How did you use Media Technologies in the Research and Planning, Construction and

Evaluation stages?

Rhiannon Jenkins

Media Technologies

• Throughout the entire process of creating my trailer and two ancillary tasks, I have used many different types of media technologies to research, plan, construct and evaluate. I used online tools such as YouTube as well as Software such as Premiere Pro and Photoshop and Hardware such as Zoom Voice Recorders and Sony Video Cameras. This PowerPoint aims to outline the types of media technologies I used and what I used them for.

Hardware

FujiFilm Finepix S9600• I used the FujiFilm Finepix S9600 in the construction part of my

production to capture images for my ancillary tasks as well as the using it in the planning section to produce images for the mock-up magazine cover I created.

• Using the camera for my mock up images gave me time to get used to using it before the shoot for my actual task. I think this was really beneficial because it allowed me to plan more carefully how I was going to go about doing my final ancillary shoot.

Sony HDRSR8 Video Camera

• The Sony HDRSR8 video camera was a key media technology used in the construction of my trailer as all the footage for my trailer was filmed on it.

• Before taking the camera out to shoot the final product, I made sure I had practiced on it, by using people to stand in to do practice shots of some scenes that would be featured in the trailer. I found that the camera was really easy to use and was also very compact, which did not have a detrimental effect on the resultant footage at all.

• As well as using the camera in the construction portion, I also incorporated it into the research and planning sections of my coursework. I took the camera out location scouting with me so I was able to see what the locations looked like on moving camera rather than just in front of me. I also used the camera to shoot some of mine and my partner’s Production Meetings in which we discussed ideas regarding the audience and genre of the trailer we would be making together.

ZOOM H1 Voice Recorder

• This piece of hardware was used in the construction portion of my coursework. It allowed me to record voice-overs for the trailer, as a lot of the dialogue filmed on camera is not as clear as it is when reproduced on this device. We had already decided that because of this our trailer would feature many voiceovers that didn’t necessarily need to be matched up to footage of characters speaking.

• I liked using the ZOOM H1 recorder as it was very easy to use. You simply had to slide down a button on the side to turn it on or off and press the big red button to stop or start recording. Finally, in order to hear back what you have recorded, you just press the play button on the side.

• The pro’s of using the voice recorder was that we filmed everything on the video camera first and when we had the resultant footage, we were able to watch it back and record voice-overs that we thought would fit and add to the scenes being shown.

MAC Computer• The MAC computer is my most used piece of media technology as I have

used it throughout all stages of my coursework production.• Research: the MAC computer gave me access to the internet and sites

such as Google, which further gave me access to the online tools I needed to watch and analyse existing trailers (YouTube), access existing audience research (BFI website) and post out surveys that I had created myself to gain my own research(SurveyMonkey). The MAC is also home to software such as PowerPoint and Microsoft Word which are the programmes I used to document my findings and conclusions.

• Planning: I used Microsoft Word on the MAC to create production schedules, call sheets and any other type of paperwork that was needed to make sure that the construction of my products ran smoothly.

MAC Computer (cont)• Construction: I used a variety of different programmes that are only

available or run best on a MAC computer, such as Photoshop in which I edited my resultant images as well as creating skeletons and my actual magazine and posters. I also used Premiere Pro to crop, edit together and adjust the colour of my clips whilst piecing them together to create my trailer. I used LiveType which only runs on MAC’s to create my titles and company production logo.

• Evaluation: I have created the majortiy of this PowerPoint on a MAC computer as well as accessing the internet to

create Prezi’s which showcase my other evaulation questions.

iPhone• I used my iPhone for a few things throughout the process of creating my

coursework products: • Firstly, my iPhone was my main source of communication between myself

and my partner as we were able to easily call or text to discuss ideas. • My iPhone can access the web, making it easier to transfer information

and images straight to my Gmail account which I can access via a MAC or normal computer and then upload these things to my blog if needed.

• My iPhone was also used to take stills when out location scouting as it was of a slightly higher quality than the video camera,

meaning that I had some more detailed shots.

Software

Adobe Photoshop CS6• Adobe Photoshop CS6 allowed me to do a lot

creatively regarding my ancillary tasks. • Before I even thought about taking or editing any

images, I used Photoshop to create a skeleton layout of both my film magazine cover and poster so that once it came to the construction of the actual products, I had already planned out where everything would be placed.

• Straight after my ancillary shoot, I used the programme to create a contact sheet to view all of my resultant images. Having them all together made it easier to pick out the ones I would use as my final image for both magazine and poster.

• Most of what I altered in terms of the image itself was the ‘Brightness/Contrast’ and the ‘Color Balance’. I altered the brightness so that my actress’ face looked more illuminated against the darker background, as this way she would be the audiences first focus of attention.

• I edited the colour balance and as you can see in the screenshot to the right I’ve made the main colours that filter through predominantly shades of blue and cyan. I did this because I wanted the colour scheme of my ancillary tasks to mainly be blue, black and white to fit the genre so it made sense to filter this into the image itself.

Adobe Photoshop CS6 (cont)

Adobe Photoshop CS6 (cont)• The image to the right is one of my first attempts at

having one image behind the other. Photoshop allowed me to do this by placing the image of my actress over the image of a building. I then clicked on the eraser tool, having only highlighted the image of my actress (the top layer) which allowed me to rub out the background and have the building filter through. I made sure to have the eraser on the softest level it could be so that the edges didn’t look sharp and messy.

• As well as editing images, this programme allowed me to add other layers such as text boxes, shapes, barcodes and other images based on my skeleton layouts which made my ancillary products look all the more professional.

Final Cut Pro• I used Final Cut Pro to create my first videos showing two students in

college having conversations. The programme allowed me to cut clips, edit the colour of them, adjust the volume and piece them together as a finished product. Although this wasn’t technically part of my coursework, after using this programme and Premiere Pro, I decided to use Premiere Pro to create my final product on as for me it was easier to use and the results were better.

Adobe Premiere Pro• As stated before, I chose to use Adobe Premiere Pro to create my final

trailer on. As well as this I used it to create my Location Scouting video in the planning stage of my coursework which allowed me to get used to the way it worked and some of the effects I could expect to use when constructing my final product.

• I edited a lot of my shots by lowering red in the colour balance, leaving a majority of green but mostly blue. I did this because I wanted to create a chilling effect and appeal the supernatural thriller genre.

Adobe Premiere Pro (cont)• One of the major things I edited on a lot

of clips in my trailer was the lighting. Firstly, to again accent the blue tones I wanted to seep through I put an “Omni” light over the top of some scenes with the main colour being a pale blue which created a ghostly feel.

•However, I felt that this wasn’t making the clips dark enough so I added a black video over the top. In this I added an inverted circle, made it black and feathered the edges which made a vignette effect. I applied this over every clip in my trailer to create a more tense and dark atmosphere.

Adobe Premiere Pro (Cont)• I will talk later on in the PowerPoint about the titles I made in LiveType but

once I added them into my trailer I noticed that the pace they moved at did not fit the trailer that well. I decided to edit this in Premiere Pro by speeding up the entrance of the text and then freezing it for longer on the still title itself. I did this by razoring the clip at the exact moment the title had entirely entered and then held the frame so that it did not move. I then dipped the clip to black so it had a ‘fade out’ effect.

• I used the Dip to Black effect right at the very start of my trailer too, to create an effect as if the camera was someone’s eyes blinking. The shot shows Adam looking straight into the camera as if it is a person and the injections of Dip to Black create a realistic blinking effect.

Adobe Premiere Pro (cont)• I sped up some clips such as those of the two

protagonists running through the woods in order to create tension and to keep the narrative within the trailer moving forward as it is only a teaser so there is not as much time as a theatrical trailer.

• Another effect I used in this programme was the Additive Dissolve. I used this to dissolve the screen from a coloured shot to a black and white shot to create the effect of a flashback. I went to effects, then selected Additive Dissolve and dropped it over the portion of the frame I wanted it to change over.

Adobe After Effects• I tried out After Effects and have

made a video showing what I can do on it. However, I decided that this programme wasn’t really for me. I managed to get all of the effects I wanted on Premiere Pro and decided to do my production company logo and text/titles on LiveType as it had more options that I felt I could be more creative with whereas on After Effects I felt I would be stuck with a boring font that looked like it was ripped off of a word document.

LiveType•I used LiveType to create both my Production Company Logo as well as all of the intertitles in my final trailer. •For my Production Company Logo I used two text effects as well as an effect that creates a flashing light behind to make it appear a bit more majestic than the titles. I used inspiration from New Line Cinema’s logo in terms of colour.•To adhere to conventions, I also made the titles a similar colour to the logo to create more of a brand. In LiveType I decided to add three different types of text effects to create a supernatural-esque entrance for the text which adheres to the genre.

PowerPoint•PowerPoint made it easy for me to quickly put together data I had collected from research and I used this programme to compile a lot of my research and planning which was then posted onto my blog. •I also used PowerPoint to create my “Initial Ideas” presentation which I then showed to the class to get my first lot of feedback. This was the point where I began to see the direction my products were going to go in in terms of genre and target audience. •I put my Codal Analysis and Detailed Research onto PowerPoints which were easy for me to go back to if I ever needed reminding of conventions of genre or some inspiration.

Microsoft Word• I used Microsoft Word mostly in the planning

part of my coursework. This programme was the perfect place to create simple but professional looking documents such as call sheets, location release and talent release forms. As these documents were going to be used by other people such as the actors and people who owned the locations I wanted them to look as realistic as possible and this programme allowed that.

• I also used Microsoft Word to create my shoot plan and production schedule by inserting tables which allowed me to organise things easily by listing times and dates in alignment with what needed to be done at that point. This helped me stay organised and on top of things whilst continuing to plan and eventually construct my products.

Online Tools

YouTube•I used YouTube in the research stage of my coursework to analyse already existing film trailers of the same genre I was planning to create. Doing this allowed me to pick out codes and conventions that I could apply to my own trailer.•As well as being a viewing platform, I also used YouTube to upload my own videos. I uploaded a Production Meeting to show myself and Yasmin’s individual contributions and ideas that we had found through our own research. •YouTube allowed me to upload multiple versions of my trailer as it was under construction. At around the third edit of my trailer I began posting it to social media sites in order to gain feedback as to how it could be improved. After getting feedback, I could then upload the newer version.

Gmail•I used Gmail as a form of communication between myself and my partner as it allowed us to send information such as copies of signed talent and location release forms and images needed for location scouting within the planning part of the portfolio. •As well as this, using my Gmail account meant that I could send images taken on my iPhone to myself, as my Gmail account can be opened on both a computer/MAC as well as on my phone. Once they had been transferred to a computer/MAC I was able to then upload them to my blog.

Prezi•Prezi is an online site that allows you to present information in an interesting way. Although they are sometimes a bit harder to create as you have to take notice of the paths that take you from one point to another, they are more visually appealing than a PowerPoint usually is, but I feel that may be because they are usually designed to carry less information.

•I used Prezi to create presentations for tasks such as planning and research into main task and ancillary tasks as I felt that after doing my research into the genre as a whole, I had a wide enough knowledge to pick out the most important bits which would be included on my Prezi.

Blogger• Blogger is an online platform where I am documenting my work and progress as

I go along. Every time I finish a piece of research, planning or a new edit of one of my productions I would post it on my blog to show my progress. Having this blog means you can clearly see the journey from where the research I have done has helped shape my ideas and filtered into the planning process of my productions, which again then filters into the way the filming and shooting of my products has been done. For example, my audience research showed that they wanted a thriller trailer, which resulted in my research into codes and conventions of this genre. Now that I knew the conventions I was able to find locations and actors etc that fitted these requirements and was able to plan the

shooting with them. I then moved onto construction and post production, all the time adhering to these conventions. All of this is evidenced on my Blogger.

SlideShare•SlideShare is a website that allows you to upload files such as Word Documents and PowerPoint presentations which can then be embedded onto other sites. This was a very useful online tool for me, particularly in the research and planning stages as I was able to upload all of my research that was complied on these sorts of files and embed them straight onto my blog. It was also very handy in the planning stage for files such as my Production Schedule, which I embedded on my blog and constantly referred back to.

Social Media Sites•I used social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get audience feedback in the research and construction stages. •In the research stage I posted my initial survey on these sites to get a wide range of people to undertake it, which is where I began in terms of genre.•I posted drafts of my ancillary and main tasks on these sites and asked audiences to fill out a survey which I linked asking what they thought of them. This allowed me to see what audiences would be looking for and might alert me as to things I may have missed and should have been included.

Survey Monkey• I used Survey Monkey to create my first survey which asked audiences

questions regarding their favourite type of genre and what they would want featured in a film trailer or on a magazine cover and film poster. This research allowed me to pick a genre and hone in on it’s conventions which I then applied to the creation of my products.

•To the right I have added a screenshot of one of the surveys I used to get feedback for my ancillary tasks in the construction stage. All I wanted was for them to tell me what they liked and disliked about both of my products and this seemed like the easiest, most structured way to do it, and it was. Doing it on SurveyMoney also meant I could easily gather my results rather than scrolling through unorganised Facebook comments.

Sound Effects• freeSFX is a website that has loads of free sound effects that can be

downloaded. I went through many of them during the construction stage of my trailer as I wanted to create more of an atmosphere with sound effects but the only one I decided on using was a breathing sound effect as it matched up really well to a shot I was using in my final piece and created tension which was a plus for the genre.

• Incompetech.com is a site that has lots of free royalty-free music composed by Kevin Macleod. They can be easily downloaded free of charge and I used three of these tracks in my trailer and one as the sound in my production company logo.

Empireonline.com•One of my ancillary tasks was a film magazine cover taking a lot of it’s inspiration from Empire magazine. I used their website very often to pick up conventions when planning my own product as they have a huge archive of all the past covers. This website also had very up-to-date film news so I used a lot of their headlines and stories as coverlines when constructing my own magazine cover.

BBC – script format• I used a PDF file on the BBC

website that described exactly how to present a screenplay whilst actually having it presented as a screenplay itself which was very helpful. I used this in the planning stage of my coursework to create a 4 page sample script of which I used when filming portions of my trailer to create a better sense of verisimilitude with regards to the actors parts. It also enabled me to imagine other parts of the narrative in a clearer light.

Video Copilot

• Video Copilot is a website I came across whilst searching the best way to create a billing block. This site provided me with a free font and template for a billing block which really helped speed up my constrction process, especially as I had never made one before so did not have an existing template.

Google• Last but not least, Google is the most important online tool for me as it is

the starting point for finding any OTHER online tool. Google provided me with almost all of the film posters and magazine covers I initially analysed which allowed me to plan my own using research I gained from this.

• Google also allowed me access to BFI data and FilmSixty’s findings which contributed to my secondary audience research, and made it clearer to me what the audience was looking for and what aspects I should be focusing on when creating my products.

• Google is where I first looked for a billing block template, video tutorials, media packs such as Empire’s, talent and location release form templates and a script format. It has given me easy access to all of these which has greatly aided me in all aspects of my coursework creation.