Editing Task

Editing task

Having completed the editing process I have concluded that it was very challenging even from the start. We used final cut server, which was extremely helpful. Final cut was useful because we could make one person look more important and change the sound if we had made a mistake during the filming stages. We could also put effects on the shots to make them look more professional. We also used editing devices to show continuity through editing devices when we incorporated shot reverse shots. Some of the editing process was very hard when we had to match the sound up and make it perfect so that it wouldn’t look stupid when we put in into HD. As we got through the editing process we found that we were getting a lot better at using final cut which made the process a lot easier.

At the beginning of editing we went through our shots and sorted the shots that we were going to use and the ones that we weren’t. We put these shots in two separate folder and we named the shots in our good folder. We discarded shots because they didn’t create enough meaning for our audience and this was one of our main goals, to target our audience. We had to make sure that every aspect of our film linked to our audience. The shots that we discarded simply weren’t good enough or they didn’t fit the criteria for our audience. We used a variation of shots to outline what is happening in our thriller to our audience. We used eye line matches to show the person who has the most attention in the scene. We then used a shot reverse shot in the conversation scene to show the reactions of each person whilst they are having the conversation. We used a match on action in the ending part of our thriller to show that he is being chased. Using a match on action also increased the pace of the ending a great deal that helped a lot with effect we were trying to give off. The match on action with “Vincent” at the end of our film helped create the meaning of a terrorist attack and in the conversation, the fact that they had a very big and grave decision to make.

The pace of our film was one of the most difficult aspects to perfect on our thriller. We had to make sure that there was the right pace for the right ‘mood’ in our thriller. There were certain shots where we increased the pace to show the severity of the situation or to show the action in our film. In the beginning of our thriller its very slow paced when Steven is looking at the war plans however as soon as Vincent enters the room it becomes a lot faster illustrating to the audience that there is a very tense situation. When they are having the conversation the pace slows down to show that they can come to some sort of resolution for the crisis. As soon as they finish the conversation and the president gets shot it instantly becomes very fast paced to create meaning for the audience. This is that he has just been shot and they now have to act. Throughout the corridor seen it very fast paced. This is so that it becomes a lot more exciting for the audience. The way that we increased the pace of the film is, when editing we cut the film a lot quicker and put more effects In to make sure that these clips matched up and looked smooth in the final product.

We used editing in a lot of ways but one of the most useful parts was making one person more important than the other. We made our cast limited so that it was easier to do this however at the same time it was very hard. We had to make sure that the president got the majority of the camera time as he has the highest social ranking. We made him one of the most important characters by incorporating eye line matches so that the thriller and the situation were seen through his perspective. We also made Vincent very important and illustrated his whereabouts through out the thriller through jump cuts. We did this because essentially he becomes the hero of the thriller. His importance is shown at the beginning when he enters with new war information, which symbolises his importance from the start of the thriller. We also showed the terrorist of bodyguard as a negative character and therefore non-stereotypically represented him as terrorist. We made ‘Vincent’ look like the hero in our thriller through the amount of shots and the fact that he ends up stopping the terrorist before he kills himself. We also make Steven look like a hero because he enforces his opinion to the president and uncover the last part of information from him. The terrorist and the president are binary opposites in terms of their views.

The sounds that we used in our thriller ended up being very effective. I found that the sound part if editing was one of the most challenging aspects. It took up a lot of time and we had to work for a long time to make sure that it was perfect. This included putting room sounds over the scene in the nuclear bunker and putting u we used gunshots and muzzle flashes when the gun was fired to make it look more realistic. We also made sure that all of the sound matched up to each other so that it would look professional in our final product. The part that I found most challenging was matching up the footsteps for the corridor scene. The gun shots helped create the meaning that there was action and the fast footsteps when the terrorist and Vincent are running up the stair increased the pace of the thriller. The door slamming at the beginning of the thriller when everyone reacts creates a very tense scene from the very beginning especially due to everyone’s reactions. Our sounds targeted the audience because they increased the pace and complemented the action in our film very well.

I found the editing process extremely exciting especially at the beginning when we say all of the shots that we had filmed and saw how our hard work had paid off. I found some of the parts very challenging such as the sound part of our thriller. The corridor scene was one of the hardest parts to edit, as we had to make sure that this scene was very fast. We therefore had to use a lot of shots and cut a lot of shots in a short space of time. Another part of editing which was very hard was the sound this is because we had to have some sort of sound in every single part of our thriller. This included gunshots, background sounds, dialogue, footsteps, breathing sounds and movement sounds. Having to perfect this was very hard, but in our final product I think the sound came out very well.

If I were to do my thriller again I would have given it a different ending. I wouldn’t have made it so complex instead I might have had the terrorist die inside the bunker so that it was all in the same room. This would have made it a lot easier to film. Moreover the corridor scene, even though it was the shortest, was the hardest part to edit. With the gunshots the footsteps and the amount of shots that we had to put into such a sort space of time was incredibly difficult.

I found editing very fun and I really enjoyed putting the main body together and the touching it up and making it perfect. I found putting the action sequences together the most challenging however the most fun as well. The title sequence was also a very fun thing to do as we got to choose what kind of font to put on and the amount of time that they were on the screen for. The effects that we had to chance to use were also very useful and very fun to use while editing. I think.  that we worked very well as a team. We identified each other’s strengths from the very beginning. My strength was putting titles on the film and choosing the font and in which order the titles would go. I also put most of the sound on which was one of the hardest parts of the thriller. We worked very well as a team when choosing what shots to use and when we were putting it together when controlling the pace of the thriller.

Our preliminary task was extremely different to this and our thriller was a lot more complex. In our prelim task the sound was very minor and we only had to put it ten seconds of dialogue. The prelim task was also a lot shorter than our thriller and there was a lot less to do. We also became a lot more experience on final cut pro, which meant that we could add different effects into our thriller. I have learnt a lot about editing during this process. I have learnt how to edit in a professional way and create a good media product. We learnt as we were going through editing how to relate this to our target audience. We overcame a lot of challenges such as a lack of shots in some areas and the sound in the faster paced parts of the opening sequence.