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

Serif Page Plus For both my print work (Poster & Magazine) I

used the programme Page Plus. This was easy to get around and easy to use. The layout is clean and crisp. It was easy to import pictures into our page for both my poster and my magazine. For my magazine I had to add two squares into the format. I then needed to change the colour of the outline of both squares (Purple and Green).

Adding and exporting pictures to page plus was easy to do. Once you finish editing your piece you can then group all of your pictures and texts together so you have one image that you can move and rotate etc however you want or need to. However this is sometimes a problem because you may not have positioned everything in the correct place, however unlike Photo Plus where if you make all the layers one you can the change this back afterwards.

Serif Page Plus For both my print work (Poster & Magazine) I

used the programme Page Plus. This was easy to get around and easy to use. The layout is clean and crisp. It was easy to import pictures into our page for both my poster and my magazine. For my magazine I had to add two squares into the format. I then needed to change the colour of the outline of both squares (Purple and Green).

Adding and exporting pictures to page plus was easy to do. Once you finish editing your piece you can then group all of your pictures and texts together so you have one image that you can move and rotate etc however you want or need to. However this is sometimes a problem because you may not have positioned everything in the correct place, however unlike Photo Plus where if you make all the layers one you can the change this back afterwards.

For the title of my magazine I used the font Vrinda, I then added a shadow onto the text this looked similar to the font and layout that a normal Total TV Guide magazine would look like. I had to then add a border on to the outside of the text, this was easily done in Page Plus however it did not look right. Because of this I needed to copy the text again and add a coloured outline onto the text to have this effect.

The thickness of the background text layer is at 20pt (bottom left) this was to ensure that it was thick enough to be seen behind the white layer. I then had to position the two layers to get the effect that I was looking for. At first I had the thickness at 30pt however this did not look as good as first thought as the outline was too thick to get the intended look.

Having done all of this I then had to change the spacing between the letters. Having done research into the Total TV Guide magazine I notice that the spacing was actually very close with the outlines of the letters touching. I proceeded to change the spacing size however when I changed it I noticed that the ‘G’ and the ‘U’ were too close together therefore I changed the spacing between those two letters.

For the title of my magazine I used the font Vrinda, I then added a shadow onto the text this looked similar to the font and layout that a normal Total TV Guide magazine would look like. I had to then add a border on to the outside of the text, this was easily done in Page Plus however it did not look right. Because of this I needed to copy the text again and add a coloured outline onto the text to have this effect.

The thickness of the background text layer is at 20pt (bottom left) this was to ensure that it was thick enough to be seen behind the white layer. I then had to position the two layers to get the effect that I was looking for. At first I had the thickness at 30pt however this did not look as good as first thought as the outline was too thick to get the intended look.

Having done all of this I then had to change the spacing between the letters. Having done research into the Total TV Guide magazine I notice that the spacing was actually very close with the outlines of the letters touching. I proceeded to change the spacing size however when I changed it I noticed that the ‘G’ and the ‘U’ were too close together therefore I changed the spacing between those two letters.

For the title of my magazine I used the font Vrinda, I then added a shadow onto the text this looked similar to the font and layout that a normal Total TV Guide magazine would look like. I had to then add a border on to the outside of the text, this was easily done in Page Plus however it did not look right. Because of this I needed to copy the text again and add a coloured outline onto the text to have this effect.

The thickness of the background text layer is at 20pt (bottom left) this was to ensure that it was thick enough to be seen behind the white layer. I then had to position the two layers to get the effect that I was looking for. At first I had the thickness at 30pt however this did not look as good as first thought as the outline was too thick to get the intended look.

Having done all of this I then had to change the spacing between the letters. Having done research into the Total TV Guide magazine I notice that the spacing was actually very close with the outlines of the letters touching. I proceeded to change the spacing size however when I changed it I noticed that the ‘G’ and the ‘U’ were too close together therefore I changed the spacing between those two letters.

PhotoPlus

I then used PhotoPlus, this was very easy to use there are lots of tools to add to your pictures. However if you add lots of layers then it gets very confusing as to what layer is what etc. After taking pictures of my characters I then cut them out using PhotoPlus. Firstly I had to open the pictures in this software and began rubbing the background.

I used the tool ‘cut-out studio’ to cut Megan out in this picture however it then cut out some of her hair and body. For this reason I pressed undo and proceeded in cutting her out using the rubber tool. Although this took longer it made the over picture quality much better and it meant that I could be certain I had finished rubbing the hole background out.

PhotoPlus

I then used PhotoPlus, this was very easy to use there are lots of tools to add to your pictures. However if you add lots of layers then it gets very confusing as to what layer is what etc. After taking pictures of my characters I then cut them out using PhotoPlus. Firstly I had to open the pictures in this software and began rubbing the background.

I used the tool ‘cut-out studio’ to cut Megan out in this picture however it then cut out some of her hair and body. For this reason I pressed undo and proceeded in cutting her out using the rubber tool. Although this took longer it made the over picture quality much better and it meant that I could be certain I had finished rubbing the hole background out.

After getting rid of the background I then needed to edit the actual photo and the colours, for example I used the Dodge tool on Megan's eyes to give her more white looking eyes and give her a more glamourous look and feel. I also used this tool to lighten her face where the light is already on her face to increase the effect this has on her face.

Having lightened Megan up, I then used the burn tool to make her look darker to add a more sexual and sinister look to her. This was easy to use however I needed to ensure that I did not over do the opacity of the brush. I did however do this at one point and it looked amateurish which I did not want, for that reason I undid that and then decreased the opacity and used it more carefully.

After getting rid of the background I then needed to edit the actual photo and the colours, for example I used the Dodge tool on Megan's eyes to give her more white looking eyes and give her a more glamourous look and feel. I also used this tool to lighten her face where the light is already on her face to increase the effect this has on her face.

Having lightened Megan up, I then used the burn tool to make her look darker to add a more sexual and sinister look to her. This was easy to use however I needed to ensure that I did not over do the opacity of the brush. I did however do this at one point and it looked amateurish which I did not want, for that reason I undid that and then decreased the opacity and used it more carefully.

For my poster I used adobe Photoshop to edit the pictures I had taken of my characters. This was easy to use and to get rid of any blemishes on my characters face and to add colours to them. For my end poster I intended to have different colour for each of my two characters. This was to show more context and to give more of a backstory to each of them.

To start of with in Photoshop I had create an extra layer apart from the background this is to create a greyscale layer. This was easy to do just press the tab button Image-Mode and then Grey scale. This gave me a black and white picture of my character that I will then need to edit to change the colour of.

Adobe Photoshop

For my poster I used adobe Photoshop to edit the pictures I had taken of my characters. This was easy to use and to get rid of any blemishes on my characters face and to add colours to them. For my end poster I intended to have different colour for each of my two characters. This was to show more context and to give more of a backstory to each of them.

To start of with in Photoshop I had create an extra layer apart from the background this is to create a greyscale layer. This was easy to do just press the tab button Image-Mode and then Grey scale. This gave me a black and white picture of my character that I will then need to edit to change the colour of the picture.

Adobe Photoshop

Having made the picture greyscale it was now time to add a colour over the top. I chose green for Lawrence, this is because he is not anything extra ordinary and in the Acid & Alkali spectrum green is neutral. I feel Lawrence is a natural character.

I had to add this green in the duotones part of Photoshop, I could then change how much or how little green I wanted, I then added another layer of black to add an extra colour to add to his sinister look.

This was quite an easy tool to master especially when I then had to change how much green or black I need. I had to use a line of best fit on a graph which I found very tricky as it changed at the smallest touch.

Having made the picture greyscale it was now time to add a colour over the top. I chose green for Lawrence, this is because he is not anything extra ordinary and in the Acid & Alkali spectrum green is neutral. I feel Lawrence is a natural character.

I had to add this green in the duotones part of Photoshop, I could then change how much or how little green I wanted, I then added another layer of black to add an extra colour to add to his sinister look.

This was quite an easy tool to master especially when I then had to change how much green or black I need. I had to use a line of best fit on a graph which I found very tricky as it changed at the smallest touch.

Having made the picture greyscale it was now time to add a colour over the top. I chose green for Lawrence, this is because he is not anything extra ordinary and in the Acid & Alkali spectrum green is neutral. I feel Lawrence is a natural character.

I had to add this green in the duotones part of Photoshop, I could then change how much or how little green I wanted, I then added another layer of black to add an extra colour to add to his sinister look.

This was quite an easy tool to master especially when I then had to change how much green or black I need. I had to use a line of best fit on a graph which I found very tricky as it changed at the smallest touch.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Last year we used Adobe Premiere Elements, however this year we had a new updated software to use Adobe Premier Pro. This was quite tricky at hard to get used to the differences in the editing. At first we took a couple of lessons to start getting the hang of it.

Once we understood exactly what each button did, the programme became very easy to use. It was much easier to add and remove clips from our timeline. It was more efficient and far quicker to use.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Last year we used Adobe Premiere Elements, however this year we had a new updated software to use Adobe Premier Pro. This was quite tricky at hard to get used to the differences in the editing. At first we took a couple of lessons to start getting the hang of it.

Once we understood exactly what each button did, the programme became very easy to use. It was much easier to add and remove clips from our timeline. It was more efficient and far quicker to use.

For the party scene we filmed numerous clips of a party, we then took these into Adobe Premiere Pro and began editing. At first we decided to split each one the shots taken into about 9 different frames. This was around 1 shot to every 0.5 seconds.

This was quite easy to do you can just use the split tool on the left of your timeline. Once you had split the shots we could then move these into whatever order we wanted. However for continuity we decided to keep the shots in the order we had shot them.

After this had been done we then decided that we would put a tint on each of the shots, this was to portray party lights that would change every ½ second. This gave it a better and more flowing feel to the trailer. We used red, blue, purple, yellow etc so that the colours were contrasting of each other. After adding a tint we then changed the brightness and contrast to ensure it looked like a party. We then repeated this process using different colours keeping the brightness and contrast the same on all of them.

For the party scene we filmed numerous clips of a party, we then took these into Adobe Premiere Pro and began editing. At first we decided to split each one the shots taken into about 9 different frames. This was around 1 shot to every 0.5 seconds.

This was quite easy to do you can just use the split tool on the left of your timeline. Once you had split the shots we could then move these into whatever order we wanted. However for continuity we decided to keep the shots in the order we had shot them.

After this had been done we then decided that we would put a tint on each of the shots, this was to portray party lights that would change every ½ second. This gave it a better and more flowing feel to the trailer. We used red, blue, purple, yellow etc so that the colours were contrasting of each other. After adding a tint we then changed the brightness and contrast to ensure it looked like a party. We then repeated this process using different colours keeping the brightness and contrast the same on all of them.

For the party scene we filmed numerous clips of a party, we then took these into Adobe Premiere Pro and began editing. At first we decided to split each one the shots taken into about 9 different frames. This was around 1 shot to every 0.5 seconds.

This was quite easy to do you can just use the split tool on the left of your timeline. Once you had split the shots we could then move these into whatever order we wanted. However for continuity we decided to keep the shots in the order we had shot them.

After this had been done we then decided that we would put a tint on each of the shots, this was to portray party lights that would change every ½ second. This gave it a better and more flowing feel to the trailer. We used red, blue, purple, yellow etc so that the colours were contrasting of each other. After adding a tint we then changed the brightness and contrast to ensure it looked like a party. We then repeated this process using different colours keeping the brightness and contrast the same on all of them.

As we were editing for a soap operah and it was a trailer we felt the pace of our trailer had to be quick enough to represent both university life as well as the target demographic of E4 which is 16-35.

For this reason we had to increase the speed of a couple of the shots. This was very easy to do as the speed of all of the shots begins at 100 then can be changed to either quicker (100+) or slower (-100).

For this specific shot we chose to increase the speed to 120, we felt this still looked realistic but was also now fast enough to link to the rest of the trailer. We did initially try 150 however this looked unrealistic and it was too obvious that we had sped the scene up, this therefore gave a more fictional feel.

As we were editing for a soap operah and it was a trailer we felt the pace of our trailer had to be quick enough to represent both university life as well as the target demographic of E4 which is 16-35.

For this reason we had to increase the speed of a couple of the shots. This was very easy to do as the speed of all of the shots begins at 100 then can be changed to either quicker (100+) or slower (-100).

For this specific shot we chose to increase the speed to 120, we felt this still looked realistic but was also now fast enough to link to the rest of the trailer. We did initially try 150 however this looked unrealistic and it was too obvious that we had sped the scene up, this therefore gave a more fictional feel.

As we were editing for a soap operah and it was a trailer we felt the pace of our trailer had to be quick enough to represent both university life as well as the target demographic of E4 which is 16-35.

For this reason we had to increase the speed of a couple of the shots. This was very easy to do as the speed of all of the shots begins at 100 then can be changed to either quicker (100+) or slower (-100).

For this specific shot we chose to increase the speed to 120, we felt this still looked realistic but was also now fast enough to link to the rest of the trailer. We did initially try 150 however this looked unrealistic and it was too obvious that we had sped the scene up, this therefore gave a more fictional feel.

E4 Style Guide

To ensure our posters linked to our chosen channel e4, we wanted to add a the logo and correct writing. This was very easy to do for e4. On google the style guide is easily found in PDF form. I first tried to copy the font straight into my poster in page plus, however this did not work as the typeface was not on Page Plus.

For this reason I then had to open the PDF in Page Plus and I proceeding in writing out what I wanted in the certain font. For example for my poster I used ITC American Typewriter Medium. Having done this I then had to export this as an image and then import it back into Page Plus to place onto my poster.

E4 Style Guide

To ensure our posters linked to our chosen channel e4, we wanted to add a the logo and correct writing. This was very easy to do for e4. On google the style guide is easily found in PDF form. I first tried to copy the font straight into my poster in page plus, however this did not work as the typeface was not on Page Plus.

For this reason I then had to open the PDF in Page Plus and I proceeding in writing out what I wanted in the certain font. For example for my poster I used ITC American Typewriter Medium. Having done this I then had to export this as an image and then import it back into Page Plus to place onto my poster.

This is the final product, with the e4 writing to give it a distinguished identity. I felt this gave it a professional look and was easily recognisable even without the logo.

I then had to do the same thing with the e4 logo for my poster to give my poster more importance. Similar to the font I had to download the pdf file into Page Plus and then export the logo as an image to the place onto my poster. This then needed to be cut out using the rubber tool and then could be put into my poster.

As shown right the logo usually appears 10mm from the bottom of the page and 10mm from the top of the page. However for my poster I went against the codes & conventions to ensure that it still looked aesthetically pleasing for my audience.

I then had to do the same thing with the e4 logo for my poster to give my poster more importance. Similar to the font I had to download the pdf file into Page Plus and then export the logo as an image to the place onto my poster. This then needed to be cut out using the rubber tool and then could be put into my poster.

As shown right the logo usually appears 10mm from the bottom of the page and 10mm from the top of the page. However for my poster I went against the codes & conventions to ensure that it still looked aesthetically pleasing for my audience.

Group Chats

Throughout the planning, filming, editing & post production stages we were in constant contact with one and other as well as with actors and the audience. As a group we had a Facebook group chat. This was very useful as it was quick and easy to message each other whether it be to find out information or to organize meets.

We also had a WhatsApp group chat with all of our actors & actresses, this meant that it was easy to get everyone on time to shoots as most people now days are on there phones most the time.

We collected feedback from our target audience through both Instagram & Twitter. Social media is very easy and as most people are now on these sites it meant that everyone could get back to us as soon as possible.

Group Chats

Throughout the planning, filming, editing & post production stages we were in constant contact with one and other as well as with actors and the audience. As a group we had a Facebook group chat. This was very useful as it was quick and easy to message each other whether it be to find out information or to organize meets.

We also had a WhatsApp group chat with all of our actors & actresses, this meant that it was easy to get everyone on time to shoots as most people now days are on there phones most the time.

We collected feedback from our target audience through both Instagram & Twitter. Social media is very easy and as most people are now on these sites it meant that everyone could get back to us as soon as possible.

Group Chats

Throughout the planning, filming, editing & post production stages we were in constant contact with one and other as well as with actors and the audience. As a group we had a Facebook group chat. This was very useful as it was quick and easy to message each other whether it be to find out information or to organize meets.

We also had a WhatsApp group chat with all of our actors & actresses, this meant that it was easy to get everyone on time to shoots as most people now days are on there phones most the time.

We collected feedback from our target audience through both Instagram & Twitter. Social media is very easy and as most people are now on these sites it meant that everyone could get back to us as soon as possible.