Evaluation – Question 6What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Different pieces of Equipment and Technology used:• Canon DSLR 650D EOS• Camera lens• Microphone• Lighting

Canon DSLR 650D EOSAdvantages:• Very easy to use• Can manually adjust the focus of the camera to achieve the desired

shot• Settings and menus were easy to access • Achieved very good quality footage which added to our thriller

opening’s realism• Small and compact meaning it was easy to carry around

Disadvantages:• The built in mic was very weak and fuzzy • Battery life was short and meant we had to charge the battery/turn

the camera off when we weren't filming

Camera LensAdvantages:• Allowed us to zoom into objects and characters with little to no noise• Ability to switch between auto and manual focus• Easy to attach and detach • Easy to change the focus of the shot

Disadvantages:• Auto-focus was very sensitive• Whilst auto-focusing, the camera created a lot of noise which was

picked up on playback• Some shots still had blurry elements despite our best efforts to focus

the camera

MicrophoneAdvantages:• Allowed us to capture high quality sound• Could operate without being on top of the camera, which allowed us

to record Foley sound (EG: we recorded the blowing out of the match and the audio separately which enabled us to get a realistic sound)

• Provided a massive improvement from the camera’s built in mic

Disadvantages:• As well as plugging in the mic into the camera, we also had to turn the

switch on, which proved a problem as we forgot to turn the mic on a couple of times, which left us with no sound for that scene

• Although the mic did pick up high quality sound, it did not always completely block out background sound

LightingAdvantages:• By placing the light in certain places, we were able to create an eerie

atmosphere and illuminate our protagonist• We were able to adjust the intensity of the light, allowing us to pick

and choose from dim to strong • The light was small and compact, yet very effective• It had the ability to be attached to a tripod which helped in creating

consistent lighting• We could have put filters on top to change the colour of our shot

Disadvantages:• We had to be careful not to create any unwanted shadows• In some shots, it was often obvious that key lighting was being used,

so we had to result in not using the light for those scenes

Filming Technologies – What we learnt• We as a group were able to figure out what ISO setting was best for

different lit areas • We were also able to establish what aperture to use with what

environment we were in • We also learned how to manually focus the camera which proved to

be very important as the auto-focus was too sensitive at times• We also learned how different the sound quality is with/without the

mic – we also learned the importance of the dead cat in filtering and blocking out the sound of wind

Different Software's and Systems used:• iMac• Final Cut Pro• YouTube• Soundcloud• Blogger

iMacAdvantages:• They had a good software to record high quality audio• We were also able to capture good quality video to film audience

feedback• iMacs have auto-save which proved a good feature when it crashed• We were able to use the Macs to collect research for our thriller

Disadvantages:• The Macs sometimes shut down randomly• They sometimes also froze which proved to be frustrating especially

during editing• They were often slow • Our saved work could only be accessed on the same Mac we were

working on before and not on another Mac

Final Cut ProAdvantages:• We were able to detach audio and replace it with pre-recorded sounds• It was easy and fun to pick up and learn about the different aspects

within the software• We were able to edit our product in a professional way• There were many filters, effects and transitions which made it easy to

create an eerie atmosphere• It was very easy to add credits and titles into our opening

Disadvantages:• Apart from our preliminary task, none of us had any experience in

using the software• Sometimes, the software would freeze and we would have to result in

shutting down the Mac

YouTubeAdvantages:• We as digital natives are used to the concept of YouTube and we know

our way around it• We were easily able to find copyright free backing tracks• Inspiration for certain sound effects and backing tracks came from

listening to a wide range of different atmosphere setting tracks and sound effects, which were easy to find

Disadvantages:• It took a long time to upload videos onto YouTube • We had to make sure YouTube did not make any adjustments to our

final video as sometimes, the system automatically changes the uploaded material

SoundCloudAdvantages:• It was easy to record podcasts for our initial thriller opening ideas and

for the evaluation process• It is quick and simple to use• Records in high quality

Disadvantages:• It is only limited to audio and no video recording capabilities

BloggerAdvantages:• It was a good way to keep a track of our media work• It is easy to look back on our previous work for revision• It was quick to post new blogs

Disadvantages:• It was quite difficult to get used to as none of us had used the system

before• Difficult to position images in their desired places as the pictures’

alignments were restricted to “left”, “centre” and “right”.

Software and Systems technology – What we learnt• As a group, we all enjoyed using and learning Final Cut Pro• We learned that the Pre-Production and Production stages are key in

producing a successful product. We had over 20 minutes of raw footage which was more than enough for us to work with and pick and choose the best angles for each scene

• We also learned that the most effective way to blog is in bullet points as it is easy on the eye and easy to find what you’re looking for

• We were able to experiment with a lot of different elements and by doing this, we learned what the most effective sounds and effects were for our thriller opening

Difficulties during filming and editing and how we overcame them• One scene where we experienced difficulties was when we shot the scene of our

protagonist lighting a match in a dark room. It was very difficult for the auto-focus to focus in on the match and also pick up the eyes of the protagonist in the background.

• We turned off the auto-focus and we turned the lights on in the room. We then manually focused in on the match and then turned the lights off so the camera was already focused in on the correct object.

• During the editing process, the colours of the walls appeared to us to be too bright and vibrant for a thriller

• We edited the shots of the walls and hallways by turning down the capacity and brightness

• Whilst filming the shot of our protagonist burning a picture, the camera was left on auto-focus and upon playback, we noticed that the sound of the lens focusing was very loud

• We then detached the audio from that scene and deleted the sound so we and the audience will not be able to hear the camera focusing

• We noticed that one of our shots was slightly unsteady whilst panning with the tripod• By using Final Cut Pro, we were able to stabilise that shot and the shaky camerawork is

now unrecognisable