The document discusses the technologies used at different stages of constructing a media product for an AS Media course. In the planning stage, websites like IMDb, RottenTomatoes, and YouTube were used to research the genre and find examples. Movie Studio Platinum, a video camera, boom microphone, and Photoshop were learned to construct the product. Blogger was an important tool for evaluating and getting feedback on the product. Using various technologies at each stage helped gain experience and complete the coursework.

1. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

2.  Throughout the whole process of editing and
producing our media product for AS Media,
there have been three different stages that we
have had to go through to be able to construct
the media product to a good standard.These
included: Planning and Research, Construction
and the Evaluation Process.
 Therefore, the use of this presentation is that I
am going to address all of the processes
individually and point out what I have learnt
from these stages and how they were useful.

3.  Throughout the period of time that we spent on research and planning,
we used a wide range of different technologies to be able to access a
better understanding of our chosen genre.We used a websites such as
IMDb and RottenTomatoes which showed us specific information about
our genre and examples of films that were included within. IMDb, for
example, displayed to me the synopsis of a film, as well as how well it did
during it’s time in a cinema and how much gross profit it earnt.The
statistical, also known as quantitative data, enabled us to look into our
target demographic and see how much we could potentially make from
the film and the genre as a whole.We also used websites such as
YouTube to be able to watch clips from our genre and therefore gain
inspiration from them.We also usedYouTube to be able to look at other
students work from AS Media Studies, which meant we could analyse
them and then improve our work.
 The websites that I have used were easy to browse because of previous
experience, but the qualitative data that I saw was difficult to analyse
due to not having to need to do this prior.

4.  To begin the construction process, we had to learn how to use a range of software to be
able to produce our media product and so we could also improve the quality of our work
and attain a higher grade.To do this, we needed to learn how to use a video camera and
the boom microphone that would enable us to pick up sound easier. We also had to learn
how to use software such as Movie Studio Platinum.
 No one within our group had used Movie Studio Platinum before so we were all brand new
to the software, but after playing about and watchingYouTube tutorials we were able to
work it well. The majority of the group were involved heavily in filming but we decided than
it would be better if one individual of the group would edit the final footage, but the whole
group would have a say in what it was going to look like.This meant that one member had
to be coherent in using the software and be able to work sufficiently during the
construction process. During the time that we were filming we allocated jobs as it meant
that we only had to learn how to use one thing thus making the filming process easier and
consistent. I was using the camera myself because I have a greater knowledge than other
members in my group and this knowledge will make filming easier. The sound boom that
we used was slightly temperamental because sometimes it decided that it wasn’t going to
work and didn’t pick up any sound. We then found this was because there was no battery in
the microphone, so we put one in and tried again, finding that it worked as it should.

5.  Movie Studio Platinum was the software that we used to edit our media product
once we had completed the filming process.We had to create a sequence of the
film scenes and then cut them down, removing the pieces of footage we did not
need within our opening. I also had to add different diegetic and non-diegetic
sounds to ensure that our film sounded effective rather than not sounding very
good.We also had to create transitions between frames, and these included
fades, straight cuts and match cuts.We also had to add effects on top of the
footage to ensure that they all matched when transitioning.All this was simple to
use and reasonably easy to add to the footage which enabled us to make sure the
footage flowed easily and efficiently. Not only did we manage to do this, but we
also managed to edit the volumes and contrasts of the sounds as well as include
extra non-diegetic sound tracks.

6.  We used Photoshop to create our title, studio logo “Watermelon Studios” and the banners
that were put over the news reports. I looked on Google for images of a breaking news bar
which I could duplicate. Finding four different ones, I duplicated these in Photoshop using
different shapes and text to ensure that they looked realistic. I also used Photoshop to
make the studio logo. I found an image of a watermelon on Google Images, making sure
that it was a transparent image. I then imported this into Photoshop and added text over
the top and added a black background as a separate layer. I made the text standout and
then exported the image as a Photoshop file, importing it into Movie Studio Platinum. I
found this quite easy because I am skilled in Photoshop as I have used it previously.
Regarding the title of the film, I made sure that the background was transparent and then
added the text, again making sure it stood out against the white noise background we
intended to put it over. Overall, the use of Photoshop was easy for me because I have had
previous experience thus I have learnt nothing new.

7.  After completing the Research and Planning and the Construction stages I have to evaluate the finished
product. I have used a range of websites again that I have previously used within the Research and
Planning stages. examples of these would be Microsoft Word, Prezi, Blogger,YouTube andEmaze. By
using these multiple times during the process I was able to gain more knowledge of how they worked,
even if I had used them previously. As I knew how to use the different multimedia platforms by the
evaluation stage I ensured that I used different forms of the multimedia for each question that I
answered. I began by using Prezi, Emaze and Slideshare. All these platforms made the work that I was
producing look better and more professional.
 I also usedYouTube to attain screenshots of our finished media product and other, real life examples to
evaluate the use of conventions within “Immunity”, and we also used it to upload the target audience
interviews and the pitch so they could be incorporated into our coursework.
 I also decided to use Slides and Powerpoint to be able to present my work in a professional fashion.
These platforms allowed me to add images and videos to improve the standard of my blog and to
provide evidence.
 All the websites that I chose to use were very self explanatory and really easy to use. On the other hand,
looking for suitable websites to use was difficult and time consuming since many you had to pay for, but
the ones that you didn’t I tried out and they allowed me to show that I can successfully use a range of
multimedia to evaluate my media product.

8.  Blogger has been the most important tool that I have used
because without it, I would not have been able to provide updates
on my media product.This is a website that I had not previously
come across and so had no experience in using it.The process to
set up my blog was initially confusing but after a few try outs it
was more familiar than I had expected.The layout was simple and
understandable, and it also allowed my teacher to add comments
on my work so I could improve it and attain the best grade I
possibly could. Each individual that took AS Media Studies had a
blog on this website, and this meant that I could keep track of
what everyone was updating, including the two other individuals
within our group.You could also personalise your blogger look
which made it easier to identify which blog belonged to each
individual member of the class.

9.  To conclude, it is important to consider the types of
multimedia that I have used during the period of this
coursework.These include: Sony HDCamera Recorder,
Boom Microphone, IMBd, RottenTomato,YouTube,
Blogger, Movie Studio Platinum, Photoshop, Google,
Slides, Emaze, Box Office, Prezi and Slideshare.
 By using the following multimedia options and
technologies I was able to gain the knowledge that I
needed to complete the coursework by using such a wide
variety of multimedia. By using these several times, I
became familiar with the multimedia and the period of
time from the beginning of the research and planning
right through to the evaluation stages became easier due
to the added experience.