Evaluation of Production & Editing Skills

Evaluation of production & editing skills

throughout the year

Editing

I began this year with no experience of editing and an open mind to really get to grips with how to edit and how to experiment with different styles of editing. I think that because I had such little experience of editing prior to beginning the year it is easier for me to see the difference in the quality of editing from the first production for contextual studies to the last production for the promotional video unit. I still believe that I have a long way to go with editing because it is something that definitely requires a lot of time and persistence to be able to edit to a high level however, I am relatively proud of how far I have come with editing from the beginning of the year and it is something I wish to continue to improve in both my spare time and professionally. 

The first video I produced individually was 'réalité', a short film made in the style of the Nouvelle Vague. I particularly enjoyed this unit because I have always had an interest in world cinema and was keen to learn more specifically about French filmmakers and the history of how modern editing had advanced and been influenced from the early stages of the French New Wave. I focused mainly on the films of Jean Luc Godard therefore I was influenced most by his style of editing when filming 'réalité'.  I particularly liked the appearance of Godard's films and how he was incredibly experimental with colour and could switch from using colours filters such as blue, red, yellow to black and white. Therefore, throughout my short film I adapted this approach and many shots switch from colour to black and white within seconds which give it the jagged look of Godard film. This switch from colour to black and white could imply a change in feeling of the protagonist perhaps informing their view of the world during different moments of their life with the black and white connoting a more regretful, melancholic, depressed attitude which is a direct contrast to other shots in colour where the feeling is more hopeful, joyful and inspired. The feeling could relate to the point of view of the protagonist meaning that we are seeing through their eyes or perhaps it relates more to the specific individuals within the film and how they navigate their day to day with deep and contrasting emotions. 

An editing skill that I learnt and put in to practice during the editing of 'réalité' is the warp stabiliser to ensure that the stability of some shots were steady which also gave the film a higher quality appearance. During filming I didn't use a tripod because I wanted the handheld effect that was adapted during the French New Wave however this wasn't always appropriate for some shots which I felt were too shaky to be used and therefore these instances are where I used the warp stabiliser to correct this. 

When I went on to produce my music video I feel that the skills I used during that process were different to the short film I produced for contextual studies. For instance, this project made me learn how to 'edit to the beat' which is something that I hadn't necessarily had too much experience of prior to doing this so it was something I had to adapt to and keep in mind during the editing process. I found this more difficult because I had to play around with timings of individual and edit the speed and duration where it was required to ensure it flowed at a consistent pace which fit the music which was of course a huge part of the production. I do feel that my music video was somewhat influenced by the short film I made in the style of the French New Wave because they are both experimental in appearance and style. My music video was much more focused specifically on colour because of the Psychedelic Rock music genre so I had to ensure that each shot was consistent with this theme and interesting. I found this quite difficult because I wanted to ensure that each shot was vibrant and unique and with a time limit of 4 minutes 51 seconds it was a task that required a lot of filming. One of the editing skills that I used in the music video unit was the overlaying of images to enforce a more experimental and interesting image. With the first image below I knew that I wanted to evoke a disorientating element to the video as it fit well with the narrative of Psychedelics and the influence that hallucinogenic substances has on the body. During this shot we see the protagonist experiencing a substance induced hallucination and the image of the trees directly relates to nature and how freeing the experience of experimenting with drugs can feel. 

(overlaying images during editing)

I think the music video production was where I had the most creative freedom to create without limitations other than budget, equipment etc. I feel that it is the most representative of my creative style and therefore it was the unit that I enjoyed the most. I particularly enjoyed the editing process for this unit and I think this is clear in the final product because my editing has definitely improved throughout the process. 

Similarly to the music video process I had to 'edit to the beat' for my promotional video. I think that I was at an advantage here because I had already practiced this skill for my music video so I was able to reenact this style for the promotional video. For the promotional video I experimented more with the transitions between shots and also adding other elements of audio as well as the music which was something I had not done before. I think this demonstrates an advancement in my editing skills because I have consistently tried new things in each project this year and continued to develop skills needed to produce a professional image. I also overplayed the stock footage of fire with the shot of a corridor in the college as well as adding text to the shot which is again advancing from just overlaying images as I had to include text as well and ensure that they all blended to an appealing level and that the transitions were also blended. 

I think that this year has enabled me to experiment with filming and different styles editing and see what I am able to achieve with practice and determination to produce something I am proud of with real life obstacles that many experience in the professional world of video production. Particularly working with a client to produce something which they are happy with and able to use has been the most challenging and rewarding process and I feel confident in my skills to work with clients in the future and continue to progress with both my quality of filming and editing. 

Production

When looking back on my production skills throughout the year I think my strongest point is my ability to come up with a range of ideas for each unit and putting in the time to research the ways that I could achieve them. In the first four hour film challenges at the beginning of the year  I got comfortable with working alongside others to produce something in a very short time frame. I think this was beneficial because it taught me about the stages of production and how it was possible to produce something of value in such a short time frame. It also made me aware of how much time is realistically required for each stage to ensure that the end product was something that we could be proud of. I enjoyed working in a team because it allowed me to share ideas with others and also see what kind of approach they would take to the different stages of filming such as production and editing. During these challenges I was able to experiment with things such as audio during post production and I also used colour gels to experiment with the appearance of the film and to establish meaning through feelings that can be implied through use of colour. I wish I had used the colour gels for other units such as the music video and the French new wave film produced for contextual studies as I know that it is effective in implying a feeling. I also know that Godard used colour to experiment in his New Wave films therefore, I feel this would have been a good skill to use for that unit also. 

4 hour film challenge - using colour gels to create meaning

Pierrot Le Fou dir. Jean Luc Godard 

Pierrot Le Fou dir. Jean Luc Godard 

The equipment I have used throughout the year has been mainly the use of a DSLR camera and tripod because these are the two pieces of equipment that I feel are essential for producing high quality footage. At the start of the year I was very unfamiliar to DSLR camera's especially using them to produce films, therefore I found that I had to spend quite a lot of time at the start of the year to familiarise myself with all the different settings and the effect they had on the camera lens. For instance, I learnt basic skills such as how to increase/decrease the aperture and ISO and in what instances it is necessary to adjust the settings to produce a clearer image.  It is these basic skills that have helped me to be able to produce good quality  footage throughout each unit and continuously improve on these skills as the year has progressed.  

Something I feel I could have experimented more with is lighting such as using the studio to recreate famous lighting techniques such as Rembrandt and Butterfly Lighting like I had practiced at the beginning of the year. I think that this would have a demonstrated a higher level of filming and also added more variety in to the footage I have produced throughout the year. 

I have demonstrated the ability to collect and use primary and secondary research to inform my decisions during the making of my music video by creating a questionnaire and holding a focus group to discuss ideas in more depth. I think this was definitely a strength for my music video because it allowed me to explore both my own ideas and those of the audience and it helped me to put more time in to research which I feel has had a positive impact on the overall product. 

I also think time management has been an important skill which I have continuously worked on throughout the year by creating GANNT charts to plan when different stages of production had to be completed by and to hold myself responsible for making sure I meet deadlines expected of me. This skill has allowed me to experience real industry practices and I think I have adapted considerably from the beginning of the year considering I had no previous experience of production and I have now worked alongside a client to produce a video that they are happy with and maintain a good rapport with them throughout which I again feel is an important skill to demonstrate in the industry. 

Proof of Time Management

GANNT Chart

Feedback

Final Client Feedback

Final Video & Evaluation

Promotional Video and Evaluation

I decided to make an instruction style of Promotional Video as I feel it best suited the purpose of a fire awareness video and would allow me to adapt an informative approach. This remains very similar to what was discussed within the first meeting with my client as it became clear that the specific content of the video was to be the main focus, including some context of fire awareness as well as the correct information regarding safety procedures that exist within the college. From the very beginning of the project, the client emphasised how a shorter video (around 1-2 and a half minutes ) was imperative for the target audience because it needed to engage students who may not be particularly interested in informing themselves about fire safety procedures. I made sure that I took this in to account during every stage of the process and I feel that this may be one of the biggest strengths within the project as I feel that I had a clear understanding of what my client required of me and kept very close to the first brief.

Final Video

Evaluation

For the final product I decided to create a very simple instructional style video that could be easily engaged with by the students of King Edward VI College. I felt that it was important that each shot was related specifically with the text on screen to reinforce the informative element of the video that is most prominent throughout its entirety. I think the pacing of the video is quite good as each shot lingers for an amount of time which is appropriate for the audience to be able to read the text that relates to the image(s) without it feeling as though its dragging on any specific parts of the video. Another thing that I think works quite well for the video's overall appearance is the use of the fire stock footage throughout as it ensures that its consistently relating to the theme of fire safety/awareness which is something that the client requested in our first meeting. I also feel that by including the stock fire footage in the beginning shot of the video it enforces to the audience what the contents of the video will be related to and encourages them to engage with the information in an easy to follow guide.  As the video is aimed more towards informing students of the fire safety procedures, there is less of a focus on fire awareness such as fire statistics. Despite this, I think the two statistics included the beginning are a good way of relating the safety information to these statistics as they emphasise the dangers of fire and the implications of not following safety procedures made to ensure students safety. 

One of the things I found difficult when editing was ensuring that the information to be included was short and concise whilst also including the specifics of fire evacuation and procedures that must be followed. Therefore, within the first stages of editing I spent quite a lot of time ensuring that this was as accurate as possible and related specifically to the information students are required to know about fire safety and awareness. During the planning process, my client provided me with quite a lot of information by sharing the resources with me that he had already put together so this meant before I could go forward with filming I felt it was important to first read through these resources and narrow down the necessary information to be included. I found that some of the information was not particularly relevant for students and was instead related specifically to the staff within King Edward VI College therefore it was essential for me to make the distinction between the content relating to students versus staff. 

As I briefly mentioned before, I think that one of my biggest strengths throughout this process was understanding what my client required of me and taking in to account all of the ideas that they felt were important to include. The audio of the two different fire alarms was a suggestion made by the client as he thought it was necessary for students to hear the two different sounds made by the alarms in college. I was more than happy to oblige with this because I felt that it would make all elements of the video blend nicely and again remain consistent in relating to the theme of fire safety/awareness. Another suggestion made by the client was including a shot of student(s) walking down stairs to exit the building to demonstrate fire evacuation. However, due to time constraints I was only able to ask one student to be in the video and I would have ideally included a shot of a group of students exiting the building via the stairs. Despite time constraints, I feel I worked around any of the obstacles that this implemented on the project and even in instances where some of the shots didn't turn out as well as I would have been able to produce had I had more time, I came to a suitable compromise and made the best out of what I was able to produce rather than dwelling on what I wasn't able to produce. 

One of the weaknesses of my promotional video is that some of the transitions between shots is at some points a bit messy. I think that if I was to do this project again, I would have allowed more time for editing as I think it is easy to underestimate how much time it takes to edit to a degree which makes the video both fluent and smooth in appearance. I also would have spent more time researching the types of transitions available online and downloaded a pack which may have made the appearance of the video appear both more interesting and professional. Despite this, I am relatively happy with what I was able to produce in a shorter time frame due to being let down by my first client and do not see this as hugely impairing the final video. 

Another weakness of my promotional video is the shot for 'make your way to the nearest fire assembly point' is too dark. This is something that my client also picked up on when giving me feedback, therefore I do feel that it is definitely a slight detriment to the video's overall appearance and something that if I had more time that I would change altogether. I would instead film another shot of a fire exit which is more clear and also adjust the camera settings such as increasing the ISO and decreasing the aperture to ensure that enough light is able to enter the camera lens to give the best chance of producing a clear image. 

Health and Safety

Health and Safety: Risk Assessment

1. Using filming equipment creates hazards because things such as wires can become a risk if people trip over them such as a battery charger. A hazard that this creates is harm to any person who may be walking through King Edward VI College, students, staff and visitors so I will need to be very careful during filming to ensure the safety of others around me and be aware of the risks myself. This could cause injury to any person who trips over the wire and could cause damage to the camera equipment needed to carry out filming. To prevent this from happening I will make sure that the camera battery is fully charger prior to filming and if necessary I will take a break to charge the camera in the classroom away from others to minimise the risk of someone tripping over the wire. I think this risk is low because I have thought of a way to minimise the risk. I will also be putting signs on the doors around the college when filming to ensure consent of any participants in the video and to also make students/staff cautious of filming taking place. 

Because I plan to film at times where there are very little students/staff around the college site to make it easier for me to get the shots that I need this also ensures that the safety of students and staff is considered because there will not be any crowds of people who may not notice that filming is taking place and may injure themselves by tripping on the equipment. Smaller groups of people or people who are walking around site are more likely to be vigilant to their surroundings and it will also be more noticeable that I am filming without crowds of people wandering around site at the same time. 

2. The fire drills may be a hazard because any person in college may  not be aware that they are going to take place and act as if they are a real fire drill. This may cause them to panic. Therefore it is important for this to be communicated by estates to any person in college to ensure that they are made aware. However, I plan to film the fire drill audio during half term at 8:30am when there should be very little people around college site to minimise this risk. I also believe that this risk is low because I will be filming at a time that does not particularly implement students/staff and where this is not the case, the appropriate people will be informed before the drill takes place.