HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION, RESEARCH, PLANNING AND EVALUATION

STAGES?

By Chris Remington

Planning

An important feature I used in the planning stage of our film was the use of Celtx. This software allowed me to write a professional looking script for our film which included dialogue, actions and settings. This software sets out the script in a basic way which means it is easy to tell what each character says, and what action is performed. Thus making it easier for the actors to know what they are doing in each scene. This organised are group as it meant that when it came to filming we did not have to wait around thinking of how to lay out each shot.

Another aspect of our planning stage was the creation of storyboards. These were made to plan out the locations of each character and the angle of the shots.

Planning

This is an example of how we used storyboards in the planning process. These storyboards made filming easier as we already had an idea of how we would frame up each shot. This also gave us a visualisation of how each scene would look before we shot each scene.

Research Throughout the film

making process I have used Blogger in order to store all of the research I have done on the genre of our film, the costumes used and also the similar film. This research enabled our group to use the stereotypical urban drama film as a benchmark to work from. Using Blogger, I also kept note of the dates that we were planning on filming and noted any resources we would use in each scene. This helped keep our film organised as could just check up on which props we would need. If we did not do this then we may have forgot a necessary prop and this could have prevented us from filming on that day.

This is the blog I completed on the resources used. This relates to the research stage in this process as I looked up what sort of props are used and used my knowledge of Urban Drama’s so that I understood which props relate to the iconography seen in this genre. These were props such as cocaine (sugar in our case).

ResearchDuring the research phase of our course I looked at the different aspects that make up a typical urban drama film. Specifically, I looked at costumes, music and setting. I used Google to look at photos of costumes and settings in Urban Dramas such as Kidulthood. This being because screenshots of the films are on Google so it was a quick and easy way to gather information on established films in the genre.

This is an example of the type of photo I looked at. This gives clues as to the type of clothing the characters use in this genre of film. After finding this, I integrated it into the costumes I wore in our film.

I wore casual clothing to replicate the attire seen in other Urban Dramas such as Kidulthood.

ResearchAnother media technology I used during the research stage was the website ‘Short of the Week’. This website has hundreds of short films with varying genres. I specifically looked at drug films with a focus on the title sequences and credits used in the films.

This is one particular set of credits I looked at which was from a drug film. We used this style in our own film as I believe the black and white colour scheme is effective as it shows no specific emotion which is what we were looking for.

Construction

Final Cut Express- The use of Final Cut Express was particularly helpful with the construction stage in our film. This software gave us the chance to edit our clips in order to make the film run smoothly. Tools such as this allowed us to crop the shots so that our film made sense and had a fluidity about it. Another use of Final Cut Express was that it allowed us to insert music into the scenes where it helped express the overall mood better. For example when the character Greg is stabbed, we played an emotional and slow song to compliment that it is a sad stage in the film. Another feature of Final Cut Express

which was helpful was the option to edit the lighting in the shots. This wheel of colour allowed us to tamper with the saturation and lighting in shots which we felt were too bright and didn’t fit with the mood in the scenes.

This is an example of how we used Final Cut Express. It enabled us to edit clips together which increased the fluidity of our final film.

Adobe Photoshop Elements- Construction

I have used Adobe Photoshop Elements in order to make a film poster post-production. This software enabled me to create a realistic film poster which is similar to any professional poster. This poster was created after I researched other film posters as I wanted to look at the different styles of existing posters to see which would suit our film.

This is one poster in particular that I liked, and I used this idea when it came to making my film poster. I felt that by using the characters face as a vocal point which add to the mystery as it does not give away what the character is addicted to, you also do not know where he has got a black eye from. This feature in particular however does suggest that he gets into trouble due to his addiction.

Using the Sony HD 1000- Construction

Perhaps the biggest feature of technology we used in the construction of our film was the use of the Sony HD 1000. We have never used such a high quality or expensive camera and so this increase in quality of film making enabled us to create good looking shots. This piece of equipment was obviously crucial in the creation of our film as we would have not been able to create a good short film otherwise. At first, the use of this camera caused confusion due to the many factors that can be changed (e.g. display) but eventually we learnt how to successfully use the camera and it has been an improvement on the camera used in our first year film due to it shooting in High Definition, as well as it offering more options, for example it is better focused in dark scenes due to the Night Vision Mode being a possibility. We struggled to film in dark scenes last year due to not having such options.

This is an example of the type of shot we took with the use of Sony HD 1000. We were able to use a number of different shots such as: close-ups, pan shots and many others. This camera shot in HD and so created good quality shots.

Zoom Recorder- Construction

We used a Zoom Recorder for the construction of our radio trailer. This was specifically used for the voiceover of the psychiatrist and Greg. This apparatus was used in a quiet room where we first scripted a sequence of speech, whilst leaving space in the text for quotes from the film, and then edited the sequence on Final Cut Express. This trailer has helped with the construction of our film as the advertising stages are important in the success of any film.

Evaluation Microsoft Word: In order to

complete the evaluation of our film I had to use 3 different formats. One of these was Microsoft Word, which I used to cover Question 1 as I wanted to lay out the answer in a typical essay format. This software helped accomplish this as it is set out with a simple A4 sheet which I could add; text, pictures and other things in order to complete the question.

Prezi: This is another technology I have used in the evaluation stages. I have used this website as another format of answering the evaluation Question number 2. This is a more creative way of answering the question as it allows you to customize the layout of the website.

Microsoft PowerPoint: Finally, I used PowerPoint to answer question number 4. This helped with the evaluation as I could categorise the; Planning, research, construction and evaluation of the film making process.

Evaluation Google Docs: In order to evaluate the success of our film we sent out a questionnaire to

people within the age category which we assumed our film would attract (15-20), this being because they will be able to relate to the lives of the characters in the film due to the aspects of going out with friends etc, so they too may experience peer pressure. We received 4 responses; 3 of which were male and 1 who were female. We received positive feedback from the film as all of the people enjoyed the film and they all believed the film was realistic. This is positive as we wanted to portray a realistic story which would hopefully deter others from using drugs. As well as this, all 4 people said that our music worked well with the film, which again highlights that we were on point with our judgment. The use of Google Docs enabled us to create a useful questionnaire containing 7 relevant questions which we sent to people via Facebook. This was highly useful as we could receive the feedback quickly by sending it to friends.