PowerPoint Presentation

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.1. imovieI used imovie on the apple macs to edit my key scenes and then to put together my theatrical and teaser trailer. Using imovie was an effective method because the programme enabled me to cut clips, add sound effects, soundtracks, video effects, change the pace and volume, add inter-titles and transitions. If this hadnt of been available, I would have had to use moviemaker which is not as new and professional as imovie therefore the finished products would have looked amateur. This is because the transitions are basic and moviemaker is fairly limited. I had never used imovie before this project therefore I had to follow tutorials and learn how to use it while I began to put together my first drafts. One of the most difficult tasks was getting the soundtrack and sound effects to fit with the video clips. However after I had discovered how to drag and select the best parts of the music, I could use this skill to my advantage by cutting and fitting together other music and decreasing or increasing the volume for a dramatic effect. Using imovie acted as a huge part in my communication with my audience as I had to ensure that the clips were portraying the narrative in a clear but concise way. The programme allowed me to put together all of my separate creations into one final product that I could export and upload to YouTube and my blog. 2. FireworksI was able to use the Fireworks programme effectively this year because I had learnt how to use it during the construction of my products last year, making my music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. I was confident in using Fireworks to create all of my inter-titles for my trailers by using specific measurements for the canvas size and then importing a scratch, black background that I sourced from the internet. I used the text tool to add the information I wanted to display and could use the kerning tool to space the letters so that they were readable. I also used fireworks to create all of my print products; poster, billboard, magazine cover and DVD cover. I could change the colour fills, add shapes, insert images, add effects (such as a drop shadow) and I used grids and guidelines to keep ancillary products organised. If I hadnt of been able to use Fireworks, I would have had to use a Microsoft Word document or PowerPoint to construct my products which would have been very difficult and restricting as they are not designed for creative tasks like that. I used Fireworks to create credits for my production company and for constructing the information box for the DVD cover as the programme had the best tools to imitate a real, existing product. I would often paste fonts I liked onto a fireworks canvas after sourcing them from a website, I built a collection and then exported it which was fast and easy to upload to my blog.3. Video cameraA video camera was a vital piece of technology in the creation of the trailers because it was a high pixel quality recording device that could capture movement well. This was very effective because we could either take hand-held shots by using the specially designed handle strap or place the video camera onto a tripod for a steady shot or a pan/tilt. Had these video cameras not been available to use for filming, I would have had to use a normal digital camera that has many functions and isnt specifically designed for capturing moving images. A video camera has the option for manual or automatic focus, better zooming features, good image stability and a LCD screen. I have learnt how to use a video camera properly and in one of the first lessons I had a tutorial of how to set it up and use it, as well as viewing videos in playback mode.4. BloggerBlogger is an online website that I have used to display all of my coursework, I used blogger last year in AS therefore I am familiar with how to create posts and embed links. This is a very effective website because it makes use of a new sort of technology that has become more popular in recent years. It is a more interesting and interactive way for readers to view my work and blogger enables me to embed presentations that I have created on other websites. If blogger wasnt available it would be difficult to put everything into one place as blogger supports many file types which is a huge advantage. It enables the reader to scroll down through work in a chronological order making it more organised so they can see the progress I have made throughout my planning, construction and evaluation. A new skill that I have learnt this year is how to find specific pieces of work quickly by looking at the blog archive instead of having to keep scrolling down through all of my posts, this saved me a lot of time. 5. YouTubeI have had to use YouTube much more this year because my coursework has been centred around creating two trailers. After I had filmed my key scenes and edited them, I made them public and shared them on YouTube so that they were easier to embed into my blog. I shared it by copying the clipboard link underneath the video and pasting it into the HTML box on my blog. This meant that audience members who were viewing my blog could watch the trailers on that site rather than having to find it on YouTube or following a link. I also used YouTube in my research to look at existing crime thriller trailers such as The Equalizer and The Mechanic. I was able to embed these trailers so that I could analyse them on my blog so the reader could refer from the video to the text quickly and easily without having to swap windows. If YouTube had not been available my research would not have been as detailed or specific and my trailers would have to be savedanother way meaning that they werent togetheron the same account. I have learnt how to upload and insert information onto YouTube and I havealso learnt how to delete videos which I haventneeded to do before. The screenshot shows howthe YouTube video has been embedded into my blog so viewers can just press play.

66. Padlet Padlet is a useful website because it allows me to create posts consisting of text like post-it notes all on the same page. URLs (images, videos, map, slideshow, documents etc) can also be added along with any files or photos from webcams. This proved to be beneficial as I uploaded my print products and could write about them in detail for my evaluation. If Padlet had not been available I would have had to use Word or PowerPoint which would have become boring as Padlet is a innovative, unique way of displaying information. The background can be chosen or personalised which is another original, modern feature. By usingPadlet I have learnt how to organise posts and have a separate box that corresponds to each image of a product. The screenshot shows what the website looks like and howtext boxes can be added easily. It has somesettings down the right hand side that allows the theme to be changed or to share it.

7. ThinglinkI think that Thinglink is an ingenious website because an image can be uploaded and then features can be labelled. A small symbol can be selected to highlight a characteristic and then once the mouse is hovered over it a text box will appear containing the information you have written. If Thinglink wasnt available I would have had to number each feature on the print product to write about it at the side, instead its just a direct way of talking about a particular element which saves a lot of time. I used this website last year during AS work however I felt more confident using it this year as I fully understood how it worked. I used Thinglink in my evaluation to label characteristics of my print products, I added reasons of why I designed it in a particular way or used colours, fonts, images, shapes, text, banners etc.

8. Soundcloud Soundcloud is a website that uploads voice recordings, therefore once I had got audience opinions and feedback which I had recorded on my iPhone I emailed these files to myself and uploaded them on Soundcloud. This meant that the voice recordings were all saved in the same place and didnt take up storage space. I could then embed a link into my blog or onto another website such as Emaze so that the reader could just press the play button and they could hearthe individuals voice. If thiswasnt available I would have had to upload it to YouTube however it would have just been a blank screen and would have taken a longer time to upload. I think that Soundcloud was effective in my coursework because its a straight forward website to use and its a voice note ratherthan a video which makes it more suitable to embed ontomy blog. The screenshot showsthe page where it uploads yourvoice recording and you can add atitle, tag and description.

9. Google I have used Google to find all of these websites that I have talked about previously, its the best search engine because it led to popular presentation sites that I could make use of. I used google to find photo editing sites such as Be Funky so that I could add effects to my photographs to make them look more professional. I have learnt how to be more precise with my searches so that I could find websites that others may not have heard of to make my work unique. I used google to find Logo garden to create my production company logo which was a website that I hadnt come across before. I also used google to access flikr to store all of my photoshoot images and for dafont.com to get a range of fonts that are not available on Fireworks. All of these different sources made my work more individual so that I could add my own independent research and findings.

10. PreziPrezi is a website that I have used before however I still find it quite complicated to use which is a criticism of this website , therefore I often create my presentations in PowerPoint and then transfer everything across. Prezi uses movement to make the presentation more eye catching, this could mean having text at different angles etc. I have used Prezi in my planning and research so I could insert images of existing products and then analyse them and pick out the conventions, for example my representation task. I have learnt how to draw paths on this site so that the transition from each shape flows well and has been organised into the desired order so that my audiencecan follow and understand theinformation.

11. Scribd Scribd is a useful website that allows PowerPoint presentations to be uploaded into a form that is easier to embed into blogs and other websites. This website acts as a digital library and makes scrolling through information easier otherwise I would have had to export each PowerPoint slide and upload them separately. This website is basic and simple to use however it isnt as exciting as other websites as it only has limited functions which could be seen as a criticism of the website. However I think that Scribd has been effective in my planning and research as it has allowed me to display my work that I had initially produced on PowerPoint, this includes my shooting schedule, location release form and storyboards. Scribd is definitely a website that I would use again in media, or in other subjects because it allows PowerPoints to be shared so that the public can view them. I have used Scribd in this final question on my evaluation because I created a montage in PowerPoint and then talked about each piece of technology in detail, now I can embed this into my blog so that my audience can read it.