HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION

AND RESEARCH, PLANNING AND EVALUATION STAGES?

Rachel Westwood

Research and planningFor my documentary, the research and planning contributed helpfully towards the production. I planned our documentary in various ways, firstly producing a mind map of potential ideas of what topic to base our documentary on. Therefore, we were able to write down our ideas and carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of making a documentary on each topic. For example, we considered choosing to make a documentary about street buskers, however we wanted to aim our documentary at an audience of teenagers to young adults. Through using the internet, which was one of our most important resource to researching our topic we came to the conclusion that body modification is a current, popular topic. We realised this through finding news articles on browsers such as Windows 7 Internet Explorer, and at home Google Chrome. Through careful consideration, we came to the conclusion that young people today are interested in more controversial topics such as body modifications – and so we felt we would get more out of this, and a more interesting documentary if we planned to make a documentary which could gain interesting opinions of young people. Following this, we planned our documentary through storyboard sheets, which meant we could start planning shots; we did this by hand drawing and writing the text.

We produced our mind map using more simple media technologies such as Microsoft Word. We found Microsoft very useful because in the initial stages, we wanted to use something simple and easy to use to portray our ideas in our planning.

Websites which we found to be very useful in our research and planning were The Guardian Online, Mail Online, Huffington Post, BBC, and The Times.News articles provided us with popularopinions of both the public and experts. real life stories, statistics and facts about our topics, which was useful as the informatio was accurate and reliable information.

Research and PlanningMicrosoft Word was a piece of software which we used significantly during our research.

We mainly used word to document news articles, as well as produce our questionnaires. By using Microsoft Word, we could customize our questions exactly how we wanted to. This meant that our audience feedback would be relevant to the documentary and therefore the quality of our research was improved.

We conducted our research and planning onto a blog, using the website Blogger

This was an extremely useful resource as we could put all of our information and planning into one space which we could all individually access. By logging our research regularly it highlighted any gaps in our research and ultimately kept everything under organized, chronological order.

In order to log our research and planning from Office in more creative, imaginative ways, we used software such as Prezi and SlideShare. We then embedded these into Blogger.

Research and PlanningAlso, in order to get a better idea of the documentary genre, we did some research into previous documentaries and applied this to our blog. This meant we could constantly look at our blog to remind ourselves of the codes and conventions we wanted to present in our documentary. We documented what we saw onto our blog, examples of documentaries include ‘Super Size Me’, ‘My Tattoo Addiction’ and ‘Gimme Shelter’. The software YouTube meant this process was much easier for us. We could access hundreds of documentaries which would help inform us of how a typical documentary would be portrayed, in terms of codes and conventions.

My Tattoo Addiction Gimme Shelter

Research and Planning During the planning stages of our documentary

we also produced sketches, meaning we did not use media technologies throughout all of the planning of our documentary. We could have produced a plan on programmes such as Word however we instead created hand written storyboards which allowed us to express our ideas straight from pen to paper – we did this for both our documentary, and magazine, providing detailed plans for each which made both filming and creating the magazine easier.

In addition to researching news articles online to gain information, we also researched TV channels in order to come to the conclusion of which one our documentary would suit. Therefore, we looked at TV Channels, such as Channel 4, ITV, and also BBC Radio 1 channel, in order to find out which channel produced similar shows and topics to our topic of documentary. We also looked at listing websites, such as TV Guide, in order to look at schedules for such channels, and what time of viewing their documentaries shows, to find out if they showed similar programmes and the time the programme was on helped us to recognize the target audience the channel targets for specific shows.

Research and planning

Channel 4 was most useful resource for our documentary. This is because Channel 4 has produced various programmes and documentary's about body modifications.

BBC showed a couple of documentaries which we’re similar to our topic, however we found information most useful on the BBC Radio 1 website.

ITV was the least useful resource for information as we failed to find a documentary which was similar to ours on ITV.

We also used online services such As 4OD (My Tattoo Addiction), ITV Player (Exposure – The Kill List).Furthermore, we used YouTube to watch documentaries such as SuperSize Me, and A DVD to watch Gimme Shelter.

Research and PlanningWe made also sure to plan where and where we were filming, in order to avoid time wasting. We also provided the expert interviewees with questions before filming so they had a prior awareness of what we were going to ask them. We also made sure we did not ask the interviewee too late into production whether or not they could conduct the interview, as we wanted to avoid rushing interviews. When we planned the questions, we made sure to produce questions which were relevant and would provide useful information for the documentary.

Questions included, for example:“Do you think that students are being discriminated against for their tattoo’s and/or piercings?” and “Have you had any experience with body modifications yourself?”

Research and Planning In order to communicate to each other, mobile phones came in extremely handy. This is because the

software on our mobile phones allowed us to communicate to each other effectively. These included programmes such as Facebook, Snapchat, Whatsapp and Twitter. These came in very useful so we could organise and plan our documentary. We regularly messaged eachother, organising dates to get together to complete either coursework or the production of the documentary.

Twitter also came in very useful so we could communicate with people with body modifications or who were in the tattoo/piercing industry. For example, through Twitter, we obtained the email of Carl McCoid from popular Channel 4 programme My Tattoo Addiction. From here, we emailed him through Outlook, and he responded by telling us he would be happy to supply us with some answers for a few questions we would ask him. This came in very useful in the documentary as a response from a well-known person would generate publicity and so attract and appeal to the younger generation.

Emails from Carl McCoid, a tattoo enthusiastWith 27 tattoos of MileyCyrus. Because of this,He has become a well knownCharacter in the tattooing world.

FilmingAfter doing our extensive research and planning, we began to film our footage, following the storyboard as a basis for our filming. We were provided with a professional, high quality hardware. Firstly, we were provided with a high quality professional camera, we used a Canon HG20 HD. We found this extremely useful in the production of our documentary as it meant we could carry out shorts which consisted of high quality, focused and out of focus shots. It furthermore enabled us to manipulate autofocus, which helped us to create more dynamic shots. It meant our documentary had a professional, high quality, smooth look, and each image we projected was clear and had high definition. Also, we were provided with other hardware equipment such as a tripod and a microphone, meaning our sound was excellent quality and we were able to film steady shots using the tripod to place the camera in a rigid position. For example during the filming of the College sign, we found the tripod extremely useful as it enabled us to slowly pan with precision and ease, without moving the camera out of place, which provided a smooth, elegant shot. This was similarly the case for filming a precise, rigid shot when filming Touchwood, Solihull.

Panning shot Establishing shot

FilmingAlso, for our vox pops and interviews, we used a tripod to keep the

shot stable whilst we talked to the interviewee and asked them questions.

It also meant we could keep the rule of thirds in mind, along with the mise-en-scene.

We checked whether the sound levels were working through plugging in headphones

to the camera, which were Sennheisser HD201 Headphones. These came in very

useful as it meant we could ensure the interviewee’s voices were picked up clearly

and loudly. However, on our first attempt, we did make errors. On our first interview,

we made the mistake of not checking with the headphones whether the sound was

coming through correctly. It meant we had one less interview to place in our

documentary which could have ultimately effected our work.

However, I look at this in a positive manner as it meant every interview

Thereafter we always double-checked whether the sound was working well.  

When asking questions, we aimed the microphone directly towards the speaker,

hiding the microphone above the camera shot. To avoid the microphone picking

up external, unwanted noises we filmed expert interviews in quiet rooms. We used a

E2000 Condenser microphone , which was very useful as provided high quality,

Clean, professional sound.

Furthermore, in a few of our interviews, specifically expert interviews which were

conducted indoors, we had issues with lighting. In retrospect, we could have

checked the lighting with more precision before we began filming to overcome

this issue. However, our outside interviews were conducted very well as the

natural lighting was bright and clear. Using Adobe Premiere Pro,

we were able to slightly increase the brightness of the clip,

which came as extremely useful.

Changing brightness levels on

Adobe Premiere Pro.

Bright lighting made the clip look more visually pleasing.

Here, artificial lighting affectedThe lighting, making it less clear and bright.

EditingWe edited sound levels effectively using both Adobe Premiere

Pro and Adobe Audition. Despite our efforts filming, there were still some noisy shots in our original clips, where background noise distracted

From what the interviewee was saying.

Both programmes were extremely

Useful in solving this problem, as it enabled us to effectively make sound levels

more consistent, making the voice of the interviewee

louder than the background noise so there was no loud

noises distracting from what the interviewee was saying. We also smoothed out any errors in sound by using sound cross fades, we did this by using transitions and bending the sound to make it level off better.

Adobe Audition

We used the Paintbrush selection toSelect the unwanted noise (capture the Noise print), create another noise profile, and then use the sound remover effect.We were also enabled to removeAmbient noise by using the marquee Selection tool to select the background noiseWhich we didn’t want, capturing a noisePrint and then used the noise reductionEffect to remove it.

Process of changing sound levels

Sound levels

Sound bending, by dragging the yellow lines to make audio clips sound levels balanced.

EditingAnother big part of the documentary that we manipulated throughout the editing process was the sound levels. This is a key part that we worked hard on getting right, as this is a simple error that can make a video seem amateur. We smoothed out our sound issues by using sound cross fades, we did this by using transitions in the audio line, we also bent the sound to make it level off better too.

Once our clips were applied to our documentary, we could use audio transitions which made the documentary appear more professional and clean cut. We used transitions such as Film Dissolve, and Cross Dissolve.

Transitions placed over Our clips, which wereMainly Film Dissolve andCross Dissolve. We felt thesetransitions appeared mostProfessional and so used themconsistently throughout theDocumentary.

Editing We logged and transferred our clips, queueing up the shots we wanted to import and then transferred them into our project on Adobe Premiere Pro.

Once we had gathered all of our footage, we used the editing

Software Adobe Premiere Pro. To begin, we imported all

of our raw footage onto MAC computers by logging and

transferring it onto a new document. The programme enabled

us to pick out certain extracts from longer clips which we did

not need all the footage from. A key tool on the programme

which enabled us to do this was the razorblade tool on the

tool bar. It meant we could easily slice both audio and visual

clips with accuracy. This meant we could easily create

straight cuts.

Some of these clips were not used in our

Documentary. However, each clip was still

Shortened down to its most important quotes

so we had quick, easy access to the most

Important quotes. Adobe Premiere Pro was very

useful, as it enabled us to only take the most

Important extracts from our clips, meaning our documentary

Was both informative an effective, containing all relevant information.

We rejected clips which we felt would not benefit our documentary, and only transferred across clips which appeared professional and included the codes and conventions of the documentary genre.

EditingWe also used text overlays to label our interviewees and to generally display some information on the topic. This was to follow conventions and make it look professional. We also were able to chose the font and colour which we made consistent throughout the documentary. To make sure that the content within our frame was fitted proportionately and looked right we used the wire frame. This helped us to position clips exactly where we wanted them. We therefore avoided the risk of it getting cut off after we have exported the documentary.

To overlay the changing text and placement of the text we simply placed text

on top of the clip with it straight cutting over the top of the clip.

Editing Another feature we used within our documentary was speeding up

the title sequence to 2558.57%. This had a big impact on the footage but also added interest and variety to our documentary. The addition of the fast paced editing with added non-diegetic sound of a buzzing tattoo gun produced a memorable, attention grabbing beginning to our documentary.

Editing Using Adobe After Effects, we also produced a type writer

affect. By using the text tool, we typed a quote from our interview with tattoo enthusiast Carl McCoid, and then placed the affect “Typewriter affect” (type on text preset) in the animations folder, dragging this onto the layer and played it back until we were happy with the speed of the writing. We then imported this text over to Adobe Premiere Pro so we could use it in our documentary. We aimed for the text to follow the voiceover, which we achieved - so it aided what the voiceover was saying and supported it well.

We chose thisAffect as we felt It looked professional, And the type writer effect is commonly used withinDocumentaries.

Radio Trailer The radio trailer was produced fairly mostly from extracts already produced for our documentary.

We decided to use the same female voiceover as we had in our documentary – as if we had not done this, we felt the three products would be inconsistent with one another, and we would therefore fail at producing a product identity.. We wanted to keep it simple for it to appeal to the audience and for them to be intrigued to watch the documentary.

During the making of our voiceover, we encountered some issues. During the recording process of the voiceover, we failed to realise that the voice was not loud enough and we felt this would have highly affected the quality of our radio trailer. As a result, we re-attempted the voiceover the next day, ensuring the speaker was loud and clear; the voiceover came out significantly improved. And, with it, our ability to use hardware such as cameras and microphones improved,

Voiceover

Radio trailer

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In order to produce the radio trailer, we used the programme Garage band. We exported extracts from the documentary to which we felt were interesting. The clips were extracted from longer interviews, however using Garageband, we shortened the clips down so they were short and sharp. This was applied using the razor tool. We had the correct sound adjustments for music and voiceover which were made during the production of the documentary.

The voiceover was the dominant audio clip withinThe radio trailer, informing the audience of important Information such as date and time and showing of the documentary.

These extracts from the interviewAre much shorter than the voiceover clips. We wanted to include a variety of clips from our documentaryand so we kept each clip short and sharp to enable usTo fit in as many clips as we could.

Radio trailer

We also included a backing track within our documentary which we chose from a range of music clips. Examples included:

We chose to pick a track from the “pop” folder as we felt pop music is the most upbeat, entertaining choice of music for our documentary. We wanted to appeal predominantly to young people and it would seem as though young people are most interested in pop music.

We also used the loop feature so that we could get the music to loop giving us a theme that we could use in our media products.

EvaluationIn the creation of my evaluation, I used a mixture of both Microsoft WordAnd Microsoft PowerPoint. I then uploaded these documents to either Scribd orSlideShare, where they were able to embed into a blog post on our Blogger blog.For question 3, I used Prezi – Prezi is a slightly more creative approach, allowing Users to create interactive slideshows. This was useful as for this question I wantedTo display creatively made graphs and charts which we collected from our audience research.

Overall, these are the software products we used…

Prezi SlideShare Scribd Soundcloud Garageband Microsoft Powerpoint Adobe Photoshop Adobe Audition Microsoft Word Adobe Premiere Pro Youtube Blogger Whatsapp Snapchat Facebook Twitter Microsoft Word

Overall, the hardware products we used… Apple Mac computer Windows 7 computer Camera Microphone Headphones Mobile phones Printer