Evaluation 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

The most important piece of new technology we used in the production of our trailer was a HD camera to record all the shots we needed for the trailer. We used it to get a wide range of shots in order to keep the trailer interesting and moving, keeping the audience drawn in. The zoom on the camera became useful when we needed close ups such as the candle as it allowed us to achieve a close up shot whilst keeping the camera away from the flame, however we found that the zoom could only be used when the camera was still to avoid shakey footage.We used the light built into the front of the camera for filming internal shots in the dark. The torch meant that the focus of the shot could be lit well enough to be seen clearly whilst maintaining the dark environment around. In addition, we also used the camera for recording the voiceovers, then during the editing process removed the visuals. This meant that the sound quality and volume was consistent to match what had already been filmed.

The group used Facebook - specifically Facebook Messenger - to communicate through the planning, filming and editing process. This was helpful as it allowed us to plan and discuss decisions as a group outside of school and be in immediate communication with each other when necessary. We used it to plan when to meet up and film, organise who would be responsible for equiptment at any given time, plan as a group ahead of lessons (particularly before presentations or deadlines to ensure timing was never an issue) as well as a platform to share photos of settings, characters, storyboards, etc which we all needed access to.

Direct Message on Twitter was what we used to contact Charlotte Campbell - the artist whose song we use in our trailer for the opening half. She is a friend of a group member which meant communicating and getting a relatively fast response from her was easy. It was important that we contacted Charlotte as her permission was necessary before using her own work for our project, which she granted us.

To find music to use that wasn't copyright, we used a website called Freeplay Music and found a track called 'Pretty Parties' to fit with the fast pace part of the trailer. The website allowed us access to hundreds of tracks of all genres which we narrowed down by searching key words such as 'thriller' to find the track that best suited our trailer. We decided on 'Pretty Parties' after listening to many tracks and felt it was most suiting because of the fast-pace beat to match the quick cuts and helps emphasise the building suspense. The track was then downloaded from the website and transferred to the editing software we were using.

Blogger is an effective platform I used to document my progress in the research, planning and editing of my trailer as well as the evaluations. It is accessible both at home and school which meant any changes/progress could immediately be recorded and is available on computers, phone, tablet etc. In order to use Blogger, I needed a Gmail account, which I created last year specifically for my AS blog. Blogger allowed me to stay organised and keep everything in one place as well as share videos and photos of work done in lesson and easily look back at what research I've done, when decisions or changes were made. In addition to this, as everything is recorded online it means that it is not only easily accessible for examiners and teachers but also means that I can view my own work quickly without signing into my account.

The editing software we used to create our trailer was Adobe Premiere Pro. I had never used this software before due to changing schools after AS Level so it was a challenge to learn how to use it to it's full advantage but as a group we managed to get used to it quickly. Some of the most useful and commonly used features of the software was the cutting tool to delete any unnecessary footage, adding a dark filter to footage that we wanted to look like night time but was too bright and the dip to black transition which we used to create an eerie and ghostly effect during the slow-paced beginning and the transition before the pace of the trailer picks up.

YouTube was helpful for when it came to sharing our project at each step as it is where we uploaded our first pitch, draft trailer and final product. By doing this I could then link the videos to my blog so it is easily accessible and could be referred back to and explaining in a blog post. YouTube was also useful during the research process as I could quickly and easily watch other thriller trailers to analyse, compare and study common conventions to consider using in my own trailer which I also attached to my research blog posts.

As a group we used Adobe Photoshop several times during the research and editing process. For research I used Photoshop to imitate a Total Film magazine cover which promoted the film 'Jupiter Ascending'. I had little experience with the programme so this helped me to discover and practice the different features and methods to Photoshop, the most useful features being the lasso tool to cut images out and paint pot to copy the exact colour from the original cover to my own. I then created a similar cover to promote my teen angst film I made last year at AS Level to practice using the programme more.

The first image that was created for our trailer using this software was the production company logo. This was a simple design of 3 overlapping circles with layered text so it was a short process after a few draft attempts. The film title 'In The Shadows' was also made on Photoshop. The words 'In The' were written in a plain white sans serif font but we wanted the word 'Shadows' to stand out so required more editing. Using the blending options we created a gradient from black to white over the text to resemble a shadow and added a drop shadow so the word reflected in the first line, adding more depth. The institutional information for the trailer was made on Photoshop which mostly involved layering text on a blank background, we added a glow to the background using blending option and shadows to some text and images.

Finally, Adobe Photoshop was what I used to create my poster and magazine cover promoting my film. It was simple enough to create the basic layout from what I had learnt from previous tasks but it became a challenge when trying to make it look legitimate. I found that when using the lasso tool if I increased the level of feathering it blended the edges which helped as well as using blending options to create a glow around text to make it stand out.

Google Search was very useful during the research stage as it was a quick and easy way to research typical thriller conventions, films, magazine covers and posters, theorists etc as well as access to website such as Youtube, Freeplay Music and Blogger.

We needed a USB memory stick to transfer things from computers outside of school to the PC we were editing on and vice versa. This included the production company logo, institutional information and the final trailer so that they could be saved and put in the trailer or on our blogs. It was also a way of sharing things so they were accessible to everyone in the group and teachers for feedback.

Finally, I used my mobile phone during the evaluation stage to record my voiceover reading the script for evaluation 2. After recording it one paragraph at a time I sent each audio clip to my computer to be edited over the top of my trailer.