Monday, 7 January 2013

Editing evaluation on Final Cut Express

Throughout editing our film we faced many difficulties which took time and patience to fix. 
For example our first issue was importing our footage from the camera onto final cut express. For some reason it wouldn't allow us to select the footage from the camera or from the desktop. So we researched if anyone else had experienced this problem and many others had. We then found out that we had to put all the clips onto iMovie and make a video out of them.


We then had to export the movie which was on share, located at the top of the programme.


After we had done this we could finally get it up and running in Final Cut Express. It took us quite a long time to get used to the programme and one of the hardest things was finding where things were and the functions to do what we wanted to do. We faced many issues such as trying to put edits on our footage in order to make them appear like a dream or on one of the shots we needed a cctv appearance. We used youtube tutorials to figure out how to put edits onto the footage and had a play around in order to see which edits we liked. One of the hardest parts of the editing stage was doing the credits, because we initially wanted 3D text which we couldn't seem to do, we watched various youtube tutorials to help us however the software kept crashing and we lost our work numerous times which was inconvenient as we were coming closer to our deadline and were having to re-do work.
However, there were lots of things that went well such as being able to do our music quickly and we picked up on how to cut and put together the footage very quickly. We also were able to put everything together and in order from our animatics which helped a lot due to having a clear image in our head of the order already. 

Edits we used


At the end of our film opening we used a technique which made everything reverse backwards, as we wanted it to appear like a nightmare reminiscing what happened to the main character Beth. We put all of the shots in the opposite order and made them black and white which was quite easy to do once we knew what we were doing. We then sped up the speed of each clip and put the reverse tool on it. This made all the clips go backwards from end to appear like a memory/flashback. 

When the two characters walked out onto the platform, we wanted it to appear like cctv footage to give a variety of effects used. This shot was filmed from the bridge initially to look as if it was a cctv camera, and then when we added the image it made it look affective and realistic which helped to make our film opening look more professional. 

We also found out that not only were we able to make clips faster but also slow them down. This emphasised the clip and made it look important and dramatic. We used this tool for when Beth tries to grab Charlotte to save her from falling. This was an important shot in our film opening that we added towards the end as an improvement, as it helped portray exactly what has happened. Without this shot the audience may of been left confused. To make this shot look more dramatic we added a slight blur to it, this helped to make the shot look like it happened so quickly that it was a blur to the main character Beth.

When the train was coming towards the platform, we needed the train to go a lot faster than usual as originally the train was slowing down and didn't look as dangerous. We sped the train up a lot, this helped to show the audience the train had no way of stopping and hit Charlotte at an intense speed. This made the audience feel more tense,

 Sound effects we used 
Through out or film opening we added sound effects to make our footage more dramatic. We added train noises that we actually filmed ourself for the start of the film just as the music begins. We thought this would give the audience a good feel to the atmosphere of the train station.
The second time we used a loud train noise was when the train was rushing towards the platform when the tragedy takes place. We needed to add this sound effect to show how dangerous the train was and emphasise that the train was coming towards the characters.
When Beth tries to grab Charlotte to prevent her from falling we added a scream of Beth shouting her name. This made it very clear exactly what is happening with our film and without this added the film opening appeared less dramatic and confusing. 
When the footage starts to reverse we cropped and edited the music to make it appear like a broken record, this created a circular feel to the experience Beth faced. Which suggested the event that happened will never leave her memory.
Also during the footage reversing we added a heartbeat towards the end, this tells the audience that the flashback is scaring Beth, and that it really had a big effect on her life. 
When Beth opens her eyes we added a cinematic bang which I think looks really effective. It was just something that added more drama to our piece when she wakes up.  The heartbeat is carried on for a few moments throughout the title and when everything goes back as well. 

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