This is a montage of all the technologies myself and my group used to create our teaser trailer and the other final products surrounding the trailer.
During the planning and research, we were used to just writing all our information down and using story boards and note taking during group discussions. The only time the internet was used was to view certain horror trailers to take some tips and tricks from as a group on YouTube. This worked fine for me, as this is my preffered method of research and I find it easy to revise and recall information when I have wrote it down or read it on paper.
During the construction however, everything was done through a computer; mainly an iMac. The Apple technology was used for most of the manipulation and editing of the teaser trailer and GarageBand, which was also available on the iMac, was used for all of the sound effects, backing and soundtrack. I used Photoshop to manipulate all of the images used on my blog and also the final ancillary tasks. Although the use of Photoshop became easier over time, I found it extremely difficult to work and found myself feeling slightly stuck at times when having many ideas on what I wanted to do and not being able to fulfill those ideas because of the lack of confidence I had when using Photoshop. I found myself extremely confused at times, but over the period of time we had to complete this coursework I found it becoming easier and I felt more comfortable completing tasks using this technology. I used Flickr to analyse images of previous horror movie posters and magazine covers, and found this a reliable and simple way to do so. I had no problems with the camera and video-shooting technology, and I used this with confidence and ease as I have used this technology a lot on a presonal level. I did most of the shooting during the production of our teaser trailer because of my comfortability with the technologies appropriate, and my other group members contributed more to the production of the edited version, which I found helpful and educating to watch, as I was in no way confident with my use of Finalcut Pro, (although I would happily use this technology to produce work again as I am now fully confident with the product). Finalcut Pro played the biggest part in our production of the trailer, as it was used the most. As it is industry standard software and very difficult to use on an amateur level, as our group did. There was a steep learning curve through out the group when we became comfortable with the software to a point where we could actually include what we wanted to at a quicker and more reliable pace. My group did contribute greatly to my learning and understanding of the system of our production, as I was completely apposed to the idea of being responsible for any of the work produced on it before my group helped me to understand the technology better. In all honesty, it was fear of ruining the final product that stopped me from contributing much more than others at the beginning of the manipulation process, as I am much happier when using more traditional methods of work production. However, after being eased into the system of work production I was happy to observe my knowledge of Finalcut Pro became fluent and I was able to contribute just as much as my other group members. I done this particularly in regards to the scene transitions and the effects taking place during the transitions. Adding such effects as dimming and quick-cut transitioning between scenes I was able to create an effect that the whole group agreed added to the horror conventional teaser trailer we were trying to achieve. I also contributed to the sound effects placed at the end of the trailer; I recorded a clip of my voice on Garageband whispering, and, with my group's consent, transfered it over and mixed it in with the backing track and other sound effects already placed on the trailer using Garageband so it fitted in with the whole scene. This is just a few examples of the contribution I gave to the production of the trailer.
During the planning and research, we were used to just writing all our information down and using story boards and note taking during group discussions. The only time the internet was used was to view certain horror trailers to take some tips and tricks from as a group on YouTube. This worked fine for me, as this is my preffered method of research and I find it easy to revise and recall information when I have wrote it down or read it on paper.
During the construction however, everything was done through a computer; mainly an iMac. The Apple technology was used for most of the manipulation and editing of the teaser trailer and GarageBand, which was also available on the iMac, was used for all of the sound effects, backing and soundtrack. I used Photoshop to manipulate all of the images used on my blog and also the final ancillary tasks. Although the use of Photoshop became easier over time, I found it extremely difficult to work and found myself feeling slightly stuck at times when having many ideas on what I wanted to do and not being able to fulfill those ideas because of the lack of confidence I had when using Photoshop. I found myself extremely confused at times, but over the period of time we had to complete this coursework I found it becoming easier and I felt more comfortable completing tasks using this technology. I used Flickr to analyse images of previous horror movie posters and magazine covers, and found this a reliable and simple way to do so. I had no problems with the camera and video-shooting technology, and I used this with confidence and ease as I have used this technology a lot on a presonal level. I did most of the shooting during the production of our teaser trailer because of my comfortability with the technologies appropriate, and my other group members contributed more to the production of the edited version, which I found helpful and educating to watch, as I was in no way confident with my use of Finalcut Pro, (although I would happily use this technology to produce work again as I am now fully confident with the product). Finalcut Pro played the biggest part in our production of the trailer, as it was used the most. As it is industry standard software and very difficult to use on an amateur level, as our group did. There was a steep learning curve through out the group when we became comfortable with the software to a point where we could actually include what we wanted to at a quicker and more reliable pace. My group did contribute greatly to my learning and understanding of the system of our production, as I was completely apposed to the idea of being responsible for any of the work produced on it before my group helped me to understand the technology better. In all honesty, it was fear of ruining the final product that stopped me from contributing much more than others at the beginning of the manipulation process, as I am much happier when using more traditional methods of work production. However, after being eased into the system of work production I was happy to observe my knowledge of Finalcut Pro became fluent and I was able to contribute just as much as my other group members. I done this particularly in regards to the scene transitions and the effects taking place during the transitions. Adding such effects as dimming and quick-cut transitioning between scenes I was able to create an effect that the whole group agreed added to the horror conventional teaser trailer we were trying to achieve. I also contributed to the sound effects placed at the end of the trailer; I recorded a clip of my voice on Garageband whispering, and, with my group's consent, transfered it over and mixed it in with the backing track and other sound effects already placed on the trailer using Garageband so it fitted in with the whole scene. This is just a few examples of the contribution I gave to the production of the trailer.
Personally, in regards to evaluation, I find that I work best with more traditional methods of producing evaluative coursework, which is why I think I done so well and produced so much in regards to the more simple side of producing the trailer, (filming). I found even the use of the blog difficult at times, although now I feel at ease with it and comfortable to use it again. Even so, Blogging in such a manner and adopting a brand new web 2.0 approach to evaluation and work in general was a real struggle for me. Transferring information from a verbal and ideological conceptual standard, in the beginning, was extremely difficult and frustrating, as I would have many ideas which were easy to reliably write down, or speak and note quickly, but when the actual time for recording these ideas came around I felt like I could communicate the appropriate information freely and easily as I would simply writing things down. Although it is now second nature to me, using the blog to its full potential started out as a frustrating and time-consuming concept, and it quite frankly put me off adding all of the information I wanted to in order to reach the full potential of my work. After much support from teaching staff and my group members in their help and advice they lended to me I felt less and less stress in using Blogger, and I became able to do my own work and produce exactly what I had in mind instead of giving up periodically and not putting what I wanted to because of time issues. However, I still would have very much preferred a more traditional method of work production. I felt almost intimidated at times and very frustrated when certain equiptment like the internet, for example, would not work as expected, and there has been more than one occasion where I have lost unsaved work, (partly through fault of my own ignorance in not saving the work periodically), because of system failure or other situations alike.
Over all this course has helped me become comfortable and widened my knowledge of different technologies I didn't even know exsisted before my intoduction with them over the course of this work process. It turned out very helpful and will aid me in the future when producing work alike. I still am, however, extremely stuck in a traditional ideology and, when faced with the choice, will choose an extremely long essay over a blog any day!
Over all this course has helped me become comfortable and widened my knowledge of different technologies I didn't even know exsisted before my intoduction with them over the course of this work process. It turned out very helpful and will aid me in the future when producing work alike. I still am, however, extremely stuck in a traditional ideology and, when faced with the choice, will choose an extremely long essay over a blog any day!
A good start but needs more depth. You need to develop this answer much further by dividing your project into its three stages; planning and research, construction, and evaluation. Explain which technologies you use during which stage and what you found useful or annoying about them. In particular for construction you do need to say a great deal more about Final Cut Pro. It was this software that you created your final product on. Is industry-standard software and very demanding to use, with a steep learning curve. Explain how your gradually developing expertise actually enabled you to develop your ideas about the trailer and how it should look and sound further. Be specific here and include some actual tools or techniques that you use within the program. Or if you feel still totally see with Final Cut Pro then you will have to explain that instead. Can you develop your final points about producing and evaluating work a bit further. You do not like blogging, and of course this method is very different from evaluation methods you might use in other subjects. What do you gain from adopting a web 2.0 approach to evaluation? What do you lose?
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