HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PLANNING, RESEARCH,

CONSTRUCTION AND EVALUATION STAGES?

Jahannara Alihttp://cfgsjahannara.blogspot.co.uk/

During the course of making our film, we engaged in using a range of

different media products , platforms and software.

RESEARCH

Internet – We used the internet to research about different drama films. It was a huge advantage because we were able to understand our genre and it gave us more knowledge on how our film should be as a drama film.

By using the internet, I was able to access many websites such as the BBC Film Network which I used to watch shot drama films similar to our story and reviewed it. This was an excellent tool because I learned what conventions /elements of a drama film was needed for it to be successful.

Other websites included Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB & Youtube which were most useful because I watched different trailers of drama films such as ‘The Descendant’ and read comments from different critics. This in turn made me acknowledge what people want from a drama film also, it told me what is typically expected in a trailer for a drama film.

However, challenges I faced often with Youtube and IMDB were that it was blocked so I could only do this research at home. However, after talking to my teacher, he got the websites authorised so it was accessible.

Using the iPhone I was able to access websites such as Youtube at any time for research about our film. This was good because I could do research outside of school whilst I was travelling. It was also effecient.

Using my Nokia (C3) I took the initiative to illustrate camera shots by taking pictures of my nieces using shots such as headroom, lead room etc. This was a good tool because it made the learning process of camera shots much more interesting and interactive. Below are example of the shot, headroom and how it should be used.

We used Survey Monkey to create a an audience survey where we came up with different questions in order to gain knowledge of what the audience expect in a drama film. We had about 12 – 13 questions .This was an extremely useful website as we were able to ask the audience what they want so we could make our drama film as good as possible.

Using my Facebook and email, I was able to post the audience survey up for various people to give feedback on. By doing this we managed to get fast responses as many people are a part of a Facebook and for them, completing a questionnaire in this form was more engaging than other forms such as a paper version.

PLANNING

Using Microsoft Word we created our film scripts, radio trailer scripts, contracts, consent forms and timetables allowing us be competent in doing these jobs and actually allowing it to happen. For example, without the script we would not have been able to make the film.

We not only used our phones, Facebook and email for research but also to communicate with each other at any time of the day and, to contact out actors quickly. For example, when we decided to re-film a scene again we used our phones and email to contact the actors and ask them if they were able to film on the same day.

The problem with Facebook and Hotmail was that it was blocked and it could not be authorised by the school at all, so we had no choice but to access Facebook at home and sometimes on our phone.

CONSTRUCTION

We used a Cannon camera to shoot our film

We used the iMac computer to access various software's. However, problems we often faced were that the iMac computer was operating very slow at times especially were there were different software's open at the same time. However if there was an activity that didn’t need to be done on the same computer one of us would complete it using another so it we did not waste time.

Bluetooth – we used Bluetooth on both our phones and the imac’s to send and receive pictures of us whilst we were filming. This was needed for our blog.

The software we used to edit our film was Final Cut Pro . It was an excellent software because we were able to use the razorblade tool to cut certain parts of a scene if we didn’t like it or to copy it somewhere else. It also had a range of effects such as the fade in and out which we used a lot in to make our film more dramatic and effective. One of the most useful things we did was slow down the pace and camera work of a particular scene to try and blend a mistake in a camera shot in. Not only did it do this but it also added en emotional and effective essence to the scene.

I was in charge of creating the title for our film and the credits. I used Livetype for the title and iMovie for the credits. Livetype was extremely useful because there were a range of different fonts for me to choose from the most appropriate type for our film. I used ‘spotlight’ font to created the title for our company and it came in an indigo colour which was perfect for our film. To edit our radio trailer used Audacity. This was a brilliant software because we were able to create a radio trailer in a quick space of time. The trim tool was most useful because we could efficiently trim parts of an audio which we didn’t need.

To create our poster we used Photoshop on the iMac. With this software we were able to create the poster we wanted as it allowed us to import significant pictures and place them where we want. We were also be able to create a split (four boxes) which we wanted to reflect the political ideology in our film which was very important.

To collect poignant music for out radio trailer and film, we used the internet to download ‘Royalty Free Sounds’ and music. This was good because it allowed us to look at a range of different sounds/music clips to pick the best one.

EVALUATION

I used blogger to record every step of my research, planning and construction of the film. I uploaded PowerPoint, wrote reviews and much more. It was very good because it allowed me to upload anything such as a podcast or video.

I used Microsoft PowerPoint to illustrate the audience feedback from the questionnaire. It was an excellent evaluating tool as I was able to make many graphs or tables to show what the audience wanted.

I used an mp3 recorder to record some feedback on our film from other class members and friends. It was good as it allowed us to engage with different technologies and really get a feel of what the audience want.

We used a video camera to film our audience feedback to the film ‘During the Riots’. We recorded the audience’s reaction to the film and later engaged in a discussion with them about the things that worked in our film and those that did not. We also asked them questions. They gave a very detailed response but the video camera was most effective because it showed the audience’s genuine reaction to the film in which we used to conclude the success of our film.

To gather more feedback on our film, we posted the film up on Facebook, Blogger and YouTube.This allowed us to get a range of responses . However, there were difficulties trying to paste the ‘embed’ code onto the blogger website. However, after a little help this problem was solved.

To reflect upon how we used, challenged or developed conventions, we used a HTC phone to record our discussion.