How did you use media technologies

in the construction and research,

planning and evaluation stages?
What equipment have I used?
 The simple use of text connotes the simplicity of
• Photoshop Cs4 the film, with the colour representing the nature
aspect through the journey of this character in
This programme was extremely my film. The white text on the left hand side of
useful throughout my post my poster was given shadowing, to make it stand
production work. It enabled me to out slightly from the darkness of the field
edit and manipulate photograph background. This programme was also used to
images to build and construct my edit the background images of my double page
poster advertising my short media article, altering tones, hues and saturations.
film. My skills using this software
have developed from my AS work, as
I now know how to edit images
further, change the lighting of not
only the background image, but also
multiple layers to create a final
ancillary text which I am happy with.
The field background with the
detectorist has had its contrast
changed, with darker highlights to
give a textured appearance. The sky
has been completely changed in
colour, with streaks of white bursting
through to give the poster a brighter
 This previously mentioned idea of

• Garageband merging several computer stored

sound clips was very beneficial for me
to use within my film. I was able to
This programme was used to create and merge fuse together several sounds of traffic
existing royalty free music tracks and sounds to and footsteps, to create the sound for
design several backing tracks for use in my film. my newsagents scene of my film. The
Once a soundtrack I thought would fit my film moving traffic sounds fit perfectly with
was found, it was then cut at several intervals, what the viewer/ audience can see on
with bits added and removed to fit my film. the screen, which was only possibly
through the use of this media
technology programme. This software
also enables users to create music
tracks from nothing, by choosing
instruments and which notes they
want to have on the track. This
application was used in my ‘making of
artwork’ scene, to create a track which
creates an atmosphere of anticipation,
yet also fulfilment, as the detectorist
literally ‘creates’ something from
‘nothing’, therefore I thought I would
use the same form within the music
track for the background of this scene.
 This software also enabled me to create several
• Adobe InDesign text boxes, and format them equally on either said
of my double page spread, with guidelines to show
exactly where parallel lines were. This would not
This programme was used to create have been possible if any other programme was
my double page article. I chose this used, it is a feature which is only accessible on
programme, rather than using InDesign, from technologies I am able to use. This
PhotoShop to create my article, as it programme enabled me to follow the strict
offers the user a much wider variety conventions of real media magazine products,
of tools and methods to manipulate whilst leaving areas for my own interpretation.
text further, than what is possible in
PhotoShop. The basics of this
software allows one to generate a
desired layout for the page, with
columns and borders. This meant that
it was relatively simple for me to
follow many forms and conventions
which are associated with magazine
film articles. The layout of text, and
the column margins enabled me to
create an article which I was happy
with, whilst still enabling me to go
against several conventions, such as a
solid image for the background.
 Video clips using this software could
• iMovie HD have text added, as well as allowing
me to add transitions between each
This programme was most important for the clip, to make them flow more into
production of my film. This software enabled me each other between each scene.
to upload footage filmed on a camera, and split Different versions of the same
them into several smaller, much more suitable footage were able to be cut together,
clips of film. These clips could then be cut, so much so, that once played, the
edited, and altered until my desired product was footage appears to be from one take
created. of filming. This programme shows the
user the timings for each clip, as well
as overall time, so that a very
accurate film can be created, which
can have soundtracks added to fit the
film to the precise second. Without
this media technology, it would be
very difficult for someone like me to
create a media film, as I would have
to manually ‘cut and paste’ several
hundred of video film, which is a very
time consuming and strenuous task.
 This site also offers the opportunity to tag your
• YouTube video, so that once relevant words are typed into
the search engine of the site, your film will be
This website allows users to upload, suggested for others to view. This enables any
share and comment on videos which video that is uploaded to the site, the potential
have been uploaded onto the site. This to become an internet sensation, as anyone from
was of great use for me to upload around the world could view it (if the settings are
development stages of my film, which open for all viewers). Without this media form, it
could then be showed to people, to would be more difficult to share media work, and
gain audience feedback. This site much more time consuming to research and
enables users to research videos of gather information on production pieces.
their choice, share these videos with
friends, and also comment their views
towards the creator of the video.
Privacy settings are also optional for
videos. For my uploads of my film ‘The
Detectorist’, I chose the security setting
that only people with the link to my
video could view it. This was to ensure
that the only people viewing my film,
will be primarily from those of my
targeted age group (classmates) who
will have followed the link from my
blog.
 • Blogging I have designed my blog to give the
viewer the ability to see my work,
My blog played a huge part towards the sharing
throughout the duration of this
of my project, through my progress,
course. The background that I chose
developments, and experiments made
best represents the main theme
throughout my short film. For my A2 work, I have
expressed through my film, being
used the blogging site of: www.wordpress.com
mostly dominated by being in a field,
which enables users to upload videos, images,
I thought this would be the most
text and galleries of their progress. Below is a
suitable layout for my blog, showing
‘screen grab’ of my blog.
coherence with my film and ancillary
texts. The sidebar on the left hand
side of my blog gives the viewer the
ability to see what work was posted
by me on which dates, through the
calendar application. I have also
incorporated an email subscription
service to my blog, which if signed up,
will send the user any updates that I
make on my blog, keeping them up-
to-date with all recent progress and
developments. This is a very useful
tool, which is widely used by the
media industry.
 • 2D Design V2 The main function of this programme is for the
designing of professional plastic and sometimes
This computer programme was slightly wooded products, which can be cut out and
useful for my project, but it was only etched using a laser cutter. This programme is
used once, due to the functions used for the design stages of the products,
available on this programme being before they are cut. Without this technology
available on either Photoshop Cs4 or programme, I would have been able to use
InDesign. My usage of this programme Photoshop Cs4, but the task would have taken
was for the PG logo which appears on slightly longer to complete.
the bottom right hand side of my
advertising poster. As this image had to
be taken from the internet, to insert it
onto my poster, it needed to be
properly formatted, removing all white
background boxes. This is possible on
Photoshop or Indesign, by selecting the
‘magic wand’ icon and clicking on the
white background, and deleting it.
However, I chose to use this other
programme, 2D Design V2, to which
once the image is on the software,
transparency is enabled, removing the
white text boxes.
 This website was very useful for me,
• Scribd as it enabled me to upload Microsoft
Word and PowerPoint files into a
Scribd is a Web 2.0 based data sharing site, format which could then be uploaded
which allows its users to edit and upload files onto my blog. Having previously used
which can then be embedded into WebPages. this programme during the
This technology is very useful, as it allows anyone production of my AS Media
to upload documents and presentations into a Foundation Portfolio, it was relatively
web friendly format, to share on the world wide simple for me to use, involving my
web. previous knowledge on the site, to
upload further files onto my blog.
This was useful for me, as once these
files were uploaded to my blog, they
offer the audience a mixed media
format on my blog, giving variety
using different methods of media
available to me. Without this
software, it would have been very
difficult to upload presentations onto
my blog, and the overall high quality
that Scribd offers, would not have
been obtained.
 The media development of the internet has
• Internet drastically changed how media is presented.
Many forms of media that were previously
The ability to use the internet has physical (such as newspapers) are now available
been very helpful for the production for access online. The increasing popularity of
of my work. It enabled me to the internet has led to many people mediating
research into existing short media themselves on the internet, through data sharing
films, film posters and double page websites such as Facebook or MySpace. This new
articles. This helped me to see the form of mediating people has opened a gateway
strict forms and conventions which for the creation of new forms of media, all of
real media products conform, which require the internet to function.
through audience expectation. The
internet also allowed me to set up my
blog, which opened a way for people
to view my work. I was able to
research classmates work, to see
what progress had been made, as
well as being able to research existing
examples of similar work and into
media theories and how they can
effect/ determine how the audience
can see and understand different
texts.
 This programme has been very useful
• Microsoft PowerPoint to me, as it enabled me to create
several slide show presentations in
Microsoft PowerPoint is a computer program which to show stages of my project to
which is used to create presentations. The others. I was then able to upload and
documents that are designed in PowerPoint can convert these files using the Web 2.0
be printed or displayed with the aid of a video or based site Scribd. The addition of this
slide projector. This offered me a different form programme adds variety to my blog,
of media in which to express my ideas and offering a rage of media to which my
developments, as well as my evaluation. development throughout this course
has been shown. This programme
also benefited the overall
presentation of my blog, as it gives
the reader something different to
look at, whilst also following its main
function of providing information.
Without this media technology, my
blog work would primarily consist of
essay writing in long text boxes,
without any variety of breaks for
extensive text, therefore the use of
PowerPoint has benefited the overall
appearance of my blog.
• Panasonic Video Camera
This technology was very useful to me, as it
This media technology was required
enabled me to actually film my short
in order for me to record my film.
production, whilst also being a small scale
Filming was completed in several
and portable size, thus being convenient for
stages, with every effort being made
travelling purposes. Once filming was done
to ensure continuity for clothing,
on this camera, it could then be uploaded to
mise-en-scene, and weather
a computer, using the USB cable provided
conditions. In order to get a
with the camera.
professional filming quality, a tripod
was also used with the video camera,
to make sure that filming was level
and not ‘handheld’, which gives films
an ‘amateur’ appearance. Adjustable
settings were available on the video
camera, which was useful depending
on the amount of natural light, the
weather conditions and the type of
filming which was being carried out.
This enabled me to experiment until I
was happy with the settings of the
video camera.
 What would I have had to do if I didn't
have access to this technology?

Without access to the technology stated, the creation of my short media production film
would have been very different. Without the small video camera technology, one
would have to have carried large industrial cameras to film, which would have been
nearly impossible for me to have done so, regarding the site of my film in the middle
of a field. Without the computer technologies, I would have been unable to edit and
manipulate clips of film together into my production piece, as I would have had to
manually ‘cut and paste’ clips of film together, just one mistake would ruin the film.
Without the use of the internet, it would have been very difficult for me to gather
research and to share my work with other people. I would have needed to complete
research at local libraries, which would have taken a huge amount of time. Without
my blog, my work would be inaccessible for anyone who hasn't been given a ‘hard
copy’ by myself, requiring a lot of photocopying, drawing and time in recreating
work to share multiple copies.