(Continued) How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning (and

evaluation stages?

TrailerVideo recorder - I used a video recorder to obtain motion shots which I used with in my trailer. The video recorders we used were very helpful as they were fairly complex which meant we were able to film a range of different shots, for example I was able to film from a distance and the quality was still very good. Close up shots and zooming shots were also of a good quality!Tri pod – When filming my trailer I needed to use a tripod at several different stages to ensure that I was able to obtain a steady shot which was not wobbly or shaky. If a shot is shaky without intention then it can remove the element of realism and adds to the artificiality of the trailer. I found the tri pod very useful as I was able to film many shots which were nice and still which looked great.Camera- I used several still shots in my trailer. I used a camera to take these as the quality of pictures from a camera is much better then pictures which can be taken on the video camera. I used high quality cameras which were available from the photography apartment at school because I wanted to ensure that the quality was the best I could make it! Although the cameras were of a high quality they were not complicated to use therefore they were very helpful as they produced good pictures from an easy to use camera. Adobe premier elements 2.0 – This is the program I used to construct my trailer. At the beginning of the year I used the program to develop my skills so I was able to use it effectively during my actual trailer construction. At the beginning of the year I had limited skills when using this program and I was not very good at editing clips. My skills have flourished over the duration of the year and I have developed more advanced skills when using the program:Time Stretching:In my trailer some of the clips I filmed were to short. Time stretching is an effect which can be used to ether speed up or slow down a clip. There was a very good clip which I had filmed but it was way to short so I simply made it longer using this technique! Time stretching not only helped me add length to my trailer but it also added a good effect! I used the time stretch tool during my trailer when the hanging body was discovered. The time stretch tool had a great effect here as it almost magnified the shock of ‘Mollie’ discovering a dead body. Overall it was not only effective but very handy.

Clip cutting:This is a skill which I first discovered when I was practicing before I actually started my trailer. I knew how to use clip cutting before I started the trailer but I developed the skill to understand where it was most effective when I began to use the program more. I now know where and when clip cutting works best and I am able to use it to create different effects. For example I used it within my trailer to use generate a series of short sharp clips which added a jumpy feel to the trailer. I feel that clip cutting is very effective as it can totally change the pace of a video and also enables you to remove parts of clips which are not wanted.Over lapping clips/audio:Frequent use of the program has taught me how to use clips at the same time. I have used different clips including, audio, video and text at the same time. This taught me how to fade these clips in and out of each other, as well as how to make one appear later/earlier then the other. I have used this effect several times within my trailer as it adds busyness to the trailer and keeps audiences entertained at all times. I made sure that I created the right balance to clip blending as it is easy for the audience to become lost in the action.Transitions:I used a series of transitions throughout my trailer. I feel that transitions are one of the most effective techniques I used within my whole trailer. Transitions not only add variety to the trailer but they also make it much more interesting and allow it to flow easily. I feel that transitions also allow the story to be told easily. I used a vast range of transitions within my trailer, I feel that this is effective because when I did not use a transition it had a great impact on the audience. For example, when I let it cut to black instead of using another transition it created a jumpy feel which will keep the audience interested.Text effects:When I used text within my trailer I wanted it to have an effect on the audience rather then it just being text which appears on the screen. At the beginning of my trailer I did not introduce text to try and impact my audience, I used it to tell the beginning a story, For example later in my trailer the text is partnered with a loud bang sound, this is to make the audience jump and scare them whereas the tittles at the beginning fade in and out and do not give to much away about the genre of the trailer. When I was practicing with Adobe Premier Elements before I started my actual trailer construction I did not know how to fade text in and out. The ability to fade text in and out at suitable times is a skill I have developed over the duration of my trailer construction. I also developed a very effective skill in my opinion; the bottom picture on the right shows how I changed a title in order to get a ‘flashing effect’. I used this effect when the ‘SLAUGHTER HILL’ title appeared in my trailer. I feel this is a very effective technique as it adds variety to the trailer and it also suits the horror genre well. The picture at the top on the right also shows how I developed another skill regarding text within my trailer. I inserted the title ‘REC’ above my footage at the beginning of the trailer which is meant to look like they are filming their selves. Once I had inserted this ‘REC’ title into my trailer I cut it at many different intervals which created a flash on and off effect. This made this part of the trailer look more realistic as it highlights the fact they are filming themselves.

PosterPhotography- Whilst out filming I took some different shots of pictures which I could potentially use on my magazine and poster cover. I took a selection of pictures as I didn’t want to have a limited choice of pictures to use. Below is a few examples of some of the photographs took:

Digital camera and cam recorder – I took both a cam recorder and camera up the hill to take photographs for my poster. I used the cam recorder first but the quality of the image taken not of a high quality as I expected, therefore I used a camera to obtain a higher quality image.

Adobe Photoshop – When I decided which photograph I was going to use for my poster I used the program Adobe Photoshop to edit and construct my poster. I was already familiar with the program as I used it throughout year 12 to construct my coursework. I now know how to use Adode Photoshop much better then I was able to at the beginning of the year. I have learnt many new skills since year 12 as the construction of my poster was more complex then last year. Below is a list of the new skills I developed:Layer duplication: I did not realize you could duplicate a layer until I began to construct my trailer poster. I simply right clicked on the layer in the tool bar (pictured above) and selected ‘duplicate layer’. I duplicated layers whilst constructing my poster in order to create a faded effect, I would do this by duplicating picture layers, place it over the original image but slightly out of place and then change the opacity in order to create a blurred, faded effect. I feel this was a great look for my horror poster as it added a sense of confusion and distortion which matches the horror genre well. Color effects:This skill I developed linked to the layer duplication skill I also used on my poster. I duplicated a layer and then placed it over the original image, not only did I change the opacity but I also changed the colour of both layers. I changed the bottom layer saturation to make the colours dull and then I changed the top layer to black and white. I then changed the opacity of the top layer the dull colours would slowly show through. This was not a complex effect to master. The dull colours showing through the black and white top layer was very effective as the dullness of the imaged suited the horror genre.

Poster construction organisation:Whilst constructing my poster I kept all the different aspects of the front cover organised as diferent layers. This was a way in which I was able to keep my work organised and easily accesable. Before I began constructing my poster I would change the settings so some of the aspects of the poster were all on one layer, I realised that this was not helpful atall as I was unable to change a part of that layer without the rest of the elements on that layer changing aswell. It was very helpful having the different parts of the poster set out in different layers because I was easily able to find different parts of the poster and change them if I wanted to. Having separate layers was also helpful if I wanted to remove something which was on my poster. Removing a single layer meant I could remove a part of the poster without another part of the poster being removed as well. Overall I feel that having different layers was extremely useful and my poster construction would have been much more difficult if I was not able to use layers to organise my work.Drop shadow and stroke:These are both effects which I was unable to apply before I started to horror trailer poster. I used these two effects to bring more attention to the font which appeared on my poster. The picture on the right hand side shows how I used a red stroke to outline the text which appeared on my cover. This made the text much more noticable and attention grabbing. I felt it was best to use this on my poster as the background image was quite dark, therefore it is important to ensure that the text stands out and doesn’t become lost in the background image. I also used the drop shadow effect on my poster to make the text more noticable, however I simply wanted the text to be more noticable in order for it to be readable not to grab attention. I used this effect on the text which is listed at the bottom of the poster (pictured lower right) as the text became slightly lost in the backgroud image due to the mixture of dark colours. Backgroud texture:Before I started constructing my posters I would just use a plain background colour. I wanted to change the background to have a texture as I feel this would have had more of an effect on the audience. A simple plain background is not as effective as it is boring and does not attract as much attention to the poster where as a background with texture attracts the audience more.

MagazineDigital camera and cam recorder – I took both a cam recorder and camera up the hill to take photographs for my poster. I used the cam recorder first but the quality of the image taken not of a high quality as I expected, therefore I used a camera to obtain a higher quality image. Photography – When I took photographs I ensured that I took a variety of shots to make sure that I had a range of shots to choose from. I feel that it is best to have a range of shots so you are able to look at which one is best. When I got back to school I looked at the range of photographs I had taken which enabled me to analyze them in more detail to decide which would be best suited for my magazine cover.

Adobe Photoshop- When I made my magazine cover I used the same techniques which I used when making my poster. I used effects such as, layer duplication, drop shadow, stroke effect, color effects and layer organization.

EvaluationPowerpoint presentation – I used this program a lot whilst completing my evaluation for my media coursework. This program allowed me to produce text which was clear and easy to read. The information on a powerpoint presentation is also spread out, therefore it is easy to read and access and it is not just blocks on writing. This program also allowed me to insert pictures into my work, this is another in which it was helpful as teachers and other students are able to see the piece of work I am talking about when I right about it.

Microsoft word – I was unsure on whether or not I wanted to use this program with in my evaluation as I thought it was quite a boring way to display information, however I found a way to make it more presentable. I added colour to the background and I was also able to add pictures to my work just like powerpoint, therefore the work I presented was more interesting to look at.

Colour effects

Layer duplication

Drop shadowInsert

picture from other source

Voice recorder – I felt that it would be more effective if I used a totally different technique with in my evaluation. I decided to record myself talking as away of evaluating parts of my work. This is a totally different way to assess my work and adds variety to the evaluation on a whole which again makes it more interesting.

Cam recorder – I used this in my evaluation to gather audience feedback as it is another technique which adds variety to the whole evaluation. This technique is also evidence that I have actually gathered audience feedback, therefore it not only adds variety but it is also interesting and effective.

OverallOverall all the programs and technology supplied were very helpful. I was able to use the equipment and programs to full advantage and create a trailer, magasine cover and poster which I were exactly what I wanted. I felt that there were no disadvantages regarding the equipment and programs supplied and they were all very useful.