Audio Problem

With my subject she didn't speak that loud and even with a boom mike it was still quiet so i found myself adjusting the audio volume in FCP because without the adjustment the subject couldn't be herd.

Video File Formats

Now that I have captured my interview I feel that I should look into the video file formats that are available out there. These include ....

• AVCHD - A high-definition digital video format that can be record in 1080i and 720p, while still maintain a average small file size. AVCHD files are based on the codec from the MPEG4 format. AVCHD files is also a format that can be burned to Blu-ray Discs, and played in compatible devices, such as Blu-ray Disc players and the Sony PlayStation3.

• AVI (Audio/Video Interleaved) - A file format for storing and playing back movie clips with sound on Windows-based PCs. An AVI file is organized so that it alternates chunks of audio and video data. AVI is a container format, meaning that it specifies how the data will be arranged, but is not a form of audio or video compression. The way in which AVI is created is when DV clips are imported from a digital camcorder to a PC (These clips are often known as "DV-AVIs" because they contain full-quality digital video content.)

• DV (Digital Video) - is the format used by most digital camcorders, usually on Mini DV cassettes. When transfering from a cassette to a computer, a DV clip requires around 1 GB of storage per 5 minutes of video. When transfured to the computer clips are usually stored as QuickTime or AVI files. With the con that is file size there is pro about resolution. DV creates a clean image with up to and including 520 lines of resolution

• DivX - was developed by DivX, Inc. this format is used to compress large amounts of video content into small file size and still keep a good image quality when played back. DivX is based on MPEG4, and is a popular choice for sending video files over the Internet.

• MPEG - stands for Moving Picture Experts Group. This is a committee that sets international standards for the digital encoding of movies and sound. There is a number of audio/video formats which have this group's name. Also there is high popularity of there use on the Internet :

1. MPEG1 - This format is mostly used in digital cameras and camcorders to capture small video clips. This format is also the compression format used to create Video CDs,as well as commonly used for posting clips on the Internet. The MP3 audio format is part of the MPEG1 codec.
2. MPEG2 - Used with Commercially produced DVD movies, home-recorded DVD discs, and most digital satellite TV broadcasts to deliver their high-quality picture. The picture quality is a rival the DV format. Because MPEG2 removes a larger portion of the original video signal than DV it becomes more difficult to edit. The MPEG2 codec uses selected amounts of compression to be applied, this is how home DVD recorders and hard disk video recorders can have a wide range of recording speeds. MPEG2 is considered a container format.
3. MPEG4 - A flexible MPEG container format used for both streaming and downloadable Web content. Also in developing times it is becoming the video format employed by a growing number of camcorders and cameras.

• QuickTime - Is the file format for storing and playing back movies with sound. Though developed and supported by Apple, Inc. This is a flexible format that isn't limited to Macintosh operating systems — it's also used in Windows systems and other types of computing platforms. In Windows, QuickTime files have the ".MOV" filename extension.

• RealMedia - A very popular formats for streaming content on the Internet, RealMedia has the RealAudio codec for sound clips and RealVideo codec for movies. RealAudio and RealVideo files are given the common RealMedia ".RM" file extension. RealMedia is a container format that's then heavily compressed for streaming over dial-up Internet connections.
  

• WMV (Windows Media Video) - Windows Media Video is used for streaming and downloading content over the Internet. Microsoft's Windows Media Player, an application included with Windows Vista operating systems.

After finding this information out and knowing that we are using M4V format which is for ipods, if we were only to be broadcasting over the internet we could use several options like DivX, MPEG1, RealMedia and WMV. The problem with using a WMV is that say you had a user that had a Mac, they would then have to download further software to play the file.

RSS Definition

For me to understand podcasting first i must understand the definition

Main Entry:	RSS
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	any of various XML file formats suitable for disseminating real-time information via subscription on the Internet
Example:	RSS has become a popular technology for bloggers and podcasters to distribute their content.
Etymology:	Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication
Usage:	computing

Further infomation about RSS is that is a series of web feeds that are used for frequent publications in media such as blog, news headlines, audio, and video. An RSS document has a number of names such as "feed", "web feed",or "channel". Within this document there is full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship.

Podcasting Definition

For me to understand podcasting first i must understand the definition

Main Entry:					podcast
Part of Speech:					n
Definition:					a Web-based audio broadcast via an RSS feed, accessed by subscription over the Internet
Example:					There is a podcast directory of offerings.
Etymology:					2004; iPod + broadcast
Usage:					computing

from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/podcast

Therefore the name podcast has com from the combination of broadcast and ipod in the year 2004

After further research I have found that they way in which the subscription works is that software with podcatcher characteristics such as iTunes or Winamp access the files with a simple download or streaming. Therefore this means that software such as iTunes can analyse a podcast subscription identify and retrieve new files from a series that the user has subscribed to when they are made available. this is done by acessing a web feed (RSS) that has a list of all the files currently associated with that podcast.

Interview

After doing my interview yesterday I am happy with how it went, it was also very helpful having mat there with the boom mike. The reason that I say this is because it is a lot easier to reassure the interviewee about how it is going to work.

Seeing as only one of my subjects turned up I only have one podcast to make. But I already know it will be difficult because I know my subject goes "erm" a lot, so trying to cut them out and make the sequence seem on going will be hard.

Now I have captured the footage I have to start the task of creating subclips for each question. This wont be so hard because I made sure while filming i didn't just jump from question to question, I made shure that i left gaps. Also I have no fear that when it comes to making my sequence that I have not enough footage becuse I filmed my subject from three diffrent angles and asked all questions on each angle. This ment my subject gave diffrent answers each time I changed angles.

By using all of these techniques I hope that I have made the editing process easier of myself.

Question Load 2 - Looking Back On Being A Student At SDC Access Now I'M at UNI

This question is my second master question for me to make it more precised to the interviewee about there time under the access course. Here are my questions....

• How do you feel that the access course has prepared you for uni ?
• How do you feel that the access course has changed your life?
• How in comparison do you feel the access course was against uni?
• How do you feel you are doing at uni now you have taken the access course?
• How do you find the amount of time you put in at uni compared to the access course?
• Now you are at uni looking back on the access course what would you say to someone who is planning to take the access course?
  

Question Load 1 - How I Felt About Returning College & Learning

This question is the master question for me to make it more precised to the interviewee about there time under the access course. Here are my questions....

• When returning to college how did you feel ?
• When it come to choosing your course, how did you find choosing it?
• How did you feel about learning at a college with young students?
• How did you feel about the idea of being a student again?
• How did you feel about the possible amount of work you would have?
• What were your feelings about balancing learning with your life?
• What made you want to return to college?
  

Edits in Interviews

After being asked to identify how many edits their are in news interviews in BBC One 6 0'clock news then for southeast today

• BBC 6 O'clock - Coal Stations (2 min) - 23 Edits, 4 being interview edits
• South East Today - IVF Boost (3 min) - 14 Edits, 4 being interview edits

I then thought I would try looking at the ITV news in comparason

• Meridian Tonight - Road & Rail (2.30 min) - 16 Edits
  
• ITV News - Social Services Take Pensioner (3 min) - 11 Edits

This shows that the south east today has just over the amount of edits than that of the national news. When i think about this and the reason that it would happen is because with the national news they need to show much more than that of the local. Therefor more is needed to show the content of the story in a clearer way.

New Project - podcasting

After being set our new project that is podcasting I am becoming interesting in the media that is podcasting. The only podcast that I have listened to is that of audio therefore i am not very weary of how video podcast are blended and so on. This means that i am going to find this project very interesting and it will be nice to recap on my final cut skills

Evaluation

Now i have finished the project i am pleased with the outcome and my end product of flash. looking back on the project i feel that i need to look at what i am pleased with and what i am not. The first i am going to look at what i am not pleased with that includes the fact that there were so many diffrent codes for one action it can be very confusingly which ones work. This can set you back when you are working. Looking at the the animation an finding elements that i am pleased are objects such as the running legs, the spinning bottle and the eye brows going up and down. the reason that i find these animations the best is because the actions used combined with the use of sound.

Looking back at that project as a whole and looking at what i have learned i have many useful techniques. These includes my research giving ideas because where i watched rather good i gave me the idea of moving body parts on a axis in flash. I have also learned how to created moving buttons, load movies into target, quit, full screen/window, mute and un-mute. All of these techniques i have found very useful and i am much more confident with flash now.