Research and planning:The research and planning for our documentary highly affected the outcome. Before we started our documentary as a class we researched and watched previous documentary DVDs e.g. Supersize Me and Gimme Shelter. This involved the use of the projector and computer in order to be viewed as a class. It allowed us to original gain understanding of what a documentary actually was and also develop idea for codes and conventions.

In the beginning of the coursework my group began to brainstorm ideas into a hand drawn mind map format this involving no media technologies. It allowed initial ideas to be put onto paper and therefore weigh up the positives and negatives once researching into the various topics. When we began to research into the topics more we used internet explorer on the provided Mac computers. We used various research to gain further information website with statics such as and the BBC for real articles and stories of body discrimination provided a useful basis for the beginning of our topic. We used these statics within our script for our final documentary. The internet has a vast array of statics meaning we could select particular statics in order to relate to our audience including within the documentary and magazine .

Another way of which it helped us was to explore comparisons of previous other documentaries common themes. It allowed us to establish key codes and conventions of similar documentaries and there channels. For our radio trailers as well as using YouTube clips to initial research we overviewed previous students coursework that had achieved making the radio trailer. We effectively used YouTube from the back of this as well as 4 on demand in order to overview the conventions. e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ xzCXI56djU It allowed us to choose a channel for our documentary by looking at others ,the same applied to the radio trailer too. From Google we were able to search into magazine covers as an overview looking at images and picking up conventions. Alternatively we used original resources going into the sixth form library and borrowing out books in order to research more into our topic. It allowed us to get a broader range of topic making our knowledge more reliable. We effectively also used these books within our filming as background footage too making the most our resources.

Blogger allowed us to keep all the research in order clearly. It allows a clear development from the start to the end of the project to be seen. Our research was reguarly logged therefore managing our project right from the beginning. We had to use online websites such as slideshare and scribd in order to upload our documenties to embed on the blog. It allowed the entire journey of the project to be continued in one place.Prezi allowed me to create clear information in an interactive format. Prezi unlike other services gives an interactive system working on the internet and embedding onto our blog. We used both throughout all products of our media course.

As a group we used social media in order of communication during the entire stages of the documentary making and auxiliary products. It began within the original stages of research and planning within our project. We used Facebook and snapchat in order for communication such as absences from the lesson or discussing extra work. This was therefore beneficial as it meant our project was continuously going smoothly.

Microsoft Word and PowerPoint is other services to lay out and analysis our information that we have found and embed into our blog used throughout the entire project. We particularly used word in order to create simple questionnaires and gain audience feedback changing the outcome of our final product. We used Microsoft Excel in order to create a timetable for the structuring of when our group had free breaks. It allowed us to make a table of concise information finding out all of our timetables and combining the results. From this we were able to easily adapt our filming around our timetables and beneficially work on our project especially within the stages of filming.

During the planning stages of the documentary we didn’t use media technologies a such. Our teacher handed out a group grid in order to sketch the mind map of which was premusley made upon word. The majority of our planning consisted of quickly drawing down immediate ideas in order to create the storyboard. The idea of hand drawing and writing the text allowed our view to be expressed and our initial ideas immediately onto paper. This also applied to the magazine outline.

Construction:Filming-We filmed the documentary on a Canon and Sony camera. We used these cameras as both gave us the highest definition possible. A tripod enabled us to record all of our footage smoothly particularly interviews and vox pops. It made sure pans and zooms were a steady camera shot. It also allowed a constant frame within the shots. Using these cameras allowed accessibility as we were directly able to transfer the filming straight from the camera to the computer through a USB. We used a directional microphone in recording Vox Pops to make sure background noise was eliminated. I think this is one aspect we could of improved on as a group. Our vox pops especially within the canteen had high background noise and could have been filmed better which would have made editing for us simpler. We did used this microphone highly effectively however in order to record to voice over.We used a tie clip microphone within an interview in order to have the highest sound quality sound possible.Throughout the recording of the documentary we used Sennheiser headphones connecting to the port of the camera. This enabled clear checking of sound levels. We were able to manipulate the positioning of the microphone so that we have precise sound levels and good quality interviews and vox pops. This is another improvement of our group as we should have listened to the sound levels more carefully before filming as this would have enabled a much smoother edit.

Documentary:Log and Transfer-During the process of the filming we had been uploading the footage onto an iMac. We made sure we save the files under an appropriate date and title of the filming in order for easy access and look up. It especially helped with our first stage of the editing to log and transfer. We gathered all the footage we needed to do this we then had to watch through all the footage checking quality of filming and reject the bad quality clips or clips we simply didn’t need anymore as we had filmed some repeated number of times for the best outcome. Wearing the Sennheiser headphones I was able to check sound quality and pick the highest quality clips only. We kept track of the logging with a sheet made upon Microsoft word however printed off and handwritten. It allowed an order for the clips be put in and to overview the amount of footage of which we actually had to use. We edited and made the video upon the software Abode Premier Pro CS6. The software allows us to drag and drop clips with easy manipulation techniques.

Editing-We selected clips putting them onto a timeline in order as close to our storyboard. We were able to use the editing toolbar in order to crop and add effects to the clips easily and quickly. We mainly used the razor blade tool as it allowed us accurately slice both visual and audio clips down to the necessary points. For the majority of our editing we used straight cut clips however we did add several effects in. We added cross dissolve, film dissolves and additive dissolve this allowed a smoother transition and be choose which felt the transitions of which we felt most appropriate.

Sound- We had to edit the sound levels quite a lot. As a documentary is filmed in a lot of different locations the sound levels differ. We had to blend this sound with the non diegetic sound of our voice over and the music of which we choose from our schools ‘bank’ of downloaded music. We layered this music onto timeline similarly to the clips and edited using the same tool bar and cut techniques in order to adjust clips. We differed the sound levels depending on the original filming. This took a long process as many of the clips had large sound difference or background noise issue. We used the fade technique so that clips didn’t sound abrupt.

Title sequence-In order to create the title sequence we had too modify the clip in order to speed up it up for it to fit in time with the tattoo gun sound track. This was easy to and was adjusted it from the normal speed of 100% to 2558.27%.

Text-We had to use text overlay within some of our clips. During interviewing the professionals we conventionally added the name and title of the person. We also typed up the quote from Carl McCoid in order for the audience to clearly audience. During the quote we added a typed effect so that the text came on slowly this allowed the audience to be able to read the text.

Size change-We stretched out certain clips so that they would fit the outer frame. We made sure they were still in proportion when stretching in order to make sure the documentary shots appeared professional. It came in handy for hiding certain aspects of frames of shots. But also simply making the image large for the audience. We did the with the title sequence especially so that the writing appeared bigger and the unnecessary background was cropped out.

After we completed the final timeline of editing for our documentary we exported the video. The first time we exported after our audience feedback we realised that we had issues of corruption during the exporting stage and final editing of sound levels hadn't been saved during our final export. This meant that we had to re export our video to make sure that our actual final video was the last exportion as this was the highest quality and to our standard.

Magazine-To create our double page spread we used both Adobe InDesign CS3 and Abode Photoshop CS3. We began by editing all the photos of which we were going to use in Photoshop in order to give the highest quality images. We manipulated by changing the colour as well as brightness and contrast of image by using the Photoshop toolbar in adjustments mode. We overlaid two pictures also to give a striking image of the definition of discrimination within the photo. At this stage I also created the people in order to use for the static outline to give a visual affect of the numbers for our audience. I did this by using the shape tools, colour selector and fill bucket. I grouped the people in order to be able to change the entire colour of the people and also to make sure they stayed in place when copying later.

The next stage was to gain a basic outline of our magazine. We did this on InDesign . We set our images into the places of which we had created. Then placing the article that had been pre written on Microsoft word into place and editing. We edited font in order to link to the documentary and create brand identity for the product. We choose main pull quotes at this stage and enlarged the size of these to make them appear bolder to the viewing audience. I made sure these quotes were ambiguous to capture the audiences attention.

I next filled in the right hand column with facts and information of which had been previously found in our research and several included within the documentary. I changed the colour of the font and added the people I had previously made as visual aid using the import and copy and paste tool in order to create this. I had to reposition and size and I went along with all aspect in order to fit everything in appropriately.

We finally added common conventions of the magazine we had found into the piece. I imported the logo on ‘The Radio times’ in order to position next to the date and time. We included page numbers for the audiences purpose. The date , name of documentary and channel were promoted twice. We did this using the shape and fill tool then choosing the contrasting colour.

Radio trailer-The same as our previously recording voice over we used the same technique as a directional microphone. By using the same voice is allowed a continuous flow to link from that of the documentary . The voice over sounded upbeat in order to ‘excite’ the audience into watching the documentary. After uploading and saving this we dragged this directly into Garage Band and used this as our editing tool. We use the same backtracking as on our documentary simply dragging and dropping as before. By using the same tune allowed it to set up a house theme.

Within Garage Band we merged the voiceover for the radio trail with the backing track. We included snippets of clips from our documentary mainly using vox pops or interview clips to express the publics opinion and allows the public to question there's and feel interested. This was done through exporting the snippets from final cut and then sending via email to the other computer for the editing of the radio trail to be all done within one place onto Garage Band. We had to make sure that the sound levels were fairly even in order for this we adjusted using the blue line. We also added effect in order for smooth transition within the radio trailer itself.

Evaluation:

For the evaluation I simply used word for question 1 and PowerPoint for questions 3 and 4. I was able to upload and embed these onto my blog through using slide share. For question 2 I used Prezi as an interactive format of presenting I was able to embed this directly from there. I choose these software's for each s I though each presented the style of information well per question. I used the programs as I was familiar with them and therefore could use them to my full advantage.