When filming your opening sequence, we used the canon camcorder, tripod and light reflector. The canon camcorder was really easy to use and captured film of good quality which obviously essential when producing a film of any sort. The tripod was also very useful it held the camcorder at a still position and reduced the camcorder form shaking. The tripod was most helpful when filming the shot of the clock. Within the room the clock was mounted over the bed and was too high. Moreover, standing on the bed produced alot of shaking without the tripod. Additionally, the tripod has adjustable height, this is important as we wanted to capture alot of high and low angled shots. Lastly, the light reflector came in handy as we could manipulate the light into the face of our antagonist and most importantly objects in which we wanted to show detail. The shot to the left below is clear example at where the light reflector really came into use.

Another piece of technology we learnt about was garageband. This software enables us to create our own music track with the use and manipulation of loops provided by the program itself. This was really useful in creating our soundtrack as it had categories such as: Orchestra, Jazz, Drums etc to help us locate a particular sound. Also the export of the mp3 was really quick and easy.

Finalcut is a program where you can edit and create video/films. We started using finalcut even before filming for our sequence so we were familiar with it. From using finalcut, i was able to log and transfer our clips form the camcorder into finalcut express. From here we placed them on a timeline in order and edited them. This program let us add effects and transitions such as fade in fade out. Secondly, it enabled us to use a wireframe which lets use shrink, increase and move the clip inside the frame and also allowed us to position our credits in the right place.

This is a shot from my finalcut project of our thriller.

On the other hand, we used certain websites to help us with our film making. We used Google images to search for inspiring shots which aids us with mise en scene, lighting, camera angles etc. For examplethis shot from the film se7en found in Google images helped us design our setting.We also used blogger to create posts, share ideas for our film and answer evaluation questions

We also made the use of livetype which helped us create our fonts and titles used in our film.

I also used ixconverter to convert videos especially from YouTube to mp4 so i can use it in finalcut. This is how i retrieved the momentum pictures logo.

This canon camera is what i used to take practice shots and also the camera used to take the behind the scenes photo’s. This was really helpful as it gave me an opportunity to practice before actually filming.

Ultimately, i used paint numerous amount of times for producing screen shots and also used it to make the 12 frame picture board shown in evaluation one.

Extendable tripod legs which i adjusted in accordance to what type of camera angle i wanted, e.g. High and low.

TripodThis where i placed the camcorder, it kept it steady and safe which allowed us to take various shots with ease.

The canon camcorderThis camera has good quality filming and was easy to manoeuvre.

Here is me trying to figure out how to use the camcorder.

When talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the camera equipment, it had a mixture of both. One weakness of the actual camcorder is that to defocus the picture you have to twist a knob several times. This was a problem because as you twist it, it shakes the camcorder even when mounted on the tripod. This was a shame as we wanted to defocus and focus on objects to add effect but where unable to. On the other hand a strength of the camcorder was that it has high resolution recording which produced stunning shots and clips, also the buttons are easily located on the camcorder and connecting it up to the computer was done at a push of one button.

The tripod was key in helping us take shots as it kept the camcorder still and we where able to adjust the height of the tripod to get a higher angled shot and vice versa, also had a handle which made it easier to pan and tilt.

One problem we came across when filming is when we see the antagonist coming towards the radio and camera to turn it on. The tripod would not fit because it was too big so we jus laid the camcorder freely behind the radio.The problem was that the antagonists head was cut off when recording, to resolve this we gathered a few books and put them under the front end of the camcorder to tilt it upwards more so we could get his head within the frame.

The new equipment that we used to enhance our thriller was the light reflector. We used this to redirect light onto certain things e.g. The drugs and the antagonists face.

When using finalcut for editing, i learned how to edit clips in order to develop emotions within the audience, e.g. a quick cross cut to show a change and also to build up tension and suspense.

We i garageband to create apart of the soundtrack. I think this program was really useful in creating a suspenseful soundtrack. This is because in the program, there are categories in which different loops are found. For example, in the orchestra category there were brass, string and woodwind loops and within the fx section there were sounds of raindrops, thunder, cars etc. This was really convenient as i knew what instruments are typically used in creating suspense, so all i had to do was find the right category. The challenge that i faced during this process was the mixing of different loops to create a suspenseful track. There were lots of relevant loops but most of them required another loop on top to fill the texture, i found finding another loop that complements an existing one very hard but i managed in the end.

Overall, i have learnt that the use of technologies used to construct our product were the pillars of our film. Without these technologies such as finalcut and garageband, ixconverter and blogger, we would have had great difficulty producing and editing and creating a soundtrack for our film. From the use of the canon camcorder i am now able to record clips, from the use of livetype to create fonts that represent aspects and develop emotions and lastly, the use of blogger into which our planning, ideas and research was embedded to assist us to produce our film.