Construction Post 4: Reflections on Edit Week 1

                   Our edit schedule 

What we have done:

Our timeline

• We watched over the footage and selected our best shots
• We created a new sequence labelled 'Final cut' for the footage to go onto
• We ordered and cut the shots on the timeline 
• We added more titles including the 'written by' credit 
• We re-positioned the placement of titles by putting them in between the shots to improve the pace of Stacey's getting ready routine and build tension
• We replaced the picture of the 'Lionsgate Films' logo with the video version
• We have continued to look for music

Our titles are now placed in between shots, like in 'Black Widow'

Issues we should resolve:

Strange lipstick technique

• With some of the make-up shots, the angles looked strange or the technique looked unrealistic
• We thought the music we chose for our rough edit did not create the ominous atmosphere we want our opening to have 
• Some of the decisions we made did not work, such as Stacey picking up her coat whilst upstairs and zooming in on her face outside 
• In some of the shots downstairs when Stacey is on the phone, there was background noise
• As the opening sequence progresses, the pace is meant to increase but we did not feel as if it does so we may need to speed up shots or cut some out

We realised we will need a back-up shoot to fix the issues mentioned above but also for continuity reasons and so that our film looks more professional as we think certain shots can be filmed in a better way. Once we have done this, we can add in the better footage and then finish editing. We will also be able to add and fit in the music which we are all still researching and add effects to the titles. We will try and have flickering titles, similar to those in the film opening of 'Seven' (below). 

Construction Post 3: Reflections on Our Main Shoot Session

Overall, our main shoot went well. We found it easier to stick to the scheduled times as we had gone through this process before, in our test shoot. We were more organised at the beginning as we knew what improvements we needed to make, such as dressing up the mirror area to make it more feminine and tidying up the bedroom. Therefore, we felt as if we were working on a better quality set. Below is a bloopers video of from the shoot:

In terms of the number of shot takes, there were considerably less overall, as we were getting shots done quicker due to practice from the previous shoot. Also, we tried out the 'new' shots we planned to include and we liked the results. For example, the shot where Stacey puts the police badge into the drawer looks very professional, considering I hand-held the camera. Another thing we were pleased with was the drastic improvements in lighting. Shadows were no longer an issue.

Challenges:

Some of the lipstick takes

• We found getting the angles of some shots challenging; the master shot of Stacey walking across the bedroom, for instance. We had to bear in mind all the different rules that we could not break which was sometimes confusing. 
• Some of the make-up shots were time consuming again as we were constantly unsatisfied with how they looked, whether it be the brightness of the lipstick or the pout afterwards. 
• Inside Shayam's house it was a bit noisy and unfortunately we could not always tell how much noise was recorded when we watched the footage back on the camera, as the noise was still in the background. This may be a problem when it comes to the editing. 

     

             

                 Amy operating the camera 

                                    

                                                 Shayam and I on set 

We will want to do a back-up shoot so that we are completely happy with all our shots and angles but we will ask our teachers for any feedback first.

Construction Post 2: Our Post-Production Kit

Will will use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit our footage, which is the same software that we used for our rough cut and animatic. Our finished sequence, complete with shots, music and titles will be merged using this software. Here is a list of the hardware and software we will require:

Hardware

• A computer
• A Mac
• Speakers - to listen to our footage with high quality sound

Software

• Adobe Premiere Pro - do edit our film, from footage to music to titles
• Livetype - to add effects to our titles

Amy, Shayam and I at our edit suite 

Basic guide to using Adobe Premiere Pro

\The Mac we used to edit titles

Adobe Premiere Pro was a really efficient piece of software and the fact that we could have multiple sequences open at a time was particularly helpful. For example, having the rough cut open made it easy for us to see what we needed to do/add for the main footage cut. Having to do add effects to titles on a different software on a different computer was a little bit annoying as we had to keep exporting them via my USB but it did not take too long, so it was fine in the end.

Construction Post 1: Our Production Kit

We have the fundamental equipment required for making a film. As it is fairly expensive, we must be careful when taking it out.

Camera Kit

Camera and microphone

• Canon Legria HFD30
• Microphone - to enhance the sound
• Headphones - to check the sound is recording
• Battery - so that we have enough power/time to film
• Battery charger
• Memory card - to store the data
• Tripod - to adjust the height/movement of the camera and keep it steady

Tripod

Lighting

Our lights 

• Three lights
• Three stands - to adjust the height of the lights
• Gloves - for safety reasons
• Extension cable - so that we can move the lights out of shot/if there is no nearby socket

Other

• Clapper board - for recording our takes
• Shoot-board - for organising the shoot e.g. time
• Board pen and cloth - so we can easily change the shot information

Clapper board 

Lighting was the most problematic as sometimes it was too bright and created too big a shadow and sometimes it was too dark. It was also time consuming as we had to keep readjusting the height and position of the two lights. Furthermore, an extension cable was required for the main shoot as there we had problems with finding space to put them in the bedroom. 

R+P Post 20: Reflections So Far

So far I am really happy with the way our pre-production process has gone. We were well organised through our meetings at school and we worked well as a team, which can be seen through our communication on our Facebook group page and our group chat. Our preparation for the test shoot has been extremely helpful and it shows all our effort has gone to good use. If we had not made the storyboard and animatic so detailed, we would have been less clear on what we had to do for filming, The test shoot was useful, and even though we started a bit later than our scheduled time, we managed to get back on track and so we finished on time. We had a break in between so that we did not overwork ourselves and we will repeat this for our main shoot.

We have identified errors both on set and at the edit suite which we hope to address before our main shoot. Lighting was an issue, as it was often too shadowy in the bedroom and the lighting downstairs did not match. Therefore, we decided to work with our school technician, Chris to find any solutions and we now have much more knowledge. For example, we can raise the lighting higher, to achieve the lighting effect we want and also we can set different options on the camera itself. Finally, it appeared to us that we had a couple of the jump cuts when we had finished our edit. Therefore we have decided to add in some shots, and extend some. For example, we will film Shayam going down the stairs from a step earlier.

In order for the next stage to be successful we need to continue to work efficiently and quickly as a team, especially when it comes to the edit. It is essentially for us to meet deadlines. As that we have done everything once, it should be easier.

R+P Post 19: Our Rough Cut

We plan to begin this as soon as we can; once we have filmed our test shoot and returned the kit, so that the footage can be uploaded. We want to get started as soon as possible so that everything we would have filmed can be reviewed and the issues we come across can be improved in time for out next shoot. The rough cut should be very useful in exposing obvious errors such as jump cuts and continuity errors but also show if aspects such as lighting work and any shots that we think no longer work. This will be the first time that we get to see actual video footage with our music so it will be interesting to see if they compliment each other.

The process:

1. We will watch our footage and select the best shots
2. We will place them into a separate folder
3. We will put the shots onto the timeline and cut them
4. We will add the music
5. We will add the titles

Upon reflection, the rough cut helped us massively. We found out some things needed to be fixed/changed for the main shoot:

• The bedroom scene was not long enough so we will add another make up shot, of Stacey putting on blusher
• It did not make sense for Stacey to still have to finish getting ready downstairs i.e. by putting on her shoes because it slowed the pace down too much. So this will take place in the bedroom scene next time
• The throwing of the detective badge on the floor seemed a bit confusing and pointless so we have come up with a better idea of having her put it into a drawer, where we see lots of IDs such as passports and credit cards, which make her seem more mysterious 
• There were a couple of jump cuts which we will fix by making the shots fit better to each other e,g. she can put the make-up into the bag whilst she is still in her getting ready area
• The lighting was too bright and created shadows that were too potent so next time will try and get the light to seem subtle and more intimate     

  

  Amy, Shayam and I working on the rough cut in the edit suite

R+P Post 18: Our Test Shoot

We plan to do a test shoot in order to get a better perspective of what we want our opening sequence to look like and to see if everything we are planning on doing actually works when it comes to filming. This will take place on 7th February 2015 at Shayam's house. Amy and I will arrive at 9am, hoping to start filming by 9.30. The half hour in between arriving and shooting should give Shayam enough time to get ready and Amy and I to set up all the technical equipment. We may also need to tidy up some of the rooms that we are using for filming. Hopefully the practical skills we have already learnt in media and the preparation we having done leading up to this shoot will result in a successful first attempt at our opening sequence.

Left: I am directing, Amy on camera and sound & Shayam acting. Right: Amy and I testing camera angle and lighting

Overall, our test shoot was really useful for several reasons. We were able to see and work in our location for the first time and so get a sense of how and where to put camera positions next time. We also got to try out the lighting which was not as effective as we would have liked. This was crucial, as it meant we would have to get some advice on how to solve this before our main shoot. In terms of our roles in filming, Amy and I rotated from operating the camera and being director, which worked well. We are likely to do this next time and we would be even more efficient now that we have done it once. Below is a short collection of shots that we struggled with on our test shoot: