Evaluation - Question 6

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

Research and Planning

Prior to filming we chose various platforms to document, record and present our research and planning. For both our research and our planning stage we consistently used blog posts, as they are the simplest, easiest and most effective way to display our work. By using blogs we were enabled to present our findings in different formats such as presentations, images and videos thus demonstrating our professionalism and improving our works clarity. In addition to this the use of blogs meant we could constantly update, improve and rewrite our work and add any improvements highlighted by our teachers comments. Another key piece of technology we used in our research is YouTube, by incorporating video clips into our work we were able to capture screenshots of certain camera angles and narrative techniques then annotate and incorporate them into our thriller piece. Furthermore, YouTube allowed us to watch clips from films in the thriller genre and gain knowledge on powerful techniques such as shadows, soundtracks and flashbacks which we could mirror in our film. In addition to that the video clips of films from the same genre allowed us to gain knowledge of the genre and it's general conventions, stereotypes and representations. However, I am yet to mention the most important and useful piece of technology that was key to our thriller research and planning, the internet. Websites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes were extremely useful in gathering key information on conventions and styles. For example, without the use of the internet our production team would never have come up with the idea to incorporate a key piece of camerawork taken from the film 'Inception' where we see an extreme close up of Josh waking up. Without the use of the internet we wouldn't have been able to use the sound effects we used or soundscape, which would result in a very dull sequence. As well as this, without this piece of technology we couldn't have used the website DaFont, which would mean we couldn't research around what type of typeface to add to our film.

Production

During our filming we used DSLR Camera's which are vital in making our film professional and clear. One of there key features is that there is they allow instant playback, meaning we can see the footage we just shot and evaluate to see if the lighting, sound and angle is perfect thus making our film making process faster, easier and more efficient. Another key piece of technology we used in the production of our thriller is a tripod and a stabilizer. Firstly, the tripod allowed us too get steady and focused establishing shots and mid shots and prevented any sort of camera jolting resulting in a smoother sequence. Secondly, the stabilizer is a piece of equipment that our production team had never previously worked with, this piece of technology allowed us too do smooth, fast paced and steady tracking shots. For example the tracking shot we used of Josh sprinting, without the use of the stabilizer then the clip would have been much to frantic and chaotic.


Post Production

After gathering all of our necessary clips and footage we moved into the editing stage, for this we used the professional editing program, Premier Pro. This program allowed us to reshuffle our clips organizing them, edit the colour adjustment, the lighting and the sound. One major aspect of Premier Pro is flipping shots and organizing shots to maintain continuity, this is vital as your thriller film must maintain a consistent narrative and make sense. Another key feature we used from this program was editing sound, we were able to alter the volume, tempo and length of the soundscape. This software also allowed us to input our chosen soundtracks and sound effects into our film with ease. Another aspect of Premier Pro that we utilized was being able to add in credits, we could change the fonts and colour of the text. For example we could change and edit the kerning, the point size and typography of the font. This enabled us to make our credits and title sequence much more personal and conform with the general conventions of the thriller genre.