Evaluation question 4

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

I was required to engage with a wide variety of media technologies throughout the research and planning, and production, stages of my documentary and its ancillary productions.

The main software that I engaged with throughout the creation of my main product was Premiere Pro. This was something that prior to the beginning of my A2 course I had never utilised before. Initially I was only familiar with how to use the most basic of tools, such as placing files, confining them within different folders and inserting my footage in the order that I desired. However as my production progressed I was urged to experiment with and explore more and more of the effects available within this programme, an important aspect when aiming to achieve the highest possible standard of production. This lead to my viewing of multiple YouTube tutorials, learning how to use an array of tools, such as the 'Ken Burns' effect, which proved to be the most challenging at first, however enabled me to achieve a far more refined and dynamic production. The Ken Burns technique is defined by the Digitization Guidelines Glossary as:

"A post-production technique of embedding still photographs in motion pictures or animated slide shows, displayed with slow zooming and panning effects. "

Another feature that I learned how to use effectively via YouTube tutorials was the ability to fade audio. This was an especially important aspect within my documentary, given that constantly throughout there were different audio clips being introduced and layered, being my soundtrack and various voice over clips. I feel as though being able to gradually fade these both in and out of the audio, contributed greatly to the success of my production as a whole, making it appear far more professional and polished. Without these smooth transitions, the early drafts of the documentary felt very disjointed.

Photoshop was another software that I was required to utilise not only during the construction of my ancillary products, but also within my documentary itself. It was a necessary tool when creating the subtitles that I would include, as well as the introductory title shot (see below) before embedding them within my documentary. However it was during the construction of my print advertisement that I used Photoshop the most. Firstly there was the editing of the image, adjusting the basic elements, such as the brightness levels, exposure and tone. I also needed to reverse the image that I chose to use, in order to allow enough room for the text box and logo to be located in the conventional area of a Channel4 ad, which were also created using Photoshop.

For my TV listings magazine feature, Adobe InDesign was the basis of my work. This was the only software that was necessary in the construction of this ancillary product. Since I already had previous experience with this software having used it during my AS course, I had quite a clear understanding as to how to use it. I began by laying the basic foundations of my double page spread, inserting columns into the correct region and placing all of the images in the positions that I had planned within my sketches and drafts. I felt that I was able to use InDesignin far greater depth in comparison to last year. As you can see from the screenshot below I learnt to effectively use grids and guides to successfully construct my page. Attention to detail is key when designing the composition of the page; ensuring that text, columns, headings and images are all accurately aligned is hugely important.

Regarding the research and planning portion of my course work, Blogger.com was the main software that I used to both document and review my work. This was a programme that I was very familiar with having used it during my AS course, and feel as though it is an extremely easy way to record and look back over your work in an organised and clear manner. Staying organised during pre-production is hugely important to ensure that all the necessary planning is completed and logged. I also used YouTube, All4 and BBC iPlayer when completing my research into existing products. These digital, online and on-demand video services allowed me to easily access a large range of television and documentary content, pausing it at my own convenience to make notes and analyse specific conventions and techniques. In addition to this there were other programmes that I utilised on my blog to enhance my posts and make them more dynamic and interesting for the reader. I did not use a great deal of these, however the main one that I used quite often was Slide Share. The insertion of Power Points is a simple and easy way to make what could have just been pages of writing and images, into a far more visually engaging post for readers. Also it was a highly useful thing to do when annotating various images for my ancillary product research.

A final area of media technology that I used was hardware. I used a DSLR Canon EOS 700D camera to complete my filming, along with various other lighting and tripod equipment. I also experimented with the camera, completing three main shoots of filming, to ensure that I used to camera to its full capability. The first time around I ensured that I used the camera smoothly and effectively. The second time around I experimented with zooms, pans and tilts, whereas the third and final shoot was to use the shallow and deep focus settings on the camera. Using these additional features on the camera allowed me to create a more professional product; an entire five minute documentary without any variation in camera shows would have been unappealing to my target audience.

I have therefore used a good range of media technology throughout the project. Many of them I used in my Foundation Portfolio, but I have developed my confidence and overall ability with each of them. It is important to use a range of technology throughout all stages of production (including pre and post production) to ensure that the product is able to appeal to audiences in the digital age.