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How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

+Digital Technology.

Everything I have created within this advanced portfolio brief uses convergence and somehow links varied forms of technology.

I will now explore the many varied forms this took, and in what ways it contributed to the overall effectiveness of my three final products pieces, ultimately creating a marketable brand.

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Digital Cameras

Initial Filming

+Our first technological equipment

All our filming was produced through use of digital cameras borrowed from the college. We had brief time to use them and practice various camera angles before filming began.

They were simple to use, and effective in the footage outcome. Often we found it difficult to locate footage, but managed eventually. The main problem was the lack of lighting source from them, as

at specific periods during filming, it became too dark to continue, as we had no source of energy from which to plug in a lighting source.

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Mac Computers

Various software

Uploading footage

and editing

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All footage retrieved from the digital cameras were uploaded directly onto the Mac computers. New to us, we found this at first difficult to comprehend, due to the entirety of the software varying to the common Windows set up.

We uploaded the footage to the software Final Cut Pro.

We then began the process of editing. This was solely completed on Final Cut Pro. Initially it was difficult to get to grips with how it all fits together and understand how the editing process would work.

Eventually we managed to successfully piece together the clips

Footage upload Editing

+Garage band

To add create and develop a realistic soundtrack that would effectively add tension and a sinister atmosphere to our film, we used the software Garage band, another piece we had never previously used within Media.

It provided lists of sound effects and pre recorded music that we could piece together, play in sync, and develop a soundtrack that could run along side our film. It was then converted to mp3 via iTunes, and imported.

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Mac Computers

Photoshop

Production of

Ancillaries

+Photoshop

For the first task, I found the production of the article enjoyable. I used various tools like the magic eraser and created an effective background, uploading still shots from film footage and font variants from www.dafont.com

This was the main medium I used to develop and create my ancillary tasks.

Because I have used it previously, throughout my foundation production, I found it easier to maneuver and could create desired effects with much more ease.

Ancillary task two was not as enjoyable, as I found it difficult to form a layout I was happy with. Overall, I enjoyed using the Photoshop software, as it created an effective professional finish to my pieces, and was much more easy to use than it had been in my foundation coursework.

+Da Font.

I used this website throughout to gather font styles that I incorporated into both of my ancillary tasks. By typing in what phrase I needed, and taking a screenshot of the preview provided, I could easily edit, enlarge or alter the colour of it within the software Photoshop. It added a sense of professionalism to my texts, as I did not have to use simple fonts easily recognized as computerized, like Times new Roman.

+My Blog

As a whole, the entire concept of my blog has enabled me to present and show evidence of my extensive audience and film research, as well as act as a platform for the distribution and marketisation of my ancillary tasks and final short film piece. It was created through www.blogger.com, and I thoroughly enjoyed using it. It was simple, incorporated many various mediums, and produced a technological form of assessment.

+Prezi

www.prezi.com was used to create online presentations that differed from ordinary powerpoints, adding an element of user capabilities to change and alter how it is viewed.

It was simple to use, effective in adding a multimedia angle to an ordinary presentation, and created interesting pieces of work that show my varied uses of technology.

+Soundcloud

www.soundcloud.com was used to upload the soundtrack to the film files. It converted them within an mp3 format, and enabled me to embed it into my blog.

+Slideshare

I used slideshare to upload this Powerpoint, as well as others, so they could be embedded into my blog to show evidence of research and planning. It is simple enough technology to work with, and presents the PowerPoint in a basic and easily-viewable way.

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Communication

Web 2.0

+Its Use

Computers have added new levels of simplicity to our life. We can now work from the comfort of our own home, email long lost friends or relatives from across the world, or even live a new life through the internet, with websites like “Second Life”.

Through the development and expansion of web 2.0 , communication via the internet has expanded enormously. The capabilities to talk to people across the world have never been so simple, and it has allowed media products to reach a global market, rather than a regional.

My IT skills have developed enormously through the production of this work. If they had not, I would never have been able to produce professional final pieces. It has developed through use of new apple software such as Final Cut Pro and Photoshop, giving me the skills to alter and edit any formats of work to a high standard.

+Problems and Filming

There have been several problems I have encountered on the way. Often, files could not be uploaded due to being saved in the wrong format, like mp3, and it has hindered my production. Footage has been lost, and due to the sole production being technological, the computers network could often go down, preventing me from continuing my work.

The theme of my film required me to think about technology, as it addresses the necessity of it in modern life. They are trapped in the middle of a forest, relying on the technology of their mobile phones to get help. Also, the technological aspect of the car that got them into their predicament addresses its usefulness, but also its capability for destruction.