What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

First, through the carrying out of the storyboard animatic, I learnt how to use iMovie 9 from Apple. I bought a new MacBook since then and used iMovie 11 for the production my media product.

The editing has been an important part of my learning. I was a regular user of Windows Movie Maker on Windows XP. The concept of editing was not unexplored for me, but I had to get familiar with the presentation of iMovie 9. 

But before looking at the use of software through the editing of my final product, I would like to talk about the hardware used through the shooting of the product.

We used a digital video camera to shoot the scenes. I learnt as director, to be: camera operator, (my own) camera assistant to settle the focus, sound engineer (as well regarded to the diegetic sound as to the non-diegetic sound while editing). My team mate Vasco has been settling the light and has been filming a part of the footages. 

Digital Video Camera

Then we had to invest in a special Belkin 6'/1.8m FireWire 800/400 Cable that would connect the camera to a MacBook Pro only. In fact, the white MacBooks do not comport the FireWire 800 port that only MacBooks Pro have. 

Belkin 6'/1.8 FireWire 800/400 Cable by Apple

FireWire 800 Port on a MacBook Pro by Apple

I put then the footages on a friend's MacBook Pro and used then the Bluetooth to send all of them on my computer (yes it took a long time but I was not motivated enough to look during hours for my USB device...). 

This shows the proliferation in hardware implemented by Apple. In fact, to connect this lambda digital video camera to my Mac, I went to an Apple Store to ask why the camera was not recognised by the computer when I connected it in the USB port. He told me that I had to purchase a special cable from Apple in order to make the connexion. I had brought my MacBook with me. He told me then that I would better have a MacBook Pro handy because my MacBook does not comport the FireWire 800 port required to plug the cable in. There is in fact no available cable with an USB jack. Therefore, putting footages from any digital video camera on an Apple computer requires to have a MacBook Pro ! Hopefully a friend of mine has one, which allowed me to transfer the footages on this Mac and finally on mine...

Having the right equipment, the transfer has been easy as pie!

Coming back to the use of software, using iMovie 11 was simpler because I already had the experience of iMovie 9. 

First of all, having put all the footages somehow or other, I had to import the movies from my navigator to iMovie.

I had then all the footages on iMovie and I could start working on it: the big part of editing!

Through the editing I became more and more familiar than I was before with:

Add sound effects (non-diegetic sound) or music.

Putting a music shows again the proliferation implemented by Apple. In fact, there is no other way of putting music in iMovie other than through iTunes.

Adding transitions to the video

Adding titles to the video 

Adding a background

Animatics were not available on iMovie 9 when I built up my storyboard animatic. I would have use some though.


Finally, I put my final media product on DVDs. I had done this before on Windows. I had to do it on Mac this time. The drill is actually simpler on Mac. I used TDK DVDs.

The last step was to upload the video on YouTube in order to put it on my blog. It took a long long time but if eventually succeeded. 

Credits:

iMovie 9-11

www.apple.com

www.google.co.uk
www.youtube.com