Evaluation (Question 2)

How effective is the combination of your ancillary text and your main product?

 

Evaluation (Question 3)

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Evaluation (Question 4)

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation (Question 1)

in what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?

Website

Click here for the live version of the website, pictured below:

The website was created using iWeb utilising the ability to work from a template, useful in that none of the group members had direct experience in creating a website. However, despite this I believe overall it conveys a strong sense of professionalism. Personally, my role was contributing to the written content  and helping with the final design layout, for example, researching real news websites footer content.

TBC News at 6.30 - Final

The final completed copy of our local news production.

Decisions

Following the final upload of our final video, we made two alternative copies, each with different title music.

It was decided that Version A would be the final copy because the continuing beat made the soundtrack link more fluidly with the two scenes. Also, as this soundtrack was created by James, it made our production seem more unique as the one used in Version B was a standard sound found in the Final Cut library. 

Progress Update: Soundtrack

Whilst watching back the first edit of our production, it was clear something was missing. As a group we decided to insert a soundtrack to the background of the headlines to make it sound more like a professional production, for example, BBC News:

James has now begun creating a beat using the GarageBand software, which is starting to sound good.

Progress Update: Editing & First Draft

Over half term, with all filming complete, I began editing all the clips together on Final Cut Pro X at home.

Although a time consuming process, especially blue screening, I believe good first draft has been created:

However, it is equally worth noting that some changes are to be made:

• Add our own music over the headlines to sound more professional.
• Cut in some shots that do not start at the correct point.
• Colour correct a few of the initial shots, mainly too dark. 

Progress Update: Life in the Studio #2

The idea behind the Life in the Studio series is to give a behind the scenes into what we have been doing in the recent days.

Progress Update: Life in the Studio #1

The idea behind the Life in the Studio series is to give a behind the scenes into what we have been doing in the recent days.

Introduction Sequence (Draft) Analysis

A key part of every channels news production is their is introduction sequence, the most famous being the BBC's iconic theme tune layed over the top of a series of clips from around the world:

Using this for inspiration we created our own, and this is the initial draft of what we have created:

However, it is clear whilst editing the sequence together, in Final Cut Pro X, I believed that the sequence was too slow, and began to even verge along being a little boring and stale. To combat this, we believe that two more separate shots will need to be added, more than likely of a town centre scene, or a traffic orientated scene, to allow more movement into the sequence. 

 Right - Torquay Town Centre

[extra shot 1]

Left - Paignton Seafront

[extra shot 2]

Colour Correction:

Also, the skateboarding shot need to be adjusted, currently looking washed out and dull.

Title Correction: 

The 'Paignton' title isn't motion tracked properly, meaning I will have to adjust this using Motion 5, at a frame by frame level, a slow, but necessary process.

Music:

Currently, the music fits well, however we feel it is a little generic, so we continue the search for a better soundtrack, possibly delving into the possibility of creating our own.

Studio Research & Devolopment

A studio is the central point to which a news broadcast is identified, different channels offer alternative layouts, tailoring each to their audience or time slot. 

BBC News (National) Studio.

Throughout the day, at the 1, 6 & 10 o'clock news slots, the studio remains similar, although not the same. The key point of this, is that the studio provide continuity within the brand, it mainly achieves this through the use of colour.

The studio uses a simplistic colour scheme of mainly red and white, reflecting the colours of the brand, giving itself a solid brand identity. Also, this studio uses light in an effective way, ensuring that all areas of the studio are equally lighted, making it seem that the presenter is a room larger than it actually is. Finally the table in the middle provides a central focal point for the viewer to concentrate on. 

BBC News (Local) Studio.

Its clear that the local news adopt a more relaxed approach, having a sofa with a smaller coffee type table in front of the presenter, perhaps reflecting the lack of urgency and importance in local news.

Studio Development

Here you can see the gradual process of turning a classroom into a news studio, this provides numerous challenges mainly surrounding light, however we have managed to solve this issues using two high power work lights along with ceiling lights to ensure the studio is adequately lit. Although we were happy with this studio layout, after analysing the test footage, it soon became clear that our DIY blue screen wasn't quite as good as we'd hoped: 

Upon returning to the studio in the next lesson, a mild disaster has happened, a torrential hail storm had cause the buildings roof to leak, all over the blue screen, so it would have needed to have been replaced anyway. 

 Every cloud has a silver lining they say, and our silver lining was that this spurred us on to create a better blue screen, that gives the studio a more professional look, created using a cardboard cutout this time to ensure all corners was 90 degrees right angles, not chaotic like the previous one. 

This final video was the test for the new blue screen, and because it was filmed on a mobile phone, its caused some shaking which disturbs the video stability, but apart from that it looks good. We used Motion 5.