Evaluation Question 4

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

This video shows me and the other members of my group filming a scene for our trailer. The easiest thing about recording scenes for the trailer was the fact that we used my own camera instead of camera that was distributed to use by the school. This meant that I already knew most of the features on the camera so we didn't have to waste time learning anything new, which also saved us time during the filming process. We used this form of technology throughout the planning and construction sections of this project.

This is a screenshot during the editing process of my horror trailer. This was the first time I had ever created a trailer using a program like Windows Movie Maker but I believe I did very good job in utilising this software. At the start of the editing process I was quite competent in using Movie Maker because I had used it in AS Media to create a simple video for my evaluation. The skills I used/acquired in this editing process was much more advanced than the Video I made last year. This is because I had to apply a lot more cuts and fades to meet the conventions of horror trailers, whereas the video I created last year only needed Raw footage that didn't really need to be edited in any way. I used Windows Movie Maker at the Construction stage of my Project, solely for editing my trailer.

Google was the main Search Engine I used in this Project. I have been using Google for many years so it wasn't really a "new technology" to me. I used it for researching film posters, trailers, film magazines, the horror genre, editing techniques and many more. It was extremely useful in giving me instant information whenever I needed it. I used Google throughout ALL the stages of this project (research/plannning/construction/evaluation) to assist me with my work.

Prezi is another media technology that I had already used last year. It is useful in creating unique presentations with a classy edge over Software like Microsoft Powerpoint. I only used Prezi through the Evaluation stage of my project, to assist me to create an effective answer for Evaluation Question 1.

Blogger is a media technology that I was introduced to at the start of this A-Level Media Course. My experience of it in AS Media, was that it is useful in uploading work onto the Internet. Throughout AS Media and A2 Media, Blogger has helped me to post all my work onto its secure website, so that it can be easily marked by my teachers. I have used blogger throughout ALL the stages of this project (research/plannning/construction/evaluation) to constantly update my work.

Youtube is another media technology that I have been using for many years now, so I am used to its features. It is mainly useful for watching or uploading videos, to be commented on, liked or disliked. I used Youtube during the Research and Construction stages of my project. I used it to watch and analyse trailer for my research and to Upload my own trailer for comments, mainly from my target audience; as this is a website that they would often use.

Ulead Photoimpact is a photo-editing software that I have been using for over 5years now. My experience in using this software allowed me to create high quality and effective designs for my Film poster and magazine in AS Media and A2 Media, which shows a growth in my ability of this software. I used this software during the Construction stage of my project when creating my film poster and magazine.

DaFont is a website of freely downloadable fonts. Fonts are categorized by theme, and can also be sorted by name, date, and popularity. The site also allows users to enter custom text when previewing fonts. It was extremely useful during the Planning & Construction stages of my project as I was deciding which fonts to use on my media products.

The camera I used for photo taking/video recording was Casio Exilim 7.2. Some of the camera shots in my Trailer were shaky as our group wanted to create this effect. We used a tripod with our camera for steady shots like pans and tilts). I have used this camera on many occasions because it is mine so I usually take it to social events. I have recorded many videos and taken pictures in the past with this camera, which benefited me a lot in this project alongside my knowledge of camera angles, shot composition, editing techniques, etc. I mainly used the camera through the Planning & Construction stages of my project to take photos for my film poster, magazine and to record all my groups footage for our trailer. 

My 16GB SanDisk USB is one of the most important media technologies in my life because it allows me to carry large amounts of documents, videos, pictures on the go. I have used my SanDisk USB throughout ALL the stages of this project (research/plannning/construction/evaluation) to constantly edit my work, from any computer possible as this device is easily portable. I also stored all my filming footage, film poster, film magazine, trailer and all my other work for my project on this USB.

Overall, this project has turned me into a sophisticated media student, who is great at creating media products or analysing current media products. All of the technologies I used last year helped me save alot of time this year, which gave me more time to quickly learn the newer technologies. I enjoyed this project and the valuable skills I learnt will help me in the future as media technologies are always advancing.