Evaluation Question Six

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout the planning and creating of our opening sequence for KIN, Csenge and I utilised several forms of technology from software to hardware. Over the duration of the course I have learnt many new skills, each of which have improved my ability in planning, constructing and editing.

Hardware:
Throughout the filming of KIN, we used a Canon 700D, a camera which I had previously no experience in using before the coursework. I was soon able to gain an understanding of how to frame certain shots as well as the influence factors such as lighting can have on shots.

We used the Auto-focus setting on the camera in order to ensure that each of our shots maintained focus on our characters. We also used the zoom on the camera in order to enhance the variety of shot types in the opening sequence, as well as to add effect to certain dialogue or plot details.

An example of where we used Auto-focus and zoom.

  The outstanding advantage of using this form of camera was its ability to be used with a tripod. Using a tripod for each shot ensured that none of the footage was spoilt because of shakiness or wobble. Overall, this had a positive effect on our film as it gave the opening sequence a feeling of quality and professionalism.

For our additional dialogue that was later re-recorded, we used a Zoom H5 microphone which, like the camera, was provided to us by our school's media department. Using this microphone allowed for clear, good quality dialogue to be recorded and implemented into Adobe Premiere Pro (our editing software). The microphone was incredibly user-friendly which was useful as I had only had a limited experience of using microphones in the past.




For the transfer and of our footage from the camera to our editing computer, Csenge and I used a standard 16gb SD memory card. We chose to do this as using an SD card provided flexibility in how quickly we could transfer our files, as well as how easily we could move them from location to location. Using a camera with an SD card rather than an internal hard drive also reduced the risk of us damaging or breaking equipment, as we would only need to be concerned with the SD card.


Software:


As mentioned, Csenge and I used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit our footage as it is a highly used, user-friendly editing software which we had had experience of using in the past. Premiere Pro provides multiple tracks for the user, meaning multiple layers of sound and footage can be overlayed and individually edited. 

An example of Premiere Pro before we added our footage.

Overall, we found Premiere Pro extremely useful for the process of post production and is definitely a software I would use for future projects. Below are the tools I used most frequently within Premiere Pro.


 





To cut and trim our footage, we frequently used the razor tool as it is incredibly easy to use. The tool allows the user to split footage into two or more smaller clips, each of which can then be individually edited with effects or transitions. Using the tool allowed us to easily split clips, which came in useful when clips would need to be used twice, but with another clip in-between.

We regularly used Premiere Pro's 'quick-use' feature as this allowed us to minimise time spent on selecting different tools.

In order to create the titles for KIN, we used Premiere Pro's built in title creator, which allowed us to create and customise our own titles with a range of fonts, sizes, colours and positions. This tool was incredibly easy to use which overall had a positive effect on our time management, as we were able to focus on more difficult, important tasks.





We also used the video effects and transitions offered by Premiere, as featured in their 'Effects' menu. We mostly used the transitions for the titles within the sequence, making them appear more professional to the viewer. The transition we used the most was the 'Cross Dissolve' as we felt it looked the most engaging and authentic of the Thriller genre.




To export the several drafts of KIN, we used Adobe Media Encoder as it allowed us to easily convert our pieces into suitable formats which we could later upload to YouTube. Encoder is part of our school's Premiere 'package' meaning we did not have to download it separately. This ultimately saved time as we did not have to source alternative software.







 

To edit the sound in the exchange of dialogue scene, Csenge and I used Adobe Audition (CC). This was because of the heavy wind captured by the camera's internal microphone. Audition allowed us to reduce the audibility of the wind, as well as enhance the dialogue.

Whilst we eventually decided to re-record the dialogue, using Audition still gave me an insight into the process of sound editing, skills I will likely utilise in the future.

Audition in action.

 
  
Some of my posts within my blog, have been published using Prezi, the online presentation website. Within Prezi, I embedded YouTube clips and images in order to enhance the visuals of my posts. I hope that my use of images and videos will make my Prezi presentations more engaging to the reader.






Emaze is similar to Prezi, however I have used it in order to increase the range of formats show throughout my blog. Like Prezi, I have included images and videos to make my presentations more visually attractive. Emaze itself offers many templates, some of which I used in order to add to the aesthetics of each post.



For other posts, I used Slideshare which I used to convert Microsoft PowerPoint documents into online presentations. Whilst Slideshare offers little editing or customisation, it also served to widen the range of formats I have used.


 

In order to create this coursework, I used Blogger due to it's user-friendly layout and accessibility. As well as text-only blogs, Blogger allowed me to implement YouTube videos and presentations, many of which I have discussed above. Blogger was also useful as it allowed me to access my work from home, and ultimately anywhere with an internet connection, meaning I was never limited to how much work I could put in.