Click to enlarge mind map
One programme I used during the research and planning stage was Slide Share, this is an interactive way of viewing power points. I created a slide share about Sven E Carlssons theory on music videos, I decided to create this as knowing the different types of videos was important. In my AS portfolio I used Slide Share a lot to carry our research, however I never created my own one. I feel that by creating my own power point, I was able to construct and lay it out in a way that suited me. I was able to choose which information I wanted to include, therefore allowing me to focus on certain aspects. Being able to include images was also useful as it made it more appealing to look at, and also made links between the text.
Another software that I was introduced to during A2 was Final Cut Pro. This is an editing software where we uploaded our footage, in order to arrange the shots and add effects and transitions. For our AS portfolio we used IMovie to edit all of the clips, we decided to do this as it was the simpler programme. However, in order to develop our editing skills, we decided to use Final Cut Pro as it is more complicated. The first step was to upload all of the footage we had filmed into the programme, so that we could begin editing. This was very simple, and I faced no difficulties with this task. Next, as a group we deleted the clips that we did not need or felt that the quality was not up to scratch. This was again very simple as we could look through the clips and simply right click then delete.
The next thing we done as a group was insert the audio. We felt this was vital to do at the beginning of the editing process, as we would be able to successfully sync the clips with the song. This was very simple to carry out; we had to click the music button in the tool bar, then choose the song that we had uploaded then drag it to the time line. This was very similar to using IMovie as both required audio to be dragged down to the time line.
Next we began to arrange the clips in the order we wanted, as some of the clips were slightly different to our original storyboard, we just tried different clips to see what fitted best. It was very simple to arrange the clips as you could simply move them around by dragging them into the place you want them. As we continued to do this, I began to understand more which clips fitted well together, due to the different lighting's. One of the biggest parts of the editing process was adding the different effects and transitions, Individually we all conducted our own research on different effects and transitions then came together as a group and compared ideas. I focused on looking at pop music videos, to see if there are any trends to what they use. I found out that most of the music videos that had effects, used very fun and bright effects. This is because it engages the audience and makes the overall production more interesting to watch. We did not want to overdo our video with effects, so made sure that we balanced them well. One thing I have learnt is how to make text appear in time to the beats of the music. We decided to have this as the beginning our our video as the black and yellow colour scheme would catch the audiences eye, and engage them for the rest of the video. We wanted to make sure that the text appeared at the exact same time as the beats, otherwise it would not look professional.
This is how we added effects and transitions
This is what our beginning sequence looked like
Another programme that we used a lot during A2 was Photo Shop. We used this mainly for our ancillary tasks, as this was the simplest way to edit the images. I had never used Photo Shop before as during our AS production we did not not need to edit any images. Although some of my group members took A Level Photography, I wanted to be involved in the editing process of the images, so that I could develop new skills. The first thing we did was upload the photos onto Photo Shop. This was very simple as all we needed to do was upload the images to the IMac then select the file on Photo Shop. Once the front cover image had been uploaded, we began looking at the different editing tools. We made the image lighter, and also tried it in black and white, however we felt that it made the image look too plain. The next step was to add the text, this is a skill that I developed as I had to practise editing the text, to make it fit the image.
Once the front cover was completed, we began creating the inlays on Photo Shop,this was slightly harder than the front cover, however one positive of this is that I developed numerous skills and was also introduced to a range of editing tools and techniques. This first thing we did was upload the image of the brick wall. This was very simple as we had already learnt how to upload an image by doing the front cover. For the first inlay, we wanted to have graffiti on the wall. We were thinking about uploading images of graffiti, however to further develop our skills we decided to use the spray paint tool on Photo Shop to draw on the graffiti ourselves. This was very fun to do as I could be very creative, and use bright colours to make the inlay stand out.
Choosing our graffiti colours
Another programme I used to present my ideas and research in a different way was Prezi. This is a really creative and interactive way to present information, and allows you to add different transitions to get from slide to slide. I decided to create a Prezi on our chosen genre, to show that I have researched the different forms and conventions. I have used Prezi before as I really like how it collates all of the information, and presents it in a way that is engaging. As I have used the programme before, I decided to use different template and transitions in order to show how I have developed.
Overall, I feel my skills have greatly developed since AS, as I used a range of different programmes, which allowed me to progress my editing skills. I feel that learning how to use Photo Shop was extremely useful, as our digi pack images looked very professional once we had finished editing them. I also feel that I made good use of the different formats in which I could present information on. For both the planning and evaluation, I used a variety of websites that created fun and engaging power points.
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