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

During AS and A2 Media, I have learnt how to use and develop skills that have been taught in my coursework, using photoshop, blogger, flickr, final cut pro and garage band to produce the ancillary and main tasks in both parts.

Research and planning was manually done, but the internet was used along with books. But technology did play a part. I used flickr to analysis existing horror texts to help me plan for my producing my own horror poster and film magazine front cover. I used flickr last year to analyse existing music magazines, which was a challenge, but this time it was a breeze as I knew the connoventions of a poster, magazine and horror as a genre.

When I first Photoshop I had no clue had to use it. The preliminary task from AS I wasn't great, it was plain and boring. My main task was much better. I learnt how to create a professional looking magazine front cover, double page spread and contents page using the techniques and conventions that I was taught from my teacher and experimenting. It took me weeks to get it just right.

My photoshop skills improved in A2 when I had to design a poster and a front cover for a film magazine in less than a week. I knew how to use the tools and create a professional product in less time than I had for AS. I had a idea of how I wanted the ancillary task to look like and knew what to do to make it that way in a quarter of the time that it took me to do my AS coursework. I have learnt so much from using Photoshop. I have in-corporated it with my other A levels; for example, designing characters and locations in iMedia.

I created a piece of music using garage band. It gave me the chance to be creative by composing my own music track, however I only used it once so I never really experienced the full potential of it.

In this year, I have been able to use a video camera. First I had to learn how to use it (learning where the on and off button was, was a good starting pint). I was able to film my own footage along with Amy; experimenting with my own ideas. 

Final Cut Pro was used so that I and Amy (my partner) could create Let Me Play's trailer, this isn't the final trailer. It was difficult as into production our thrid member left, leaving us as a pair putting more pressure and work on us. It was alot of work during post-production, we didn't know what we had to do and we didn't have the support from another student to help with ideas but we both got attention and help from Sean which made up for it. We came in during our lunch breaks to do the work to make for there only being two of us, but we finally got it done. It was fascinating to learn how to use a software that is used by big companies in both the television and film industry; Corpse Bride (2005), 300 (2007), Eat, Love, Pray (2010), John Carter (2012).

I crossed cut the footage, placing the footage in different areas to create confusion and capture the audiences interest in seeing the film. Some of the sequences were to dark when they were uploaded, so me and Amy had to play with the contrast to make the audience be able to see the scene but not too much, as it would have taken the atmosphere away.

In the scene where Helen comes out of the cellar, there is a grainy effect that was edited in the post-production stages by looking and testing the effects in the browser section.

In the scene where Sarah is consoling Cassie, we used a canted angle inspired by German expressionism to convey the sense of un-easiness and un-natural, "supernatural" forces. 

After the final product was finished it was uploaded onto youtube and now anyone can see my work. It was amazing to see it on youtube for the first time as I thought "oh my god, thats my work on website that is global."

I had to in both AS and A2, flickr to analysis existing products for planning my own products. For my main task in AS I had to analysis a existing contents page, double page spread and front cover. In A2, I analysized front covers of existing film magazines and a existing film poster. I never knew about flickr until this course and it has changed how I can deconstruct media texts as before I did it manually using paper and a pen but I can do it digitally all I need is a computer.

Using blogs is completely different to the traditional forms of evaluation such as essays. They are virtual (more accessable) and easier to read. It has been easier to write on my blog rather than a essay as it tailored to my generation, who have grown up with techniclogical change.

Over the last two years I have used blogs to express myself. It has really changed my life, I don't need to carry around documents and papers around, all I need is avaliable at the click of a button. Blogs I have allowed me to express myself, not only for my coursework but as a indivual. I don't remember how I coped before I realised how easy they were. I have also created one for my Film Studies.