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. 

Clips, Footage and Bins

Editing Screen Grabs

Experimenting with editing

Experimenting with overlaying images and different opacity levels 

Experimenting with the 'Film Dissolve' video transition to overlap images

Evaluation

Upon reviewing the footage I had for my music video it was evident that there were a lot of differences in appearance for each shot so I felt that it was important to play around with the transitions of the video to give it more of a seamless edge whilst remaining true to the subject's reality. The narrative does become distorted throughout the video due to drug use. I also made many cuts during shots to ensure that the image that was produced was only a snapshot in time and only from a specific angle which adds to the mystery behind the narrative. I added the 'film dissolve' transition for certain shots to make them look more appealing as I found that having contrasting shots could make the video appear too jolting and despite this being quite fitting for the subject, I still had to keep my audience in mind and consider what they would find most enjoyable. 

Final Music Video & Evaluation

Final Music Video & Analysis

Evaluation

For my final music video I decided to combine both the experimental and narrative genre as I thought it would make the final result appear more interesting and unique compared to a generic performance style video which is favoured in the mainstream. I also feel that is a good fit for the Psychedelic Rock music genre because it stands apart from "popular" music. I felt that this was particularly important because the song I chose, I Need a Man to Love was released in the late 60's and therefore shouldn't be particularly reminiscent of music videos from today. Perhaps most importantly, I knew that I wanted to produce something which felt almost timeless because this is the sort of feeling that I believe the song produces with its audience and is responsible for why the music from the Psychedelics is still admired by young people today. 

During the initial planning process I knew that I wanted my music video to be mainly open to interpretation as those are types of videos that I personally enjoy. The data I gathered from my questionnaire and focus group also suggests that audiences enjoy videos that are more experimental therefore I feel that I created a video that fits well with this as it doesn't follow any specific structure.   

Although I didn't stick to my original plan I don't think this has had a negative effect on my music video overall as I still managed to produce something which is very close to the original plan. Also, I think the setbacks that I experienced have made me more aware of some of the difficulties that can arise during planning and scheduling and therefore I feel better equipped to handle them if I were to do this again. 

I'm happy that I was still able to include references to Andrew Goodwin's theory of amplifying/illustrating lyrics as shown below. I like these aspects of the video because it helps break away from focusing solely on the visuals and instead on both the lyric and sound. It also forms a relationship between the lyrics and visuals which helps the audience make this connection without having to search for it themselves. 

Extreme close up of subject mouthing the lyrics - amplifying 

Close up of song lyrics  - illustrating

Although my music video doesn't follow a specific narrative I wanted to act as symbolism of someone who feels misunderstood/like something is missing from their life. I tried to demonstrate this in shots of the subject walking around in different environments, alone, looking around at her surroundings and seeming deep in thought. The subject takes an ecstasy pill and her entire reality changes, she starts to see her life in colours and is no longer worried about feeling accepted. Her sense of time is also distorted, day becomes night and days blur in to one. 

I feel like my music video takes an experimental approach to presenting a narrative as unlike most narrative videos which tend to follow the story of the protagonist as events unfold in a chronological timeframe, my music video doesn't follow any timeline which agains adds to the distorted sense of reality that the character comes to live in or escape to. 

At the beginning of the music video we are introduced to the subject in her altered reality which is shown mainly through the use of colour lighting and often close ups. Whereas in other moments in the video we see the subject before taking ecstasy and the contrast here is visually prominent and hugely relevant to the deeper meaning. 

Mid-shot of subject's sober state - dull visuals

Close up of subject in moments of her altered
reality due to consumption of ecstatsy - colourful visuals

There are a few things that I think don't work as well for my music video such as certain shots being more shaky than others due to not using the tripod to stabilise during filming. I thought that I would be able to fix this during editing, however, the 'warp stabiliser' effect was unable to analyse the clips properly so I had to skip this step. To rectify this, I would ensure that I always use a tripod for filming (where stabilised shots are required) as it can be difficult to tell at the time of filming if the shots are ok until you analyse them on a bigger screen and then it may be too late to reshoot if there hasn't been extra time assigned in case of filming errors. Despite this, I don't think it's too much of a problem as many shots were planned to be the from the perspective of the subject and therefore it gives a deeper sense of verisimilitude, as if it shot from the eyeliner of the subject. 

I made a number of cuts to each shot during editing to give the video a jolty appearance as I felt it was necessary to emphasise a sense of distorted reality through gaps of time being missing and shots that don't follow the ones previous, due to it's asynchronous narrative. At some points I feel that this may have been too distracting as many shots were short in duration whereas there are a small amount that are significantly longer and I think this affects the overall fluidity of the video. To alter this I think I could have spent more time in editing to ensure that every single shot used is relevant and fits the rest of the video.    

I also think it would have been useful to include a shot of the subject consuming the ecstasy pill rather than just showing the pill to further emphasise the narrative as I am unsure if many people would necessarily jump to this conclusion without being shown it explicitly. 

Another thing that I think could have improved my music video is spending more time post filming to experiment with different edits and try something that I haven't done before such as using different colour overlays to emphasise the contrast between the sober/high state of the subject. For instance using a blue or grey overlay on the shots where the visuals are more dull and adding a bright colour such as pink to add a warmer tone to the visuals of the street art and inside the vintage/thrift shop.

Overall, I am relatively happy with the result because I stuck to the idea of creating something timeless that fit's the Psychedelic music genre and doesn't resemble a generic music video which is something I wanted to steer clear of from the very start. I was also able to create something which remains close to what my target audience (18-25) fed back to me and I took their suggestions on board such as including a reference to the Psychedelics and Janis Joplin with colourful visuals and a narrative that includes drug use. I think that I managed to use a good range of camera shots to make the video appear more interesting and fluent. If I were to re-do this piece of work, as mentioned previously, I would ensure that all shots are stabilised and also spend more time in editing to improve the overall appearance of the video. In my opinion, the narrative is perhaps one of the stronger elements of my work, although, I could have presented it in a way that is more visually striking and experimental. This could have been made possible if I was able to shoot in the studio as planned as I could have created my own projections which would have added more strength to the overall visuals. 

Editing

Development of editing

Editing is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of film, it enables directors to manipulate

audiences perspective and establishes the pace of which events unfold throughout the narrative. Modern editing continues to advance with the introduction of new technology but it is imperative to understand where it all began and the impact of editing on film. 

In 1895 the Lumiere brothers introduced the first camera known as the cinematographe, a three way machine that recorded, captured and projected a motion picture. It produced one long roll of film, essentially a continuous shot. On the 28th December 1985, the first public screening took place, it inspired the magician, George Méliès to become involved in film. After being refused a purchase of a cinematographe from the Lumière brothers, who saw him as a direct competition, he took it upon himself to purchase an animatograph from which he was able to create his own camera. Along with owning a theatre company, Méliès  began to show his own films. It is from this experience that he began to use jump cuts in his films to create an appearance of things disappearing and reappearing in shots. This effect can be seen in the film The Haunted Castle (1986). 

Méliès also introduced effects known as overlaying dissolves, fade in & fade out and stop motion photography. It is from this that Méliès was able to adapt film in to a storytelling form, something which would both engage and entertain audiences and continue to increase the popularity of film. Méliès theatre background hugely influenced his work, throughout his career he made around 500 films and all were shot from the same angle. Viewing his films was almost like being a spectator in a theatre audience, lots of detail was taking place in the scene but the audience could only see this a single perspective. 

Edwin S Porter is another figure who was emerging around a similar time. He had a background in vita scope projection and went on to become head of production at Edison Skylight Studio. In 1901 Edwin S Porter took a more experimental approach to editing by putting different parts of film together. This produced an image which consisted of several shots and increased in length. Porter was greatly influenced by Méliès and in his film Life of an American Fireman (1903) he combined stock footage and staged scenes to form a narrative. Similarly to Méliès, each shot was a complete scene and used a technique known as temporal overlaps to combine the two together. It is here that he began to understand the importance of the arrangement of shots to create meaning. This breakthrough in editing allowed Porter to create something more complex, a story that exists beyond the image produced. This idea of editing shots in to a sequence is known as 'primitive editing'. 

At the time D.W.Griffith had dreams of becoming a writer and started to write stories for films. He submitted his work to Porter who refused and instead gave Griffith a role in his film as an actor. Griffith then went on to work with the production company Biograph and went on to make around 450 films. In his film Greaser's Gauntlet he used a technique known as the 'cut in', this consisted of cutting a medium long shot to a full shot in the middle of a scene to emphasise the emotional reaction from the two actors within the scene. He also created the term 'continuity editing' a technique which allows scenes to follow a continuous and smooth pace which creates a sense of time and space within a narrative. From this the 180 degree rule was born, he discovered that by keeping the camera on one side of the 'axis of action' he could avoid any conflicts to continuity when cutting from one angle to another. Another technique established by Griffith is 'cross cutting' which allowed him to cut between different scenes in a parallel action which can be first seen in his film After Many Years (1908). Griffith used this techniques to experiment with the pace of the cuts to create a sense of urgency during particular scenes to build a cinematic climax. 

After this, filmmakers went on to establish techniques such as matching eyelines, cutting on action, establishing shots, reverse shots etc. A new wave of cinema was created. Griffith's blockbuster film The Birth of a Nation, used all of these experimental techniques and determined its success despite its controversy for being racist. However, it was soon banned due to its controversy causing riots to take place. Griffith never recovered from this setback and would not make another successful film in his time. Griffith was a hugely influential figure in the world of film and is responsible for the style of continuity editing used in mainstream cinema today. 

The Lumiére Brothers 

Edwin S Porter 

D.W.Griffith

4 Hour Film Challenge

Planning

• brief - narrative of a door, match on action
• follows the conventions of horror 
• use of ambient sound to build tension
• walking through doors until the individual reaches the end of the corridor/room
• opening and closing doors 
• equipment - camera & tripod 

Evaluation:

 A strength of our film "Behind The Door" is that we were successful in demonstrating a range of camera and lighting techniques. Some of the shot types we included were medium, close up, canted angle, point of view and long shot. Our range of shot types ensured that we had good match on action throughout the film so each shot transitioned smoothly to the next and it gives the appearance of a real film as it follows the conventions of continuity. 

An element that we struggled with during filming was the lighting because the location that we chose to shoot in was very dark and it had an affect on the overall clarity and effectiveness of some of the shots. For instance the shot where the individual walks up to the first room and looks inside, the use of low key lighting is too dark here therefore we should have used additional lighting such as an LED light to make sure both the subject and room are lit to a suitable level. In spite of this, I do believe that this is also works in our favour because it makes the film appear more disorientating which is a common convention with the horror genre in achieving a reaction from the viewer. Disorientating the viewer means that they are s less likely to be able to guess what it is to come next as it becomes more difficult to keep up with the events that are taking place on screen therefore this adds a scare element. 

In our final shot of the film the individual opens another door and goes in to a room at the end of the corridor and the room is well lit due to the use of natural lighting coming through a large window in the room. This is effective in terms of demonstrating camera and lighting techniques because it gives our film a contrast between the extremes of low key lighting to high key lighting at the end of the film when the film takes a lighter note than what the audience may have expected. 

4 Hour Film Challenge

Task Brief and Planning

The criteria we were given for the 4 hour film challenge was as shown above (left). It gave us an outline of the basic features we had to include and from that we developed our ideas in the planning session and came up with our main theme/idea to base our film around. 

In total we spent about 30 minutes planning, 1 hour filming and 1 hour and 30 minutes to edit which brought our total of time spent on the task at around 3 hours/3 hours 3o minutes.  

On the right is the plan we put together to organise our ideas and decide what we wanted to achieve as a group. Our final concept was surrounding the use of windows to portray the theme of isolation and a sense of being trapped inside and observing the world from this perspective. We also played around with the idea that the "individual" behind the camera is a ghost who is stuck in the past, living through nostalgia and cannot move on from this state which will be reflected by our choice of music. 

In order to incorporate a range of camera and lighting techniques we will make sure to include examples of both high key and low key lighting to reflect the highs and lows of the individual as they reflect on their past.

Evaluation 

I think our film was relatively successful in sticking to the plan and reflecting the story we wanted to tell through the shots that we filmed. In particular I think we used good examples of both low key and high key lighting which represent the tone of the film and the themes of entrapment and the ups and downs an individual may experience in their own mind, as we wanted to be able to demonstrate the individual's entrapment both physically and mentally. 

The use of vintage/retro jazz music playing throughout the film a nostalgic feel to the film which could be interpreted in a number of ways such as that the film was filmed in the past or perhaps that the individual is more mature and therefore when they are reflecting on their memories this is the music that they associate it with. I think the vintage/retro feel of the music definitely reinforces the sense of reflection on something in the past whilst also adding an eerie tone because it is not necessarily a comforting sound to someone who isn't familiar with the song because they can't relate to it on a personal level like the individual in the film does. The use of windows is effective in this sense because it acts as a symbol of their inability to interact with the world around them and the isolation that comes with that realisation. 

To improve our film I believe we could have developed even further on the lines of entrapment for instance we could have shown a fist thumping on the window or pushing at the window to actually physically show the individual attempting to escape but being unable to. This would have further developed the reasoning behind why the individual is trapped if we are exposed to the force that is preventing them from being free. We could have even shown the individual through the use of shadows or even playing around with different angles such as low angle which would still keep the identity of the individual anonymous because I think the fact that the identity of the individual is not revealed keeps the film's eerie tone. 

Another thing that we could have improved on is the use of sound because there isn't any other sounds other than the music that is playing throughout the film. I think if we switched between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds it could have added an interesting element to the film through the use of sounds like footsteps or voices it would make it more difficult to distinguish what sounds are real and what sounds are not. 

During editing we did have to use the "warp stabiliser" tool as some of the footage was a bit shaky due to not having  access to a trip-pod on the day of filming. However, I don't think this affected the overall appearance of the film and the effects such as overlaying other clips and playing around with the opacity added a more interesting element to the appearance of the film. In the future we could also further our use of editing techniques to see what different techniques we could use to effectively illustrate camera and lighting techniques.