CCR - integrating technologies
How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
I always expected to use many, different programs and media when working on a project like this, so I tried to have a wide variety. We used a lot of props and hardware during the actual filming, software and online programs were both used before filming and in post-production.
The more practical aspects of this project were the technologies we used on location, for filming. We had one white continuous light for digital video production that we used for every shot; we also moved it around and tried to create effects of moving shadows with it for the dream scenes. We used two cameras with 18-55mm lenses and one tripod, a Sony alpha DSLR and a Canon 700D. We had many props too; some we brought from home (like all the things that made up the bed), and others we found there (the coffee table and the sofa). Later, we also used an iPhone 6s to record the main character’s voice. The laptop we used for editing was branded Lenovo. We had to keep all the footage on an external drive because it took up a lot of space, and we initially wanted to use a different laptop but it’s processing power was smaller than the one we finally used.
The software programs and online platforms we used also played a huge part in the creation of this project. Firstly, we began by using our blogs to monitor our progress. On them we uploaded text, images and links. To put up videos we had to first upload them on YouTube, which I did as unlisted content, to keep it private. All the videos on my blog are embedded in this way, including the final version of “Demure”, it is an easy and safe way of sharing our work. For the target audience questionnaire we used Google Forms to create it, Reddit and social media sites, such as Facebook, to distribute it and get as many responses as possible, and Piktochart to illustrate the results. This was probably the most complex part of our film opening development; it also encompassed the most online platforms. Furthermore, we also searched several sites for fonts to use for the credits, and YouTube to look for music to use in the soundtrack. The last site we used was WeTransfer for sharing the finalized versions to each other and to those we wished to get feedback from.
For editing, we used a 30 day trial version of Adobe Premiere CS6. It was the first time either of us used it, but it wasn’t hard to understand; we had no difficulties in working with it. The program had all the features we needed, sound level editing, color correction effects, text overlaying the images and various transitions both for video and sound. An example of transitions that we used are cross dissolve, both for sound and image. I also adjusted the level of specific segments of the soundtrack, according to what was needed, and used fade in and fade out effects for most sounds to have a clear and continuous overall effect.
To sum up, we used many different technologies, online and offline, when working on “Demure” throughout the whole process. We managed to integrate, combine, one with the other to reach certain goals, like using online sites and editing software to get the best, informed result.
