2. A lot of our initial Planning was done
on paper. We brainstormed a
selection of documentary ideas
which as a group, we chose the topic
“Could you live without your
phone”. When planning how we
wanted to shoot our documentary,
we used a storyboard template that
showed how we were going to shoot
our film in chronological order,
clearly showing the type of shot,
where the film is shot, type of
background music and small
description of what was happening
in the shot followed with a clear
drawing. This was the only hand
drawn method used within our
documentary which turned out to be
very useful as we related to it
throughout our whole documentary.
3. For our research and planning we mainly used the internet to linger into our chosen topic area which was
mobile phones. By using search engines such as “Google”, we were able to gain research from websites
such as “Huffington post”, “BBC news” and “Gizmodo” who had a range of reviews and answers when
typing in “Could you live without your phone?”. All of these websites are trusted sources meaning that the
information was legit. This is important in our own documentary because it means all the research that our
viewers will retain from watching the documentary will be from a reliable source. Due to the vast amount
of information on the internet, it was easy to gain a large amount of statistics that could be condensed into
5 really mind blowing statistics which would appear to our target audience. Other types of research we did
was by looking at different broadcasting channels such as BBC 1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4 and 5. We looked
into each channel individually depending on ratings, target audience, channel remit and what the channel
looks for in programs they’re going broadcast. From our research, we decided that channel 4 was the
correct channels due to the fact it mostly broadcasted documentaries.
4. To gather more research we created a
questionnaire with 10 questions unique to our
documentary. We used an online questionnaire
service called “Survey Monkey” which allowed
anyone to complete the questionnaire via a link
once we had created it. These questions
outlined research that we wanted to find out
from our target audience. We asked questions
such as “At what age did you own your first
mobile phone?” as well asking students “Do
you think a documentary on mobile phones
would be useful?”. We designed the
questionnaire so that answers could be shown
in different types of formats such as graphs and
text box’s so that those completing the
questionnaire had a variation of choice to
choose from. It also allowed us to display our
answers in various formats that would be more
interesting for the viewer when including our
founding's within our documentary, we also
displayed the results in a word document that
was added to our blog (next slide). 37 people
answered our questionnaire in all which gave us
a varied amount of results.
5. Everything that we had previously
researched and planned would be
uploaded to an online service called
“Blogger”. This was a useful service
because it allowed us to store all the
information we had collated into a simple
format that could be used at any time via
an internet connection. You could also
date uploaded work, which meant
everything was stored in the correct
order of when it was created. It allowed
us to notice if their were any topics or
sections within our specified task sheet
that we haven't covered. Blogger was also
useful because it allowed you to embed
information from other websites such as
“Prezi” ,“Slideshare” and “Scribd” whilst
being able to add text to each post to
describe what you were uploading. Any
post that had been uploaded could be
edited at any time which was useful if you
had previously made a mistake. The next
slide shows use examples in blogger of
how you could embed code, and also how
it would appear.
6. 1. You would click on the pen tool to write on your blog
2. This shows you inserting the embed code in the html tab that can be published on our blog, or can even
be saved as a draft if you still have more to add. You can title each post that will then be added to our blog
page.
3. This shows an example of an embedded post appearing on
our blog as shown
7. To film our documentary, we used a Canon Hg20 HD Camera. The camera was very useful when
we eventually learned the settings, it allowed us to zoom in and out of shots easily as well as use
effects to enhance our documentaries diversity of shots. The most useful and effective feature
we used was the “Pull Focus” which we used effectively when cutting away from a scene like
Solihull (shown below). The lighting on the camera was easy to change, which was useful when
shooting indoors where lighting was more essential, it allowed us to capture better high quality
footage. The still shot feature was something that we discovered into the latter parts of filming
therefore we never used the feature. To ensure we had a variation of shots, it was useful we
took advantage of the fact the camera was hand held, allowing us to take more natural footage.
We used this when filming close ups of books and phone devices, however most shots were
taken using a tripod to add to the professionalism. To ensure the quality of the shot, we used
the bubble leveller on the tripod that measured the correct gradient. This was important when
taking vox pops and expert interviews as well as panning shots and tilt shots. As
Example of a pull focus used within our documentary
8. To capture sound whilst filming, we
used a high quality directional
microphone. This was used when
gathering voxpops, expert
interviews, background music and
the voiceover. The microphone had
to be connected to the camera in
order to enable usage, the built in
microphone on the camera wasn’t
able to provide the high quality
sound that was needed. To enable
that the microphone was producing
sound at the right level, we used
Seinheiser HD201 headphones to
measure the sound levels before
taking footage of a vox pop or
expert interview. One of the expert
interviews was taking in a silent
room as well as the radio trailer to
ensure a crisp voiceover.
9. To edit our footage, we uploaded everything to an Apple iMac. This was a simple
process which required us copying all the files over to our own file “Ben Tom Jason”
(as shown below) within the media drive that we had created. Once we had done
this, we opened up the program “Final cut express” where we used the “log and
transfer option” to transfer our footage from the media drive to the program where
they can be edited. Some clips were discarded whilst others were named according to
where they were taken.
1.
3.
2.
4.
10.
11. This shows the user interface for the
software Final cut express which we are
using to edit our coursework.
This is where unedited clips go after being imported using log and transfer.
Editing
tools
for
video
Timeline
of how
many
you’re
through
the video.
Recorded clips bring
used within the
documentary
Recorded voiceover,
included imported music
from garage band
Preview of footage being
played
12. The feature that allowed you to change the speed of a clip and also add text was very useful as it allowed us
to add some diversity to our video. As shown in slide 7, you’ll see a pull focus has been used when filming a
long shot in Solihull square. The aim of this shot was to show bold text over the video to compliment the
voiceover as he gave the viewer an insight into some shocking mobile phone statistics. we changed the
speed to different figures to test what worked best in the shot, however “25%” was the right amount to
allow viewers to see statistics in the same shot whilst trying to create the ideology that time was slowing
down. We used the type writer effect to add bold text over each shot that faded in and out. It was
extremely useful as you were able to change the type of font, placement of font as well as the colour. This
was used 4 times in the same shot and worked extremely well due to it standing out. We also used the
typewriter when introducing interviewees such as “Mike Hatton” (as shown below).
This shows
the speed
told that
has been
changed to
25%
This shows
clip 6 with
the
typewriter
attached
above the
clip as
shown
13. 1. This shows the “Typewriter” tool being used in the same clip 4 times
to present statistics we had founded.
2. This shows the “Typewriter” tool being used when introducing expert
interviewee “Mike Hatton”.
14. Another skill we incorporated was
the use of “Transitions”. We wanted
to use the “Fade Transition” when
showing statistics on screen in the
form of a graph. Using the “Pen
Tool” we would select the point at
which we would want the fade to
begin within the clip. For example:
3. Here shows how our
transition worked within
our documentary.
1. Where to find
the “Pen Tool”
2. This shows where the
“Pen Tool” has been used
within our documentary to
create the “Fade to black”
15. This shows the toolbar that allows
you to adjust the sound levels.
This shows cuts within the clips
where sound levels have been
changed so that they can be
heard clearly. The pink bar
represents the sound level, whilst
the black line between clips
shows where clips have been cut
using the “Razor tool”.
Changing the sound levels within the
documentary was extremely useful when you
filmed in areas that contained a lot of
background noises. To adjust the sound levels
you had to manoeuvre the pink line (as shown)
until it was balanced, easily allowing the person
being filmed with the directional microphone to
be heard. It was a good tool to use as well when
fading music in and out of a clip. For example we
used a sample from garage band at the start of a
documentary to introduce the title credits, we
faded this out at the end to allow another sample
to fade in, this worked extremely effectively. The
only issues that we had with the sound levels was
on the expert interview with “Jay Singh” as well
as some of the vox pops. To make sure that you
could change the sound levels in between clips so
that the background music didn’t overpower the
voiceover, we used a “Razor tool”. This allowed
us to cut up clips so that the sound levels were
clear.
16. First of all, we needed to add background music to play throughout the whole of the documentary, this
involved using software called “Garage Band”. Using Garage band, you could sample different sounds
which could be synced together to make a backing track. Due to our theme being Technology”, we
decided that we needed a beat with some oomph to it. We used 3 different samples called “Chordal
synths 11, 12 and 13”. These were 3 separate track that were similar but just increased in tempo. Once
happy with the beat, we exported these tracks as an mp3 file named “My Song 1,2 or 3” depending on
the synth. We imported these tracks in “Final Cut Express” where they could be added to the
documentary. The arrow below clearly outlines where the background music has been imported. As
you can see, the sound levels have been changed depending on the clip they go with to ensure the
best possible sound levels.
17. For our Radio Trailer we used “Garage Band” yet again to create an effective beat for our radio trailer that would complement
the diegetic voiceover. Like our documentary, we wanted to further our excitement by going for an even more electronic
soundtrack. We chose the samples; Electronic Synth beat 4, 5 and 6 which we felt for perfect, even though their were plenty of
other useful samples within the software. Once we had created the track, we needed to import it into “Final cut Express” where
we could add the voiceover. After importing the sample into the Final Cut Express, we added a voiceover that we pre-recorded
using a script we had written., as well adding snippets from our documentary such as students giving views, and expert
interviewees answering questions. Once we finished the creation, we exported the track as an MP3 file to add to our blog.
Garage band overall was a brilliant software to use which after limited use became easy to create our sound product. The skills
we had previously developed in “Final Cut Express” allowed us to complete the finished voiceover on the new radio trailer track
with ease, whilst enjoying the creation more due to being able to overlap different voiceover snippets from the documentary.
This shows the track being put
together after choosing to “Export”.
Here shows the large range of different samples that you can
choose from within garage band to enable you to make the
perfect sound track, we want for the “electronic” choice
because it sorted our technology theme.
The Controls enabled us to Record, play,
rewind, fast – forward, pause and sync.
We made the clip 58
seconds long which had to
be shaved down to 45
seconds to fit in our radio
trailer allotted time span.
18. From the footage we took, only one of the 5 images included in the documentary needed to be changed
dramatically to suit the style of the double page spread we wanted to create. We used a software called
“Photoshop” that allowed us to edit the image so that we could cut away content in the photo we didn’t want.
For example, we used the “Pen Tool” that allowed us to cut around an image (as shown) so that it would fit
within the double spread. To make the image look more appealing, we changed the “Brightness/Contrast”
Settings so that the image looked more attractive when presented on our double page spread. This was used on
all our images to add appeal to the target audience.
1. Here shows the image used within our
documentary that has been edited and placed
within our double page spread, we used the pen
tool to outline the person within the image.
2. This shows the brightness and
contrast being changed within
photo to create an effect
19. 3. To change the way the image
was facing, we had to use the
“Transform” tool. First of all, the
layer needed to be selected.
Secondly, you needed to go to the
“Edit” menu and find the
“Transform” Tool. Thirdly, you
would choose the option “Flip
Horizontal”.
1. To add text to an image
we used the “Horizontal
type” text tool.
2. You would then
highlight an area on the
image and write your
needed text for example:
“Photoshop”.
4. The finished design
would look like this.,
which has been added to
our double page spread
article.
3. You can change the size
of the text by selecting
the “TT” option at the top
of the page. We chose
“48pt” as our font size
Adding Text
4. You can
change the type
of text using the
feature next to
the “TT” tool.
We used “Bold
Italic”.
5. After changing
the text “Red”,
we added the text
to the image and
saved it as a .JPG