Question 6

Question 6 – what have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

Upon creating our final media project we have been introduced to many new technologies that allowed us to express our work creativity and create our final project that reflected the required criteria.

During the research and planning progress, we had to present our ideas in a unique and creative way, I done this by using the presentation software Prezi this software allows the user to create a presentation that can include sound, video or photos I was introduced to this software as I never heard of it until it was recommended. At first I found it very hard to use as it had unique features that I’ve never been witnessed before. As the software was new to me at times I did have to do things again because I didn’t use the software correctly. Prezi is refreshing software compared to the popular Microsoft PowerPoint that is also presentation software. However Prezi allowed me to zoom into slides to show significance of text in addition to this you can embed the presentation easily onto our blog.



When presenting out ideas we also used a software similar to Prezi called Slideshare this was another presentation software that had a strong resemblance to PowerPoint it gave the user the ability to upload a ppt onto slideshare and embed it easily to a blog however there are some differences between the two such as simple features and clear layouts that shows text appropriately. I used slideshare in my first post for reviewing an opening sequence I developed skills using slideshare as when started to use different features I discovered you can add music to accompany specific slides I used this feature when speaking about the soundtrack of Memento the music was accompanying the slide. 
I have never been comfortable using a Mac as im use to working on windows PC. However throughout the year I'm now accustomed to how they work. Obviously some controls are very different and it still do make some mistakes. But I have learnt macs are brilliant they have a very advanced desktop system that allows the user to work on two projects or more at a time furthermore its software such as imovie, final cut, live type and garage band have all helped me to exceed expectations of the film.




Prior to editing our film, we of course had to film, using the following equipment a camera and a tripod. We first learnt how to use these tools in our media induction ever since being shown, I now know how to set up a tripod correctly:

 
We of course also used a camera, we choose to use Samsung WB750. 

 This camera allows the user to take advanced shots, it offers Full 1080p High Definition video clips at 1920x1080 pixels. Videos can be paused mid-record and recording then re-started, so the user can therefore perform rudimentary 'editing' as they shoot, the feature of 18x optical zoom allowed me to take advantage of close ups. After recording we had to upload are footage onto to macs we done this by putting our SD card in the card reader.

 It was integral after the footage was imported that you ejected the card reader safely, or you could run the risk of loosing your work or damaging your hardware.

When moving on to creating music for our opening sequence we used Gargageband a software exclusive to Mac Computers. We used this software as our music had to be copyright free, we know what we wanted our music to sound like so we created it using this software , it has many features such as virtual software instruments we used this to create high pitch violin sounds to create tension in the opening seconds of our sequence; moreover it helped us draw an emotional response from the audience not only because the instrument sounded realistic but we had the ability to adjust parameters creating a sound that we desired for our piece. We created a good score that reflected fear and panic in our opening sequence however if we had to use the technology again we should of planned and took more care and time as we didn’t realise how hard it would be to create a score from scratch also we spent a lot of time experimenting with instruments when we should of planned what sound we required. Moreover we should have made our self-aware of the limitations.

Garage band has such as there is limited choice when choosing pitches and intervals.

Interestingly after our videography was complete we moved on to title, when we had to carry out this process I was not aware we had to use the software live type. This is another software exclusive to the mac which was brand new to me, in previous experiences of creating films I have used windows movie maker when creating titles but It was recommended I use live type to create a professional like film. As I was new to the software I had to familiarize myself with the features like adding textures, fonts, objects templates and effects. I also found I could place my movie as a background in order to see where my titles will look best on the screen.  Through using this software continuously I have developed a further understanding and can now experiment and produce my titles creatively for example I can control how the text follows whether that be on curved or shaped paths.

In addition to live type, I also used final cut express to edit my movie all together. This program is much more advanced than imovie as it has less limitations for creativity. imovie allows you to create quite simple videos, but in the criteria it states we must make a professional like film; final cut express allows you to to create movies that are professional and refined if you put in a large amount of time.

Question 7

Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

When reflecting upon the past months and when we created our first video which was our preliminary exercise; at the time I had little knowledge on shot types,editing terms and techniques. But now I have completed my final product I have expertise in media terminology and how to successively film using the appropriate techniques. When looking at my Preliminary exercise, I met the requirements of using the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot/reverse shot, but did not exceed the requirements. For example  we used match on action, when the subject ( Me) is seen walking towards the door and opening in then the shot cuts to the subject walking through the door, we edited these shots so they look seamless. At the time I was not clear how to edit this so the cuts in the shot were not noticeable and the subjects stayed in the same place, in order to not disirorentate the audience, in which we could of slightly. But using this as experience in my final project I was aware this technique of continuity editing must portray a continuous sense of the same action instead of two matching actions. As you can see in the video below when the subject ( in red)walks through they are standing straight, when they should be at an angle as it looks like they have moved over to the left a little, in addition to this when looking at eye line match, the subject is looking over the person. Thus the camera is in the wrong place as it should be at a high angle as the subject in red is looking down at the subject in blue. A successful eye-line match maintains the eye-line when cutting from a character to what the character sees, It puts the audience in the position of the characters. In the final project we thought it was not appropriate to use eye-line match as we didn't want the audience to know the threat, so we choose to show what the characters were looking at, almost to create the fear of the unknown. It also enhanced that the characters were isolated.    

Moreover when looking at whats in the frame and the rule of thirds, we didn't use the guideline well. The rule of thirds creates nine imaginary sections, that creates reference points which act as guides when framing a image; in our primarily exercise, unfortunately we left a video bag in our frame, now I know not to leave any unwanted material in shot of the camera, this silly mistake made the product look unfinished and amateur. However in my final product I have not made such mistakes for example when structuring shots in my film I have made sure every item in the shot is suppose to be there. For example:

 As you can see above the shot is clearly structured, there is no unwanted materials in shot and the rule of thirds have been used appropriately as the bracelet is 1/3 across the frame, rather than in the center. Where it would look odd; Here we have used the medium closeup this is half way between a mid shot and a close up. this shot allows the audience to see the significance of the bracelet without getting uncomfortably close. In our final project and preliminary exercise we did not break the 180 degree rule. The videos below demonstrate this:

 It is integral 180 degree rule is not broken when shooting action, as the audience can become confused if the people in the shot move around. As a result of this continuity can become broken, the line can only be broken if its shown by camera movement. In our preliminary exercise we did not use intricate editing techniques like in our final product. For demonstration in our final project we used cross cutting. This is when we cut between two separate scenes happening in two separate locations at the same time.

 We used cross cutting to illustrate a link between the dice and the unknown female. The length of the time between cuts also sets a rhythm for the rest of the scene. Which is slow paced editing which metaphorically shows how long it takes for the threat to decide the fate of the characters. Moreover the use of slow pace editing in this part allows us to drawn an emotional response from the audience, which we want them to evoke pathos for the girls that have been kidnapped.

There is difference in quality of shots between the preliminary experience and final product.

 1. Use of close ups vs            

The first image is from the preliminary exercise, a close up is suppose to take up most of the frame, image one does not do that. But the second image from my takes up most of the frame and draws the reader to the characters facial expressions.

2. Use of lighting:

Vs

(image 1)The light in from the window in some shots creates a harsh light or dark shadows this makes the shot not as clear as it could be, to solve this problem I would consider changing the location or put the camera in front of the light source instead of facing it.  Image 2: I have used low key lighting successively to make the setting look unsafe.

Final Sequence

Roll the Dice