slideshare, it does take aarrows, images, videos and music on Prezi. while for it to appear on your blog Furthermore, I also learnt how to embed apost You cannot adjust the size of thePrezi onto my blog using a code. icon. 14. Programs: Garage Band I used Garage band to record myaudience feedback on our thriller. From Garage Band I have learnt how torecord a voice recording and how toexport it to iTunes then iMovie in order topost it on my blog.Strengths of Garage Band:-o Easy to useo Can record music, voicesWeaknesses of Garage Band:-o You cannot export your recordingstraight to the blog