What have you learned about technologies from the process

of making this product?

SHANNON DOYLE

Camera

During the process of creating our opening sequence, of course a camera was necessary to film the shots that we were to use. Although the filming of our shots wasn’t primarily something that I was focussing on personally, I had noticed and

learned many more things then I have done previously.

In a previous experience of filming I had used a very simple standard-definition camera, however this time round I had used a more advanced high-definition camera.

I had also learned that to film shots with audio successfully we would also need to have on hand an external microphone or a boom pole; both of which had been used at different times throughout our piece. Producing audio which was clear and easily heard, however I did learn that due to an external microphone being used (of any

type) there is the possibility to attract a large amount of wind noise. This was something which we did encounter quite frequently and had to try and overcome

through the use of post-editing.

Techniques

Due to the camera being of a higher standard than those previously used, I had to become familiar with a more complex menu; which

provided us with many useful tools, from white balance to a rule of third grid. These two tools specifically were used very frequently to ensure that this was most professional looking piece that we could

make. The white balance was used to ensure that the light temperature was correct for each scene and different lighting

situation, this would ensure not only continuity but also a piece which reflects reality and a situation which is believable. The grid was also used frequently and was very helpful in creating and framing shots which were aesthetically pleasing, by placing things in particular places- to create balance. These two aspects of the camera were

extremely useful and in comparison to past experiences with cameras and filming produced something of a much higher standard.

Adobe Premiere Pro

During this task, Premiere Pro was the main editing software in which we used; personally I had used this predominantly for the editing of things such as lighting. Previously, although I have had experience with using Premiere Pro, I haven’t used it in the same depth as I did when creating this opening sequence, I only ever stuck

to a few aspects of the program which I was familiar with. Previously, although Premiere pro was used I had not explored the tools and potential effects that I could have used and so gaining more experience with the program enabled me to learn

much more about it resulting in a production of more success. However, for this task I was far more ambitious within what I wished to achieve and so I was using new elements of the program which I hadn’t used before; so although this was quite

taxing from more than one point of view, it created a more effective outcome. The main things that I used and had discovered were the techniques for: lighting and

colour, these things help to produce a different and effective atmosphere.

Techniques

Specifically the ‘Fast Color Corrector’ was a tool that I was previously unfamiliar with however was used frequently to enhance the mood of our opening sequence. This tool

enabled me to play around with multiple things, including:

White balance

Hue

Saturation

Our shots were filmed at many different angles and so the lighting needed individual tweaking to ensure continuity within our piece. I had learned how to correct the white balance of images by using this tool, to correct and alter the light temperature of the

clips before varying them further in terms of atmosphere.

The colour cast that I placed upon the clips (a blue hue) was also edited in terms of saturation, to create either a low contrast to the shots, however I had to remember that in terms of realism the saturation shouldn’t be too high or it will detract from the piece;

therefore the saturation was kept quite low.