Gregory McLaney - Unit G324 - Evaluation - Q4

A2 Media Studies - Unit G324: Documentary Evaluation - Gregory McLaney

A2 Media Studies – Unit G324: Documentary Evaluation

Question 4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction and researc h, planning and evaluation stages?

Research and PlanningFrom the very start of our task to create the opening five minutes to a television documentary we used media technologies to develop our project. For the initiation of our project we used Microsoft Publisher to create documentary idea grids, a mindmap and a rough notes page on target audience, documentary modes and topic. Plus, we used Microsoft PowerPoint and Word to record research.

Through researching our topic of ‘Health and Fitness’, we used Internet Explorer and a search engine, to browse online sites such as BBC, NHS, Channel 4 and IBIS World. Using these sites we were able to research extensively into our topic allowing us to have an authoritative knowledge in our documentary, through statistics, facts and figures. Additionally, through research we were able to distinguish a target audience, channel, and time for our

documentary.

When in the research and planning stages of our documentary progress I had to research in to various documentaries with similarities to our desired final result. We used 40D and YouTube to watch similar products and this allowed us to gain research. To record the research we used Microsoft Word to create grids and record the details.

The next technology we used related to the Internet was the use of Blogger, this website has been the core of the project for the duration of research, planning, production and evaluation. We have used blogger to record all work in which we have completed. Even if work was done by hand we would scan this in and upload it to our blogs. Blogger allows posts to be edited and drafted. Plus, it is possible to embed videos, word documents and PowerPoint slideshows in to posts, which allows a broad use of technology.

The planning elements of our project lead to other forms of technology being used. We used Hotmail, the mail website to message contacts


and attempt to gain expert interviews. Plus, I used Adobe Photoshop CS6 with a graphics tablet to draw out my storyboard; this method was effective in combining hand detailed drawings with digital technology. Additionally, we used Apple software, Comic, to create an additional storyboard with stills from our footage; this included annotations and helped during editing stages.

FilmingFor the filming of our documentary the technologies used in the previous research and planning stage were extremely useful. Mainly, we used our hand drawn storyboards to guide the filming process.

The technology used directly for filming was a Canon HG20 HD Camera to capture our footage in high definition. Plus, this camera allowed us to take still shots when needed. Also, the camera had a useful zoom and a manual focus, which came in effective during the recording of cutaways. Additionally, the Canon HG20 HD has a brilliant white balance alteration, which means we could develop the best natural lighting as possible. Occasionally, we would record footage using hand held camera, but mostly we used a tripod to record footage, expert interviews and voxpops. The tripod was extremely useful to pan, tilt and move the camera in our desired way to capture our required footage. Additionally, the tripod gave us the best possible shot with no movement, which creates a very professional feel throughout the documentary. Due to the sound from the cameras recording not being of the highest quality we used an external digital microphone to record interviews, voxpops and the voiceover, this gave the best possible sound quality and it worked well to create a level of professionalism in our work. When recording sound we had to check the sound was working appropriately by plugging headphones directly in to the HD camera. We used empty rooms to record voiceovers and this was used in our radio trailer too. When recording sound in an empty room it eliminates possible background disturbance.

EditingOnce the filming section of our project was complete, we transferred all our clips to the Apple iMacs. In doing this we transferred the files over through the USB into


designated folders ready to open in Final Cut Express. Final Cut Express is a video editing software for Apple only products and we used this to edit the whole of our documentary. The first stages in editing lead us to transferring the saved files into the software through log and transfer. In this stage of log and transfer we could define our clips down to the best possible clips. Once all of our footage was transferred, it was set our ready in Final Cut Express ready to start editing.

With our footage now transferred in to Final Cut Express, we could start editing our footage using the editing software’s interface.

The main method of editing we used was straight cuts, we achieved this by using the razor tool, we would simply find the clip we want

and cut the clip down to the length with the razor tool and

Main toolbarLogged clips viewing window

Edited clips viewing window

Editing toolsTimeline

Audio spaceVisual space

Un-edited video log


place the two clips together for a straight cut. However, when we wanted to achieve different effects we would use transitions. Throughout the documentary, we used two alternative transitions and these were fade in and fade out – created manually with the pen tool and cross dissolves, which were created using the transition effects.

Razor Blade Tool

Pen Tool

Straight cut in Final Cut Express

Manual fade in and fade out in Final Cut Express

Cross dissolve added through the transition effects.


The next basic editing method we used in our documentary was text; we added various forms of text in Final Cut Express when needed to appropriately suit our documentary. To create text in Final Cut Express we go to Effects - Video Generators – Text, once this folder is open there are six different text styles to choose from and all of these are editable in their own way.

In our documentary we used text for the title segment, to introduce the

expert interview and for bullet putting points made by the expert interviewee. To create the title segment we added basic text, however to create the expert interview introduction text is was slightly more complex. Firstly, we added the Lower 3rd text generator, and then we had to adjust the control figurations by adding a solid background, with a colour and a lowered opacity. Once this was done we added the text over the clip and the result was complete.

Text generators open in Final Cut Express

Further controls tab open when a certain text is selected

Controls tab for Lower 3rd text


The text for the highlighting points made by the expert interviewee, were created by adding basic text then layering in coloured boxes in the background with lowered opacity. This was all layered on the editing timeline so that when points were made different texts and boxes would fade in. We created the boxes by going to Effects-Shapes-Rectangle then we would drag the Rectangle generator to the timeline. Once the rectangle was in the timeline we adjusted the controls tab of this so that we had the desired colour, aspect and size. This was complete now, we simply layered this under the text in the Final Cut timeline and adjusted the position using the wire frame, and then the effect was finished.

The use of the wireframe movement was consistent throughout the editing of the documentary. We used this to

Shape generators open in Final Cut Express

Controls tab for the rectangle shape generator

Accessing Image+Wireframe, which allows movement and


crop out any unwanted elements in a shot and we additionally used it to position clips to create the most accurate portrayal of the rule of thirds.

As well as this basic editing, we did create more complex edits using the effects tab with framing. The effect we wanted to achieve was for the text to cross dissolve in and zoom in simultaneously, then for the text to fade out and for the background of the composition to be a Gaussian blurred so the text was the main focus for the spectator. Once the text faded out we wanted the video clip in the composition to un-blur and focus, so we could use this shot as a cutaway for the introduction voiceover. We created the effect by adding in a basic text layer with the desired text and effects then we added a frame at the beginning with the text small then a frame at the end of the timeline with the text larger so when the frames played it would

increase in size. With this complete, we cross dissolved the text in and faded it out. Now that we had the text layered over our clip and the text complete, we needed to apply the Gaussian blur, we did this going Effects-Video Filters-Blur-Gaussian Blur. With the Gaussian blur applied to our clip we set the effect control tab to the desired blur, then using the framing method we framed the clip timeline to slowly un-blur once the text had faded out. This effect worked very well and looked professional,

Accessing Image+Wireframe, which allows movement and

Here are two stills from our documentary, layered with a rule of thirds grid. This illustrates perfect use of the rule of thirds, achieved by using Image+Wireframe.

Effects tab open with Gaussian blur selected


also it illustrates a strong development in the use of technology in our project.

With Final Cut Express we could manipulate various elements of our footage and we wanted to speed up a clip of a car driving to create a rushed and distorted effect. It was simple to create this in Final Cut Express. We simply right clicked the footage we wanted to adjust then clicked on the change speed option. Once we had clicked this it opened up an editing window where we could adjust the speed, now we cut the speed down to the percentage that we acquired and the footage was made shorter/faster or longer/slower. We edited our footage to a low percentage to speed up the clip; this created a brilliant rushed and manic effect, which we desired.

Text control tab open in Final Cut Express

Gaussian blur control tab open in Final Cut Express

This is how the timeline was composed with all the effects, frames and transitions added.

This is the Change Speed window open in Final Cut Express

Here is the option of changing speed when right clicking the clip


When finishing the editing process of our documentary we needed to adjust sound levels of the music, voxpops, interviews and voiceover to all correspond to an audible level. To do this there was two options: one being double clicking the footage and editing the pan and level of the audio and the second way being to

adjust the levels by moving the line up and down on the clip positioned in the timeline.

Article for a TV Listings MagazineTo create our double page spread article we used the software Adobe

InDesign CS6 and Microsoft Word. We used Microsoft Word to write the entire article then with Adobe InDesign we could place this text in to a double page spread composition. The composition also allowed space for three images, which we captured from our documentary. We could place, move and align text, images and shapes to build our professional design.

The first step in creating our double page spread in Adobe InDesign CS6 was placing in our images to do this we simply screen grabbed the still files from our documentary then clicked on the top toolbar and select File-Place. Once this was done it opened a viewing window to find our desired pictures, then we could simply place them in the composition.

This is the audio presented in the timeline, we can edited the levels easily here

Here is the sound opened in its own window, here we can more accurately edit sound levels and pan the audio

Sound Levels

Opening the ‘Place’ window in Adobe InDesign CS6


With the images in the composition, I added the main header and subheading texts. To do this I clicked the ‘T’ (Text Tool) on the toolbar and wrote the text and edited it appropriately. Additionally, I right clicked the text and added a

drop shadow effect to make the text more apparent and stylised.

With the images and main text added, we now added in the body text in to the composition by making a text box in the desired area and pasting the text from word. We added two effects, which made the design look professional. The first effect we added was a drop caps, we added this by using the text edit tab at the top of the screen then increasing the drops cap to 9. With this effect complete we added a 4-column article style by using the text edit tab and making the column section to the number 4. These effects made our article have the simple and professional look.

Toolbar with the Text Tool

Here is the drop caps edit option in the editing text toolbar in Adobe InDesign CS6

This is the column option where we edited our article in to 4 rows

This is the final result from the two effects on the article body text


With images, text, and the headers in the article we were almost complete. In the final stages we added a small section of text using the text box tool and a written piece in word. Plus we added the dates, title of documentary, channel, time and introduction text to the article. All of these were again created through simple text boxes. To completely finalise our design we added the page numbers, using a text box and various lines to section off segments of the double page spread. To create the lines we used the shape tool and drew our various straight black lines. The shape tool is positioned on the toolbar to the left of Adobe InDesign CS6.

Radio TrailerFor our radio trailer we took extracts from our Documentary and exported the audio only out of the Final Cut Express project. With the audio we edited the radio trailer in GarageBand. We created a simple radio trailer using an upbeat non-copyrighted song.

To begin editing our radio trailer, we placed all of our audio into GarageBand. It was simple to place our audio into the software from the exported files. We clicked the ‘view the media browser’ tab in the bottom right of the programme then opened up our desired files and dragged them into the tracks we wanted in GarageBand.

With all the footage in our tracks, we cut the desired extracts from our documentary down to the correct length by dragging the timeline to the

Line Tool on the Toolbar

Final composition in Adobe InDesign CS6

View The Media Browser button in GarageBand


correct section then clicking Edit-Split, this simply cut the clip and then we deleted the unwanted audio.

With all our footage now cut and placed over our audio, we just needed to add a panning effect to the audio to create a sense that the extracts are from different directions. To do this we simply selected the particular clip on a track and moved the audio wheel pan to the left or to the right. We did this for a series of three clips to make the listener feel as if the audio was coming from different positions.

With all the music added, clips added and cuts made appropriately, we just had to split and delete all the left over footage and music to make our documentary fit the appropriate length. Using GarageBand was a simple process and it was fast to create our final product radio trailer. Plus, the software is extremely useful to add final touches such as automation and panning. Overall, GarageBand was perfect for creating our radio trailer and making it appropriately audible.

The dropdown menu to select ‘Split’

Here is the audio wheel where we panned our audio to the left (L) or right (R)


Logic Pro 8We wanted to create an upbeat and vibrant song for our documentary so we created our own version of Booker T & The MG’s – Green Onions. To do this we had to use audio software Logic Pro 8 and we interpreted this to be non-copyrighted by using eight tracks in the software and by re-writing the notes to create a similar melody. Once this was done, we mixed and balanced the whole song to be unique and fitting to our desired atmosphere.

ConclusionOverall technology has been a huge factor that has made this project successful. We have made the most of all possible technologies available and the outcome has been very effective. From the use of the basic Internet to start our research we have developed into using professional editing software such as Final Cut Express, to create real media products of a high quality. Additionally, we have used audio editing software such as Logic Pro 8 and GarageBand to create detailed musical compositions to fit our work appropriately. Ultimately, our project has been very successful and it is definitely dependent on the broad and focused use of new media technologies.

The final composition created in Logic Pro 8

Gregory McLaney - Unit G324 - Evaluation - Q4

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