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

Documentary: Research and planning Media technologies proved to be very useful throughout all aspects of our research for our documentary. We used internet explorer in various different ways when gathering factual information relating to our chosen topic. The search engine Google helped us to navigate directly to areas of the topic that we wanted information from. For example news websites like BBC news, The Guardian, Mail Online and The Telegraph. This enabled us to get some good factual information from trusted, well respected sources that we could then integrate into our script. NHS was also an effective tool that we used in getting relevant and detailed facts and figures. Also, the vast amounts of information on the internet meant that we could gather lots of content and extract particular snippets to make the documentary as informative as possible.

Another way in which the internet was useful during our research was when looking into what channel to choose and why. By using the internet to look at channel websites like: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel Five, we were able to analyse and compare each specific channel in terms of what audiences their broadcasts appeal to, their broadcasting schedules, what sort of programmes they broadcast and facts and figures regarding viewer numbers etc. This all helped us make an informed decision on BBC One. We used Blogger so that we could keep track of all of our research, log it all regularly and make sure that we had covered all aspects of our topic and the documentary genre. By logging our research regularly it highlighted any gaps in our research and ultimately kept everything organised in chronological order so that every time we came back to doing our work we knew what we had done and what was left to do.

We also used websites such as SlideShare and Scribd to upload our research from Office documents to files on the internet which meant that we could embed these into Blogger. We used these as we wanted different form of presentation to make our blog more interesting to read.

Microsoft Word was a useful piece of technology that we used during our research in order to create our questionnaires. By using the program we could customize our questions exactly how we wanted to, which meant that the quality of our audience feedback was improved and therefore the quality of our research was improved. We also used this to present our interesting facts and information we found out about our topic of legalising cannabis.

Furthermore, to get a better idea of the documentary genre and identify what channel was suitable to broadcast our documentary, we did some research into similar documentaries, for example Super-Size Me, a Britain's Secret Farms episode, Inside Death Row and Welcome to India. The availability of YouTube helped us do this as we could access near enough any documentary and narrow it down to specific times within that respective film, this meant that we could follow certain codes and conventions that these used and this had a positive overall impact on our documentary. Another way we did this was the use of programs like BBC iPlayer, Virgin on Demand, and 4OD. The key to these programs was also the availability of the content but also the scope they gave to use to re-wind bits and watch multiple times in order to get a better perspective.

We didn't really use media technologies as such within the planning stages of the project as this was more based around noting ideas down in the form of mind maps and lists and also sketching out storyboards. But, we did use Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Word to write important facts and figures down about our topic in a technological way and these methods worked well for us as they enabled us to note down multiple ideas quickly and capture any sudden inspiration. Also we used Microsoft Word to create a detailed plan for the filming process which helped us stay on track throughout and meet our own internal deadlines and targets within our group. Group interaction, co-operation and feedback was a vital part within this project, we found that an effective way to do this was set each member of the group a piece of work and when it was finished we would put it onto the blog so that every member of the group had an input in the planning and research. Overall there were no real sophisticated technologies used throughout the planning stages. Construction: Filming Once we had completed all of our research and planned the first five minute so our documentary we decided to move onto the filming stage. We used all of the resources and information that we had acquired during the research and planning stages in order to try and film appropriate content that we felt was of a good standard. We used our storyboard, plan for filming and general pieces of information like facts and figures that related to the documentary topic directly in order to do this effectively.

To make the documentary as good as possible we used equipment of a good standard. For example we filmed all of our footage using a Canon HG20 HD camera which was equipped with all the features that we needed, for example a manual focus ring which allowed us to create focus racks to add interest to the aesthetic of the documentary.

Also these cameras gave us the scope to zoom in and out which also helped add variety to the documentary.

The camera had a digital display and allowed us to capture both actual footage and take photographs as well. This was also versatile in other ways as we were able to insert the camera into the computer using USB ports and transfer all of our footage from the camera onto the software we used ready to be edited. Throughout both vox pops and professional interviews we used a similar set-up. We mounted the camera onto a tripod, this ensured that the frame was stable and added to the professional element within the documentary as most professional documentaries use tripods throughout interviews and vox pops. The tripod was also very effective when we wanted to capture a general steady shot, pans, tracks or tilts, which we included within the documentary.

These were essentials when recording visual shots but we also needed to record diegetic and non-diegetic sound throughout professional interviews and vox pops to accompany this. We used a shotgun microphone with a directional cardioid polarity pattern. This polarity pattern combined with the versatile and easily-manoeuvrable characteristics of the microphone meant that we could point the microphone exactly where we wanted it and therefore capture good quality sound that we could then edit further.

We also plugged in Sennheiser HD201 headphones into the port on the camera. This enabled us to manipulate the positioning of the microphone so that we got precise sound levels and therefore good quality interviews and vox pops and to also make sure that the microphone was working properly and our interviews had sound on them. This was particularly important

throughout vox pops as we wanted to minimize background noise as much as possible e.g. people walking past talking. By adjusting levels using a trial and error method and making sure that every member within the group was happy with the set up before we recorded we avoided making mistakes. Also, by spending slightly longer setting the equipment up properly we saved ourselves lots of time in the latter stages of the project e.g. when we come to edit we find that there is a problem with the sound.

The same as all the other groups, we used the shotgun microphone to record our voice-over as it gives good quality sound. We used this as it eliminates most pops or crackles within the voiceover. This ensured that we got a good quality recording and made the documentary more professional. We used software called Logic Pro to record the voice-over and edit it further once we had recorded it.
This is the project in Logic Pro. This is where we recorded the voice over:

Here we applied compression the audio signal which reduced the dynamic range and therefore made the voice-over more even throughout.

Once we had recorded the voice-over Jack a member of my group bounced it and exported it as an MP3 file. This enabled us to drag the audio file into Final Cut Express where we could cut desired sections and put this with the clips we had already recorded. Here is an image of the exporting process:

After we had completed the filming process and recording process for the documentary we uploaded all of the visual content off the camera onto an Apple iMac into a local folder. This meant that we would have all of our clips in one place ready to log and transfer into the editing software that we used called Final Cut Express. Before we logged and transferred all of our clips we wanted to get rid of the ones that were either not up to standard or were just simply previous takes, so we watched all of our clips, got rid of all the ones that we didn't want and labelled all of the clips that we did want in relation to the content of the clip e.g. video of establishing shot of college. We then put each of these clips in the log and transfer queue. This made it easier for us to identify clips during the editing process and generally sped up this process. Here is the library of footage once logged at transferred:

Here is the log and transfer process:

Once we had all of our clips readily available to us we just dragged them onto the timeline and cut the desired section that we wanted out of it. Having created a storyboard during the planning stages it made this part of the editing much easier.

The tool bar was an essential part of the edit, the razor blade tool enabled us to cut exact parts of clips and extract the bits that we wanted. By using the razor blade tool the accuracy of the edit was improved, it was not only time effective but it also resulted in a relatively good edit. Also, the majority of the documentary consisted of straight cuts so this was a common tool that we used when editing our clips.

Although we did use predominantly straight-cuts, we did incorporate some transitions to add variety to the documentary. For example we have used a few dissolves at various points for aesthetic purposes as straight-cuts tend to get boring after a while so we wanted something to break the clips up. We did this by dragging the cross dissolve effect from the effects section within the software and resizing the effect to our desired length, this was dependent upon the clip.

Another effect that Final Cut Express enabled us to do was text overlays. We used this on various occasions from professional interviews, vox pops and to present our facts, with a slight drop shadow in order to make the writing stand out more on the background.

To make sure that the content within our frame was fitted proportionately and looked right we used the wire frame. This helped us to position clips exactly where we wanted them. In some cases it can be used for correcting errors; however we didn't encounter any errors so we were fine.

Here we used the wire frame to get rid of excess pieces of background that was showing and avoid the eye getting distracted away from the main focus of the shot.

Also to give an element of continuity we did incorporate the Legalisation Cannabis logo within the documentary at about 50 seconds into the documentary, what we made using this tool.

We did this by using an animated piece of software on Key Framing which made the title sequence of full stops, then came the 'Legalisation Cannabis', which seemed to be very successful and make our documentary aesthetically pleasing. All, we did was drag it into the library using the footage and dragging it into the timeline. Another element with our editing process was the sound levels and managing them effectively. Firstly, the main priority was to get the sound levels from the voice-over, recorded clips and the background music at a point where they were clearly audible, balanced but not overpowering. So we used the pink velocity line and dragged the decibels up or down accordingly, but our sound levels were already quite good so we didn't have to change the sound levels too much.

We then had to make sure that the sound levels between clips had smooth transitions and blended together well. We did this in two ways, first of which was by using the cross fade effect but adapting it to the audio, the second was manually automating the levels using the pink line and the cursor clicking dots on the line and dragging down to create a smooth fade. Having recorded the voice-over in Logic Pro and matched it with the clips on the timeline in Final Cut Express we then had to create the background music to fit with both the voice-over and the style of the documentary. We did this using a website called freesfx.com. This had many instrumentals that were legal to use and we heard the 'Because I got High' instrumental and thought this would be perfect for our documentary as it is a well-known song relating to cannabis.

Once we got out background music from freesfx.com, we then exported the file as an MP3 and dragged it onto the timeline in Final Cut Express where we could cut and drag the music into the desired locations. Radio trail: Research and planning: The process for the radio trail was very similar to that of the documentary. We used templates on a Microsoft Word document that we filled in and customised when analysing similar radio trails during our research. We analysed three similar radio trails which we sourced using YouTube. This was extremely useful as it gave us specifics regarding time and channel that it was aired on.

We used the Google search engine when researching into the codes and conventions of radio trails which gave us a better understanding and also I feel benefited our final radio trail. When planning the radio trail we used Microsoft Word to write out the script, this was a quick and easy way of drafting as if we made a mistake we could just backspace and correct it. Also if we changed our minds about a certain section we could simply cut and paste it to a different place.

When planning the radio trail we used Microsoft Word to write out the script, this was a quick and easy way of drafting as if we made a mistake we could just back space and correct it. Also if we changed our minds about a certain section we could simply cut and paste it to a different place. Construction: We started the construction process of the radio trail by recording the voice-over. Much like the documentary voice-over we went into a quiet and used Logic Pro to record. We also used Jack whose voice was featured in the documentary to do the radio trail. Here is the recorded radio trail audio file in logic ready to be exported

As me and Jack Loach made the TV listings, Jack Lloyd done most of the work for the radio trail and he said added effects like a compressor to even out the dynamics of the voice-over and he also added a slight reverb to give a more natural, professional feel. By customizing settings like the compressor threshold it enabled him to control exactly how much compression was being applied.

Once we had finished recording the voice-over Jack exported the logic file using the same setting as the documentary voice-over. This is the default setting which he then customized:

We felt that the music we got for the documentary would be suitable background music for the radio trail so we just imported the music into Final Cut Express and added the voice over in the form of an mp3 and then began extracting the audio from the desired snippets within the documentary. We then kept on listening to it to see if the sound levels were good enough and to see if the clips fitted together well, however the final radio trail was a bit too loud and if we had more time we would have brought the sound levels down a bit more. TV listings magazine article: Research and planning: Throughout the research and planning stages of the TV listings magazine article more traditional resources were used as opposed to advanced media technologies. During our research we looked at a few magazines and began reading into some of the articles that were in them. We did use the internet in order to research codes and conventions of magazine articles which were very efficient and effective and we did analyse articles using Microsoft PowerPoint but overall we did not really use media technologies during the research stages for this product. During the planning stages we used the traditional methods of just drafting layouts and ideas down onto paper as this seemed to be the easiest, most sensible way of doing it. Construction: We created the final magazine article in Adobe InDesign. This was a good program to use as it is set out in quite a simple way, but I did experience some difficulty using this at first as it had been a long time since I last used it and it took some getting used to again. We wrote the article in Microsoft Word and just copied and pasted it into InDesign. Before we got to this stage we took our photograph that we wanted to use within the double page spread, we did this by print screening it from an interview we had in our documentary. After we had taken the image we then opened them in Adobe Photoshop so that we could manipulate them and make them slightly more interesting. Once we had manipulated our image and adjusted it accordingly we then began to design the layout in InDesign. We did this by creating boxes representing areas where things will go. This enabled us to build the magazine article up and bring it to life gradually.

We also made various other adjustments so that it would stand out for various reasons and be unique. We also resized the picture and cropped it to our preferred size.

Once we had manipulated all of our images and adjusted them accordingly we then began to design the layout in InDesign. We did this by creating boxes representing areas where things will go. This enabled us to build the magazine article up and bring it to life gradually. Here are the stages of making our TV listings magazine: We made guidelines on the page so we knew exactly where to put our images and text boxes and to make sure everything was conventional.

We then added our image after cropping and resizing it and put it in our preferred space.

We then added our title what we made on Photoshop onto InDesign and then made the time and channel box.

Here we have added the by-line, which has been enlarged and a caption for our main image.

The written article has been pasted in from Microsoft Word, resized and coloured black and the by-line was then coloured green to fit in with the house style of the article.

Here the finishing touches have been applied; the pull quote from the documentary voice-over has been integrated, although we did do a lot of image manipulation in Photoshop, we did edit the main image in InDesign also and the caption to the image, the page numbers and Radio Times logo.

For the evaluation I used Microsoft PowerPoint for questions 1 and 3. In contrast I used Microsoft Word for questions 2 and 4. I felt these were efficient programs to answer these questions on and I am very familiar with using these programs as I use them almost every day. I did want to include Prezi and YouTube in the evaluation but I am not that familiar with the website and I felt that I could produce better work using these two programmes and it is very time consuming, considering the short amount of time given to us to get it finished. I uploaded questions 1 and 3, the PowerPoint presentations, onto Slide Share and then embedded these from there into Blogger. Similarly, I Shannen Weller uploaded questions 2 and 4, the Word documents, to Scribd and then embedded them from there into Blogger.