Research On Facebook and its Privacy Settings

Here I will look at research on Facebook's new layout and privacy settings as its something that has been on the news quite often.

New Facebook Layout (Timeline)

Facebook has now updated their user profile layout to what is known as a timeline. Unfortunately by updating profiles to timeline privacy settings have changed. I've noticed that there are less options to making specific areas of your profile private. Now users can upload a cover photo apart from their profile picture, this image cannot be set to private therefore any Facebook user will be able to see it even if your not friends with them. The timeline is purposely to be able to go back in time and see the users interaction within days, weeks, months and years ago. If this isn't limited in the privacy settings people can track what the user has posted and been tagged in the past. The previous Facebook layout was very simple; posts, images where displayed underneath each other therefore users would find them easily. The new timeline displays things next to each other, they also tend to group things which leads to users being confused as the most recent posts on their profiles is displayed all over the place. I personally have experienced this I sometimes find it hard to find posts displayed on my profile sometimes I'm not even notified that I have a post.


Below is a link on an article of someone who changed their Facebook privacy settings due to their job and invasion of privacy by people whom he knew professionally. In the professional world Facebook is used to judge how people behave therefore people who have their bosses or work companions need to be careful on what they post on their profiles as it can have an affect on their job opportunities. 

• http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/how-to-effectively-manage-your-facebook-privacy-settings-with-l/

Privacy Settings

Below are Facebook statistics gathered in 2010 and 2011:

• Facebook had 500,000,000 users who are logged onto their profile at any given time.
• Average Facebook user will have around 130 friends or more.
• 40% of 18-34 year old Facebook users will check their profiles in the morning mainly when they wake up.
• 28% of these users check their profiles before they get out of bed in the morning.
• 74% of Facebook users are 18-24 year olds.
• 30% of Facebook users are 35+ years old, this percentage is increasing. 
• More than 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook per month.
• 20 million applications and games are installed daily.
• More than 200 million people use Facebook on their phone.
• 48% of young users use Facebook to find out news about anything.
• Within 20 minutes Facebook has around 1 million links shared, 2 million friend requests accepted or declined, around 3 million inboxes or posts are sent,1,484,000 event invites, 1,851,000 status updates, 1,323,000 tagged photos, 2,716,000 uploaded photos, 1,587,000 wall posts, 10,208,000 comments.
• In 2010 there were many changes in relationship statues: 43,869,800 changed to single, 3,025,791 changed to it's complicated, 36,774,801 changed to married, 28,460,516 changed to in a relationship and 5,974,574 changed to engaged. 

I've researched different websites on Facebook's privacy settings from the researched gathered I found several facts generated from studies carried out:

• 11% of Facebook users have regretted posting several content on their profiles or others (i.e. friends). 15% of males regret posting content compared to 8% of females.
• Around 48% men in 2011 seem to have public profiles whereas 67% women have private profiles. 
• Younger generations tend to keep their privacy settings up to date whereas older generations don't, this could also be due to not using Facebook often.

Resources

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/20/social-media-privacy-infographic_n_1367223.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14633427
• http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/facebook-statistics-stats-facts-2011/

Research on Adobe Premiere

During Class we covered several features of Adobe Premiere although we didn't cover things in depth therefore I have researched into it further.

Exporting

There are several types of exporting methods in premiere depending on the method used to allow an audience to view it. This also depends if any further editing that needs to be carried out after premiere. 


Some of the different types of exporting have been displayed below:

• Exporting a file with intention to edit them further: files can be edited using other software programs. Premiere pro allows users to directly export their project to Adobe Media Encoder which renders the files.
• Exporting for Blu-ray, DVD and SWF: any project created in premiere can be sent to Adobe Encore to then be able to be converted for DVD and Blue-ray use.
• Exporting projects to other programs/systems: projects can be exported into EDL files which allow other programs to editing the project. 
• Exporting projects to hardware (videotape): projects can be exported on to tapes with a supported VTR, this allows users to have edits for screening using VTRs. 
• Exporting to different types of devices and electronics: projects can now be imported on websites and devices such as mobile phones, HD TV, iPods etc...

Videos

Looking at different learning styles, I learnt best by watching tutorials and then carrying them out therefore instead of looking at so much research in text format I watched several videos on Adobe Premiere and exporting.

• Basic Features of Adobe Premiere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxwPfvQPMDM&feature=related
• Exporting Projects: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq04bVm7Uj8
• Editing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfXtSaDRydA
• Adding Effects with a green screen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxmq-QJFJec
• Adding Effects: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4PboMzAHIE&feature=related

Resources

• http://help.adobe.com/en_US/PremierePro/4.0/WSF39C063F-6168-40ef-B854-6853E88AF1B5.html
• www.youtube.com

My Storyboard

Below I have displayed a storyboard of how I want my captions to appear in my documentary. In my first caption I will display the Facebook logo with music in the background in order for the audience to have an idea of what the documentary is about. The second caption will also have music/ voice over playing as a user is looking at their Facebook, here the audience will see the notifications etc... The third caption is the users privacy settings and the options the users have on what they want to keep private or public. This is then followed by the interviews (captions 4 and 5), the questions will be displayed on screen with either a voice over saying the question or music playing. This is then followed by the interviewee answering the question with their own privacy setting displayed as a background. I will have several people being interviewed in order to obtain different opinions. In the sixth caption I will have a user on their Facebook but this time showing an example on how to block a person/post etc... More interviews will be carried out in the structure I explained previously. Caption 7 and 8 will display an example of a private and pubic Facebook profile with a voice over them. Caption 9 will be another set of answers from and interview this time instead of having the interviewee in focus they are out of focus and the background is in focus. 

Caption 10 will be showing the users information page and how much personal information they expose on their profile, this will have a voice over running in the background. Caption 11 will be the interviewees making a statement in order to make people aware of privacy on Facebook. Caption 12 will have the Facebook logo with a bold statement displayed. 

Planning

After looking at storyboards I looked at planning and the things I should consider before actually filming my documentary.


Below is a list of elements that will be essential to include in my documentary:

• Title
• Names
• Credits
• Copyright
• Graphics
• Video footage- long shot, close up's etc...
• Lighting- 3 point lighting, bcd light etc...
• Audio- voice over's, sound effects, music, different microphone techniques

Tips when filming 

Below I have displayed tips and methods I found which will guide me in making my documentary look more interesting and appealing to viewers. 

Camera Focusing

Focusing on several aspects of the subject matter will make your documentary look more interesting to the audience. Areas with a lot of detail (i.e. eyes) should be focused on using the zoom option. Avoid using the auto focus in cameras as it gives you less control on what you would like to focus on as instead on focusing on your subject the auto focus seems to focus on other areas of the shot. Macro setting in cameras are useful for focusing on objects up close or even small objects or areas. Also shooting out of focus will cause a blurry effect and this can result in the subject coming across as mysterious as you can't see the full detail of the caption (i.e. facial features). 

White Balance

White balance is important as it analyses the colour temperature of the light and then finds the right balance for producing the best result. If a caption, image etc has not been white balanced properly will result in an image not having the right shade of colour and light. 

Keeping your camera steady

Avoiding movements in the camera (i.e.shaking) is essential as movements in footage will distort images and make it seem unprofessional and amateur. A tripod is an ideal method for placing a camera and producing a steady shot throughout. 

Resources

http://www.sotherden.com/video101/storyboard.htm

Storyboard

What is a story board?

A storyboard is a group of images (also known as illustrations) which are displayed one after the other in order of how a caption/animation will appear once it's been created. This is a form of seeing how a project will progress and it's a plan of how things will be shot (i.e. use of lighting, zoom etc...). Disney films are know for their story boards as the Walt Disney Studio developed it in the 1930's, this method is very useful and therefore still used today. 

Planning a story board

When creating a storyboard its best to consider and include what is known as the 5 W's (who, when, what, where and why). This will make it easier to come up with a storyboard especially the main section. Apart from these elements you also need to consider the plot, setting, introduction, dialogue, narration, any points of view, the protagonist and antagonist. 

Plot

A plot is a group of events which provide information/idea it is not a story even though many people refer to it as a story. It is also known as the "spine" without a plot there are no actions in a story. A story portrays emotions therefore combining a plot with a story adds actions and emotions. Plots tend to be actions or choices that the characters have made which leads into events occurring. In linear plots there is a beginning, middle and end which was first set by Aristotle. Even though there is a linear structure plots don't need to be linear nowadays many films have the end of the film at the beginning and then travel back in time to the rest of the film. Plots tend to be set using a timeline this is to help see where events occur. 

Below are 5 important aspects of a plot:

• Introduction: This is the start of any plot where the situation is introduced and the audience are given an idea of what the film, play etc is about. 
• Rising Action: This refers to events just before the climax, here you can see the struggles and problems of the character(s) (mainly the protagonist)
• Climax: It is mainly the most interesting section of a narrative as the protagonist changes their point of view and decides to do something about the situation. It also makes the audience wonder what the outcome will be in the end. 
• Falling Action: This is where the end result is doubted mainly because the protagonist and antagonist confront each other and resulting in one of them winning. 
• Denouement: This is the end of the film with the events of how the plot ends. 

Setting

Setting is the time and location in which the events of the plot occur. It is an essential part of a plot as it determines the atmosphere of the event taking place. Within setting aspects such as the weather or any social conditions are also important. 

Points of view

This refers to the way a narrative is portrayed and how it is seen by the audience. There are points of view used in films, plays etc...

• Protagonist (first person): The narrative is told either by the protagonist which the story is told through their eyes and we see what they are feeling thinking etc...
• Stream of consciousness: The narrative is portrayed in such a way that it makes the audience feel like they are in a characters head (they can experience and see their thoughts and reactions, opinions etc...).
• Omniscient Limited: The narrative is told using the third person with pronouns, this form of point of view only tells the audience what the character knows and nothing else. The audience will be able to see the characters thoughts, feelings, actions etc..(only if the author allows the character to do so).
• Omniscient Objective: The narrative is told using the third person the camera only records what the character sees or hears. The are no comments or voice overs explaining what is occurring therefore the audience interprets what they are seeing in their own way.
• Innocent Eye: The narrative is told by someone innocent normally a child as their opinion and judgements would differ to an adult. 

Examples of storyboards

Below I have displayed examples of storyboards used for films, TV series, adverts etc...

Resources

http://illustrations.greghigh.com/nosecond_storyboard.jpg
http://business901.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/kiaboard.jpg
http://www.sotherden.com/video101/storyboard.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard
http://www.tameri.com/write/plotnstory.html
http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/elements.html
http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/literaryterms/g/risingAction.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climax_(narrative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure

Practise

Practise of Lighting in the studio

In order to be well prepared for when it comes to shooting my documentary I used some of my study time to practise lighting in the studio. As a group we practised 3 point lighting with the use of blondes and reds, one of my classmates stood in the middle of the lighting to allow us to then use reflectors to bounce the lighting and create a soft effect and remove any sharp edges or shadows. We also practised other styles of lighting to create different moods i.e. mysterious.

Practise of Green Screen

In a group last week we practised carrying out interviews in the studio using the green screen in order to have an idea when it comes to filming our documentaries. We also practised our lighting skills and the use of reflectors as we needed good lighting in order to record our interviewee's. 

Narrative

What is a narrative?


A narrative is not a story (beginning, middle, end) it is a passing or flow of information which can have a beginning, middle and end but it is not necessary as they do not need to be linear. They incorporate a set of episodes/ events which are linked to each other in order to create a story.  
Narratives are normally portrayed from a persons point of view of (i.e. writer or director). They include plot, setting, characters etc... This is similar to stories and therefore people find it hard to separate stories from narratives.They don't have to be set in a linear structure like in stories and therefore can have the ending at the very beginning. 

I have displayed an example of a narrative below:

Anything can have a narrative such as a process of buying a product. 


1. The customer will look for the product 
2. They will purchase it
3. They will receive it
4. They will use the product 




References
http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/narratives.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/narratives/index.html