What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this

product?

Siobhan Wren.

Hardware.

Video camera.I used a video camera to film our film opening and our preliminary task because it is a professional piece of equipment which allowed us to record our footage in order to put onto the iMacs and edit. I have gained a variety of skills by using this video camera, such as learning the new angles and how to shoot them and learning the variety of camera movements and knowing which one to use for certain situations.

Tripod.I used a tripod when filming our film opening because it made our footage more steady and all at one level. The tripod was useful when we had to do our pan shot as it kept the whole of the shot at eye level. I have learned that the tripod is a nessary piece of hardware that is needed when filming so that there is no unsteady or shaky footage. I have also learned that you can change the height of the legs in order to choose what type of angle shot you want.

iMac.We used the iMacs when editing our film opening and completing our tasks. We had to use the iMacs because they are a professional piece of equipment which had lots of different tools which I used for a variety of my tasks. I have gained the skill of knowing how to use the iMacs and I became more confident in using the iMacs as I got on.

SD card.I had to use an SD card so that my footage that was on the video camera

would be automatically saved on the card and I wouldn’t loose it. I learned how to back up any data that we had so that there was less chance of us loosing our footage.

USB cable.We used a USB cable so that we were able to transfer our footage from the

video recorder onto the iMacs. Before using a USB cable, I used to email the pictures to myself so that I was able to get them onto the iMac, now I can easily just put in the USB cable and it does it quickly. I have learned that a USB cable is a fast and efficent way of transfering items from one piece of hardware to another.

Software

iMovie.I used iMovie to edit our film opening. I used this because it is a easy and

effective piece of software and it has a variety of different editing tools which I used in my film opening such as the slow motion effect. I have gained the skills of knowing how to use iMovie and I have gained more confidence in myself when using it.

Photoshop.I used Photoshop when creating the production company logo, I used this

device because it was the best way of creating the perfect image that I wanted. At first I didn’t know how to use Photoshop as I was new to it but know I have learned all the basic skills of using Photoshop and I am able to use it for any task now without any problem.

Windows Movie Maker.I used Windows Movie Maker when editing our preliminary task, I used this

because we had no time to do it at school and because I didn’t have iMovie at home, this was the only editing tool I had. Movie Maker was simple to use and I found it very straightforward. I have expanded my knowledge on using Movie Maker, and I have learned how to use it to edit any piece of footage.

Microsoft.I used lots of devices from Microsoft when completing my tasks. The main

microsoft devices that I used were, Word and Powerpoint. I had used these many times before, so I already knew how to work them and what to do therefore I didn’t experience any problems with them. However, I did learn how to embed my work on Microsoft onto my blogger which was very useful and I now know how to do it in the future.

Online Tools.

Google.I used Google when researching any information that I needed when I was

completing the tasks. Also, whenever I had any problems with any of the hardware or software I typed the problem into Google and it came up with solutions on how to help me, which was very useful. I learned how to use Google effectively and Google also taught me how to use the hardware and software that I was having complications with.

Slideshare.I used Slideshare when I created some of my work on Powerpoint and then I had

to upload it onto Slideshare in order to put it on my blog. I also used Slideshare because I thought that it looked more professional and it looked more eye catching rather than just a powerpoint. I have learned how to upload my work onto Slideshare and how to embed it onto my blogger which will be very useful in the future with other tasks.

YouTube.YouTube was one of the most used online tools for me. I used YouTube to upload

my preliminary task, my audience expectations and my final film opening. I have also used it to look at other thriller films so that I fully understood the generic conventions of a thriller film and so that I could incorporate it into my own film opening. I have learned how to upload videos onto YouTube and how to embed them onto my blogger. I have also learned how to add annotations onto videos on YouTube which I done in one of my evaluation tasks.

FreeSound.I used FreeSound to find different sounds for my film opening. The reason why I

used this online tool is because it allowed me to take a certain sound and use it in my opening without me copyrighting someone else’s music. I have learned how to edit the sound into our film opening and how to fit it in perfectly where it was supposed to go.

Blogger.Blogger was the most used online tool overall. I used Blogger to upload all of my

tasks and to share them with the school. When using Blogger I made sure that every task of mine was presented professionally and made sure that it was understandable. Blogger allowed me to see what other people in my class were doing so that if I was stuck on a certain task I could look at theirs and understand it more. I have learned how to use Blogger, how to upload my work onto it and I am know more confident in using Blogger and it is a very useful skill to have.

Art of the Title.I used Art of the Title when creating a few of my tasks. It allowed me to research

other film openings of my genre which widened my knowledge on the generic conventions of thriller films. Art of the Title taught me the different kinds of conventions in thriller films, the mise en scenes, locations and costumes which are commonly used in that genre.

Mindmeister.I used Mindmeister when completing a couple of my tasks. I used this online

tool because it was very eye catching, professional and it made my work more understandable and easy to read. I have learned how to use Mindmeister effectively and how to embed it onto my blogger. At first I found it quite difficult to include images onto the mind map however, I later on figured it out and now I know and I can make my mind maps more interesting.