This week we received feedback on our conspiracy films. These are some of the points that were mentioned within the feedback: -
More variety in the news reports, have different chat and news shows instead of using all of the footage from just one show.
Some of the shots need tidying up and going over again to improve the pace of the film
The static TV in between the news and chat shows is good as it breaks them up
There needs to be less text and for the text to be replaced by the sounds and voice clips from other footage over the top of visuals to make it more engaging and makes parts of the film that has text more predominant and stand out
From this feedback i now know what i would need to improve on if i were to do the task again. I think that one of the main problems with the film was the repetition of footage. I think that we used too much of one set of footage, we had a wide variety of clips to used and we should have used others and had more variety in the film. I think that we also should have allowed ourselves more time to do a final edit. I think that if we had given ourselves a bit more time then we would have been able to go through the edit again and tidy it up and make it to a better standard. i know that from previous projects that time constraints have been a problem and i need to allow myself more time to edit in order to create a better standard of an edit. I also think that we should have analysed the clips more and as it was said in the feedback, to use the sound from the clips instead of using text. I think that if we had picked out all of the sound clips and used them in this way the film would have been more engaging.
When watching the film "The Bounty Hunter" there was a particular scene that caught my interest in regards to editing and post production. This scene was a scene in by which one character, "the bounty hunter", is waiting in what he thinks is Nicole's house who is the person that he is trying to capture and arrest. The scene shows cuts between the bounty hunter (Milo) waiting for her to arrive home from work and of Nicole walking home from work and arriving at the house. It then cuts to Milo creeping around the house in order to not be seen or heard by Nicole. Milo then waits by the door, it then cuts to Nicole opening the door but as the door opens we cut back to Milo and the door is opening, however it is not Nicole walking through the door but it is in fact someone else, as it's Nicole's boss. Milo had been waiting in the wrong house for Nicole to arrive home, all though the audience were led to believe throughout the entirety of the scene that Milo was waiting in Nicole's house and that this was the point in which he was going to arrest her. Through clever editing the audience were lead to believe something that was in fact not so and was incorrect and they were fooled by the film.
I think that this truly shows the power in which editing holds within a film. When the audience is spoon fed information, as many do within Hollywood films, the audience will believe whatever they are being told or shown or are being lead to believe is true. Editing meant that the audience were tricked into thinking that Milo was in fact in Nicole's house and nothing gave them the thought that he was in fact not in the house. It meant that the audience were left with the element of realisation and surprise which was unexpected.
Another scene, or more of a clip that i also found interesting within this film was a scene where Milo is at a Las Vegas casino and is in his hotel room and about to get into the elevator to go down to the casino for the night. The clip shows Milo getting into the elevator, the doors shut, then the doors open again and Milo is standing in the elevator looking worse for wear with a beer in his hand, his clothes torn and he looks drunk. Instead of showing Milo actually being in the casino and showing the night in which he had, it is shown within a couple of seconds. Again, this shows the power of editing and how information can be presented to the audience through clever editing such as this. This meant that there was no time wasted in showing a casino scene and showing what happened, it is all shown and expressed in the way that Milo looks and walks out of the elevator that clearly shows that he has had a late night filled with gambling and alcohol.
As part of an assessment we were given the task of creating a conspiracy theory video that led the audience into believing one side of the conspiracy. The aim of the video was to persuade the audience into believing that what was being said was true. Doing this by putting statistics, sightings, facts, figures and any other leading information into the video. The video also had to be visually interesting so that it gained the viewers interest and brought them into the conspiracy. All of the footage that was to be included in the video had to be footage from sites such as YouTube and archive footage and images that could be found on the internet.
For this assessment we decided that we would focus on the conspiracy that is "Big Pharma". Big Pharma refers to the conspiracy that pharmaceutical companies are selling products that could be more beneficial to cure illness but aren't so that it means the consumer must buy multiple medication in order to get better. It also looks into many of the pharmaceutical companies selling medication that does not have any actual benefit to illness but in fact just acts as a placebo effect but is still sold at a high price.
When we started to put the video together we first looked at what we wanted the structure of the video to be. We looked at what the message was that we were trying to get across to the audience and ensuring that this came across clear and concise to the audience within three minutes. We then broke the structure down into different sections. These being: -
1. Introduction - people sneezing, coughing, taking pills. "Kerching" sounds and the sound of cash registers opening in between the videos. It will start off slow in pace but then will gradually increase in pace throughout the introduction.
2. Business of selling pills - adverts, factory footage, pharmacy's, doctors. Stating how big a business it is and showing numbers and statistics.
3. Introduction of conspiracy - news reports, explanation of the conspiracy and the government's involvement with the conspiracy.
4. Personal Stories - members of the public and of the industry that have told their own personal stories of their findings and how people have suffered due to the conspiracy. Antidotes and footage of ex-scientists that were previously in the pharmaceutical industry.
5. Impact on the public - believers of the conspiracy, protests, footage of sadness including children, infants and elderly.
6. The future of the pharmaceutical industry - where will the industry go from now, how will the industry change. Ending with the text - "will the truth every come out".
From this we then made a list of what archive footage that we would need in order to create this structure. We also thought of the different sounds that we would need to include as well and also added these to the list. We then split the list of videos between us and we each went away individually and searched for the videos that were needed. This was the list that we created: -
Sneezing, coughing, illness
News reports/chat shows talking of the big pharma conspiracy
Drug adverts
Factory footage/Pill footage
High Street - Pharmacy's, Boots, Superdrug
Doctor's Surgery - consultations with patients
Government Interviews - surrounding the pharmaceutical industry, medicine and Big Pharma
Clips of statistics and numbers regarding the pharmaceutical industry.
I enjoyed being able to search for the clips that we needed as it was nice to think that you could use other people's footage that you didn't need to plan yourself. The footage is all ready there and you have to pick and choose which clips would look best for the film. I found that there was a variety of clips for each category of clips that we needed and it was a case of deciding which ones best fit the style of the video that we were going for. However, at some points it was hard to have such a wide variety of choice as it meant that you had to sieve through all of the videos in order to find the best ones.
Once we had gathered all of the videos that we needed for our edit we then converted them into mp3's for sound and into mp4's for the videos. We then organised them into the structure of the edit and placed the videos under each of the headings. It was then a case of putting the clips together in order to form each part of the structure. This was when we then came across the problem of that it was hard to match the videos to the structure that we wanted as it was hard to put the videos together in such a way that it explained what we wanted explained. We needed something to link the videos together and that explained the points that we were trying to get across through the images and the visual. This was when we had to decide whether we wanted to have a voiceover or various clips of text that continually explained the conspiracy in between or over the top of the footage. We came to the decision that we would use text to do this and that we would place it in between footage and also to have text on top of the footage.
When editing the news reports and chat show section of the edit we came across another problem and this was that there was no flow in-between the footage. It just seemed like we were showing various clips of the news and chat shows one after another. It seemed boring and it slowed down the pace and the interest within the conspiracy. This was when i came up with the idea of that we could put footage of a TV static screen in between the clips so that it was as if someone was changing the channel on a tv and that they were channel flicking. This also would give the impression that Big Pharma was a problem and was important as it would appear that all that was on the TV was news about the conspiracy. We also had the sound of static over the TV as well as this also helped to break up the edit and keep the interest with the viewer.
Another problem that we found was the image and sound quality of our video, the reason for this being that the videos that we were using had been taken from YouTube. The quality of YouTube video's varied between the videos on both their image and sound quality and this caused us problems in order to make the edit as a whole level in terms of sound. To solve this problem we went through each clip individually and changed the sound levels so that they were all at a similar level so that when watching the video you could not tell the difference in sound quality between clips. However, all though we did this the sound quality was still not at it's best but we tried to do the best that we could with what we had.
I think that once we had completed our edit we were all happy with it as a group. We were happy with the fact that the message was clear and concise within the video and that it came across in a persuading and interesting way that gained the viewers attention. We had changed certain elements of the structure that we had originally agreed but overall the structure was still there and we got across all of the information that we wanted too.
It was interesting to be able to make a film out of someone else's footage as it meant that you could solely just focus on the editing. You don't have any personal connection with the footage as you haven't planned or filmed it yourself. I find that when you are editing with your own footage you tend to edit differently to when you are editing footage that you have no relation too. With being able to focus on just the editing i found it a lot easier to edit and put a structure together and to complete an edit to a better standard. I think that when editing with your own footage you can sometimes be too protective of the footage. For example, if you had filmed a scene yourself and you knew that it took over an hour to set up and shoot but you then get to the edit and it doesn't seem to work but you still want it to be in the final edit as you know how much time you had invested in that scene. Whereas if it is someone else's footage you have not invested anything within it so you are just totally focused on making the edit to the best that you can. You have total vision on the final look and edit of the film which i think helps when editing and i would personally prefer to edit footage other than my own due to this reason.
As part of one of our assignments for this semester we created a
video that would incorporate the SeeGreen project, which was about elderly
people becoming more energy efficient within their homes. For our group’s video
we interviewed a man called Jack Brown who lives in a house that previously was
an old thatched cottage. Since moving into the house
Jack and his wife have gone out to make their home as energy efficient as
possible and the aim of our video was to show these improvements and methods of
making their house more energy efficient. We wanted to make this video in the
hope that other people would watch the video and become inspired and encouraged to do the same
with their own home.
We shot the interview within one day at Jack’s house with a crew
of four people. We faced only a few minor problems that we mostly managed to resolve while on
the shoot. One of these being that we found it hard to light the room and to
get the right look in which we wanted. It was hard to set up the lights that we
had, as it was only a small room in which we were filming. However, we managed
to improvise with the lighting and used different light sources to create the
look that we wanted. Another problem in which we faced was manovering the
camera around the house because the house was very narrow and small with it
being converted from a cottage. This meant that we couldn’t get some of the
wide shots in which we wanted within the house. However, we still managed to
get what we wanted even if it wasn’t the same shot as we originally hoped for.
Regarding the post production of our film we found that we had
very little problem with the sound that we had recorded. The sound was clear
and crisp with no muffling or background noise that caused any problem. We
found that the footage was also of a good quality and that we were happy with
the shots that we had got and that they were very close to how we wanted to the
film to look and feel. The lighting gave the mood of a homely and welcoming
feeling that we were going for as well throughout the film. The editing process
of the film went very smoothly and as a team we didn’t face many problems when
it came to editing the film. This was mainly due to the fact of that we only
had one source of sound and this was the interview in which we had conducted.
So we didn’t have to look to resolve problems such as lip syncing or editing
the sound very much at all. Our interviewee, Jack, also spoke in a clear and concise
manner, which again helped within the editing process. We felt that all of the
sound in which we had captured was useful and relevant to the video which made
editing just a case of what the main points in which we wanted to include in
the film and which parts we could let go of. Once we had decided on the
structure and dialogue of what we wanted within the film it was then just a
case of finding appropriate cut aways to intercut with the interview. We were
pleased at the quality of the footage and the sound that we had recorded as
this helped us as a team when it came to the editing process and it made
it a much smoother process.
After the screening of the film we received feedback on the post
production side of our film. The feedback that we received was as follows:
· What was
the point of the video? What was its purpose?
· It was very
simple, could have been a bit more adventurous with the film.
· There could
have been more elements of storytelling within the film. For example, showing
Jack collect the wood for the fire
After receiving the feedback that we were given I realised how
we could have improved our video a lot further. Regarding the comment of what
was the point of the video, I realised that even though us as a team understood
what we were trying to get across it may not have been as clear to the audience
and that we had not put the idea behind the video forward and clear enough to
the viewer. The purpose of the video was to try and encourage the viewers to
adopt some of the methods and energy saving tips of jack’s and to incorporate them
within their own lives. However, I don’t think that we made this clear enough
within our video as we didn’t directly put this idea towards the viewer. Thinking
about it afterwards it would have seemed to the viewer that it was just a video
about this one particular house. From this I have learnt that when editing in
the future I need to take more consideration into how the audience sees the
film and not just myself and from my own perspective. I need to see the film
through the eyes of someone that has no idea of what is going on and this will
help me to push forward what i am trying to get across within my film.
I also agree, on reflection of our film, with the comment of that
our film was very simple and that we could have been a bit more adventurous. Our film is of a very simple structure of that of an interview,
which is intercut with relating visuals. I think that we could have explored
different types of editing methods and experimented with the pace and the look
of the film. We should have also thought of an alternative way of editing the
film and creating two or three different edits and then deciding from these
which we thought was the best. I think that the reason why we didn’t do this
was due to the time constraints that we put ourselves under. Due to the weather
and us having to change our original plans for our film it meant that we had
less time within the post production stage of the film. Showing that for future
projects I should always come up with at least one back up plan as well as
the original plan to still allow sufficient time for editing and post
production.
Finally, the last part of the feedback that we received was that
there could have been more elements of storytelling within the film. Again,
after looking at our film I would agree with this comment as we missed
out on opportunities to get some more engaging and different footage. One
example being that instead of just showing Jack placing the wood on the fire
and lighting it, we could have had Jack cutting logs in the garden and then
gathering them and brining them inside to put on the fire. There was an
opportunity in which to have captured other elements of Jack’s life and this
would have also made the shots within the film more varied. I think that we
were lacking within the actual story of the film/interview. We could have
showed other elements of the house and of Jack’s life within the film, instead
of it purely being the interview of Jack and his house which made it repetitive.
Overall, I am happy with how our film turned out and I think
that we worked well together as a group in order to have our film as a final
product. With this being the first official film that I have made while at
university I am happy with how it turned out. However, I have also learnt from
the process of making this film that there are areas in which I could improve and
work on for future projects.
My theory of film music is that the essential psychology of a film is supplied by the music. It functions as a psychological backbone.Digital Film-Making, pg.131, Mike Figgis
Music within a film is
reffered to “the psychological backbone” of a film by Mike Figgis in his
Digital Film making book. It is the music that is in the subconscious of your
mind that develops a psychological link between the viewer and what they are
watching. It is forcing them to feel a certain way without them even knowing.
It is subliminally pushing them to feel a certain way and to feel a certain way
towards the characters and the situations in which they are in. Music within
film acts as a great manipulative force that is invisible to the eye that
sparks the viewers emotions. However, music can be used as a lazy way of trying
to make the audience feel how the director wants them to feel about a scene.
Instead of letting the film speak for itself it seems sometimes necessary to
some directors to put music over a scene in order to tell the audience how they
should be feeling rather than them being able to figure it our for themselves
without having to be pushed in one certain direction. Without music or sound
within a film there is no real emotional connection between the film and it’s
audience which would make a film pointless as the idea of a film is to create
some sort of reaction from the audience. Whether this be of fright, comedy,
sadness or anger it always necessary for at least some reaction from the
audience and this is normally enhanced through the use of music and sound. It
again shows how sound is just as important as the visuals within moving image.
The editor should be the person on set - or the editor's assistant, certainly someone from the editing department - who makes sure that the footage is being issued and catalogued in a way that they understand. Also, the tapes should be viewed on a a daily basis, in the way that 35mm used to be viewed. So that when a tape gets put into a box they have some idea of what has been shot. Digital Film-Making, pg.113, Mike Figgis
I have always seen that an editor's work begins when they are in the editing suite. However, after reading the post production chapter of Digital Film-Making I have realised that an editor's role does in fact starts from the first day of shooting. An editor on set is responsible for making sure that all of the footage is correct and is taken off of the memory cards and imported onto a device correctly. They are also responsible for looking through the rushes of the footage and making sure that there are no problems with it, so that if there are any they can be resolved or re-shot while on set there and then. This makes the process a lot easier when realising these problems on set rather than when in the editing suite and it is too late. It also the role of the editor to make sure that all of the footage is organised and that when it is imported onto a device that it is separated into different folders of video, audio and external audio. Then for it to be organised into different folders that represent each camera so that it will be completely clear to someone who were to look at the footage for the first time and for them to be able to know what footage is what and what camera or marantz it has been recorded from. So from this i have found that a key skill for an editor is that they need to be organised in order to be successful and to make the entirety of the process of post-production as smooth as possible. It is getting into the routine of checking rushes, importing footage, organising files and then backing them up that is key to becoming successful.
As part of a task we were given a series of different clips and a script in which we were to edit too. I enjoyed doing this task as i had not had any previous experience of editing to an actual script so it was interesting to see how everything fitted together when looking at both the script and the footage. It was also interesting to look at how the script had been interpreted during filming and to see that the script had been transformed into an actual physical form.
When i had downloaded both the script and the footage onto my mac i started to read through the script so that i had an understanding of the story and what was happening within the scene. As i needed to know the feel and the mood of the scene before i began editing it. Once i had done this i then looked at the rushes and then shortened the clips taking out any unnecessary dialogue that wasn't in the script and in which i didn't need. I then started to create a rough edit of the conversation between the two characters, making sure that i was following the script correctly. I then started on my second edit and trimmed down each of the clips in order to create a pace and a mood to the sequence. However, while doing my edit i found that there were a few problems in which i needed to correct.
SOUND
I found that there was a major problem with the sound in the footage, especially when the two characters dialogue are compared and when they are next to each other on the edit. These were some of the main problems in which i found -
Dialogue was too quiet and could hardly be heard at points
Background noise such as the waves were overpowering the actor's dialogue
Sound dipped in various areas
To solve this problem i looked at using a wild track to disguise these problems with the sound in the hope that the problem would not be recognised by the audience. For example, in areas in which the dialogue was too quite i looked at making the dialogue from the actress louder and then placing wild track before and after the dialogue and making the wild track at the same level as the dialogue. At this point i realised that trying to disguise problems with sound in post production is a hard task to do and is very time consuming. This also made me realise the importance of making sure that when i am filming i record the sound correctly on set so that i don't cause more problems for myself during the edit. As trying to correct the sound on set is far easier than recording bad sound and then trying to re-correct it in post.
COLOUR CORRECTING
Once i had completed my final edit i looked at colour correcting my sequence. The original colour of the sequence had no problems other than the fact that when each of the actor's clips were placed next to each other on the edit you can tell that there is a difference in colour. However, as individual clips the colouring of the shot had no problems. So i looked at colour correcting the entire sequence so that it all matched, however i also looked into how colour correcting could effect the feel and the mood of the sequence. Did i want the sequence to look gritty by making it darker? Did i want to make the sequence seem cheerful by making it lighter? This is what i looked into next and i made the decision of that i wanted the colouring to be of bright and non-contrasting colours. The reason for this being that the dialogue that is taking place is of a neutral tone and i wanted this to be reflected in the sequence.
I liked doing this task as it made me realise how much of a personal effect an editor can have on a film, even when they are working from a script. When looking at other people's edits of the same footage they were all different to my own, however they still told the same story and followed the same script in which i was. It was interesting to see how different edit's showed a different pace and a different mood through the way in which they had put their own personal stamp on the edit.
