Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

From the slide show above, I have learnt many vital aspects about technologies, particularly from the process of constructing 'Crowe. From the overall process, i would argue that in many ways, new media technologies offer enhanced opportunities for creativity, as well as being very much empowering and democratising. This was very much the case for me when planning, shooting and editing 'Crowe'. Technology ran throughout the whole film opening process, in which I shall focus upon Research and Planning, Post Production and, Production.



Research and Planning:

Firstly, all research and planning  for 'Crowe', is presented in the form of a blog post, which can present a variety of multi-media's. I had never 'blogged' before i started the course, but i soon learnt very quickly; the basics to the site, and the structure of a 'good' post. This therefore supports the idea of new media technologies being empowering and democratising because of the fact I learnt very quickly and now, when creating a post, I am very much in control. 'Blogger.com' is also an extremely modern method for presenting your work and in terms of relevance, this form of research and planning is very appropriate and relevant to the media industry itself, which is constantly striving for new, exciting and modern methods.


YouTube:
   One of the most well known multi-media's, and particularly relevant to the media industry (providing relevance throughout many years), YouTube was a frequently used media technology throughout my research and planning. Not only did I learn to embed video onto my blog posts and upload my own videos onto the site itself, but I am now aware of the digital citizenship you can attain from using such sites. Digital citizenship is a sense of literacy and confidence within the technology, as well as feeling very much part of a vast community, again, supporting the argument technology being empowering; to be part of a community, to which you are very much in control and confident in knowledge.



Prezi:
   To have variation amongst my presentational skills, I discovered and learnt to use Prezi. Prezi is, in my opinion, an extremely creative new media, relating to the creativity of the media industry and, more specifically to our coursework, film making. As well as adding diversity, I also learnt that Prezi is a collaborative format, enabling more than one person to work on one project all at once. This therefore enables you to instantly share and express your ideas, between people you are sharing the same interests as you.




Powerpoint:
A simpler yet very well known technology I also used was Powerpoint. By using a Powerpoint, I learnt to embed my planning and research through such sites as Scribd and Slideshare, widening my knowledgeable of new media sites, as well as research sources.



Photopeach and Pixton:
Similarly, sites such as Photopeach (used at the start) and Pixton, aided and encouraged by creativity through knew forms I would never of thought of. With reference to Pixton, this site had particular relevance in terms of helping me to structure and envisage storyboard changes to 'Crowe'. Photopeach, on the other hand, enabled me to develop my Powerpoint skills further by adding the media's of image, text and sound, to create a moving video.

   

Research Sources:


IMDb:
As for research sources, many of my sources, apart from films, were internet sites. For example, research sources such as IMDb, and fellow student blogs were very up to date, in terms of relevance, ratings, comments and multi-media's. Therefore, i learnt that even research sources were very communal, in the sense that any feedback and improvements/adaptations were greatly seen by many people, for our benefit as well as the site user. This supports the sense of community further.

Teacher feedback upon my own blog.

DaFont and Freesound:
Research sites such as DaFont and Freesound, helped, again, aid and enhance my creativity through finding the correct audio and titles for 'Crowe'. Sites like these support the idea of new media technology being empowering and democratising, because the soundtracks, for example, were created by everyday users, in which others could comment upon. The clear site also enabled me to be very much in control; i could simply search 'creepy soundtrack', and a variety of options would come up, the relevance to my film was just a 'search' button away.

 However, as well as being empowering and creative, these technologies also helped me understand their relevance towards employability within the industry. Although being very clear and simple to use, such methods like blog writing and embedding Powerpoints have given me many vital skills that I can express in the future. 











Post Production:

Premiere Pro:
 During post produciton and editing 'Crowe', I learnt to use the non-linear software of 'Adobe Premiere Pro'. With this media technology, I learnt to edit (transistions and effects also) to a professional, HD standard, as well as having control over what i was editing. This control was mainly to do with the non-linear aspect; the fact that if I made an error, or wanted to adust the contrast/shot length etc, i simply could. I could also do this anywhere on the time line, as oppose to earlier, linear technologies which had restraints. Although the software was difficult to understand at the start, I am now confident with this technology. I have also learnt how important and relevant editing software is to the media industry, even to the smallest aspects of a film.

Linear technologies meant that you had to edit in a very structured line. Consequently, this meant if there was an error, you had to start all over again from scratch.

This is different to Premiere Pro, which is a non-linear technology, enabling us to correct errors anywhere within the timeline, without starting our film edit from scratch.

After effects:
Another media technology software I used was 'Adobe After Effects'. With this software, i was encouraged to develop my creative skills, which i had attained from Premiere Pro, further, helping me to create and experiment with animated titles and visual effects. Refering to a sense of community and media technologies being democratising, sites such as 'Video Co- pilot', helped me to overcome intial challenges and doubts within the software with very simple and clear instructions.

This image expresses the overlay used through Premiere Pro.

Jump cut attained through Premiere Pro.

Production:

During the production stages of our thriller we encountered and learnt about other forms of technology, different to the ones in research and planning and post production. Our main piece of technological equipment was the HD camera; the first time using this particular type of camera, it was very simple, clear, effective, with the added benefit of filming in HD. This links to the fact that technologies are constantly evolving, and I understand that for anyone with an aspiration within the media industry, you want to be able to  replicate what is actually being produced and shown upon the big screen (High quality films). Therefore using these cameras has had important relevance to the industry  due to the HD capability.

The Canon Legria was extremely good quality for a relatively cheap price, as well as being very light.

SD cards:
SD cards are very light, reliable and effective, as there is no need for bigger equipments such as a memory tape or stick. The SD card was capable of storing a lot of footage, whilst assuring me of where my footage was.


How are new media technologies enhancing the film industry for young people?:

In conclusion, new media technologies are enhancing the film industry for young people because of their modern and easily accessible formats and approach to film making. The fact that many projects can now, and rely on, being collaborative, encourages the younger generation to share their ideas and influences, helping to aid creativity.