Editing of Footage and Sound

Final Cut Express

To edit the thriller we used Final Cut Express to edit the footage together, change to colouring of the images and adding titles to the film. As you've seen in a previous post we turned day into night with the  software this was also a similar process for the colouring to make the film look darker. Here's a screenshot of us editing the film:

Sound Track Pro

To edit the sound for the film we used Sound Track Pro. Sound would appear in different tracks so they could overlap or be edited individually. We added production music and sound effects to the sound that was already present in the film (That would also be edited itself).

Turning Day into Night

For our film, we need to make some outside shots of our film look more like night time. So we began to look for tutorials and we came across this handy video:

This taught us how to colour the film clips into making it look like a gloomy night time scene. Giving a completely different look to the clips that we filmed.

Shooting On Location Day 2

Reflection studios filmed two scenes with our actor Alex. One in Crimson's bedroom and the phone call outside.

We first set up the equipment in the bedroom area due to the bad weather in hope that it would clear up. We briefed the actor to make sure he knew what he was doing. We gave him some time to read over the script and practice his movement and the we set the camera rolling.

We filmed the 'Discovery' scene and then we moved the camera and a reflector outside, only to discover that it was still raining. We all had a discussion whether to go ahead with the filming or not. We all knew that we had to get the filming done, the weather did actually have a positive affect on the filming giving more of a developed atmosphere to the scene.

So that's what reflection studios filmed, only one more day to go!

Shooting On Location Day 1

Today Reflection Studios filmed the 'Wasteland' shots for the thriller opening. This is when a mysterious character is seen walking through the empty area of land with a hockey stick and leaving, never revealing the identity of the character.














We set up all the equipment, waited for our actress to arrive then began the process of filming.Before even considering to film, we ensured that our actress knew exactly what was going to happen and when by showing her the storyboard and animatic of the scene we were about to film. After watching the animatic and explaining the storyboard images we walked our actress through the route and timing of her movement in the scene. 













After all the preparing, it was then time to start filming. The first shot we filmed was the establishing shot of the wasteland to show the audience where they are and set the scene for our thriller before any character enters. This shot took a few takes until we were happy with the smooth pan of the shot.
















Next up was the close up of the gravel followed by the entrance of the mysterious figure. We again walked the actress through the route and timing then ran the camera for the first time.













This shot was then followed by a close up of the feet and the entrance of the hockey stick. This allows us to add suspicion to the figure however we still won't see anything other than the feet at this point. The feet then exit the shot; this was repeated many times to ensure that the feet and the hockey stick were in the exact same shot as the previous one as this will be match on action.














We took a break due to the bad weather then went back to record the last few shots of footage for this location. The last shot filmed today was the hooded figure walking off into the dark alley way, still not seeing the face of the character. The night was drawing and so the 3 point lighting allowed us to brighten up the darker alley we were filming in. 













Once all the film footage for this location was filmed all that was left to do today was collect the location sound. We needed a gravel sound that could be dubbed over the top of the characters feet when they were walking and so we got the actress to repeat the movement she did in the actual scene, making sure she walks at the same pace as she does in the actual film shot.



So that's day 1 of our filming complete so next up is day 2 with the interior and exterior shots at Crimson's house.

Shooting Schedule

So now everything is done and ready for filming. Just one last thing before we start to film: The Shooting Schedule!

Filming Schedule

Risk Assessment

When we go out filming, it's obvious that there is going to be a number of risks when filming. Some of our film is shot in an unused garage area so there are risks filming there with it being untended to. But other than that our locations are pretty safe and secure!

Here's the risk assessment:

Thriller Risk Assessment

Animatic Feedback

So we showed our animatic to our class to be assessed by them on what was good and what could be improved. Here is some feedback that we gathered:

• "Clear narrative, a little confusing to start but a good story all together"
• "A wide variety of shots were used and alot of detail was put in"
• "Sound track supports the images on screen well"
• "The heartbeat is a little cliche"
• "Lacks key frames but all in all a good opening"
• "Titles and Idents were present, could do with a little work"

So overall we had pretty good feedback in general just a couple of little things to work on, but most people said that we we're ready to begin the production of the actual product!

The Black Widow: Animatic

What is an animatic?
An animatic is often the step before filming. It takes the images from the storyboard and dubs the soundtrack.

Professional Example:

This is the animatic for film 'The Worlds End' it shows how it compares to the real, end product. Soundtrack and all.


So I guess this really where we begin to envision what the final product will look like, with both visuals, and pictures. It's all coming together now and it really has given us confidence to go out into the locations and films. Now to start the filming!