Evaluation Task #4: How Did You Use New Media Technologies in the Construction and Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?

How do you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? 

1. We started the process by deciding to focus on a ‘rock group’ image, therefore we knew that a performance element would be key to our video. As a result, we chose the song ‘Grounds For Divorce’ by Elbow. Having filmed an animatic of our rough storyboard on the Sony NX5 and cut it together on Final Cut Pro, we decided that we needed to include a narrative element in order to add another exciting dimension to the video. 


2. We filmed the performance element on a Sony FS100, as by using prime lenses we were able to capture higher quality footage that added to the authentic nature of the band. Equally, by measuring out the length of shot, the footage was much sharper and helped to bring clarity to the video. Furthermore, we used a lighting monitor to co-ordinate and control all the lights, thus ensuring that all the members of the band were visible. 

·      3.  In the post-production stage we used digitisation to transfer the footage from the camera’s hard drive to the editing software Adobe Premier. We used the rhythmic determent of the music and placed marker on the beats on the timeline, thus indicating potential cutting points. To finish the video we used colouring and grading tools. We adjusted the colour palette so it had a blue tint, and did this by altering the contrast and saturation of shots. Also we added a letterbox effect to generate an epic, cinematic feel.

·         4. In order to create the special effects we imported our footage from Adobe Premier to Adobe After Effects. We used stock footage of muzzle flashes, and placed them on top of the image. We had to size and position them correctly in order to ensure that the flash occurred around the end tip of the gun. By blending the light around the gun the effect merged with the background, and this helped to make the shot more realistic. By placing masks around the actors faces, the faces of the actors lit up with the gunfire, thus made the action more genuine and impressive looking. To emphasise the continuous gunfire we used motion tracking, as it followed the point of the gun and highlighted the muzzle flashes.

5. To film the narrative element we used a Sony NX5, as it allowed us to have a higher shutter speed and it had integrated lenses, thus we were able to adjust to the moment, making the footage seem more spontaneous. This helped us to create a more exciting and tense atmosphere. We used the camera handheld to further intensify the movements of the actors, as it helped us to engage the audience and bring them into the drama
 

·         6. For the explosion shot we used multiple layers of stock footage such as the explosion itself, mud and smoke we speeded up or slowed down in order to create the most impressive explosion possible. We also needed to cut around the log in the shot so that the explosion was behind it. We used motion tracking to do this.

7. In order to make our set more realistic, we undertook research on the Internet and used various mediums as inspiration. The most beneficial source of information was the music video 21 Guns by Green Day and a section of the film Mr and Mrs Smith as it helped us piece together an image of what our set and narrative elements should look like. In relation to the set, we took images of the couple on a Canon 70D and printed them out in order to heighten the link between the performance and narrative element.