Evaluation- Technologies

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

Whilst producing my film opening I managed to learn a great deal of skills in regards to using equipment. These skills will prove themselves as invaluable to me when I am filming my next task in the future.

I have learned how to use a camera and to change simple functions on it such as the filming mode to suit the setting in which I am filming a particular scene. I also managed to become familiar with different filming techniques such as tracking shots and managed to incorporate them in my piece to keep it fast-moving and to create a sense of movement to the piece.

I have also become familiar with the use of a tripod and becoming aware of uneven surfaces whilst filming and how this can affect an image. I learned how to create a tracking shot effectively with the tripod by keeping the character within the shot and anticipating the movement of the character to keep her within the shot.

I also used the clapper board to help myself organise my shots for when I returned to them in the editing process.

I also became familiar with using a mac and the programs on it throughout my editing process. It proved fairly time-consuming at first, but once I had gotten used to certain techniques and learned some keyboard shortcuts it became much easier to edit and place my clips together in the correct sequence for my film.

I managed to learn how to cut and split clips on Final Cut Express along with using simple video and audio transitions and the layering feature. I also used more advanced features such as colour correction to make changes when the lighting in my shots was contrasting to a large degree. By using Final Cut I also learned how to import files from imovie which was extremely useful for me.

I used Livetype to create my opening credits and my production company name. This proved challenging at first but after watching tutorials to familiarise myself with the program it soon became second nature when using it.

By learning to use all these different technologies and programs I have ensured that my editing process will take less time in the future as I will already be familiar with the basic conventions that I will be using.