Equipment Evaluation

What equipment have you used over the past year?	Advantages	Disadvantages	What did you create with it? What features did you use? How effectively?
Adobe Photoshop	There are many advantages to using Photoshop, one of which is the ability to airbrush images and edit out any imperfections that may be visible. Also, there are a much larger selection of fonts on Photoshop than on Final Cut Express; this is an advantage to moving image students as it is possible to create professional looking title cards for a film. Another advantage is the layering feature. You can work on different layers, giving you more control when editing an image. This is an advantage over a lot of other image editing software. As well as these advantages, Photoshop also has a simple layout, making it relatively easy to use, even for people that are unfamiliar with the product.	One major disadvantage of Photoshop is that once an image is saved as .JPG rather than a .PSD, it becomes a flat image and pre-existing layers cannot be edited. Another disadvantage is that tools such as the ‘lasso’ and ‘clone’ can be inaccurate and problematic. Some fine tuning of these particular tools is needed for more efficient use. Also, there are problems concerning the college computers in the way that if you download a font and use it in your work on Photoshop, you must then download that same font every time you wish to use it. This can be very problematic if you don’t keep track of where the fonts are stored.	When using Photoshop in my Unit 3 work, I used the wide use of fonts available to create a professional looking text slogan that would be added as the last shot of my moving image social advert. I then used text effects such as ‘drop shadow’ and ‘outer glow’ to stylize the text. I think that this made my slogan a lot more effective than it would have been if I used the limited font choices available in Final Cut Express. As well as this, I used Photoshop for a ‘rebranding’ project at the start of the course. During this project, I used the brightness and contrast adjustment features to give a more stylish, professional look to the photos I took and imported into Photoshop to be used on a poster. I used the crop tool to resize my images effectively without affecting the quality of them in order to fit them on an A4 poster. I also used tools such as ‘patch’ and ‘healing brush’ to edit out any imperfections within the photographs I took.
Final Cut Express	A major advantage of Final Cut Express is its easy functionality, making it easy to navigate because of the simple setup. Another advantage is that there are a variety of different effects and transitions to choose from that can add meaning to your film such as “fade to blacks” that give connotations of time passing. As well as this, the split screen canvas and viewer is very effective when editing. Also, key frames allow animation of footage. This is another creative possibility when editing a film. As well as this, the timeline makes sequencing clips very easy.	A major disadvantage of Final Cut Express is that there is a possibility of footage being lost due to glitches and permission issues. Another disadvantage is that rendering is time consuming and this can be problematic when trying to meet deadlines. Also, only certain video file types can be used in the program. This can be inconvenient in terms of using video from different sources. As well as this, no clear solutions are offered by the program where errors are concerned.	I used Final Cut Express to sequence any raw footage in the timeline. I used ‘in and out markers’ and the ‘razor blade’ tool to do this effectively. They were simple to use and when using the canvas and viewer, I was able to make sure all shots flowed well and there were no jump cuts or gaps. I used transitions such as the ‘fade to black’ to give connotations that time had passed or to end a film in a stylish, professional way. This worked well and I had no problems using transitions. I used the import feature to import my soundtrack and images into Final Cut Express and then drag and drop them to the timeline. This feature was very simple and easy to use. When I had finished a film, I used the export feature to create a QuickTime version of the film for use on YouTube, DVDs and blogs. I had no problems with this feature.
Canon XM2 Mini-DV	One advantage of the Canon XM2 Mini-DV is that it is a sturdy, heavy duty camera and is therefore more durable than the Panasonic camera I used. Another advantage of this camera is the built in effects such as ‘black and white’ and ‘sepia’ that can be quite effective in adding meaning to a narrative within a film. Also, the Canon has a useful grip on the top of the camera which makes for a smoother shot when carrying the camera and shooting at waist height. As well as this, the mini DV tape can be seen as an advantage in that you can take it out of the camera and keep the footage, whereas if you were using a camera that used a mini SD card, the footage would have to be wiped before someone else could use the camera.	One disadvantage of the Canon XM2 Mini-DV, when comparing it with the Panasonic HD SD60 is that it is far more simple to capture and transfer footage on the Panasonic camera as there is no need to record colour bars and footage is stored on a mini SD card rather than a mini DV tape, making it easier to transfer onto a computer. Another disadvantage is that it isn’t a HD camera, meaning that the quality is worse than the Panasonic camera. As well as these disadvantages, the camera settings can sometimes be difficult to understand, as the layout of the camera is not as simplistic as the Panasonic camera. Also, it is tedious to sift through your footage just to watch a small clip as you must fast-forward and rewind the tape with the camera not being digital.	I used the Canon XM2 Mini-DV to shoot pieces of film at the start of the course. I used the built in effects such as ‘black and white’ and ‘sepia’ in my first moving image practical lesson to get used to using a moving image camera. Experimenting with these features was an effective way of getting comfortable with using such equipment. I also used this camera along with the Silk Heavy Duty Tripod to film a short sequence using various shot types as another experimentation exercise at the start of the course. This time I was getting used to setting up the camera with the tripod and using the white balance tool to make sure the camera was set up correctly for the lighting of the location. This went well and I learned how to white balance for future projects as well as getting a good idea of how to effectively use different shot types.
Panasonic HD SD60	One major advantage of the Panasonic HD SD60 is the simplicity of capturing footage and transferring it onto a computer. Each time you record, it is saved as an individual clip, meaning there is no need to record colour bars. When you transfer these clips to a computer, it is simply a case of selecting them and transferring them digitally in a matter of seconds depending on how long the clips are. Another advantage is that this camera is HD, meaning the quality is far greater than a mini-DV camera. As well as this, the Panasonic HD SD60 has a very simple layout and touch screen technology, which makes it very easy for amateur film makers to simply pick up the camera and start using it. Also, this camera has automatic white balance, which makes filming in different locations and lightings a lot simpler.	One disadvantage of the Panasonic HD SD60 is that it is a relatively small camera and is not very durable, which means it could be broken relatively easily and would be quite expensive to replace. This leads onto another disadvantage in the way that it is not as sturdy as larger, heavy duty cameras when filming. This could lead to camera shakes and uneven shots in a film. Another disadvantage that I discovered when shooting with this camera is that the flash on the front of the camera often turns on seemingly at random and if it goes unnoticed, it can lead to the lighting of shots looking noticeably different. As well as this, footage cannot be stored for long on the camera as they are in constant use and use a mini SD card that must be wiped after every use. This could lead to footage being lost if it isn’t correctly transferred to a computer.	I used the Panasonic HD SD60 to shoot my ‘narration advert’ and my final production which was a social advert. I used the camera along with the Silk Heavy Duty tripod to make sure my shots were level and my camera movements were smooth. I also used the grip on the camera to embrace the handheld possibilities of the camera when filming my narration advert. I followed an actor through the park and the lightness of the camera made it easy to keep it relatively steady and there wasn’t much visible camera shaking in the final cut. Due to these factors, I believe I used the camera effectively. I also used the camera’s digital zoom feature to get a high resolution close up of a dog without distracting it when filming my social advert. This shot would have been very difficult to film without the camera’s clear optical zoom so this was a very positive aspect of the camera.
Silk Heavy Duty Tripod	The Silk Heavy Duty Tripod is portable and comes in a bag, which is very useful when carrying from college to home. It is heavy and sturdy, meaning that there is no camera shake when using it. It is also very simple to use for tilts and pans when shooting.	If the tripod is set-up incorrect, your shots may not be level. This gives the film an unprofessional look. Also, I found that when panning there can often be an unintentional canted angle towards the end of the pan. Another disadvantage is that although the tripod is heavy duty, it can be broken and is expensive to replace.	I used the Silk Heavy Duty Tripod to make sure that the camera was steady and there were no unintentional shakes in the film. I also used the tripod for various panning shots in order to add shot diversity within the film. In addition to these uses, I set the camera up at different heights to create meaning in the narrative of my advert.