Short Film With Director's Commentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2vegNeuGQc&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
Technologies have been used throughout the various stages of the construction, research, planning, and evaluation stages.
I have used the internet blogging software “Blogger” across all three stages of production. This has had a positive influence on the coursework as it has helped with organization and time management of different tasks, due to the publishing options including the dates and times. It has made for easy reference, for example during the filming, the shooting script and costume designs had to be referred to, to ensure consistency. “Blogger” made this a simpler task as it is highly accessible and easily displayed, as opposed to paper plans that could be easily lost or misplaced.
During research I used the internet and browser software such as “Google Chrome” and “Mozilla Firefox” in conjunction with online communities such as “YouTube” to research and analyze the different forms of media, and view professionally made short films, and film posters. These programs made searching for the correct media simpler and more effective. I also used them to browse websites such as IMDB for ratings and audience feedback on similar media products.
During the planning process a Fuji film digital camera was used to take the shots of the drawn storyboard for the short film. These shots were then uploaded to a laptop, and imported into Windows Movie Maker to turn them into an animatic storyboard. After publishing the animatic story board to my computer I uploaded it into my blog, this software made it possible for me to display how I wanted the shot sequence to play out in the final cut. Also in the planning the Microsoft software Publisher was used to create the layouts of the double page spread and poster, as well as the mood board this saved time as it was not required for the layout to be scanned, and improved the accuracy and quality, as they were not hand drawn.
To create the questionnaire results in graph and chart form for the questionnaire data analysis, the Microsoft program Excel was used to input data and export it into these forms, this made the information easier to understand, and more efficiently displayed.
During the production of the short film the program Final Cut was used to capture the shots from the film camera, import the shots into a sequence and make the sequence formatted for editing. It has a selection of effects and transitions, for example the ability to fade shots into each other, change the speed of clips, and add special effects such as smoke and lighting. It also has the option to add credits and a title, which was very useful as this was an essential aspect of the product.
Adobe Photoshop CS3 was used to edit the photographs and add the text for the poster. This advanced software program made the end product look more professional and was a large part of making this product a success. This program was also used to edit the photographs for the double page spread review before they were exported into Adobe InDesign which was used to create the review. This program auto-creates columns and texts boxes, and simplifies the process of creating a double page spread. It also assisted in creating a more professional a real looking end product.
During the evaluation of the product, Garage Band was used to create the podcast to show how the media products used, developed and challenged forms and conventions of real media products. This software made it possible to produce a slide show of screen shots of the construction process, as well as record a voice over explaining the creation, and backing music for a multi media podcast. An online program called Zoho Show was used to create a PowerPoint that can be viewed on the blog and compares the different products and displays the information in a way that makes it easy for the viewer to understand.
Different programs and levels of technology were used throughout the research, planning, construction, and evaluation of the product, and assisted in making each stage of the product easier to create and more successful.
