Section 1A: Production

Practices
Make comprehensive notes on the following for the first
lesson back. See questions on this hand out and the
example for support.

Digital Technology

Creativity

Research and planning

Post-production

Using conventions from real media texts

 Digital Technology: Research and
Planning
Internet search engines auteurs studies to learn styles and
conventions, codes and conventions, location scouting, getting
inspiration, institutional research and info
Art of the title
Spotify for music inspiration
Youtube, imdb, vimeo, slideshare, prezi, art of the title, vevo
Storyboard That cloud based so you dont lose it, embed it easily onto
blog, easier to rectify mistakes/make changes
Blogs to catalogue work, website based so it doesnt get lost, secure
website, user friendly, easy to communicate with teacher, communicate
with peers, audience feedback, inspiration from other students/alumni
Text to mindmap and word cloud brainstorming and getting the
creative process recorded
Social networking facebook to communicate
Smart phones, convergence of technology googlemaps, internet
searches, group chats, location photos, calling and arranging.
Googledocs audience research
Test shots institutional logos, test sound
Powerpoint and word for filming schedules
SLR cameras location and test shots
Slideshare organise own work and research others
Photobooth app for vlogs
 Digital Technology: Production

Digital cameras easily review footage, easily

delete scenes, small and portable, easily transfer
footage to FCP
Sound digital microphone
Low cost of quality technology i.e. cameras.
Communicating with group members
Checking weather and maps

Knew how to use handheld or steadycam and

when to use it
Use advanced features like selective focus
Better judgement of footage knew what would
look good
Used more interesting framing and composition
 Digital Technology: Post Production
FCP ease of editing
Motion create intertitles, add lights, institutional logo
Garageband music and sound
Photoshop ancillary texts
Live Type intertitles
Aftereffects special effects
Ability to use youtube to learn to use editing software (web 2.0)

FCP autorendering made process a lot faster, better use of

bins for organisation, better match on actions, syncing audio,
better understanding of functions, editing for effect jump cuts
etc, using effects more creatively and appropriately
Learned how to import from motion to FCP put more
professional looking things in.
Learnt new applications
use of images and changing ideas
 Creativity
Creativity is the hardest one in many ways because
it involves thinking about what the creative process
might mean.
Wikipedia describes it as "a mental process
involving the discovery of new ideas or concepts, or
new associations of the existing ideas or concepts,
fuelled by the process of either conscious or
unconscious insight.
For your projects it might involve considering where
ideas came from, how you worked collaboratively
to share ideas, how you changed things and how
you used tools like the programs to achieve
something imaginative.
Creativity: research and
planning
Initial ideas how did you come up with them?
Mind maps, word clouds
Group discussions
Research
Audience research
Experimentation with lighting, framing, test shots, test editing
Genre research picking out effective codes and conventions
Working to find ideas within genre conventions
What actors were capable of
Feedback
Subverting genre expectations
Hybridising ideas
Creativity
Chose practical elements that suited each team
members strengths.

Presentation of work i.e. audience research

talking heads etc. (using blogs)

Pre-production planning using photos instead

of drawing storyboards.
Creativity
Being able to make mistakes and learn from them.
Creative process can involve looking at existing media texts and
analysing their codes and their codes and conventions then
creatively extrapolating how you can use this knowledge to make a
successful production within the restrictions of what you can do.
Creativity isnt just about what you can do, its about how you
creatively work with what youve got. Limitations with technology,
locations, costumes, special effects etc
At AS you might have wanted to experiment with and use rack
focus but didnt have the technology in order to realise this but in
A2 you could experiment with SLR cameras.
Test shots, reflecting on things, reworking ideas, - all in order to
ensure meaning is effectively created for audiences.
You can be as creative and artistic as you want but the text needs
to be understandable by audiences.
What different forms of research did
you do?
Again you will need to include a variety of
examples- institutional research (such as
on how titles work in film openings),
audience research (before you made your
products and after you finished for
feedback), research into conventions of
media texts (layout, fonts, camera shots,
soundtracks, everything!) and finally
logistical research- recce shots of your
locations, research into costume, actors,
etc
Research and Planning
Creative process have to plan in order to
create a good teaser trailer.

Using real media texts to identify codes and

conventions.

Identify how a teaser trailer is different to a film

opening (need to show a development of plot
and characters in a sequence)
Research and Planning
Looking at texts and identifying what it is you
need to do i.e. features of a film poster.

Using blogs reflect on previous work. Audience

research. Interactive media instant feedback
from teachers/audience.

Research informs your Mise-en-scene and how

you can create it. Representation of characters
etc.
Research and Planning
How have your research skills
improved?
Independent research skills (getting
quotes!)
Selected your own real media texts to
research.
Profile of institution who
created/produced the films. How were
they received critically?
 Postproduction
For the purpose of this exam, it is
defined as everything after planning
and shooting or live recording. In
other words, the stage of your work
where you manipulated your raw
material on the computer, maybe
using Photoshop, a video editing
program or desktop publishing.
 Using technology
FCP (using bins/creating subclips/transistions/organizing and
rearranging on timeline/trimming clips/colour
correction/speeding up and slowing down clips/sound
levels/rendering)
After effects
Livetype / motion (titles/logos)
Garageband
PS

Experiment with edits and gain audience/teacher feedback.

Analysis of own text (ensure codes and conventions are in place)

Evaluation/comparison of real media texts to yours.

 Using conventions from
real media texts
Replicating? Subverting? Extending?
Locations, costumes, lighting,
cinematography, actors, dialogue, colour
palette, stylistic techniques, props,
editing, montage, narrative,
representations,

sically this is asking you to consider your film openin