Essay Plan.

Question 1a) Post production essay plan

Paragraph 1 - Introduce and define post- production. Refer to how i was at the start of the media course. Lack of knowledge on how to use the equipment compared to the knowledge i have now of technology and how to use equipment. List the type of technologies i used such as JVC camera, Photoshop, final cut pro etc.

Para 2 - Explain the first project we was given at the start of AS to build up skills for our main product which was to create an opening to a thriller. In our groups we had to create a swede which was to act out a scene from a film which we were given to by our AS teachers. Mention what we had to do when creating the swede - search for locations, pick the costume and props etc. Talk about how the swede helped me to work on my planning techniques and how it helped me to develop team work skills. Also mention the problems we faced with lighting whilst filming. Mention the positive feedback we got after creating the swede. when editing the swede we used final cut pro which was the starting point to improving my skills. Lastly the initial storyboard we created.

Para 3/4 - Refer to the thriller we created as a group. Mention the use of different technologies used such as Final cut pro to add Foley sound, create split screens, insert credits to follow the conventions of a thriller. We used soundtrack pro to create sound effects which we inserted into the opening. At first we created are own original ident but it didn't work so we used an alternative ident to add into the thriller. We also created a storyboard for this project to help us map out what scenes will follow the sequence. Referring to final cut pro mention how we added text, change of fonts, colour and positioning of the texts. Also talk about any problems we had during the editing process as well as the filming process.

Para 5 /6 - The music video and ancillary product. Talk about the skills i gained from the previous projects and how i used them in my final a2 coursework. Final cut pro was used to edit the music video, created base tracks to break down the music video and to follow the conventions of music videos. I made sure the beat of the song was in time with the lip syncing. Split screens were used as well as black and white filters to make the music video appealing to our targeted audience. Other effects were used such as slow motion and mirroring. Mention the skills i learnt from creating the thriller to how i used them whilst creating the music video. Photoshop was used to create the digipak which at first i found hard to use as i didn't use it as much so i had to build up my Photoshop skills in order to be able to create a good appealing digipak. After creating my ancillary product i am now confident in adding effects, colour, changing the size of fonts and importing images. I also learnt how to position images without stretching it from the original image size, also learning to add filters and background images. Synergy was used to highlight a certain object/image across all three products which is important as it helps the audience recongnise who the artist is and who the symbol represents. Mention the do's and don'ts we had to follow in order to make a good digipak such as sticking to two colours. Talk about what i included on the front and back of my digipak.

Para 7 - Mention the ways post production has allowed me to be creative? The ancillary work was the main product which allowed us to use our creative skills such as the type of colour to use and what kind of fonts would suit the layout of the digipak and what filters/effects to use. Once we had created our initial digipak we then had the chance to get feedback from our peers to help us understand what we can do to improve on our own digipak. We done the same with the music video to help us improve on it. Mention the positive and negative feedback we received for both the ancillary products and the music video.