Digital Film & Post Production: Post Production

Conspiracy Theory - Video Edit

As a part of our Post Production module, we were given the assignment of creating a montage/conspiracy theory video that would be approximately 5 minutes long. The video had to represent our opinion on the subject, and this had to be demonstrated clearly through clever continuity and multiple images and sounds.

To come up with idea's for my conspiracy theory, I made sure that I fully understood the definition of Conspiracy Theory, which was...

a belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for an unexplained event.

Having understood the term, and the general idea on how it should be presented, I went forward then to pick an idea that could be presented in a montage form.

I eventually came to the decision of presenting a Conspiracy Theory On Tryweryn.

The Basic Story Of Tryweryn :Capel Celyn was a rural community to the north west of Bala in Gwynedd, north Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn, in order to supply Liverpool and Wirral with water for industry.

To begin to start any form of editing for this task, I had to make thorough research in terms of it's details, using multiple websites such as British Pathe, Vimeo, Youtube & Peoples Collection.

Using these websites enabled me to access images, video clips and sounds that would be useful in terms of producing my Conspiracy Theory Video.

Here are two screenshots of the current process of editing my Conspiracy Theory Video On Adobe Premier Pro :

Screen Shot Of Current Progress

Screen Shot 2 Of Current Progress

FINAL CONSPIRACY THEORY VIDEO

Tryweryn - Conspiracy Theory - Sion Campbell from Sion Campbell on Vimeo.

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POST PRODUCTION LESSON

During one of our Post Production lessons, we were presented with two different Clips to watch.

The clips were :

MOVE - Travel Australia

City Of God - Chase The Chicken

Whilst watching these clips, it was required of us to analyse them from a Post Production point of view. By this it meant looking at various things such as it's continuity ect.

Here below is my analytical view of both video clips.

City Of God - Chase The Chicken

In this video we can see various juxtaposing images that bring us the story of the chicken. The transitions between each shots are fast paced, that swiftly change from one extreme close up, to a wide angle. The video is indeed cut very much to motion, with the pace and timing almost matching exactly to the celebratory music we can hear in the background. These fast paced transitions create a sense of movement and convey the urgency of the chicken who is desperate to escape. From one minute we can see an extreme close up of the people that are celebrating, to then seeing another extreme close up that conveys almost a sadness of the chicken. Although creating different emotions, this also gives the video a comical effect. The urgency that this chicken has is shown through the quick well- timed shots and transitions, whilst the music adds to the excitement and atmosphere that surrounds it. This is a successful way to edit a video as it's snappy juxtapositions creates an engaging storyline for the viewer that is portrayed all within very little time. ( 3minutes )

MOVE - Travel Australia

In this video we can see multiple juxtaposing images that portray a mans journey across the globe.
Similar to the Chase The Chicken Video, it includes various quick fast paced transitions that switch between each other conveying a sense of place and time. The video is cut to motion, matching up almost exactly the mans position in the video each time. This then keeps the video flowing, and continuous. The music that is accompanied with the video gives the viewer a sense of fun and excitement, a buzz so to speak. The pace and timing of the video is matched up with the music, with each shot changing and contrasting each other. Half way through the video at 30 seconds, you are able to hear a Clap noise from the guy that is seen in the clip, this breaks the pace of the video but for the reason that the music begins to speed up. From this point the fast transitions between the juxtaposing images become even quicker, showing various locations across the globe which ultimately convey the sense of movement. Again this form of montage is a clever way of portraying a storyline successfully within very little time, which in this case, 1 minute.

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WINDSURFING

Surfing Film - Basic Edit... REALLY BASIC. from Sion Campbell on Vimeo.

As a part of one of our first Post Production Tasks, we were given the challenge of editing various clips into a sequence which lasts 45 seconds. The clips included a man windsurfing, doing various stunts and tricks. The task was to create and interesting flowing sequence, with continuous motion which went together seamlessly!

Although up for the challenge, I was completely out of my depth, as I was totally unaware on how to edit on the video software, meaning that learning the basics took more time that I would've liked it to!

It's safe to say, sadly this is by far one of the worst video clips I have edited, and look forward to being able to create something far more interesting. There is definitely a lot I need to learn!

WINDSURFING SECOND EDIT

Windsurfing - Second Edit from Sion Campbell on Vimeo.

For this task, we were given the exact same clips to put together, but this time we were able to use our very own music to accompany the video. The music I chose to use was Ellie Goulding - Under Control Instrumental. I felt that the dramatic beats of the song would be good to use as a baseline for the flips and dips that the windsurfer does during the film. To accomplish this, it was essential that I made the pace and rhythm of the video the exact same as the pace and rhythm of the music.

On the whole I feel that this was accomplished. I feel that the beginning could be better, as it seems to be off time, but I believe that the ending is far greater in terms of timing and pacing, and more on point.

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AVID MEDIA COMPOSER
This week we received our very first lesson on how to use the software AVID Media Composer. Having never used a major video editing software before, this was an entirely new kettle of fish, and it required me to be aware and concentrate on everything that was being said.

The two hour session included the simple basics of Avid, such as the creation of BINS and how to put them into order, by importing the correct media into each one. For example :

After understanding the creation of BINS, We went onwards to importing media into these, and then adding to the timeline. As we had no media to use, we managed to get some off www.lynda.com, for us to use.

We also did this tutorial to understand the basics of avid, by using the clips provided to us. This tutorial can be found in the link below :

https://blackboard.staffs.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-1432947-dt-content-rid-2359719_1/courses/BB0000069053/Basics%20of%20Avid%20Media%20Composer.mp4

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SCRIPT SCENE 34 TASK

As a part of our Post Production Module, we were given the task of assembling an edit from the use of clips given to us. We were given copies of the Script to follow, and we had to ensure that the final edit flowed continuously making sense of the scene.

The programme used to edit this clip was Adobe Premier Pro. By doing this task, it challenged us as editors, to make sure we looked at all the clips, cutting them correctly, and assembling them together. Not only did we have to do this, we had to make sure that the sound was seamlessly flowing through the entire scene, without obvious transitions in volume. Having not done any form of sound editing previously, it was at first rather challenging, but eventually I felt I managed to balance the sound out decently.

The challenges we faced whilst editing this video was...

* Inconsistent sound
*Different positioning of the characters
* The dialogue not matching up exactly in each clip.

SCRIPT SCENE 37 TASK
Script Scene 34 Edit from Sion Campbell on Vimeo.

Script Task Scene 37 from Sion Campbell on Vimeo.

As a part of out Post Production Module, we were given the second task of assembling an edit by using clips given to us. We were given copies again of this script that we could follow, to ensure that we would assemble the film in order, so it would eventually make sense.

As an editor we had to pick out what we believed to be the relevant clips and images that we needed the audience to see to understand the storyline of the scene. These clips also had issues with sound, with many being inconsistent in terms of it's volume and pitch, and also some containing background noise.

Using Adobe Premier Pro, I created this sequence. Cutting to what I believed were the relevant clips, to keep the storyline and images continuous. I also used various tools on premier pro to ensure that the sound was far more consistent than it was previously.

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12 SHOT PRODUCTION TASK

For the second week of Production Technology, we were given the task of creating and shooting a 12 shot film. The task was given as follows :

Production Technology Week 2 Task

Individually write/design and plan a storyboard a 8 - 12 shot film lasting approx. 45 seconds at the max. No dialogue is required. You could add some sound if you really want to but we advise you to concentrate on visual only.

The aim is to demonstrate you have understood the fundamental skills of cinematography and picture editing. Think about the 5 C’s as much as possible. Remember the key fundamentals of the rule of 3rds, symmetry and single point perspective.

The topic is ‘an event’ and can be designed around anything you wish.

You should create a storyboard of the key parts of the process.

Then shoot the process!

Examples could be

This could be making of a cup of tea, a person getting out of bed and preparing for their day, a person getting into a car and driving off into the distance etc.

But remember that the images need to implement the following skills.

Focus eye piece

Focus camera

White Balance

Set exposure

Set shutter (film like shutter is 1/180d setting)

Turn Zebra’s on

It should all be shot on the Panasonic HMC151. Edit the clips into the sequence for review in the lesson next week. You are free to help each other but one piece is needed per student. If you complete them before next week you can if you know how render the clip out as an mp4 and send it to me.

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From this point onwards, I had to think of a way of presenting a 45 second video that would be able to portray an event. As I'm personally a fan of thriller/horror movies, I decided to go down this route and create a scene that portrayed a psychotic woman, whose intention is to kill. I wanted to create a rather dark and bleak image for this film, with only hints of light, to keep the sense of eeriness.

Moving forward with the idea, it was time for me to think of storyboard. Bearing in mind, I had to make sure that I only had 12 shots to create the whole scene. As I had a rather clear image in my head that I wanted, thinking of each shot became rather easily when putting it down on paper, if only It had been as simple when shooting.

Here is the working progress of my storyboard...

After finishing the storyboard, and being happy with it, it was time for me to move on and plan ahead, and make sure I had all the equipment I needed to make the shoot. As it was a fairly simple scene I chose to do, the only equipment that I desperately needed, and of course the Camera itself, and a tripod to go with it! This all had to be arrange over SISO, which is Staffordshire Universities Media Stores. Before booking any equipment out, I had to make sure that I had done a Risk Assessment, which can be a rather tedious task to do, but is indeed vital to ensure that every possible risk has been checked. Once doing that, I was able to book the Panasonic HMC151, along with a tripod. The Booking system SISO can be seen below!

Information displayed on your bookings, and what time/date you have booked them for!

Filming Day! With the storyboard complete, and the equipment booked, it was time to collect it, and get ready for shooting! As I had issues at first booking on SISO, it had to try and film the sequence and edit in the same afternoon, as the task had to be handed in the following day!
Once we got to the location, It was time to set up the tripod and attach the camera. Having done that I had to ensure that

Before being able to start filming, we had to ensure that everything was correct on the camera itself. We checked various things such as the White Balance, Iris, Focus and the Zebra Lines to ensure that the sequence would be perfectly lit, and would be as clear and as visible as it could possibly be on it's playback.

The Killing from Sion Campbell on Vimeo.

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FIRST TASK - YEAR ONE
It was time to receive my first initial introduction at the Green Lecture Theatre in the Octagon Building. Nervous on what to expect, I was relieved to know that everybody seemed to be in the same situation. Reality struck when I entered the lecture theatre to be greeted by what would become my tutors and lecturers.

We were told the basic layout of our course, with the breakdown of the modules, and were given the opportunity to ask any questions that we had. Given I had 1001 questions I could've asked, I decided to keep quiet and let myself absorb everything around me, before overthinking and questioning every detail.

Task One -

Recreate a Scene from a film on a budget and no resources - Oh.. in one hour!

Our very first task was a practical one. We were asked by one of our tutors Paul Ottey to team up into groups, to recreate a scene from any film, but on a basic budget with no resources. As if that wasn't enough of a challenge, we were also told that we would have only one hour to film, including taking the equipments and bringing it
back on time.

Our group consisted of three people, Matt, Charlotte and myself. We sat down to discuss all the possible film scenes we could do. In barely any time at all, we had already come to the decision that we were to re-create the very first scene of James Bond's Casino Royale.

We decided to watch the relevant scene, and analyse the fine details that we would like to include in our very own version, including 'Screen Shots' that we belived were crucial to keep it dedicated to the original such as -

We believed that this scene was ideal for our recreation as it included very little special effects / CGI and relied mainly on dialogue. Although the location is stated in the opening scene, the buildings seemed rather annonymous, which made it easier for us to find the perfect locations within the University Campus.

Once we had settled on our idea, and what elements we were going to include, it was time for us to dive deeper into the planning process...

We decided to give each other tasks on which we would complete on our next meeting as a group.

Charlotte - Given the task of story board

Matt - Given the task of Scripting

Myself - The task of arranging locations and also searching for two actors to take part.

Sanj Singh Dhadda

Sam Estall

As a part of my task, I had to try and find two volunteers from the university that were willing to do some acting work, playing roles within our recreation. This was a challenging task being a fresher/newbie as I was unaware of the University Campus and knew very little people. Therefore i had to think of a way of engaging with fellow students in the hope we would find someone that would help.

I decided that I was to create a form of advertisment for the roles via Facebook, on both Staffordshire Uni Tech Group & Staffordshire Freshers Group. I was fortunate to recieve two responses from students, in which I was able to make new friends, whilst also making new contacts for future references!

Along with arranging volunteers to act in our re-creation, I also had to ensure that we had suitable locations.
Bearing in mind that the original film scene is set in an office location including flash backs to a bathroom, we needed to ensure that we had similar locations to shoot in.

I ended up arranging with Legends Lounge Manager, to make sure that we had permission to film in the club bathroom. We were luckily given permission, and that it would be available for us for the following day.

Shooting Day

This is where time definitely wasn't on our side, therefore we had to make sure that we were using it wisely. We decided that certain parts of our short clip required more attention than other parts, therefore we dedicated more filming time for these. We would have to edit these clips into order later on.

Only having a twenty minute session on the camera before hand to learn the basics, we had to use our heads and improvise slightly during the filming. We chose to take it all in turns to use the camera, and suggest our ideas on the best way to film. That gave us all a chance to experience the camera first hand, and slowly learn the process of how to shoot a film. The challenge of only having an hour, gave us a good idea of how to work under pressure, and keep within time, and definitely became an eye opener for us, and myself personally.

Editing