How did you use media technologies in the construction and research,

planning and evaluation stages?

When I started this project I knew that media technologies would play a huge role in the production, but I didn’t realise how much I would rely on it to source information, create the product, edit etc. I used media technologies religiously throughout and I believe it is important to because it shows understanding of the modern day media which is important when creating things like a promotional package.

Blogger.Used in: Construction and research planning and evaluation.

Media technologies were used throughout the whole of this promotional package creation. We uploaded everything we did throughout the research, planning, construction and evaluation onto blogger. Blogger worked almost as an internet diary: you upload progression, thoughts, ideas and final pieces to show how your creation has come together. Blogger enabled me to embed videos, PowerPoint's and update whenever we need to. I think it is very easy to navigate and has played a huge role throughout the project as a better blogging website compared to Wordpress and Tumblr.

Mobile devices. Used in: Construction and research planning and evaluation.

Mobile phones were also very important throughout this project, especially when filming. They acted as the main form of communication between me and my actors/ venues etc. My phone enabled me to contact the people I needed to efficiently and easily and kept me well organised. I kept my ‘I need’ list in the notes of my phone to show what I needed on each day for each shoot so that I would not forget. I had my storyboard PowerPoint saved to my phone so that I could open it when necessary to see what else I could shoot in certain location. It also worked as a good research device if I was doing research and planning away from a laptop or wifi connection. If I needed inspiration quickly I know that I could find it on my mobile device. I took all of my locations images and found locations through Google maps on my device, as well as the billboard and bus images and also I recorded my audio peer feedback on it so it has helped in all stages of this project.

SlideShareUsed in: Construction and research planning and evaluation.

I used SlideShare to create an embed code so that I could put PowerPoint's onto my blog. This was such a useful website as it enabled me to use different types of media to show my planning (storyboard), research(evolution of posters), construction (editing stages) and evaluation (this question). It was a very easy website to use and it was a quick way to place PowerPoint onto my blog.

YouTube

Used in: Research and evaluation

When researching film trailers I used YouTube as it is easy and accessible and is bound to have what you are looking for! All of my teaser trailer analogies are uploaded from YouTube. I like YouTube because once I had searched for one action trailer, other similar trailers appear on the right hand side allowing me to do further research. I also used YouTube when looking at make up tutorials for the fake cut on the actors face and also look up Photoshop/Final cut pro tutorials if I was really struggling. I also uploaded my final teaser trailer onto YouTube and if I was to want further peer feedback I could simply send the link to anyone for them to see.

DaFontUsed in: Research and construction

I used custom font websites such as DaFont to find a font that I thought would be best for both my magazine masthead and film title. I found DaFont really easy to navigate as it has links to certain styles so if you were looking for a horror style font you would simply look under the horror section. There are so many to choose from and it enabled me to have a better understanding of what fonts stem from certain places and why they are used for certain products etc. You are able to type the text you want into a box to preview the font which I think makes the website very accessible.

GoogleUsed in: Construction and research planning and evaluation. Google was the only web browser I used through the whole production of the promotional package. It is where I sources the websites for my research, planning and help along the way.

SurveyGizmoUsed in: Evaluation

I used SurveyGizmo when making the questionnaire for the media conventions evaluation question. I thought the website was easy enough to use and was actually really helpful because it enabled me to share the questionnaire on social networking sites to get more feedback and it also created charts for the results so that saved me the time which I would have spend putting all of the data in excel. Using the website meant that I could easily structure a questionnaire with many different answer options. It looks professional and is easy for people answering to navigate. If I was to do this again I would use Survey Gizmo in my research.

Mac’s Used in: Construction

I used the Apple Macs when editing the film trailer; I had not used these before and therefore I found them quite difficult to use. However, after a while I got used to the different layout and the features available and actually really got on well with them. They were much faster and convenient when editing compared to the editing software available on the PC computers.

Final Cut ProUsed in: Construction

This was the editing software I used on the Mac’s and it played such an important role in the creation of my trailer. I found it was easy to use and navigate and the amount of features available enabled me to ensure I had the best possible colours, sound and movement throughout the trailer. I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to edit using this software and if I was to do this project again I would definitely use Final Cut Pro again.

Photoshop Used in: Planning and construction

I used Photoshop cs6 when doing any form of image manipulation, layout design and of still creation. Photoshop is extremely easy to navigate with all of your necessary tools at the left hand side. It played a big role in the creation of my whole project because it gave a very professional touch to my ancillary tasks (poster and magazine cover). The use of layers makes any adjustments easy to make and therefore, I was able to take the trial and error approach until I was happy with my final projects.

Canon Eos 1100d Camera.Used in: Construction

I used this DSLR camera for my photo shoots for the magazine and poster. I have had it for many years now so know how to manually adjust the settings and I also know it is reliable. I used different size lenses with this camera as the poster required a much closer image and I wanted the best quality possible. Overall, this camera was really good for me to use because it is high quality.

Panasonic AVC HMC1 HD camera with microphone and tripod, Sony PJ650VE HD camera with tripod

Used in: Construction

These are the cameras I used for filming. I could have filmed with my DSLR but I think that the Panasonic especially gave a much more professional finish. I used the Sony for the action shots that did not require close ups or sound (Punch, knife to throat, shout etc). The Panasonic was easy to navigate once I knew what features to use. I used a microphone with this camera for the diegetic sounds in the trailer and for both cameras I was supplied with a tripod to ensure stable shots. Using these cameras gave me a larger understanding of white balancing and slow controlled movement.

Microsoft

Used in: Construction and research planning and evaluation.

I used Microsoft Word and PowerPoint a lot through the making of this blog, I have used PowerPoint through every step of the production as I believe it gives information in smaller bulks so therefore it is easier for the reader to understand as just long text posts can become uninteresting. PowerPoint is something I have used from a young age and therefore was second nature to use and made for accessible information.