How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

In the construction of my media coursework I used iMovie to edit my Short Film. Many people used Adobe however because I have iMovie software at home, it was easier for me and more practical to stick with this software instead. Not only this, but as I used iMovie for AS I already knew how to use the software making editing quick and affective. iMovie allowed me to gather and place together all my footage so that it all linked together, record my voiceover over the top of my footage, add in the title of my film as well as the credits, mute background noise from the lazar treatment clip with Victoria, speed up the pace of the clip consisting of me doing my make up, crop the footage where beauty products are shown on a self at the 'Sk;n' Clinic so that the tripod was not visible in the mirrored reflection, shorten or lengthen the time of clips, and remove the audio of some footage so that the voiceover was able to be recorded without any noise behind it.

When actually filming my coursework I used a sony digital HD camera which gave me good quality footage and is a simple camera to use with a substantial battery life which came in handy when filming. Aside from filming, microsoft word and photoshop were essential when constructing my magazine review and poster as these were the two programmes I used to create them.

In terms of research, the internet was a very important tool. I was able to use Youtube in order to search Short Films to see what they consisted of. This was very useful as previously I had not watched any short films therefore was eager to see how a plot was fitted into such a short time frame. Not only youtube, but I used the main search engine 'Google' in order to search specifically 'Documentary Short Films' this was because there wasn't many on Youtube. Watching some that linked to the exact genre I was doing really helped in my choosing a topic to base my documentary on and see similar elements that they had included. 

Sites such as iPlayer, 40d and Five On Demand also helped with this because although they do not feature Documentary Films, these sites have a wide range of Documentary Programmes to view, and by watching some of these, it also helped me to gain knowledge on what topic to chose and how a Documentary is executed. Specifically, I watched some my Cherry Healey.

Not only did I use the internet to research ideas for my Short Film, it was was very essential in enabling me to research information on what to include in my ancillary tasks. Google was used in order to look at a vast range of Short Film posters, some particularly for my Documentary Genre. I also used the internet to look at the main site for 'Empire Magazine' which was really influential when creating my film review, as they're one of the leading magazine film reviewers. I also went to watch some Short Films at 'Cinema City' in Norwich which like watching the clips on YouTube, helped me to gain a better understanding of what a Short Film consisted of. Watching television channels, like channel 4 also helped as they show many documentary style programmes.

In terms of planning, I used microsoft word in order to create a mind map to explore different ideas and concepts. I also used microsoft word in order to write a script for my production and to create release forms for my characters to sign saying that I had permission to film them. A video camera was often used in order for me to record myself discussing my ideas and my progression, this helped me as I was able to look back at this videos and remind myself what I had come up with so far. I also used a video camera when conducting audience research videos as recording peoples videos was a fun and interactive way of getting to know their views. I used a digital camera in order to take photos of my locations and characters, which helped me decide on final locations and narrow down the characters that I was using because originally I had too many.

Finally, for my evaluation I have not been able to record myself unfortunately due to the fact my iMovie is currently not working correctly, therefore I have used my blog to write essay style answers. I have also used the internet to include some pictures however in oder to make my answers more appealing. As well as original images of my poster and magazine review in order for people to see visually what I am talking about. Lastly, I used my laptop in order to take print screens of the footage from my media coursework in order to illistrate my points when discussing my audience feedback.