5. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

InternetThe Internet was a fundamental part of the production of my opening - much like 21st century everyday life. During the research stages I used it to find out everything I did about my openings and then continued to use it throughout for sites such as Blogger and Clipconverter.cc which I will discuss in more detail later. YouTube was a fundamental part of the publication of my coursework because I published a number of my pieces of work to YouTube in order to embed them to my blog and publicise. Having grown up in the 21st I already knew how to use the Internet with ease and therefore have not learnt any skills from this - however my previous knowledge did increase the speed of my browsing and researching.

BloggerThe blogging programme we used is called Blogger and is looked to Google accounts. The programme is useful because it has many functions which enable you to customise your

blog itself and each individual post. I had used Blogger before and therefore was familiar with the layout and had little trouble in posting. I have however learnt how to embed videos, add authors and other features which I may not have been able to do otherwise.

SlideShareI used SlideShare to upload any word documents which I produced to my blog. I was able to upload Microsoft Documents and PDFs to then embed them into my blog posts so as they were readily available to be viewed. I was very pleased with the use of SlideShare because it was fairly simple to function and allowed me to create blog posts using a wider range of IT technology.

Google FormsTo create the survey during my research stages, I used Google Forms. This software allowed me to create a questionnaire with a series of pre-set functions such as questions, check boxes, multiple selection, etc. I was the able to export charts of the results of my opening in a variety of

different formats in order for it to be understandable. I had not used Google Forms before but due to its good coding, it was easy to understand and the skills learned from it will be useful for future endeavours.

CeltxCeltx was one of the first pieces of technology I used because we used it to write our initial scripts. The free software allows you to write a script including dialogue, actions and many other useful features in an organised and professional looking format. It then collates the characters who have spoken (you can also add more if they are silent) into a 'catalogue' to create character profiles with pre-set questions to help guide you through defining the finer points of your characters. Celtx was also used to create my storyboard, it allowed me to upload my images/sketches, select a camera shot and include a description of the scene. Celtx was a massive help in the creation of my opening because it performed tasks which would have taken me a long time to do myself. It was also fundamental to the clarification

of elements of my planning because it easily allowed me to change things as I needed. The skills I have learnt from Celtx are very useful and will enable me to use the software again in the future.

Windows Live Movie MakerI edited my Preliminary Task using Windows Live Movie Maker due to the fact that I needed to get it done and it was the half term holidays meaning that I didn’t have access to iMovie. The software is something I am familiar with due to it being my frequent home editing software and therefore it allowed me to edit efficiently and productively.

CameraI decided that to film my opening I would need to use a good quality camera in order to achieve the best possible quality in post-production. Therefore I used my Nikon D3100 DSLR camera which allowed me to vary the focus between auto and manual depending on the situation I was in. I am familiar with the camera because it is my personal one which I use

frequently during photography AS Level.

TripodA tripod was essential in order to gain stability and ensure the viewers didn't feel ill while watching my opening. The tripod I used was slightly stiff and therefore panning was difficult because it jerked and squeaked when being turned around (I cut this clip up in editing which allowed the jerking to be less noticeable). Using a tripod taught me the fact that it is essential to keep the camera on level ground because the finished product is an awful lot better due to there being less movement.

ClipConverterI used ClipConverter.cc in order to convert various videos and mp3 files for use in the production of my opening. During research I converted my openings to enable me to have

files to play around with. I also did an mp4 download of my stock footage to get it from YouTube because I was unable to film outside a prison. I also downloaded the mp3 file of the jingle from the beginning of my opening where the ‘KNGS Production’ text appears onscreen.

iMovieI used iMovie in order to edit all of my movie-based pieces together (documentary, preliminary task, final opening and evaluation questions). iMovie is one of the best movie editing software at our disposal because it is advanced enough to look professional and produce a good final product however it is simple and well laid out meaning that I could use it without being specifically taught. I had not previously used iMovie in great detail and therefore everything I was doing was turning out to be experimental and trial & error. In iMovie, I was able to split my clips to select the certain parts which I wanted to include; play around with sound and the volumes it would be played at; slow down/speed up clips depending on what I needed the pace to be; stabilize clips which were wobbly (e.g. my pan); crop clips where unnecessary background

was included; add transitions to flow between the clips; add effects to clips which needed a certain mood to be connoted. I feel as though I have learnt many skills from using iMovie because it has been able to set me up for the editing of my A2 coursework and will be a valuable skill for later life.

LiveTypeI used LiveType to add my titles into my opening; it was difficult to understand how to use it at first because the software looked quite daunting and I had never used it before however after a little while fiddling around with it I got the hang of it. The software allowed me to choose a font and resize it, add colour, glow, outline, etc; I was then able to add effects to make the text look interesting. I chose to add the ‘Type’ effect throughout my titles to look as though the plans were being typed up and to compliment my use of ‘American Typewriter’ font; I then also added a ‘Float Away’ effect in order for the text to disappear

randomly and to look haphazard like the lives of the criminals. The titles appear in a timeline where you are able to rearrange the order, length and layer of each title. I am very pleased with the skills I developed from using LiveType because they are likely to be a fundamental part of filmmaking and everything I learnt was self-taught using trial and error.

GarageBandI chose to commission my friend to make a soundtrack for my opening because I was lacking on the musical talent front. Therefore personally I didn't use GarageBand, however it was involved in the production of the opening because Maya used it to create the very effective, tense background music.

PowtoonI used Powtoon to create one of my evaluation questions. It was not a piece of software which I had used before however after a while of playing around I got the hang of how to work it. The finished product was effective due to the fact that it looked professional and was able to involve a number of transitions in order to make it look interesting. I am pleased that I was introduced to Powtoon because I feel as though the skills I have learnt in using it will be transferrable to making presentations for my other studies.

PreziI used Prezi to create another of my evaluation questions in order to show a wide range of IT skills. Prezi is a programme which I have used in the past and therefore am familiar with the functioning of. I have extended my knowledge of Prezi because the layout I used was a new one ton me and therefore I had to learn

what looked best in each section.