EVALUATION ~ Media Technology and Our Development With it from Year 12 to 13

The technology which we have used throughout our media A Level (year 12-13) includes the following:

• Video camera -Mini DV Cameras
• Computers- Microsoft Word for the rough draft of our trailer analysis, Mind Jet to create mind maps of all our ideas, Microsoft PowerPoint to create a slide show to present to the class about our trailer.
• The Internet- YouTube to watch and analyse film trailers, Blogspot to record all of our coursework on, Google to research films, and the Therfield Media Studies Blog to gather information from our teacher.
• In year 12 the editing programme which we used was Ulead and in year 13 we have upgraded to Adobe Premier Element 7.
• In the near future we will need to use a Photoshop programme in order to create our film poster, as part of this course.
• Microphones to record the sound with to get a clearer quality sound.
• Tripods to hold the camera still and straight.

Our Development:

I feel that we have developed better skills over the last two years in using the media technology. Our use of this blog has dramatically increased, as we have recorded much more information on it throughout our production process, including planning and research for our teaser trailer.

We have upgraded to the Adobe Premier Element editing programme, which is much more complex than the Ulead editing programme we used in year 12. It has enabled us to use more effects and transition in our teaser trailer. An example of this is we can speed up or slow down shots using an icon called 'time stretch'. We can add or delete the audio soundtrack and move it around, eg. we have a voice over one of our clips and we moved the audio sound to the clip we wanted. It has given us the scope to make our trailer even better than previous work on the older programme.

We have developed the knowledge about the different camera shots and angles we should use has improved. We took a variety of shots of the same clip from different angles, so in the editing suite we can pick and choose the best shots. We have learnt about the frame composition, and how it affects the way a character can be portrayed and incorporated this into our film trailer.

From analysing more teaser and theatrical trailers off YouTube, we can borrow and incorporate the ideas from these films and use them in our own trailer. For example, I have analysed the Freaky Friday scene where the two characters meet in a school corridor. We had a similar idea that our two characters could meet in the same way, and by analysing this clip we can see which camera angles they have used. Also, Lucy analysed the Golden Compass editing transitions, and we like the way they use the flash to white to cut to the next shot and we could like to do this in our trailer.

Last year we did not use the Mind Jet programme. This year it has enabled us to look at all our possible ideas, analyse them, and choose our favourite idea to use.

Nikki Stock