Evaluation- Technology

Throughout this media project we have learnt about different technologies, and discovered why they are useful for people, especially film makers.

Digital cameras
These cameras can record with a good quality result when the footage is uploaded to the computer. They can connect to a computer via a USB port, ready to transfer. Transferring data is simple once you learn how to do it, and it lets you select footage you want, and delete the rest. Digital cameras are an effective piece of technology for recording footage, being simple to use. They can also be used just to record sound. We did this for our opening sequence, recording the radio conversation with the camera aimed at the floor. Although the camera can be used to record sound, a microphone is probably a better choice for the highest sound quality result. Digital cameras are small and compact, making them a good portable device. Most film makers would not use a digital camera, accept for independent film makers. This is because film cameras are of better quality. Professional film makers use expensive, top quality cameras, because they have a high budget, and  are making films which are intended to be viewed on a cinema screen. Film cameras are better quality, however they are expensive and lack the portability of a digital camera. There are some high budget films which use a digital camera such as Cloverfield, which uses it to give the effect that someone is filming the events with a handheld camera. Mostly independent films would use a digital camera either for effect like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project or because of their low budget.

Therefore we used a digital camera for our filming. There was only four of us creating this sequence, so we could not of had a camera team, which most film makers have. A digital camera is much more portable than a typical film camera, making it  a better option for us. We spent quite a lot of the day travelling on buses and trains to London, and did a lot of walking. This meant that a small and compact camera was much more suitable. In addition digital cameras are cheaper than film cameras, and since we had a low budget a digital camera was the most available option.














Final Cut Express
This software has a variety of tools to edit footage into a film. It has simple tools to crop, move and add clips, which is the main part of editing. Unlike some lesser editing programs such as Windows Movie Maker, Final Cut Express has a large variety of effects. These effects can be applied to clips, to alter the way they look, sound and appear. For some of films effects may not be needed, because only basic editing is required. However for films which contain green screens, there is an option in the software to use it, so an image can be placed behind the characters. Also some films require transitions from one clip to the other, for example a fade effect. Final Cut Express has a large variety of editing tools, so that the clips can be altered to look how the editor wants them. An example of this would be a shot which looks fairly dark can be made lighter. Something that Final Cut Express lacks is special effects, so it would not be a good software to use for certain film makers. The version of Final Cut Express we used is probably not good enough for professional film editors, because it lacks certain features that other editing software has.

Our film was a romance, which is a genre that conventionally does not have special effects. We were creating a conventional romance sequence so we had no need for anything better than final cut express. The software contained all the effects we needed, such as the linear wipe transition we used for the text.


Photoshop

This software can be used to create professional looking titles for a film. We used Photoshop to create the credits, and film title. The program has many features which can be selected to alter an image. It is a useful tool for marketing, because it can be used to create posters, banners, and billboards. The software is used by professionals, being one of the top pieces image editing software. A possible drawbacks of Photoshop are that it can be a very time consuming process, if a detailed image is being created, and there are many features which would take a long time to learn.


Blogging
It is a free, simple way of having your own internet page. Blogging allows people to have an independent webpage to post any information they want. A blog is a place where anyone can view what you have to say, so it is used as a way of communication. A film maker can write a blog to keep fans posted on the progress. This can be a way of maintaining fans through the long process of film making, so they do not forget about the film. A weakness of a blog is that there is limited customisation options, compared to creating your own website. However it is much quicker and easier than creating a website.

Blogging was useful for me because it allowed me to upload any media work I had done, such as presentations, videos and documents. The website let me connect with my group members by adding them as friends on Google Plus. This allowed us to share group work, such as our presentation. The website Blogger could be accessed from many devices, which meant I could post blogs from school, home, or when I was outside on my phone.


                                                                                   YouTube

It is a good place to post videos, especially trailers. Nearly all film trailers are posted on YouTube before they are shown on television, this is usually a teaser. YouTube is the most popular video streaming websites, and so it can be argued that it is a more successful way of advertising compared to television. Posting on YouTube is free, and it reaches a global audience, when a television advert will only be shown on selected channels and countries. The drawback of posting on YouTube is that people may not find the video, or click on it because there are so many other videos on the website. When a trailer is shown of television the audience did not choose to watch it, so it is more likely to be watched.

We uploaded our opening sequence to YouTube so that anyone can view it around the world and comment to give us feedback. It is a good website to use to show a video because it is free, and simple. By uploading our sequence to YouTube we could then embed the video on to our blogs.


Facebook/Twitter
Both of these social network sites are good places to advertise, because they are so popular. Posting on these sites is free just like YouTube so it might as well be done. The problem with the websites is people may just not view the posts about the advertised film, just like on YouTube.






Slideshare
This is a website a document can be uploaded to, which will give a HTML code ready to be pasted into a blog. The blog will then show the document in its original state. This is particularly useful for PowerPoint presentations and videos, because it allows them to played through.

I have used Slideshare for some of my blog posts, which were created from a separate document. This allowed me to present some blogs in a more unique way compared to the standard blog creation process.

Jordan Jackson