CAMERA AND TRIPOD
For our project, we needed to make sure we knew how to use the equipment. As we used my own video camera, it was quite easy to get the hang of as I had already used it before and could teach Libby how to use it too. It got easier as we started to figure out how to upload videos from the camera as well as looking at how to frame the shot in the camera using the flip-out screen. We managed to use the tripod quite easily, however, getting the legs the right height on some uneven ground or on the stairs was a little tricky as we needed it to be as straight as possible for the shot to look effective in the final film. As well as a video camera, we used a DSLR camera to take photos and document our filming.
YOUTUBE (+ ANNOTATING TOOLS)
We had both used YouTube before which meant uploading videos wasn't a problem, however, when it got to adding annotations, we had to learn how to add them on to our existing film. Using the YouTube annotation tools, we added speech bubbles throughout the film to explain parts of it and why we included them. We wanted to make sure that they weren't too big on the screen and so had to learn how to re-size the font and the box itself as well as create the box in the first place and how to position it correctly. Using this tool was more challenging as it was something completely new to Libby and I, however we managed to understand it more as we continued to add more annotations to our film.
BLOGGER
Although I had a blog before, I had never used Blogger. It was very similar, yet had some features that I needed to get the hang of, for example, trying to get the photos next to each other and looking neat, as well as finding the ideal font and size. I was able to change the proportion of the boxes on the blog as well as the colours and theme, which is something I enjoyed doing as I was able to make it look how I wanted it to.
ADOBE PREMIERE ELEMENTS
Adobe Premiere Elements, though very similar to other programmes such as iMovie, was very difficult to get the hang of. We had to make sure all of the clips went in together and in the right order before thinking about how to edit them together and add sound. To edit, we used transitions between some of the clips to make it flow better, as well as adding effects on to the titles so that they came in smoother. Adding soundtracks around the dialogue was a bit harder as it meant we had to be very careful about where to stop and start the soundtrack as well as where to fade it in and out so that it flowed better with the clips. Learning to use the sceneline and timeline meant that we were able to add the clips into the sceneline and then use the timeline to edit and cut clips together to create our film and make sure the clips were all in the right place.
