How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning

and evaluation stages?

In order to construct our documentary we had to use a variety of different technologies.

From cameras, to film the documentary, to computers to edit it, we used many different
forms of technology.

Through all stages of production we used a number of new media technologies. Pre-
production is one of the most important stages within a production. We needed to plan our
ideas and discuss the product we wanted to create. Researching our chosen topic of child
internet safety we put all the information gained onto blogger, a free weblog publishing site
that lets you to post photos, videos and text. This was a great way for the group to review
research and keep up to date with each other. It acted as a personal diary for the group.

To film our documentary we used a Sony PD170 camera and a tripod. The camera records
on a Mini DV tape. We used this equipment to film all of the interviews and cutaways.
Although the Sony camera has its own microphone inbuilt it was essential that the sound of
the interviews was clear and of good quality, so we used a clip on mic instead. For my
evaluation audience feedback task, I also used the same equipment to film the audience’s
feedback.

Once we had gained all the footage, it was the editor’s job to log and capture the footage
using Final Cut Pro, industry standard editing software. The editing process was used on an
Apple iMac computer. Final Cut Pro allows you to log and capture footage onto a hard drive
where the user can edit it. Once edited it can be processed and exported to a variety of
formats including QuickTime.

After being exported to QuickTime we used another form of technology in order to make it
easier for our audience to see the product. We uploaded the video to YouTube which is an
extremely popular online website that allows you to watch, upload, subscribe and watch all
the latest videos. It was important that we uploaded it to YouTube so that our audience
could watch it plus it allows people from all over the globe to watch our production. A
similar method was involved when I processed my audience feedback. I edited it and then
uploaded it to YouTube.

For my documentary poster, my first ancillary task, I used a programme called Photoshop.
This software allows you to manipulate images and edit them. It is a complex photo editing
software. I took an image with a digital camera and then began to edit the photo on the
computer. Using Photoshop I was able to put different filters over the image, add text and
titles and add in pictures such as logos of social networking sites.

My second ancillary task required me to create a radio trailer for the documentary. The
script for the trailer was recorded using a Mic and then pieced together again by using Final
Cut Pro. Using the software allowed me to cut the sound at different places, add a backing
track of music and insert quotes from our documentary. This was the same for my
evaluation task where I used a voiceover that was uploaded to Soundcloud to answer one of
the questions. I changed the format of the voiceover to MP3 then uploaded it to
Soundcloud a website that allows you to share sound.