Prelim part 2

The first thing we did was look at the storyboard, and found the shots that were appropriate. After finding these, we looked through them to determine which were usable and which should not be included, or cut at certain places, such as when an actor broke character.

Once we had the useful clips, we began to recreate the storyboard, but with the actual footage. We had to edit all the footage, so it would piece together smoothly and ensure continuity. Once this was done, we went through our new sequence with a fine tooth comb and fixed any sound/cutting errors.

Due to the fact that we had time left over, we chose to make a new sequence utilising different shots and different cuts to make the sequence seem more dramatic. In the end, we chose to use our original sequence, as it was cleaner and flowed better.

As amateurs, we made a lot of mistakes. Firstly, I accidentally spliced two sound pieces together, so they were playing simultaneously during that section of the footage.  We fixed this by undoing all of our edits to that particular section until we recovered the original sound piece. I will make sure this doesn’t happen again by ensuring that when I place footage, I put it in a different column to the previous shot, so the video and audio are both separate from the two respective shots.

Another mistake I made was cutting the footage incorrectly. I placed one shot and cut it, but it was off by around 1/4 of a second, but it was very noticeable as the dialogue clearly showed a jump between the two shots. I fixed this by deleting that section, and by starting from scratch. I was extra careful, and made sure that I just cut earlier at a more convenient time.

I would have filmed so I had at least three times the amount of footage. I also would have paid closer attention to continuity, and made sure that all footage shot the same scenes- it was very difficult as a continuity error limited our selection of footage.

I learnt a lot about the style of editing. I learnt that lingering on a shot, or cutting quickly can change the whole tone of the sequence. I also learnt that the editing procedure can bring out the true story and message of a piece of media, and is therefore incredibly important.

What this experience has shown me, is the importance of good footage, when filming my thriller, I will shoot hours of footage, more than I will need to make three different sequences. I will do this as it will give me the freedom to create any sequence, or any scene I want. It will allow me to look at a situation from every angle, and be able to get the best shot that will be the most appropriate for the message and impact I intend to create for my audience.

Now that I have experience with filming and editing something with a story, I now know how to approach my thriller: with large amounts of caution and ample preparation. I intend to know exactly what shots I want, and how many I want of them. I will need to have all movements and props listed e.g. how an actor holds his/her hands, or how he/she does a task such as opening a door.