Showing posts with label Ed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed. Show all posts
Thursday, 10 November 2016
Where are you at now and what are your next steps?
For my last few months at college I just want to gain a good idea on what I want to do when I leave. I want to also have lots of experience in this section as well, so that I am prepared for that sort of job when I leave. I want to have very good skills in the adobe suite because I believe that I may need them when I go into my job of choice. I also want to try and get the best possible grade I can at the end of the year to feel like I have left on a big high. All of the things I learnt last year have influenced what I wanted to do this year, and I do not regret my decision at all, I believe that what I have learnt so far this year will help me in the future no matter the job I go for. I also want to do things that I have not covered in the past as well to see if I enjoy it, therefore giving me more options for the future. Literacy and spelling is also an area that I want to improve on, I want to get better at writing and I want to expand my vocabulary for the future.
Thursday, 6 October 2016
Podcasts
OTHERtone - Kid Cudi
In this Podcast they talk about a range of different topics, some being ones that relate to the the artist others being things that the audience members might want to know the answer too. In the preview below however only a part of the Podcast is shown. The Podcast is meant to be quite laid back, and is a place where people can talk about what is on their mind.
From time to time the presenters and the guest may have a small debate between each other so you not only find out about how the guest feels but also get to know what is on the presenters mind too. Having more than two people on the Podcast allows there to be a wider range of questions asked that might not have been asked if there were only two people.
They also let the guest talk and do not interrupt them so that they don't feel rushed.
In this Podcast they talk about a range of different topics, some being ones that relate to the the artist others being things that the audience members might want to know the answer too. In the preview below however only a part of the Podcast is shown. The Podcast is meant to be quite laid back, and is a place where people can talk about what is on their mind.
From time to time the presenters and the guest may have a small debate between each other so you not only find out about how the guest feels but also get to know what is on the presenters mind too. Having more than two people on the Podcast allows there to be a wider range of questions asked that might not have been asked if there were only two people.
They also let the guest talk and do not interrupt them so that they don't feel rushed.
Monday, 23 May 2016
Peer Assessment
Rory made a modern day short drama film. One of the things he like the most about the whole project was editing the film because he found it reassuring to see it all come together and he enjoyed getting all the shots for the 'nightmare scene'. Being a director is also something that he enjoyed a lot because he liked having control and liked bossing everyone around. Working with the actors also made Rory's shooting a lot more enjoyable and he felt like work got done and they still had times to have a joke around.
Rory would have gave himself a bit more time in the pre production so that he could make more shot decisions, making the film better as a whole. Scheduling was also a part that Rory would do better if he had another chance to, this is because someone hod dropped out on him last minute making the whole shooting process a bit more stressful on his part.
Rory believes that he has still not discovered the full potential of filming and wants to get better with it in the future, this includes using a camera, he wants to be able to make better quality shots and a wider range of different angles. He also wants to get better with audio, this is and area he believes he has never really been good and wants to get better that it so that his projects are better quality.
Rory would have gave himself a bit more time in the pre production so that he could make more shot decisions, making the film better as a whole. Scheduling was also a part that Rory would do better if he had another chance to, this is because someone hod dropped out on him last minute making the whole shooting process a bit more stressful on his part. Rory believes that he has still not discovered the full potential of filming and wants to get better with it in the future, this includes using a camera, he wants to be able to make better quality shots and a wider range of different angles. He also wants to get better with audio, this is and area he believes he has never really been good and wants to get better that it so that his projects are better quality.
Friday, 20 May 2016
Evaluation
Did I accomplish what I had originally set out to do?
Looking back over my finished project I can now see that I have achieved most of the targets I set myself before I set out to make the website. It was very important that I reached these goals because if I did not, then some of my target audience might not like my website and may want to go somewhere else.
One of my targets was to create a simple and easy to use website - I believe that my website is very simple and easy to use. It is very clear to the audience what they are going to click on and with the use of pictures, people can easily relate that picture to the information they require. In addition, if they were to find that image on another part of the site, they would instantly know what subject that touches upon. The desktop and phone versions of the site both feature links that show the audience their last one or two pages viewed - this means that the audience can just refer back to the links if they want to find out where they are on the site. The desktop version also allows the audience to click on the links and go back to the previous pages, while the phone version has a simple and easy to use hamburger menu that they can use to operate the site with only a few touches.
Another goal I set myself was to create a brand to go along with my website. This was one of the first things I did when starting to create everything and this is because I believe that it is easier to make a website when you have the colour scheme and type face already laid out for yourself. If you are going for a bright and colourful colour scheme like I did, then you want to layout your website in a way that reflects this. I think that I managed to accomplish this. With the site being very text heavy due to it being more of an information site, I wanted to try and make things a little more exciting for the audience so I created a more colourful colour scheme and used a more exciting font for the logo, titles and subtitles.
Giving the audience a mixture of detailed and simplified information was another goal I set out to achieve however I don't really think I managed to meet this goal as some pages were full with tons of information and others did not have a lot of information at all. This means that some parts of the audience may find the information appealing while others might not. This is quite a big problem because people may only want to go to the site for one bit of information and if they find it too detailed for example, they may move to a different site. I also mentioned that I wanted to give the audience tips on living with the diabetes and give them some first hand and professional advice - I think that I managed to do this when making my site. I included a page where it was all about someones first hand experience with the disease and almost every page had some information from the professionals.
What did I struggle with?
I think one of the hardest things throughout the whole project was coming up with the brand for my whole site. Making a logo is something that needs a lot of thought because it is something that the audience is going to see 99% of the time when on the site. I needed to make it look attractive and memorable. However, I feel like I did achieve this and many people in my group did say that the logo looked very good and fit with everything else on the page. Finding a font that was clear to read but gave a bit more life to the page was also something that took a long time to find. The font needed to be perfect because if it was not then people could find the text hard to read, especially if there waa lot of it on one page. I think I managed to find a good font that's a bit more lively than the regular 'Arial' font and almost as clear to read.
Recording and taking the photos was also a part that I found extremely challenging because I have never really been that good with a camera and I think that reflects when looking at some of my images on the site and the certain angles in the video. This was one of the first times I had used a camera so I had to get used to it and make sure that I understood what I was doing with it. I did get the hang of it after a while and I was quite pleased with how the video came out. I just believe that if I had a little more time to use it, I could have made something even better!
Coding was also something that I found quite challenging. I did give it a go, however I couldn't get my head around it. It was a real shame because it was something that I wanted to learn but I just felt like I didn't have enough time. I think if I had more time to learn everything I needed to know then I could have produced something even better than I have done.
What did I enjoy?
What I enjoyed the most had to be the making of the actual site. Like I have said many times throughout this project, having the freedom to create a website with almost no limitations is something that I enjoy doing a lot. I got a chance to improve my skills with the Photoshop software and look at other website makers to see if they were up to par. I also enjoyed creating the brand for my site because I felt like I was actually making my own product. Learning a bit more about audiences and what they like and dislike was something that I found very interesting and I liked seeing the feedback they gave me because I knew that this would alter how I was going to make my website. I also enjoyed the challenge of the whole project it was something that I have never really done before, having so much independence was something that I was never quite confident with before but after doing all of this I can now say that I can be a more independent person.
What would I do differently?
I think one of the biggest things I would do differently is to create a website but using code to make it instead of Invision. Having used the software twice now I really want to branch off into a different way of web design, something a bit more different and challenging would be exciting and I would learn more skills. It would also allow me to do more like, embed a video or link to a different site through the touch of a button.
I would also make a website that I less focused on write and information. I found this to be quite boring at times and I really wanted to do something that involved a bit more skill. I would also include a lot more pictures to go along with the information if I had to make another information focused site, I felt like the images that I used were replicated a lot and some of them were a bit dull. If I had taken more photos for almost every single page and added a better light to all of them I could have made an even better website.
Am I happy with the final product?
I am very happy with my final product I enjoyed making it and I like how everything looks around the site. I like how easy it is to navigate on the phone and desktop versions and I love the colour scheme. If I had a chance to do it again I would definitely do it because I learnt a lot while doing this project and I'm sure I would learn a lot more if I were to do things a little bit differently. I think that I chose the right choice when it came to how we were going to make our product, I have never really been fond of cameras and I am not a fan of animations. I think what I had chosen was a perfect combination of; Moving Image, Publishing and Theory.
Looking back over my finished project I can now see that I have achieved most of the targets I set myself before I set out to make the website. It was very important that I reached these goals because if I did not, then some of my target audience might not like my website and may want to go somewhere else.
One of my targets was to create a simple and easy to use website - I believe that my website is very simple and easy to use. It is very clear to the audience what they are going to click on and with the use of pictures, people can easily relate that picture to the information they require. In addition, if they were to find that image on another part of the site, they would instantly know what subject that touches upon. The desktop and phone versions of the site both feature links that show the audience their last one or two pages viewed - this means that the audience can just refer back to the links if they want to find out where they are on the site. The desktop version also allows the audience to click on the links and go back to the previous pages, while the phone version has a simple and easy to use hamburger menu that they can use to operate the site with only a few touches.
Another goal I set myself was to create a brand to go along with my website. This was one of the first things I did when starting to create everything and this is because I believe that it is easier to make a website when you have the colour scheme and type face already laid out for yourself. If you are going for a bright and colourful colour scheme like I did, then you want to layout your website in a way that reflects this. I think that I managed to accomplish this. With the site being very text heavy due to it being more of an information site, I wanted to try and make things a little more exciting for the audience so I created a more colourful colour scheme and used a more exciting font for the logo, titles and subtitles.
Giving the audience a mixture of detailed and simplified information was another goal I set out to achieve however I don't really think I managed to meet this goal as some pages were full with tons of information and others did not have a lot of information at all. This means that some parts of the audience may find the information appealing while others might not. This is quite a big problem because people may only want to go to the site for one bit of information and if they find it too detailed for example, they may move to a different site. I also mentioned that I wanted to give the audience tips on living with the diabetes and give them some first hand and professional advice - I think that I managed to do this when making my site. I included a page where it was all about someones first hand experience with the disease and almost every page had some information from the professionals.
What did I struggle with?
I think one of the hardest things throughout the whole project was coming up with the brand for my whole site. Making a logo is something that needs a lot of thought because it is something that the audience is going to see 99% of the time when on the site. I needed to make it look attractive and memorable. However, I feel like I did achieve this and many people in my group did say that the logo looked very good and fit with everything else on the page. Finding a font that was clear to read but gave a bit more life to the page was also something that took a long time to find. The font needed to be perfect because if it was not then people could find the text hard to read, especially if there waa lot of it on one page. I think I managed to find a good font that's a bit more lively than the regular 'Arial' font and almost as clear to read.
Recording and taking the photos was also a part that I found extremely challenging because I have never really been that good with a camera and I think that reflects when looking at some of my images on the site and the certain angles in the video. This was one of the first times I had used a camera so I had to get used to it and make sure that I understood what I was doing with it. I did get the hang of it after a while and I was quite pleased with how the video came out. I just believe that if I had a little more time to use it, I could have made something even better!
Coding was also something that I found quite challenging. I did give it a go, however I couldn't get my head around it. It was a real shame because it was something that I wanted to learn but I just felt like I didn't have enough time. I think if I had more time to learn everything I needed to know then I could have produced something even better than I have done.
What I enjoyed the most had to be the making of the actual site. Like I have said many times throughout this project, having the freedom to create a website with almost no limitations is something that I enjoy doing a lot. I got a chance to improve my skills with the Photoshop software and look at other website makers to see if they were up to par. I also enjoyed creating the brand for my site because I felt like I was actually making my own product. Learning a bit more about audiences and what they like and dislike was something that I found very interesting and I liked seeing the feedback they gave me because I knew that this would alter how I was going to make my website. I also enjoyed the challenge of the whole project it was something that I have never really done before, having so much independence was something that I was never quite confident with before but after doing all of this I can now say that I can be a more independent person.What would I do differently?
I think one of the biggest things I would do differently is to create a website but using code to make it instead of Invision. Having used the software twice now I really want to branch off into a different way of web design, something a bit more different and challenging would be exciting and I would learn more skills. It would also allow me to do more like, embed a video or link to a different site through the touch of a button.
I would also make a website that I less focused on write and information. I found this to be quite boring at times and I really wanted to do something that involved a bit more skill. I would also include a lot more pictures to go along with the information if I had to make another information focused site, I felt like the images that I used were replicated a lot and some of them were a bit dull. If I had taken more photos for almost every single page and added a better light to all of them I could have made an even better website.Am I happy with the final product?
I am very happy with my final product I enjoyed making it and I like how everything looks around the site. I like how easy it is to navigate on the phone and desktop versions and I love the colour scheme. If I had a chance to do it again I would definitely do it because I learnt a lot while doing this project and I'm sure I would learn a lot more if I were to do things a little bit differently. I think that I chose the right choice when it came to how we were going to make our product, I have never really been fond of cameras and I am not a fan of animations. I think what I had chosen was a perfect combination of; Moving Image, Publishing and Theory.
Tuesday, 17 May 2016
Reflective Blog
Desktop Creation
I have not taken my photos yet for my site but I have plans to shoot them as soon as possible. I think that the colour scheme for the site works well and all of the colours are not too overpowering over the other. The site works well and the content for each section of the site is very short but descriptive just like I wanted to achieve when I was doing my research. I am still adding more pages to the site and should hopefully be done with the desktop version in the next few days. I looked into the website diabetes.org.uk to see if I could redirect people to that sight when the click on the 'Donate' button, however when looking at the sites term and conditions I found out that they would prefer if you did not link to their donate system. This means that I will have to find an alternate way for people to send money to diabetes research.
Phone Creation
This week I have been creating the phone version of my website, this has proved to be quite a challenge, due to it being very hard to find the correct leading and tracking so that it is clear to read for people using a phone. This is very important and I spent quite a while on perfecting this. If your phone version of your site does not work well or is hard to use then people tend to more else where. With more people using there phones more than ever, the phone version of my site needs to have the same if not more attention the desktop version did.
I am still adding bits and pieces to my desktop and phone versions and have created a well working hamburger menu. This should allow people to go to whatever part of the website they like with a few simple touches. I am still yet to take the photos for my website, however working on both of the versions has given me a good idea on how I want my pictures to look and fit with the site. I will be taking these photos in the next day or two. I have also come to the decision that I will be defiantly using Invision it is a platform that I know how to use effectively and quickly, in case I have to make any sudden changes a few days before the deadline. The only problem with using the site is that it is missing a few things that are very vital to my site, one of the being that I cannot integrate my own video on 'How to use a insulin pump' that I will be shooting tomorrow on the site and I cannot send people to other websites by them clicking on my 'Donate' button for example. I phone version is still not completely finish due to it being a very hard process, I might have to move some things about to make it more user friendly.
Finishing Touches
I am now at the time where I am adding the finishing touches to my website, I have decided to put it on Invision to see how everything works are operates.
Everything seems to be working fine, it flows very well and everything looks in order. Now I have to make sure that it all makes sense and that there are not spelling errors on the pages. I am very proud of how it looks and hopefully I will be done with the making of the site in the next day or two. I have added the photos and have shot the video I have to say I am pretty proud of them as well, my photography skills haven't always been the best but here on the site I feel like I have shown how much I have improved.
Monday, 25 April 2016
My Website Branding Guidlines
When creating a website and a organisation in general, you have to make your own guidelines this allows you to make something unique that no one else can use unless they're given the rights.
When using the logo it must be in the font, 'Pacifico' and the kerning must be set on 'optical' the fill colour being, 'R 250, G 182, B 58' the size of the font should be 60 pt this is unique to the brand and must be followed.
The colour scheme for the website will be R 250, G 182, B 58; R 84, G 187, B 171; R 232, G 68, B 50 colours that are used for anything that isn't type and photos must stick to this guideline because this is how the user is going to easily understand what website they are browsing and to easy recognise the brand itself.
Subtitles and Titles throughout the website have to be in the font type 'Patua One' the text always has to be slightly larger than the base text so it is clear to the user what is the isn't the base text. The base text has to always be in the font type 'Cabin' this is because it fits with Patua One and is clear to understand, it also can't be any smaller than 10 pt. Text should not touch anything else on the page, like the edges of the page or pictures, this make everything look more ordered and more professional.
Photos on the website must not breach any copyright laws meaning that if there is a photo on the website we have either reached out to the owner to gain access or we have taken the photo/s ourselves.
The colours for my colour scheme were discovered by working with 'Adobe Kuler' I looked at some of the some of the many colour harmonies to see what sort of colours would fit well with my website. Triad stuck out to me as something that was quite vibrant and would fit well with my websites concept. As you can probably see these colours I have picked out are not 100% triad, this is because I didn't want to use colours that were too unoriginal.
When using the logo it must be in the font, 'Pacifico' and the kerning must be set on 'optical' the fill colour being, 'R 250, G 182, B 58' the size of the font should be 60 pt this is unique to the brand and must be followed.
The colour scheme for the website will be R 250, G 182, B 58; R 84, G 187, B 171; R 232, G 68, B 50 colours that are used for anything that isn't type and photos must stick to this guideline because this is how the user is going to easily understand what website they are browsing and to easy recognise the brand itself.
Subtitles and Titles throughout the website have to be in the font type 'Patua One' the text always has to be slightly larger than the base text so it is clear to the user what is the isn't the base text. The base text has to always be in the font type 'Cabin' this is because it fits with Patua One and is clear to understand, it also can't be any smaller than 10 pt. Text should not touch anything else on the page, like the edges of the page or pictures, this make everything look more ordered and more professional.
Photos on the website must not breach any copyright laws meaning that if there is a photo on the website we have either reached out to the owner to gain access or we have taken the photo/s ourselves.
The colours for my colour scheme were discovered by working with 'Adobe Kuler' I looked at some of the some of the many colour harmonies to see what sort of colours would fit well with my website. Triad stuck out to me as something that was quite vibrant and would fit well with my websites concept. As you can probably see these colours I have picked out are not 100% triad, this is because I didn't want to use colours that were too unoriginal.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Changes I need to add
I have not stated where I am going to get the pictures for my website, I am going to take pictures of medical equipment that is used by the people who I know. I can get as many pictures as I need this way and can use these all around my website. I might not have access to some equipment that I may need so I will have to find some stock photos if need be.
I have not stated how I am going to upload my website to, I will probably use Indesign because I am have had past experience with this site and it also works very well when it comes to setting up interactions. However I might first look at other websites and see if I can create my website through there because that means I will be able to try a whole different experience. I might want to learn what they provide and what I will and will not be able to do through the site.
Doing more audience research is a must, it will allow me to have a better understanding on the types of people who would go to my website and would overall increase their satisfaction. The users satisfaction is the most important thing whenever you are providing a service and the more you satisfy them the more likely the are to come back or recommend the site to a friend.
Reflection on my Presentation
I thought that my presentation went well, I covered everything that I have done so far and made it clear what I wanted to do with the information that I have gathered. I think I could have talked a little more about why I chose my specific topic instead of picking both type 1 and 2 diabetes because everyone that I was presenting to seemed to be quite unsure why I had only chosen type 1.
Looking back at all of the research I have done so far I feel like I can still do a bit more secondary research on websites and design, just so I can get a clearer view on how I want it to look and how it's going to interact with the user. I think my primary research has gone quite well and I don't feel like I need to go back and add to it because I have got all the information I need from it already. I also might want to do a bit more research on my audience and make sure that I am designing a website to appeal to them the most, they are one of the most important factors of when it comes to designing a website so I need to make sure I hit the nail on the head.
If I was to do another presentation I would try and learn what to say beforehand, just so I can express myself more and make more eye contact with the audience. I used cards just so I could make sure that I would get every bit of information that I needed to the audience. However I feel like I paced myself well and didn't rush my presentation so that the audience could take in everything I was saying.
Looking back at all of the research I have done so far I feel like I can still do a bit more secondary research on websites and design, just so I can get a clearer view on how I want it to look and how it's going to interact with the user. I think my primary research has gone quite well and I don't feel like I need to go back and add to it because I have got all the information I need from it already. I also might want to do a bit more research on my audience and make sure that I am designing a website to appeal to them the most, they are one of the most important factors of when it comes to designing a website so I need to make sure I hit the nail on the head.
If I was to do another presentation I would try and learn what to say beforehand, just so I can express myself more and make more eye contact with the audience. I used cards just so I could make sure that I would get every bit of information that I needed to the audience. However I feel like I paced myself well and didn't rush my presentation so that the audience could take in everything I was saying.
Sunday, 17 April 2016
How has my research effected what I want to do for my FMP
When I first began my research I was still not quite sure on what I wanted to do, I was sure that I wanted to do something that related to web design or design in general because I have such a passion for that area of Media, so I had a look around a lot of different websites thinking of idea on what I could base my project on. I then came up with the idea of a charity website, at first I thought that this was a great idea but after I looked deeper into it I decided that I wanted to go one step further and make a website that gives people a whole lot more detail about a specific disease than the a website that just spreads awareness.
Diabetes is something that I have always understood, because I know a few people who have the disease themselves . I thought that this would be a great disease to cover because it meant that I could learn even more about it and go to the people that I know so I can find out their view and opinion on it.
The questionnaire was also a big part of my decision, peoples answers have greatly effected everything about my project. The results that they gave me were very important I am now making my website a whole lot more simple to appease the audience and I am going to go into quite a lot of detail when it comes to the actual content on the website, originally I was not going to do this however that is not what a lot of people want. I am also making the whole design of the website very basic so it can be focused more on the actual content on the site, on my questionnaire that is what people seemed to vote for the most. When designing something for a certain set of people their opinion is more useful and valuable from your own because own they know what they want. If I want my website to be a successful I need to appeal to my audience as much as I can.
Diabetes is something that I have always understood, because I know a few people who have the disease themselves . I thought that this would be a great disease to cover because it meant that I could learn even more about it and go to the people that I know so I can find out their view and opinion on it.
The questionnaire was also a big part of my decision, peoples answers have greatly effected everything about my project. The results that they gave me were very important I am now making my website a whole lot more simple to appease the audience and I am going to go into quite a lot of detail when it comes to the actual content on the website, originally I was not going to do this however that is not what a lot of people want. I am also making the whole design of the website very basic so it can be focused more on the actual content on the site, on my questionnaire that is what people seemed to vote for the most. When designing something for a certain set of people their opinion is more useful and valuable from your own because own they know what they want. If I want my website to be a successful I need to appeal to my audience as much as I can.
The Effectiveness of Primary and Secondary Research
If I had not done my research I don't think my work would have been as good. My website would not appeal to the audience that I am trying to appeal to, this wouldn't be good because if you don't appeal to a target audience then people can be confused with a lot of different elements and may not stay on your website for a long time.Primary research is effective because it allowed me to find the specific information I needed for the task, where as Secondary you can find out the facts from the professionals and can find out information that you my not be able to conduct on your own. So by doing my own primary research I could ensure that I would get reliable/useful information. I was missing some information that I needed so I proceeded in doing my own primary research. I also got a chance to look at charity website designs and evaluated them so I could get a good idea on what I wanted my website to look like. I also made my own questionnaire that people could answer, this allowed me to find out what the audience want when they are looking for my type of website.
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Primary Research
Survey
I conducted a survey where I asked some questions that would give me a clear understanding on what people like when it comes to the sort of website I am going to be building.
Audience
My project is focused on diabetes, especially type 1. My website is going to be focused on people that have JUST BEEN diagnosed with type 1 and the struggles and hurdles they are going to face. The websites going to include information on what to expect and how to get use to the daily routine. I will also inform them on what to expect later in life, this includes some of the new types of medication they can get hold of and, some of the health warnings.
I website is going to work the same way as a website called, 'First time in Prison' its a place people can go to, to find out information from people who have experienced it first hand. Due to this people are more likely to be more fond of this information because it will be more reliable and something that they might already be able to relate too.
Research
How easy was it to get into the routine of diabetes management?
First of all, I was only 9 years old. So I relied heavily on my parents for support with blood testing, insulin injection ect. It was a huge shock more so for my family as I thought it was quite exciting! I didn't realize what a massive life changing impact it would have on the rest of my life.
In the first instance I was on two injections a day, of which I used syringes with an inch long needle. I had to draw up the insulin from a vial and mix the long acting the short acting together and then had to flick out bubbles. In addition to this I had to count the carbs in everything I ate (10 gram of carbs was 1 exchange) I was allow 17 exchanges a day and I couldn't eat anything else! I took responsibility for injecting myself from the first day in hospital when I was diagnosed.
Over the years I have sought support and knowledge from my diabetic specialist to manage my diabetes, However even though this information has been valuable it is really down to the individual to work out how things effect them and what to do to compensate. I am still fighting a daily battle of managing my type 1 diabetes.
Throughout my teenage years I struggled immensely. I would eat what I wanted and only took minimal insulin. Many diabetics go through a stage of denial and this completely normal, you feel angry and lonely and just want to regain control of your life. I made myself quite ill but knew that I was doing wrong but couldn't stop it. I sought help from my consultant and he put me in touch with a philologist. Initially this helped but didn't really get to the core of the problem. I was in this state of denial for about 10 years and have now slowly but surly pulled myself out of it. I have recently gone onto pump therapy and this has given me a lot of freedom. The pump management is much more complex than injecting but this is worth it because it acts more like my pancreas would, and there for gives me better control of my blood sugars which in tern will improve my life expectancy and my diabetic complications later in life ( I.e. retinopathy, kidney failure, amputations ect.).
As I have grown older my attitude towards diabetes has changed, at first it was new and exciting then it became and enormous pain in the bum. Now it's part of me and something I need to work with to maintain happiness and quality of life.
I believe that the ultimate key to great diabetes management is to ensure good psychological and emotional well being towards the illness. Anyone can learn the physicalities of diabetes management but if the person has not accepted ownership then really all of the blood testing insulin injections and carb counting ect. mean nothing at all. Therefore more psychological /emotional support needs to be provided through out the entirety of a diabetics lifetime.
- Jessica Perfect
I conducted a survey where I asked some questions that would give me a clear understanding on what people like when it comes to the sort of website I am going to be building.
The first question I asked was, 'Where do you usually go for medical information' I got a lot of responses for this and it was very clear on what people wanted the most. Websites got over 3/4 of the votes over book, leaflets and other (Other = a doctor or person), this means that I will still stick with my initial idea of making a website.
I asked a question based on the actual layout and design of the website, I asked whether or not people like simple designs or more complicated extravagant ones. Once again the question had a very obvious winning answer, most people seemed to prefer simple website layouts, meaning that I will have to make sure that my website is easy to operate and easy to use for the audience.
The next question I ask was, 'What information do you find more useful' 'Information that doctors provide' or 'Information from people who have been through it first hand'. These two were quite close with information from doctors receiving only 4 more votes than the other. I think for my websites content I am going to include more pages based on doctors information than from personal information. I think covering a bit on both will be good just so I can appease both audiences.
My last question asked whether or not people like their medical information more simplified or whether they like a more detail explanation. The results are very shocking, it was a complete 50/50 split between both of the answers. This will mean that when I make my website I will probably include the more detailed part of information above a shortened more simplified version allowing the audience to choose what sort of information they will want to see. When people write posts on Reddit that are quite long they usually include a part below that says 'tr;dl' meaning too rambley; don't listen, obviously I won't use 'tr;dl' because it won't relate to what is being said but I will use something very similar that the audience will see and instantly recognize what it means.
Audience
My project is focused on diabetes, especially type 1. My website is going to be focused on people that have JUST BEEN diagnosed with type 1 and the struggles and hurdles they are going to face. The websites going to include information on what to expect and how to get use to the daily routine. I will also inform them on what to expect later in life, this includes some of the new types of medication they can get hold of and, some of the health warnings.
I website is going to work the same way as a website called, 'First time in Prison' its a place people can go to, to find out information from people who have experienced it first hand. Due to this people are more likely to be more fond of this information because it will be more reliable and something that they might already be able to relate too.
Research
How easy was it to get into the routine of diabetes management?
First of all, I was only 9 years old. So I relied heavily on my parents for support with blood testing, insulin injection ect. It was a huge shock more so for my family as I thought it was quite exciting! I didn't realize what a massive life changing impact it would have on the rest of my life.
In the first instance I was on two injections a day, of which I used syringes with an inch long needle. I had to draw up the insulin from a vial and mix the long acting the short acting together and then had to flick out bubbles. In addition to this I had to count the carbs in everything I ate (10 gram of carbs was 1 exchange) I was allow 17 exchanges a day and I couldn't eat anything else! I took responsibility for injecting myself from the first day in hospital when I was diagnosed.
Over the years I have sought support and knowledge from my diabetic specialist to manage my diabetes, However even though this information has been valuable it is really down to the individual to work out how things effect them and what to do to compensate. I am still fighting a daily battle of managing my type 1 diabetes.
Throughout my teenage years I struggled immensely. I would eat what I wanted and only took minimal insulin. Many diabetics go through a stage of denial and this completely normal, you feel angry and lonely and just want to regain control of your life. I made myself quite ill but knew that I was doing wrong but couldn't stop it. I sought help from my consultant and he put me in touch with a philologist. Initially this helped but didn't really get to the core of the problem. I was in this state of denial for about 10 years and have now slowly but surly pulled myself out of it. I have recently gone onto pump therapy and this has given me a lot of freedom. The pump management is much more complex than injecting but this is worth it because it acts more like my pancreas would, and there for gives me better control of my blood sugars which in tern will improve my life expectancy and my diabetic complications later in life ( I.e. retinopathy, kidney failure, amputations ect.).
As I have grown older my attitude towards diabetes has changed, at first it was new and exciting then it became and enormous pain in the bum. Now it's part of me and something I need to work with to maintain happiness and quality of life.
I believe that the ultimate key to great diabetes management is to ensure good psychological and emotional well being towards the illness. Anyone can learn the physicalities of diabetes management but if the person has not accepted ownership then really all of the blood testing insulin injections and carb counting ect. mean nothing at all. Therefore more psychological /emotional support needs to be provided through out the entirety of a diabetics lifetime.
- Jessica Perfect
Monday, 21 March 2016
Secondary Research
Charity Website
I looked at many different charity websites to find out if there was a theme that they all shared. One theme that I did find that reoccured on all of the different websites was that they used a grid format on their homepage to show all of the different parts of the websites. The different blocks in the grid each had there own photos and this made the homepage look a bit more busy and eye catching. It is also a very effective way of showing the user what the topic is about and what it consists of. Charity's are usually about something that isn't really very happy and cheery but for the main image on the homepage they feature someone smiling and talk about the good things that have come from the charity. I think this is something I will incorporate in my homepage because it seem like it could attract more users.
Every single website had a donate button, some had the button small so it would fit in with the website, others had the button a bigger size or had it on the page numerous times. I think it is down to the how the website looks, if you were to have numerous buttons on a website that is more type based it would look a bit out of place. I think when I design my website I will decide how many buttons I will feature on my homepage. As I mentioned earlier every website had a donate button, this was places on the header meaning that I would be on every single page.Social Media is a big thing for all charity's because it allows them to reach out to there audience. This was no different when it came to the websites I looked at, some websites featured some of their most recent tweets and posts on their homepage to show their users what they are talking about. The users may decide to follow them because they are interested in what the charity is tweeting / posting about from looking at the preview.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by a fault in the body's immune response in which the immune system mistakenly targets and kills beta cells, these cells that are located in the pancreas are responsible for producing insulin.
As the more beta cells are killed off the body begins to lose control of its blood glucose levels and the symptoms of diabetes begin to appear.
“One of the most difficult things I found that I had to come to terms with when you are newly diagnosed is that diabetes is for life.”
The cause for the fault in the immune system is yet to be discovered, however research has shown that it can be a combination of genetic predisposition with an environmental trigger.
Type 1 can develop very quickly within children and young adults, you are more likely to be diagnosed when you are in this age range. "Only about 10% of all diabetes is type 1 however the number is ever so slightly increasing."
Living with diabetes
Looking after your general and diabetic health is very important, doing this will not only keep you in a optimum health state but it will also make treating diabetes easier and minimize your risk of developing complications.
Eating healthy, having a balanced diet and exercising regularly are all things that can be very beneficial to a person living with type 1. Doing these things will lower your blood glucose level, which is a massive bonus as it decreases your need for insulin.
With diabetes comes a very big chance of the person developing diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to sight loss if not treated. "If you are 12 or above you should be invited to have your eyes screened once a year."
"Most people will have to take insulin by injection with insulin pens - it uses cartridges that have to be replaced to give your body the insulin it needs. They are very easy to use and are given to people who are young diabetics because they can be used in schools and colleges at ease. On top of all of this the needle is almost painless and is portable and discreet."
The alternative is an insulin pump, you have to fit the eligibility criteria to be able to access one. You have to be educated on how to balance insulin doses with dietary intake and physical activity and how to use blood glucose testing to help control your diabetes.
Learning about Diabetes
When you first get diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, it is very important to spend the first few days learning about ways of controlling and taking note of your diabetes as well as creating a plan for yourself that you are going to stick to. This includes learning about foods so you can figure out the best types to eat in certain situations. A school/work plan is useful so you can make sure that you are prepared and know how to lay your day out around work and physical exertion. Most significantly, you will be dealing with the new emotions that you may be beginning to develop due to all of the drastic changes that Type 1 Diabetes has enforced on your lifestyle.
"One-week follow up, teaching should be done by a dietitian and nurse and a clinic visit with the physician. Here you will learn a whole lot more about food management, insulin actions and regimens along with identifying patterns in blood sugar and knowing when to contact someone if things aren't looking so good."
Thursday, 17 March 2016
My Workflow
1.1 Reflect on what I have done in the past and plan out what I am going to do for this project.
2.2 Is all about reflecting and presenting my work (research) to an audience act on the feedback given and make changes / improvements.
3.1 Schedule our production and carry it out. While doing this I will have to blog and vlog on my progress made throughout
4.1 Evaluate on everything I have done (positives and negatives) and talk about the what I will do next time.
Monday, 14 March 2016
Requirements of the Brief
The point of this project is to find out what we have learned from the past year. We will show this by applying it to our FMP, we can do this anyway we want to due to this project not having a set theme. The FMP is a very independent project and will require us to make sure that everything goes well and is to highest standard it can be. I can do this by checking over my work when I have finished writing it and by making sure that it does what the target says. We will have to make sure that we plan everything out and reflect upon our choices.
We will be moderated by our lectures throughout the project to make sure that we are constantly working towards the end date. We can also link our blog posts on the spreadsheet to receive feedback and to find out whether what we are producing is along the guidelines set. I will make sure that I do this regularly so I can find out whether my work is to the right standard.
With every project comes lots of planning and research, this project is no different. We have to do an extensive amount of research so that we clearly know what we are going to do for our production and how we are going to keep it all in order. We also need to cover all aspects of media that we have covered over the past year. We could do this by; making posters, creating an animation / stop motion, make an advertising campaigns or films based on the theme.
What excites me about this project?
Probably what I am excited for the most is having the freedom to base our FMP on what we want, in our last Moving Image project we had to base our narrative on something that I was not interested in. Meaning that I can really put my heart and soul into this project and get the best mark possible.
I also like that we can work at our own speed, we don't have to get one section of the project done by a set date, sometimes it takes me longer to do one section than another so this removes stress.
Reflection of progress from Units 1-7
Over the past 7 Units I feel like I have learned a lot in all of the different departments. Joining the course with minimal experience in most of the subjects meant that I had a lot to learn and had to prepare myself for the point of the year I am at now.
Moving Image is a part of the course that I had never really touched on before I came here. It was something I was interested in due to it being practical. The first few months consisted of us being shown the basics of film making, like using different types of sound, camera shots and analysing other pieces of moving image work. Shot types was a phrase used a lot throughout the course, they are basically different ways of shooting something. One type of shot type is a long shot, this allows the audience to see many things on the screen at once that deem to be important. Behind the shoulder shot is another, this allows the audience to be put right in the moment and feel like the character is having a conversation with them. I felt like I had learnt a lot in these first few months and it set me up for the project we had later in the year. It allowed me to get a clear understanding on how to use equipment effectively and how to use software efficiently. We also looked at directional styles these are basically the ways people direct, an example of this can be a creative director, creative directors allow everyone to contribute ideas forward but the director has the last say in what happens. This can mean that films can be more adventurous and out there. The next project was all about creating our own mini film, this was the first time I had ever had to make my own production and I felt like I had learnt a lot from some of the mistakes I had made and from the good things that had happened throughout it. I had to make sure that I did an extensive amount of research before I even started filming this involved creating; a script, shot list, treatment, location scouting and developing characters for my film. Doing a massive amount of research meant that I could deliver a piece of work that was to a high standard. After doing all of this research I feel pretty confident with doing it again and I feel like I can conduct my own research effectively. When before I had no idea on what some of these media terms even meant and how I could carry them out.
Interactive was a part of the course that I had very limited skills in. The first few months was focused on developing our skills in publishing and the learning about the laws that we had to stick to, when publishing our work to the public. One thing we looked at was Copyright, this is a very important part of development and media in general because if the Copyright law is breached you can be sued and would have to go through a lot of legal actions. This also helped us to think about our own original content and what actions we can take if it is stolen from us. I thought that this was a very important and useful part of media to learn about and I am very grateful I learnt this at the start of the year instead halfway through. We also learnt about graphic designs in publishing and how to show data in an attractive and effective way, I now feel confident when it comes to creating my own infographic. Then for a few months we learnt how to create animations like the shape one that you can see above and how to use flash, this was my first time using flash. However I picked up the skills on how to use it very quickly and ended up making a very good animation at the end of the project that was all about showing the audience how my construction toy worked, it ran very smooth and featured barely any errors. The improvement is very visible when looking at my first and last animation. The next segment of Interactive involved creating my own app all about the creation and functions or Popcorn and Steam. Also during the animation segment we started a toy project, we had to start from the ground up producing a advertising campaign for the toy. At the start I found this to be quite challenging but I ended up making some high quality work at the end of it. I would have had no idea how to ever begin this at the start of the academic year, however now I feel like I can do it with confidence.
Theory is probably the aspect of this course that I had the most experience in before I started. We started the year off with surveys for this we had to do primary and secondary research on other surveys so that we had a better understanding on how our surveys should ask questions. This was something that I had done before, however I felt like I had learnt a bit more about how audiences react to certain things. We then moved onto advertisement for the remainder of the year this involved looking at print, broadcast and web advertisements and how they are effective and not effective. Advertisements are something that I also covered a lot in Secondary school however like the surveys I learnt things that we did not cover well or at all in my past school. Throughout the whole academic year we looked at media theories and their meanings. I found this to be very useful when writing up blog posts and when trying to portray a point to someone.
Publishing is the subject that I have enjoyed the most throughout the year. I had very limited skills in the software we used in this subject however now I feel like I can use all of the software we have covered very effectively and can create some high quality pieces of work. I enjoy doing this because there is almost no limits when it comes to digital publishing and I enjoy learning something new about the software every lesson. We also had to create our own typefaces, rules and colour scheme to a game board we had to make and how this builds our product and makes it our own. I found this project to be very fun but challenging having no limits on how the board could look and play was very interesting and allowed me to make my own product that I had put my heart and soul into. I also had to make my own website from scratch to promote a product, again like the board I had 100% control on how it could look and interact. We used our skills learned from the board game part of the project so that we could make sure that we fully understood what they mean and what they can offer. If I were set this at the start of the year without the training for the software I don't think I could have made anything as impressive with the time I had.
Audio Production was a part of the course that we started midway throughout the year. This was solely to improve our skills in Moving Image. Even though we had not had much time with this section of media I felt like I learnt a lot and I now know a lot more about how audio works and also when to use the right equipment in different environments. We also looked at the different types of Copyright for audio, for example royalty free music this is where the content is free to the public and the creator does not need to be contacted to gain access to the content. Going into the course with no idea on how to use sound effectively I can now say that I can use sound to create some impressive pieces of work.
Moving Image is a part of the course that I had never really touched on before I came here. It was something I was interested in due to it being practical. The first few months consisted of us being shown the basics of film making, like using different types of sound, camera shots and analysing other pieces of moving image work. Shot types was a phrase used a lot throughout the course, they are basically different ways of shooting something. One type of shot type is a long shot, this allows the audience to see many things on the screen at once that deem to be important. Behind the shoulder shot is another, this allows the audience to be put right in the moment and feel like the character is having a conversation with them. I felt like I had learnt a lot in these first few months and it set me up for the project we had later in the year. It allowed me to get a clear understanding on how to use equipment effectively and how to use software efficiently. We also looked at directional styles these are basically the ways people direct, an example of this can be a creative director, creative directors allow everyone to contribute ideas forward but the director has the last say in what happens. This can mean that films can be more adventurous and out there. The next project was all about creating our own mini film, this was the first time I had ever had to make my own production and I felt like I had learnt a lot from some of the mistakes I had made and from the good things that had happened throughout it. I had to make sure that I did an extensive amount of research before I even started filming this involved creating; a script, shot list, treatment, location scouting and developing characters for my film. Doing a massive amount of research meant that I could deliver a piece of work that was to a high standard. After doing all of this research I feel pretty confident with doing it again and I feel like I can conduct my own research effectively. When before I had no idea on what some of these media terms even meant and how I could carry them out.
Interactive was a part of the course that I had very limited skills in. The first few months was focused on developing our skills in publishing and the learning about the laws that we had to stick to, when publishing our work to the public. One thing we looked at was Copyright, this is a very important part of development and media in general because if the Copyright law is breached you can be sued and would have to go through a lot of legal actions. This also helped us to think about our own original content and what actions we can take if it is stolen from us. I thought that this was a very important and useful part of media to learn about and I am very grateful I learnt this at the start of the year instead halfway through. We also learnt about graphic designs in publishing and how to show data in an attractive and effective way, I now feel confident when it comes to creating my own infographic. Then for a few months we learnt how to create animations like the shape one that you can see above and how to use flash, this was my first time using flash. However I picked up the skills on how to use it very quickly and ended up making a very good animation at the end of the project that was all about showing the audience how my construction toy worked, it ran very smooth and featured barely any errors. The improvement is very visible when looking at my first and last animation. The next segment of Interactive involved creating my own app all about the creation and functions or Popcorn and Steam. Also during the animation segment we started a toy project, we had to start from the ground up producing a advertising campaign for the toy. At the start I found this to be quite challenging but I ended up making some high quality work at the end of it. I would have had no idea how to ever begin this at the start of the academic year, however now I feel like I can do it with confidence.
Theory is probably the aspect of this course that I had the most experience in before I started. We started the year off with surveys for this we had to do primary and secondary research on other surveys so that we had a better understanding on how our surveys should ask questions. This was something that I had done before, however I felt like I had learnt a bit more about how audiences react to certain things. We then moved onto advertisement for the remainder of the year this involved looking at print, broadcast and web advertisements and how they are effective and not effective. Advertisements are something that I also covered a lot in Secondary school however like the surveys I learnt things that we did not cover well or at all in my past school. Throughout the whole academic year we looked at media theories and their meanings. I found this to be very useful when writing up blog posts and when trying to portray a point to someone.
Publishing is the subject that I have enjoyed the most throughout the year. I had very limited skills in the software we used in this subject however now I feel like I can use all of the software we have covered very effectively and can create some high quality pieces of work. I enjoy doing this because there is almost no limits when it comes to digital publishing and I enjoy learning something new about the software every lesson. We also had to create our own typefaces, rules and colour scheme to a game board we had to make and how this builds our product and makes it our own. I found this project to be very fun but challenging having no limits on how the board could look and play was very interesting and allowed me to make my own product that I had put my heart and soul into. I also had to make my own website from scratch to promote a product, again like the board I had 100% control on how it could look and interact. We used our skills learned from the board game part of the project so that we could make sure that we fully understood what they mean and what they can offer. If I were set this at the start of the year without the training for the software I don't think I could have made anything as impressive with the time I had.
Audio Production was a part of the course that we started midway throughout the year. This was solely to improve our skills in Moving Image. Even though we had not had much time with this section of media I felt like I learnt a lot and I now know a lot more about how audio works and also when to use the right equipment in different environments. We also looked at the different types of Copyright for audio, for example royalty free music this is where the content is free to the public and the creator does not need to be contacted to gain access to the content. Going into the course with no idea on how to use sound effectively I can now say that I can use sound to create some impressive pieces of work.
Friday, 12 February 2016
Peer Assessment
Cold Fusion - Jules Webb
I really enjoyed Jules film I thought that was very inventive and it had a very interesting concept. All of the camera angles and transitions were perfect and the fit with the films vibe. The film gave off a very spooky vibe and left me wondering what would happen next, straight from the get go you can already see that something is up with the first character and I think that was a very effective way to start the film. Also at the end of the film when it comes back to the same character and we see that he is clearly feeling uneasy allows the audience to relate with that character and think that they are not the only one that doesn't feel happy about what they just saw.
I liked the way that the camera effects in premiere made the camera look like it was a camera from a long time ago to fit with the time setting that it was based in. However the appearance of the news presenter did not fit with the time setting and kind of ruined that segment of the film. The brackets to the light and to the right became bigger and smaller at times and did not stay the same size, its such a small almost un-noticeable part but it ended up becoming quite apparent to me at times. For some reason the so brackets disappear for the final scene when they were present for the first, I don't know if this was down to the first scene being in the past and the last scene in the future but maybe this could have been something that could have been made more aware to the audience.
Rory's Evaluation based on my Production
I really liked the choice in music because it fit with the whole theme of the film. The narrative of the whole piece was very interesting and I enjoyed how it all came together. There could have a bigger variety of shots in each scene, some of the scenes looked a bit bare with only one or two shots throughout the whole thing.
I really enjoyed Jules film I thought that was very inventive and it had a very interesting concept. All of the camera angles and transitions were perfect and the fit with the films vibe. The film gave off a very spooky vibe and left me wondering what would happen next, straight from the get go you can already see that something is up with the first character and I think that was a very effective way to start the film. Also at the end of the film when it comes back to the same character and we see that he is clearly feeling uneasy allows the audience to relate with that character and think that they are not the only one that doesn't feel happy about what they just saw.
I liked the way that the camera effects in premiere made the camera look like it was a camera from a long time ago to fit with the time setting that it was based in. However the appearance of the news presenter did not fit with the time setting and kind of ruined that segment of the film. The brackets to the light and to the right became bigger and smaller at times and did not stay the same size, its such a small almost un-noticeable part but it ended up becoming quite apparent to me at times. For some reason the so brackets disappear for the final scene when they were present for the first, I don't know if this was down to the first scene being in the past and the last scene in the future but maybe this could have been something that could have been made more aware to the audience.
Rory's Evaluation based on my Production
I really liked the choice in music because it fit with the whole theme of the film. The narrative of the whole piece was very interesting and I enjoyed how it all came together. There could have a bigger variety of shots in each scene, some of the scenes looked a bit bare with only one or two shots throughout the whole thing.
Analysis on my Project
Pre-production
I thought that my pre-prod went very well, I took my time with it and that meant that when it came to filming my piece I ended up already having a very clear vision in mind on how I wanted my film to look and sound. I spent a lot of time on my script making sure that it made sense and was well paced for the 3 minutes we had.
I did my research and found some techniques that other short films used and I used them to my advantage when it came to filming particular scenes. I also had a very clear vision on how I wanted to characters to behave and react to things in my film. I showed my actors the character piece that I wrote so that they could build on from the characters back story. This was the same with the story board and shot list, I got all of them to look at the shots that I had in mind and we discussed weather or not they were the best plan of action or not, it was very useful to find out what the others on my team thought about some of the things that I had in mind and it ended up looking better than what I originally had in mind. This means that I am probably more of a, 'creative artist' type director like we talked about at the start of the project. Some of the things I wrote about the characters did not go ahead due to the whole film not looking quite right and sometimes making the characters out of place.
Production
When it came to my production the whole team worked very well with each other and we managed to get the whole thing filmed in a decent amount of time they were also very enjoyable to work with and we had a fun and good time shooting. Two out of the three scenes were shot outside so that meant that I did not have to pre book a place to film, this also made it less stressful.
On the day of filming the weather was nice, it didn't really effect the lighting at all and made the actors and there clothes very easy to see, the setting didn't clash with the actors clothes. We had to set up a room for one of the scenes but this was easy to do and we managed to make the room look as much like a home as possible. The only problem we faced was with the college sliding doors, this kind of ruined the whole home feel and I tried to avoid filming that area as much as I could.
The mic worked well and picked up everything that it needed to, we managed to work around the cars and the public as much as we could. When we moved from the college to the outside (Scene 2-3) we shot half of scene 3 and then I noticed that the microphone had been off for that entire scene. I had checked before on the two scenes before that but had forgotten on the last. This was a minor set back, however next time I am to shoot my own film or help with someone else's I will always make sure to check that all the equipment is on and is working properly. I think the only major problem we had when filming was the script, some of the actors found it hard to remember certain lines so we had to cut quite a lot, this ended up making the film look a bit jumpy with all of the cuts. Next time I would make sure that I give my script to all of the actors at least a week before so that they can be a bit more confident with their lines so that the cuts would be reduced majorly.
Post-production
When it came to editing, this was really may first ever time editing something with a lot of different shots so I found it quite hard to start off with. However I managed to get my head around the software, I experimented a lot with what certain things did so my audio/video and I ended up using some of these tools that premiere offered.
I think one of the most annoying things that I had to deal with is that, when we were filming we did not notice that the aspect ratio on the camera was set to a lower setting than usual. This ended up making the whole piece look a little more unprofessional. Ed tried to help me with my problem and we ended up adding bars around the top and the bottom of the video, this did not fully solve the problem but it did make it look a bit better. Next time I will make sure that the cameras aspect ratio is to the right setting and that everything looked up to par.
We had shot a lot meaning that it took me quite a long time to go through all of the recorded footage. If I went to shot next time I would make it clear that what was being filmed as alright for the final cut, maybe I could do this by saying something after a recording has gone successful.
Conclusion
To conclude I thought that my whole project went well, there were a few minor and some major draw backs but I managed to overcome them and make a film that I am quite proud of. I think if I was to make another film I would defiantly make sure that I am fine with everything before I click film because I think the actual production side of things went the worst for me. I would also reduce the amount the characters have to say so that it doesn't become to script heavy like I thought this project came out as. Now that I know what I'm doing I will defiantly be more confident in the future when it comes to filming.
After looking at Jules film I have gathered a few things that worked quite well in his piece that I could incorporate in my project next time. One of these things is using no background music when something important is going on, for example in my project in scene two I could have cut the music off entirely when Jerry enters the room to create a bit more tension. Jules also used a variety of different shots in the end scene to create tension, if I had done this in my last scene I think that it would have had a bigger impact on the audience. Like Rory mentioned in him peer assessment I think that my project could have featured more shots for the same sorts of reasons as he stated.
I thought that my pre-prod went very well, I took my time with it and that meant that when it came to filming my piece I ended up already having a very clear vision in mind on how I wanted my film to look and sound. I spent a lot of time on my script making sure that it made sense and was well paced for the 3 minutes we had.
I did my research and found some techniques that other short films used and I used them to my advantage when it came to filming particular scenes. I also had a very clear vision on how I wanted to characters to behave and react to things in my film. I showed my actors the character piece that I wrote so that they could build on from the characters back story. This was the same with the story board and shot list, I got all of them to look at the shots that I had in mind and we discussed weather or not they were the best plan of action or not, it was very useful to find out what the others on my team thought about some of the things that I had in mind and it ended up looking better than what I originally had in mind. This means that I am probably more of a, 'creative artist' type director like we talked about at the start of the project. Some of the things I wrote about the characters did not go ahead due to the whole film not looking quite right and sometimes making the characters out of place.
Production
When it came to my production the whole team worked very well with each other and we managed to get the whole thing filmed in a decent amount of time they were also very enjoyable to work with and we had a fun and good time shooting. Two out of the three scenes were shot outside so that meant that I did not have to pre book a place to film, this also made it less stressful.
On the day of filming the weather was nice, it didn't really effect the lighting at all and made the actors and there clothes very easy to see, the setting didn't clash with the actors clothes. We had to set up a room for one of the scenes but this was easy to do and we managed to make the room look as much like a home as possible. The only problem we faced was with the college sliding doors, this kind of ruined the whole home feel and I tried to avoid filming that area as much as I could.
The mic worked well and picked up everything that it needed to, we managed to work around the cars and the public as much as we could. When we moved from the college to the outside (Scene 2-3) we shot half of scene 3 and then I noticed that the microphone had been off for that entire scene. I had checked before on the two scenes before that but had forgotten on the last. This was a minor set back, however next time I am to shoot my own film or help with someone else's I will always make sure to check that all the equipment is on and is working properly. I think the only major problem we had when filming was the script, some of the actors found it hard to remember certain lines so we had to cut quite a lot, this ended up making the film look a bit jumpy with all of the cuts. Next time I would make sure that I give my script to all of the actors at least a week before so that they can be a bit more confident with their lines so that the cuts would be reduced majorly.
Post-production
When it came to editing, this was really may first ever time editing something with a lot of different shots so I found it quite hard to start off with. However I managed to get my head around the software, I experimented a lot with what certain things did so my audio/video and I ended up using some of these tools that premiere offered.
I think one of the most annoying things that I had to deal with is that, when we were filming we did not notice that the aspect ratio on the camera was set to a lower setting than usual. This ended up making the whole piece look a little more unprofessional. Ed tried to help me with my problem and we ended up adding bars around the top and the bottom of the video, this did not fully solve the problem but it did make it look a bit better. Next time I will make sure that the cameras aspect ratio is to the right setting and that everything looked up to par.
We had shot a lot meaning that it took me quite a long time to go through all of the recorded footage. If I went to shot next time I would make it clear that what was being filmed as alright for the final cut, maybe I could do this by saying something after a recording has gone successful.
Conclusion
To conclude I thought that my whole project went well, there were a few minor and some major draw backs but I managed to overcome them and make a film that I am quite proud of. I think if I was to make another film I would defiantly make sure that I am fine with everything before I click film because I think the actual production side of things went the worst for me. I would also reduce the amount the characters have to say so that it doesn't become to script heavy like I thought this project came out as. Now that I know what I'm doing I will defiantly be more confident in the future when it comes to filming.
After looking at Jules film I have gathered a few things that worked quite well in his piece that I could incorporate in my project next time. One of these things is using no background music when something important is going on, for example in my project in scene two I could have cut the music off entirely when Jerry enters the room to create a bit more tension. Jules also used a variety of different shots in the end scene to create tension, if I had done this in my last scene I think that it would have had a bigger impact on the audience. Like Rory mentioned in him peer assessment I think that my project could have featured more shots for the same sorts of reasons as he stated.
Microphones I used in my project
When it came to shooting my piece, I already had my mind set on using a, 'Rode Microphone' I chose this because I only needed the characters voice and some mild background noise in my piece and this mic was great for the job. I say that because it ended up picking up a lot more background noise at times that I would have liked. A foley mic was not needed in my piece because there were no monologue or voice over need, also if I was to use it in my piece it would probably pick up every single type of noise being made outside and that would probably end up ruin the piece.As I mentioned in my 'SWOT' tourist of other people in general could have effected what was picked up. However when we actually shot there was barely any people out in the park so it ended up working quite well and the audio was not ruined.
Monday, 14 December 2015
BBFC
What is the BBFC?
BBFC stands for 'British Board of Film Censors', and is a company that is not run by the government. It was founded in 1912 thats main purpose is to censor films in the United Kingdom.
What sort of things do they do?
When it comes to films, it is up to the BBFC to watch the films and censor it based on the rules that the BBFC has made. They can look at things like; discrimination, drugs, horror, language and nudity to name a few. Films are all graded by:
BBFC stands for 'British Board of Film Censors', and is a company that is not run by the government. It was founded in 1912 thats main purpose is to censor films in the United Kingdom.
What sort of things do they do?
When it comes to films, it is up to the BBFC to watch the films and censor it based on the rules that the BBFC has made. They can look at things like; discrimination, drugs, horror, language and nudity to name a few. Films are all graded by:
- Suitable for all
- Parental guidance
- Cinema release suitable for 12 years and over
- Video release suitable for 12 years and over
- Suitable only for 15 years and over
- Suitable only for adults
- All of these Classifications tell the audience what they are likely to see and not to see when watching the movie. In almost all of the classifications there is something that can slip through if used properly or not a lot for example, a 'U' rated film can get away with violence and threats, if it is very mild and if the problem is resolved very quickly, they also have to show that violence is bad and not the way to solve things.
Does the BBFC cover any other types of Media?
Yes it does, it covers TV programs as well as music videos they can also cover streaming services like, 'Netflix' or 'Amazon Prime'. They are graded in the same sort of way however there are some changes due to the platform and access to the type of Media.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)