I first linked the camera to the computer through the USB port to be able to import the footage. After opening the Final Cut Pro editing software, I clicked import which opened the footage that the camera contained. I then selected the footage from my production and imported what I had selected on to my library. This then filed all the footage, like evidenced above. Although I had imported the footage I needed, I then labelled the shots by scene and take number, for example, 'Shot 1. Scene 1'. This helped in the editing process as I could clearly see where I would apply my visual effects on different shots and also the shots I would and would not use.
Offline Edit
I think the shots fit together but there are improvements that need to be made because I think the quality of the visual effects are still poor.
Feedback From Focus Group
Charlotte Creek: "To make it seem like the girl is really struggling and the floor is moving when she trips, maybe add a filter that shakes the frame" Chessie Sharman: "Add a filter, perhaps a darker colour to make it more suspenseful and more of a thriller."
Editing The Audio
In my film sequence, I had no dialogue from my actress. I made this decision so a wider audience of different languages will hopefully be able to understand. Although there was no dialogue, I wanted to include diegetic sounds that would make the film sequence more realistic. I first applied the background music which was fairly easy as I knew how to use the blade and trim tool when shortening the music to fit the length of the video. I also adjusted the music so it fades out gradually with the ringing sounds than having a abrupt finish. It was also necessary to apply the background music first, because if I did this task last then there would have been a possibility it could drown out the sound effects I added. The video of the volcano erupting had its own sounds but I wanted to add to that, so it could be heard over the music for a longer length of time. I found Final Cut Pro a useful software as it presented their own sound effects. I typed in 'Explosion' to narrow the search and listened to them to find the sound effect that suited and layered over the original sounds best. I choose the 'Explosion 5' sound effect because it was closest sound that equalled the explosion and applied it on top of the footage. I positioned where I wanted the sound effect to start and finish, and decided to have the sound effect lasting past the door footage so the volcano eruption continues down the corridor. After this, I adjusted the volume levels so the sound effects can be heard enough and are not overpowering the music.
I also included further sound effects towards the end of my film sequence, for the space background behind the door. This was needed as there is no sound from the sourced space video and I wanted to bring the sci-fi aspects of the space more real. I found this part tough as I didn't know quite what to put into the audio effect search engine and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. I decided to type in 'Whoosh' which came up with many of results. Most of these sounds were not relevant and did not fit with the footage. I however finally found one called 'Whoosh 8' that worked well when placed with a space sound effect and layered them both on top of the space background, which brought the motion of the stars moving to life. This sound effect also brought in aspects of science fiction to the genre.
The 'Whoosh' sound effects also came in useful at the start of my sequence, where the floors tip and cause the actress to fall. This is the part I found most difficult when editing the audio as I had to be exact when placing the sound effect so it matches the time of when the camera tilts side to side. The 'Whoosh 9' sound effect worked best for this part of the sequence as it was the right length and whirling sound that appealed to the action of the actress and camera movement.
Final Adjustments
This is a video of finalising my visual effects and making improvements based from my audience feedback.
Part of my audience feedback was to add a darker effect, and as I had planned to add a cold colour to collate to the style and genre of my film, I began looking through different filtered effects to add to the footage. I didn't want the look of the sequence to appear too dark because I still wanted the special effects to be as visible as possible which is why I avoided those filters. I found a filter called 'Dream' which changed the aesthetics to like the audience was seeing a dream through the character's eyes. I found this filter very relevant to my sequence however I didn't think it worked with the visual effects and had a utopia sense to it, whereas my sequence edges more towards thriller. The filter 'Cold Steel' seemed the right tone and colour I was looking for and after applying it, I chose this as the filter to use for the whole sequence. The second part of my audience feedback was that to add an effect that will either distort or shake the frame that will present to the audience the struggle in different stages of being trapped. As in my sequence, there is a part where the character trips and I feel like I should present why she is tripped through more than her flustered emotions. I searched through different effects and soon found the 'Earthquake' effect which worked perfectly. I adjusted the amount levels as I didn't want the shaking to be too over the top. I found applying these effects fairly easy as my feedback was clear on what I needed to do and I knew how to apply them on the editing software.
Export The Final Edit
For the client
In this screen recording, I am sharing the final edit of my film sequence. I have chosen to share through Master File and the codec of H.264 because this format compresses the video for more storage, as it takes less megabites than any other format. For example:
The first image of H.264 is only 274 MB and Source - Apple ProRes 422 takes 1.78 GBs. This format is also more compatible for different devices, which will make it suitable for whatever the client wants to view the video on. If the client wants to share the sequence, this format makes it easy to upload to different platforms or to be published on their own websites.
For the target audience
I decided to export my video to Vimeo because I am familiar with the process to upload videos and it is a free server, meaning it does not cost to distribute my film sequence. Uploading onto to Vimeo is helpful by getting beneficial feedback for my completed film sequence. This is because the video was uploaded onto the Netherhall school Vimeo website and the students who view the film sequence fit into the age range of my target audience. On Vimeo, I would hopefully achieve feedback on whether the audience enjoyed the sequence and if they would want to watch the full film, if ever made. I also uploaded my film sequence onto YouTube, primarily as promotion to the full film. Like Vimeo, YouTube is free, easy to upload videos and is content is shown to good quality. Evidence of this is here:
Another reason I decided to upload to Youtube was to reach my target audience more efficiently as YouTube is a well known video sharing website used largely by teenagers, who are my target audience. I would also further be able to add tags to the video, to increase the chances of the video appearing on YouTube users search results. Reaching my target audience would evidently promote the film, as viewers would be able to comment their opinions and share the video onto their own social media accounts which would mean it would reach a widened audience. YouTube is easy to use and would be a appropriate video format for the client to distribute the product.
Justify Product
Evaluating my final product, I am happy I have been able to achieve a film sequence that contains both visual and special effects.
List of strengths and weaknesses
Strengths of my production:
Appropriate location to film in
Access to needed equipment
Time keeping in pre-production
The quality in the resources I had (studio green screens)
Actress (My actress fitted the character’s profile in my storyboard by age and gender)
Idea (My idea came to me quickly which I stuck with and allowed a greater time for planning)
Weaknesses of my production:
Difficulties in editing (Although I liked my idea, it was more difficult than I expected)
Ability (I had struggles in the main production of filming when trying to achieve certain shots and using resources)
Quality and lack of special effect makeup
Low level of knowledge (I had to have help with editing the green screen as I did not know how to key in and make it look)
Directing Actress Performance (The level of performance in my film sequence wouldn't be seen in a full professional film.
Quality of finished piece
During the production, I had a few failures which made it increasingly difficult in the post production stage of editing visual effects. Having learnt about green screens in planning, I payed too much attention to taking out any creases in the green screen and during this time, the sensor powered lights went out in the other end of the corridor, equaling the green screen not being lit up enough to add visual effects. If I had noticed the change in lighting or made a checklist for myself as director when creating the set to reassure the screen is properly lit, I feel this problem would have been avoided efficiently.
I don’t think all of my shots in my piece flow as efficiently as I had planned, this was mostly because of some shots did not fit or contribute to the sequence well. One shot is a close up of the girl’s face showing her confused reaction to the volcano and realistically speaking, there would be some red, orangey light reflecting on her but this towards the end of schedule couldn’t be achieved and is one of the problems in my piece that effects the quality and understanding of the sequence.
As my first film sequence and with my level ability, I am fairly happy with the quality but the problems with the green screen slightly lowered the quality of the visual effect however as a dream, the quality I wanted to achieve was a distortion effect.
Although, I don’t think my film sequence is high enough quality to be shown at a film festival or to my target audience. Overall, my sequence would not reach my target audience expectations on a Hollywood level as there are parts of the sequence that are not realistic or do not make perfect sense, as well as the visual effects being noticeable.
Conventions of Visual and Special Effects
My final sequence includes both special and visual effects. The special effect used in my sequence was the fake blood on the character’s face and neck, which was to show she is weak, hurt or as the blood is mainly on her head, preferably delusional. My visual effect was using the green screen and keying in a infinite corridor, a volcano and space background. This was to add to the crazy and fantasy illusions to create the atmosphere of a dream. In my piece, I would have improved it by having more footage of the special effects in close up shots as I feel they were only shown for a small amount of time.
To look at the conventions of my visual and special effects in my film sequence, I have to evaluate the conventions of the fantasy and thriller genre while looking at strengths and weaknesses.
High Production Values
I think this is a weakness as the visual effects are not of a high quality and they are noticable. and I would have liked for the special effect makeup to be more prominent, as they are meant to be noticed by the audience. To reach a high production, I would need to hire a specialistic in applying special effect makeup instead of having myself apply it. If I were to do this again, I would research into having prosthetics to layer on the actress before applying the fake blood. With the prosthetics material, there would be layered bruising and cut wounds, so it is clearer where the blood is coming from.
Younger Target Audience Although Significant Older Appeal
I can argue this as a strength as I casted an actress who falls into the target audience age range (12-20), which will make the film sequence more relatable to the audience. I feel the mystery and thriller aspects of the sequence also appeals to a older audience.
Thriller Themes
I think I followed one of the themes of thriller by having suspension in my film sequence, with the audience wondering what is going to happen and tension from the distortion effects.
Thriller Iconography
My film sequence had tension building music to keep the audience hooked, which is a needed in element of the thriller genre. Low lighting is used in thriller films, whereas I dimmed the brightness and then layered over a blue tint to try and achieve a thriller appearance. I think this is partly a weakness as I don't think I included many iconography in the sequence as I should have done, as it would make it clearer to the audience what genre they are watching.
High Production Value Costume
I think this is a weakness as a fantasy convention as I did very little planning it what my character is wearing. I only said to my actress to wear simple clothing that she can run and move around in. If I was to do this again, I would buy clothing that is more relevant to the genre and then I would add special effects, such as fake blood, to the costume. This would then make the special effects more visible to the audience.
Thriller Narrative
Convention of a thriller is a narrative where a character is unknowingly or unsuspecting in a dangerous situation where escape seems impossible and tension rises when the main character is placed in a threatening situation or mystery. I think this could be a strength as the visual and special effects emphasise the danger the character is or has already been in. However, I think it is also a weakness because I think the narrative could have been stronger and understandable, as well as the low quality of the visual effects did not help with the narrative.
Compared to the original idea in your head - how was it different?
I kept the main concept of my idea as I liked the fact that nothing had to be exactly realistic as a fantasy and gave me a wide choice on what I could have for my effects. The dream sequence gave many loopholes and alternatives in post production when there was a problem. My original idea was more simple and followed a direct genre of thriller whereas I feel my final piece swayed from one genre and edged more towards fantasy although the music keeps the suspense and tension on going. Comparing to my storyboard, I changed some angles of my shots to try to improve the flow of the sequence but kept the initial order and narrative. I had planned for the character to have a running sequence but decided against as it would take a longer time to add the effects of something chasing the character. A part of my original idea was to have a physical/special effect of space ship prop in front of the space background keyed on the green screen but due to timing, I decided to keep it less complicated as I knew I would have to add lights to the prop to make it seem realistic. The time length I had in my head was longer but once I had pieced all the needed footage together, the full time of the film sequence is 1.02 minutes.
Audience Feedback One
Audience Feedback Two
What I learnt from feedback
I learnt from my feedback that my film sequence was slightly confusing as there was changes in looks in the way the sequence was viewed, with various changes in distortion. Another weakness is the quality of the visual effects as many filters were layered to hide the mistakes or patches where I didn't chroma key the videos correctly. I had predicted that the quality was most likely not going to be high or for broadcast, and from my feedback, I am even more certain I need to work on my visual and special effects. Strengths of my film sequence are the variety and number of visual effects, as well as the way I used them in the narrative. The diegetic sound of the actress' footsteps, gasps and the added sound effects proved a strength also from my feedback as it contributed to the realism of the sequence.
What could have been done differently?
Pre-production
I think I would have researched further into visual effects, to be able to make a better judgement on if the idea I had in my head was is in fact feasible. I don't think I took into consideration fully how difficult it will be in editing the visual effects with my level of experience and knowledge on Final Cut Pro. After further research, I would have perhaps changed my visual effects to something easier but just as effective. This would have possibly limited the problems I faced in other stages.
Production
I think my directing could have been better during filming as I lacked confidence, and if I was doing it again, I would be more specific in what I wanted to achieve and type of performance I needed from my actress. If I directed with depth, I feel the narrative could be stronger and intriguing. Another thing I would have done differently in production is to make sure that the date I had planned to film was completely free, so I would have a full amount of time to set up and film. One of my problems in production is that I ended up filming on the same location on the same day as another student. Next time, I will plan back up days of filming in case anything like this was to happen. The solution was to take turns in filming but this then meant it that the filming took longer than I planned it would. As I had planned the filming to take one day to shoot as it is only a 1 to 2 minute sequence, I did not complete a backup schedule and had to organise quickly with my crew and cast the next closest date we could finish filming. In production, I would make myself a checklist specific to my production of the film sequence so I wouldn't forget anything when setting up, for instance, I forgot to light the green screen up properly and it brought further problems in the editing stage.
Post-production
I found the post-production stage difficult as there was parts of the editing process I did not know how to chroma key in backgrounds. I would next time watch the tutorial for Final Cut Pro in the pre-production stage instead of learning while I am editing, which made this stage very time-consuming. Due to problems with the green screen, the backgrounds did not key in well and lowered the quality level. When I conducted the recce, I should have evaluated and considered the colours in the corridor. This is because the doors are blue and I didn't realise it would be a problem when using chroma key until the editing stage. When I used the 'Keyer' effect tool, it keyed the green screen black but also parts of the doors. I adjusted the levels of the key effect but at the end of the film sequence, it is clearly noticeable with the black patches on the door.
If I had to do something like this again in the future with a different brief, what would I do differently and why?
If I had to do something like this again in the future, I would like to produce a trailer for a film as I think the structure would be cool to explore and follow. I would also do things differently if I had a high budget, as it widens the opportunities.
Time
One of the things I would do differently, especially on a high budget project, would be to give a greater time in the three stages of pre-production, production and post-production. I think this would then improve the quality of the product as I wouldn't feel rushed and there could be a larger contingency time to re-shoot certain shots. This would give a wider range in choice when it comes to editing, so if there was any mistakes in the first takes, there would be similar shots to use as I would have time to look at the shots filmed and question whether more needs to be taken in case. A longer length of time would have especially allowed me to go into further detail in the storyboard and explore a higher range of different camera angles.
Professional Cast and Crew
In the future, I would hire a professional crew which include specialists to each of their job because then the final quality of the product will be higher. For example, if there was special effects of makeup and prosthetics, I would hire specialist SFX artists who have plenty of experience when applying and would use different techniques. I would also hire professional actors to cast in the product, because with their experience, they would be able to deliver a great performance with details of their expressions and emotions, therefore making the product's narrative more believable. Whereas for my film sequence, my actress had the experience of working at a GCSE level and did not perform at the range you would see on broadcast. Parts of the crew I would hire would be specifically for post-production, with including a specialist editor who experts in applying visual effects to footage to a high level of quality.
Detailed Planning In The Production Stages
On a high budget, there would be a larger crew which means I would have to approach this in a detailed, specific manner. In other words, the production schedule would need to be detailed to apply to each crew member and a plan so everyone knows their role confidently. A larger crew also means that there would be more ideas and options to explore in pre-production and then producing a detailed storyboard and script that I would like to feature dialogue. Therefore product would most likely appear more complex than my film sequence, while remaining at a high quality. I would also conduct a thorough research when creating a product, that fulfils the brief, to find as many codes and conventions of the chosen genre and style, and also research which ones would suit the storyline and are feasible.
Use of Equipment
I think I would hire professional equipment, such a cameras and lighting to be able to produce high or low key lighting that suits the genre to a high quality. These equipment would be similar to what current filmmakers use and would have a scale of specialities. By having a larger crew, I would have more than one camera operator to film different angles of the actress and mise-en-scene, so meanings could be created through connotation and denotation. As part of the equipment, I would have editors working on more than one computer (that are specialist editing computers) to spread out the product into sections so all parts of the footage can be seen in detail. Professional equipment would raise the quality of the product and would reach the requirements for the target audience.
Location
Following the different brief, I would hire a location that appealed to the aesthetics that wanted to be created and would collate to the script and storyboard. This would then make the product understandable to the audience and will allow the audience to escape while watching. The location on a high budget production would hopefully have more space for not only crew and equipment, but to capture the full surroundings in different camera angles. In my film sequence, I felt slightly limited in the angles of camera shots because I didn't think the location was aesthetically pleasing or was not completely relevant to the sequence.