Ellis's Media Blog

To edit our preliminary task, we used Adobe Premier Pro again, as used in the previous editing session.

Matt taught us how to separate audio from the video, and to layer it so that it fit with the scene, and you couldn't directly see the person speaking. We tried to make Ollie the focus of the scene by layering Kate's voice on top of shots of him, to give the effect that he's the subject. We also put the shot of him looking at Kate leaving at the end to signify that fact. We used a number of close-ups to get a more personal feel as you can clearly see the actors' expressions.

I really enjoyed doing this task, but I found it difficult to make each shot fit together well, as some of them had continuity errors. I also found that there was not enough space in-between each line, so some of the cuts are slightly jumpy, and don't quite flow unnoticeably. Overall, I think we were successful because we got the story across. Next time, I would be tighter on continuity as we found that in some edits, the door shut twice in the background, which didn't look or sound right.

Last week my group and I shot the preliminary task, where we were given a pre-written script with the camera angles we had to use for each shot.

We shot the scene in an empty classroom, and for each new angle we repeated the scene, starting with the wide shot. Starting with this meant we could get 4 of the 12 shots in 1. We then moved to the over the shoulder shots for each character, then the close ups. After these we went in for some extra shots - an extreme close up, and a shot of the door opening and closing with the exit of a character to add diversity and to make the final product look more professional. We used the previously learned 180 degree rule in this filming, and we found it easy to follow. This rule avoids confusion for the audience, and also eliminates jump cuts.




Whilst filming we used the right terminology:
1. Stand by
2. Standing by
3. Roll camera
4. Camera rolling
5. Action
6. Cut

These were helpful for the actors and director to know when to come in/out or start/stop.

I really enjoyed this process and look forward to doing similar things in the future when creating our thrillers. Next time I would trust my instincts more as to whether a shot is good or not, or in focus, as this wasted a little bit of time during filming. Throughout the process the actors were helpful and willing to repeat or change anything needed.

On Friday we went into the editing suite to look at and edit the footage we'd taken during the previous studio lesson. We used Adobe Premier to put together our shots. This software is used for both small scale and large scale projects, from YouTube videos to huge films such as Deadpool.

Screenshot of Adobe Premier

Matt taught us the correct terminology for the tools, and how the folders containing all of the clips we shot are called bins because back when films were edited manually, they would put the film roll on metal cylinders that looked like bins, and the name stuck. The clips straight out of the camera are called rushes because when film needed to be developed, it would be rushed off at the end of the day, and brought back the next. It's important to keep all the clips in one place so they're easy to access and you know where they all are

To make it look as good as possible, we followed the phrase 'first moment in, first moment out' to get the best cut and make it flow well from one clip into another. We watched the clip and pressed 'i' at the first moment in to shop long bits and make it tight. Matt told us that it was best to cut on movement because it makes the scene as smooth and as natural as possible.

The clip was then cut (if needed) using the razor blade, by pressing the 'c' to get to the tool, and the 'v' button to get back to the normal cursor/arrow after.

We used a variety of clips, and used the trim handles to crop them to the length we wanted, putting them in a sequence that looked diverse and interesting. Not all of the footage we took was used, as we used the best shots that fit together well.



I'm looking forward to using this software in the future because its features are simple to use and I want to further develop my skills to get the best results in editing. I found it difficult to get a crisp, clean flow from one clip into the next, but I think over time with more practice it will get easier. Next time, I would take more footage as there occasionally happens to be someone in the background moving, as well as some smiles that shouldn't have been there. For now this doesn't matter, but in the future, when creating our thriller, we need to make sure that continuity is taken seriously so it looks professional and realistic.

Kate working on the edit

Photo showing the format of the window