Beginning to Edit...

Having done half of the filming for my media product I have now began to edit those pieces together to see which footage I will need next and if there is anything I can do to improve the footage I already have. Here is some of the editing I have done so far...

Through this process I have managed to add 'Fade to Black' transitions between the different scenes, to add the effect of the image being replaced immediately by the next, creating the idea that the scene is switching quickly with jump cuts to the different scenes and the actions within them. Also I have added different sound affects also to create a better ambience within the piece and to see which sounds best suit what is being shown on screen. Having researched into the importance of non-diegetic sound, the sound effects I have added so for will not be used in my final piece, however this has given me more practice with the different types of sound and how they affect the product. As well as this I have detached the audio from certain clips of the detective speaking so as to create the feel that his dialogue is continuing throughout the piece and throughout the scenes of the young girl running away. With this editing software it has enabled me to use the different types of footage from each day to place wherever I feel it best fits into the trailer, as well as allowing me to trim and perfect the timing of different shots and scenes. Another aspect of editing I have looked into is placing effects onto the actual footage using the 'romantic' effect to contradict the events on screen and create a more foreboding experience for audiences, this effect is only placed on the footage of Ellie. Other aspects I have yet to look into is slowing down the footage to create a more suspenseful effect, as well as trying to import better non-diegetic sound into iMovie. With this in place so far, I now know the different aspects I need to look further into. Having looked back at my inspirational trailers, I think I might shoot more footage to perhaps replace parts that are already edited, to give my piece a better, more professional finish. This may include having no long sequence of dialogue, rather just snippets of certain sentences to guide the viewer along, also there may be just footage of the emotions of the characters involved, rather than full scenes. Therefore this first editing process has encouraged me to become more creative with my piece, with the reference to inspirational pieces keeping me on track to how I would like my product to turn out like.

Filming Day Two

On this second day of filming I shot all of the footage of Ellie Dean running through the forest away from her kidnapper, as well as the search party scene where the detective finds the body of a different young girl. Scenes two and three were shot, this included shots: 01, 05, 06, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24 For this I needed props such as: torches, fake blood, the costume I made for Ellie Dean, the hoodie for the kidnapper and a scarf, each of these adding to the scene and the actions that take place. It was extremely difficult to film this particular section of the soap opera trailer, this being due to the cold weather and the lateness of the filming which made some of the footage particularly hard to visualise. It was extremely difficult for the actors to get used to filming in this particular setting, therefore it took a while for the footage to get started and produce professional outcomes. Overall this section took around 3 hours to complete. I kept fairly close the the shot list I had made previously, however there may be a few minor changes as the footage progresses, as I tried out new options and techniques to get a variety of shots. As this was set in a public location, we encountered a few problems throughout the filming with different sounds from animals or cars being heard in the background, as well as people walking past, therefore the filming was stopped a few times to accommodate for other people. It would have been easier to have had a bigger crew base during this scene, who would have been able to take over some of the job roles in order to maximise the productivity of the day. However, overall the day was a success and I managed to get some good shots to use within my trailer. After filming this section I then uploaded the footage onto the Macs and uploaded them into iMovie ready for editing later on.

Filming the extra scene

When filming the extra scene I took many different shots in different angles to ensure I had enough footage to work with come the editing process. The footage took around 10 minutes to shoot and the only actor involved was Zak Douglas-the Detective. The scene aimed to show the inner conflict within the detective and his personal emotions towards the case, this so as to engage audiences better to the character and see him as a real person and relatable. In the scene the detective is shown to be drinking some form of alcohol from a hip flask, whilst reviewing the different aspect of the case, after looking at the locket with pictures of his deceased wife and daughter in them, he turns violent and pushes all of the equipment off the desk. I used various shot angles to make sure that the footage could be cut and edited to match the different view points I wanted, I also used different zooming effects on the piece so that I had a variety of close-ups and long shots to work with. The hardest part of the filming on this day was to ensure that the setting was dressed appropriately to give viewers the idea that the detective is in an office setting. With this in mind it was hard to film any more shots after the items on the desk had been pushed off by the detective, therefore we left this shot until last to ensure we had all the important footage first, and so that there is continuity between the shots. After shooting this footage I uploaded it onto the Apple Macs and onto iMovie to have a better look at the filming I had done.