EVALUATION Q4: How did you integrate technologies (software, hardware, and online) in this project?

HOW DID YOU INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGIES (SOFTWARE, HARDWARE, AND ONLINE) IN THIS PROJECT?

Throughout this year I have used various kinds of software and hardware. The software are all the programs that I used to create my film and to work with Sasha, and hardware is the actual computers, cameras and technologies I have used.

To summarise this post I have filmed a "Whats In My Bag" style video to describe the technologies I used. 

My script is based off the points below:

Web 2.0: 

Web 2.0 (O'Reilly), explains how the internet is driven by users through digitisation and technological accessibility, disrupting industries and converging the lines between producer and consumer (prosumer). Web 2.0 moves from a top-down model like the hypodermic needle and creates a two- way flow. User Generated Content (UGC) is an example of this, as consumers produce content that they feel is not gratifying (UGT) their needs. Engaging with audiences and being able to directly promote and upload content allows indie companies to have a greater success and not rely on the traditional theatrical distribution.  

Digitisation, Disruption and Convergence:

As technology develops, production, distribution, and exhibition are becoming more affordable and accessible, as anyone is able to create content, such as me and Sasha that used simple and accessible technologies to create our film. 

This simplification of technology creates a convergence; the line between producer and consumer blurs and they are an active audience (prosumers). Self-distribution is also an easier option due to streaming and uploading platforms, (Youtube, Vimeo).

Digitisation is the process of changing from analog to digital form, for example, the process of changing from VHS to DVD is a form of digitisation. The accessible technologies makes filming easier without having to go through a film studio.

This means that a film like ours with a micro-budget, is more likely to receive distribution. The indie company Warp's film Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee (2009) is an example of this, as it has a micro-budget (48k), but received a theatrical trailer and a straight-to-dvd release. 

This threatens conglomerates, such as Universal, and it's subsidiary Working Title, but benefits indie producers and companies like Warp as the budget and distributors are no longer hindering the success of a film. 

The disruption caused by streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon, means that films are released directly to consumers without having theatrical releases. These films are massively successful, but threaten theatres as there is less need for people to go to the cinema. Because of this, many films use IMAX/3D/4DX technologies and capitalise on franchises in order to attract audiences to the theatres. 

Hardware:

For the practice exercise and the preliminary exercise seen below, I practised using a DSLR camera; the SONY Alpha 58, and saved and exported the files using an SD card. 

    

I decided to film my opening on a smartphone (the apple iphone11) since:

- They are compact and light, making them easily portable 

- They were easier to use for our burial/dirt covering shot as well as the locker opening

- They have a good image quality

- There are many accessories (lenses, camera stabilisers, tripod extensions, microphones) that are built for them and also compact and easily portable. 

I also used it to film the audience feedback for the same reasons. 

I used various tripods:

  

In order from left to right: 

1. The amazon tripod with a pan handle: this was frequently used as it is the most stable and the pan handle is easily to use

2. The amazon tripod with a pistol grip

3. The Manfrotto tripod: this was the easiest to transport as it is the lightest, but it wasn't as stable as the others

4. The NEEWER tripod: this was my favourite as it had the most stability, and I was able to make precise adjustments

We used a monopod, which is hand-held and easy to use for the tracking shots. 

Finally, I used a tripod dolly during my preliminary exercise, which I found easy to use, but as we were shooting in the forest, the unstable ground meant I couldn't use it. 

 tripod dolly

monopod

To edit, I used my MacBook Pro, and a LaCie portable 2TB hard drive to keep my libraries and clips. 

I practiced using a green screen as well, as we have one in the media class. and it was easy to assemble and use. I created an audience survey using this. My full post is linked here. 

Finally, I used the VideoBlog MIC Lav, I found this very easy to use and lightweight so I could bring it with me to shoot. The iPhone connecting cable was also helpful as I could use my phone to record the files and upload them directly onto OneDrive. 

Software:

Final Cut Pro (FCPX) 

I used my MacBook Pro and FinalCutPro X to edit all my Vodcasts and the final cut.

I have been using FCPX for the past 3 years, as I did the IGCSE media course and working part time at a radio station or for editing my own short films. Here is my tutorial on the basic uses of FCPX:

When editing the forest scene I used the Day into Night effect and changed the colour, saturation and exposure:

To avoid doing this each time, we created a custom filter and applied it onto all of our clips.

Sasha also used FCPX in the creation of our animated title. 

GarageBand:

I used GarageBand for the non-diegetic music for my ident, and I selected the synth instruments and found a preset I liked. I found it easy to use for this, but Sasha created the rest of the music for the opening as she is faster at using the software. 

Blogger: 

This was my first time using blogger, but I found it very easy to use once I got the hang of it. I found it to be a great resource as I could easily access all my work and it was easy to embed any documents, and I used the columns and tags to find my posts easily. The archive also helped to keep track of the process through the year. 

Below is my tutorial for the blogger basics:

Youtube:

I used Youtube to share my videos and upload them in case something happened to my hard drive. This also meant I was able to share anything with Sasha quickly, as well as the other media students so we could give each other feedback on our cuts. 

To view videos and screen record I used the Quicktime Player and VLC apps.

Communication:

I used social media like Snapchat to keep the cast updated. I used this as well as Teams with Sasha to communicate as we could share larger files, and we were usually working from our computers. Using Outlook we were able to share the script with each other, as well as making physical copies of the script which we 

workshopped together. 

File Sharing: 

I made a folder on OneDrive where we uploaded everything from our shoots in order to access it individually at a high quality. We also kept them on here in case we lost the files. This was useful when I lost the library for the forest scene and reedited using the files on OneDrive. 

Websites used: 

- Prezi and Scribd to present and embed documents to the blog

- IMDB, BoxOfficeMojo, the-numbers.com, Wikipedia, artofthetitle for film research and the opening analysis

- The Guardian media and film section for industry research

- Dafont.com for the main title font

- Picsart for image editing 

Below is a link to the playlist containing the YouTube editing tutorials I have watched this year: