Evaluation Activity 6 (Tomasz Wojton)

Canon DSLR EOS 550D

• At first we were using auto focus, auto ISO, and auto shutter speed but after some testing and experience from our preliminary task I decided to try manual settings.

Strengths

• Manual focus on the camera allowed us to get much clearer shots and let us focus on specific things in a shot.
• The settings were very easy to change as the menu was very easy to get around.
• The camera was light so it didn't weigh down the tripod and was also easy to carry around when moving location

Weaknesses

• Battery life was very low at around 2 hours meaning we were under pressure. At one point we ran out of battery so we had to record another time. Luckily the weather was fine so our match on action was successful

Camera Lens

Strengths

• With the manual focus and zoom on it we had full control over our shots

Weaknesses

• The lens was very vulnerable to sunlight so we had to change many of our previously planned shots

Rode Microphone

Strengths

• The enhance feature allowed us to have higher quality audio
• The enhance feature also got rid of background noise so the footsteps of characters were easier to hear as well as the dialog. In a plane area there was lots of background noise to look out for

Weaknesses

• Due to the very loud planes however they were still quite loud so we had to edit it out

Photoshop

Strengths

• The software allowed us to make our own logos, film poster and advertisements
• The software was easy to use but it had features allowing our fiinished projects to look professional

Weaknesses

• When switching between powerpoint and photoshop the menus and resolutions were different making the images not fit sometimes

Final Cut Pro

Strengths

• Final Cut allowed us to edit our opening making the shots clearer and more professional
• The program also let us edit each shot independently so we could change the mood by adding music or using color correct
• The program was easy to use so without much experience we were able to quickly learn how to use it

Weakness

• Sometimes when trying to remove small parts larger chunks would be removed along with text so the software would often try to do too much for us.
• In the end I has struggles uploading the final product as the program would crash

Youtube

Strengths

• Allowed us to upload our videos for free at high quality
• Easy to receive feedback
• Can add annotations to interact with viewer

Weaknesses

• Videos can't be too long for new accounts
• The video can sometimes corrupt of be taken down

Blogger

Strengths

• Really good for documenting and looking back at work
• Easy to embed videos, presentations etc.
• Can change style, fonts, color and design to make it like your own

Weaknesses

• Images are hard to move around and there are limits for the size

Prezi

Strengths

• It is free
• Unique way to create presentations that can be animated
• Can add audio in the back to narrate over the Prezi
• Saves automatically every minute so nothing can be lost

Weaknesses

• Embedding takes long
• Adding audio is also time consuming

Microsoft PowerPoint

Strengths

• Very easy to use
• Fast way to present information
• Easy to move around pictures and text
• Can change design to make it more appealing

Weaknesses

• Slow auto-save
• Not interactive
• Takes long to embed through slide share

What I've learnt when using the equipment

At first when I started using the camera in our preliminary task we had many problems with the focus which is clear when looking at our preliminary task. However after watching a few guides and testing out settings myself I was able to find that through manual focus the quality can me much better and close ups are much easier to do without any blurring out whereas auto focus is easier to use but gives a less clear image.

I was able to have some knowledge about the rode microphone from our testing done with and with out it as well as trying it's different settings. We established that for filming outside the best option was to have a dead cat and use the enhanced feature to reduce the background noise but still hear the dialogue. Although we didn't have much dialogue we wanted the audio to be high quality.

When using Final Cut Pro at first I didn't have much knowledge about color correct and saturation but through trial I found out how to manipulate with the atmosphere and the effect color can create to make the film look more like a thriller. Also I learnt how to focus and in focus areas so we could hide away small mistakes or simply try to hide the identity of characters.