After filming our thriller opening we begun editing in order to see what we were still missing and what we would consider re-filming. I begun editing by gradually choosing and putting clips together I the order we had chosen, as we had shot each part more than once, in order to get the most effective shot possible (whilst taking in the aspects of lighting, angle, sound etc.).
Here is Olivia, Chelsea and I where we began the editing process of our project.
After putting together the beginning we found that the most effective part was when we put the first three shots of the opening together, these included the pan, the track and the montage of shots. This was effective because when put together and cut in the right places we were able to make a smooth transition from the one side of the room to the other. As the pan went from right to left from one side of the room, the track went across the length of the bottom of the bed and the montage of shots gave an angle of the bed from the other side of the room. This was effective because it gave the audience a view of the whole setting in the room whilst aiming not to confuse them as we swapped sides of the room to film.
We also were able to identify what shots we might need to re-film, in order to make the opening as effective as possible. An example of this would be the opening pan shot, when watched it back and putting it with the other shots (e.g. track, montage of shots etc.) we found that the pan was too quick, re-filming it and making the pan slower would help it fit better with the other shots. Moreover, as the original pan was too quick it made the shot as a whole slightly blurry, making it difficult for our audience to see the surrounds and what 'Lydia' is doing, another reason why we wanted to film it and slow it down. After discussing this and filming this scene we found that it was successful as slowing it down did not make the whole scene feel rushed and added to the eeriness that a thriller usually has. Other aspects of this scene that I played close attention to include; Lighting, which I found effective because we wanted it to be light enough to see what it is going on but dark enough so it added to the gloominess of the opening (as it is a thriller). Another part we paid attention to was the sound, for this, we have taken the sound away as music will be playing through out the majority of our opening.
In addition to this, I was able to find other parts of our opening that we had decided to film again, for example; the scene where 'Lydia' picks up her phone. After watching through this scene I realised that I picked up and used my phone with one hand, where as in the scenes after this one I was holding my phone with two hands. This was only a small aspect that we found could be improved but one that I found would effect the opening as a whole, this is because we want all the clips to go together effectively, so it flows and looks realistic. Furthermore, the use of lighting in this clip was effective as the camera was facing away from the window, meaning the light was shining directly on my (Lydia's) face, meaning we were able to see every movement I made and every expression I made onwards in order to make the plot easier to understand. Sound was also taken from this clip to add to the opening effect as the music continuous to play.
Here is where on another day Gabrielle and I where editing more of the beginning of our opening. We discussed the angles of each shot in order to get a variety of shots throughout the whole of the opening. We also were able to find two more shots further on in the opening that we ended up filming again, in order to make them more effective. This included the two viewpoint shots in the park scene, one of 'Mia's' point of view as she walks towards 'Lydia' who is sitting down and the other is 'Lydia's' point of view as she realises someone dressed in black is walking towards her (which turns out to be 'Mia'). After discussing this with the rest of the group, agreeing to film the scenes again and re-filming both scenes we discovered that the new clips were more effective. This is because the first view point shot we found was too shaky, making it harder to see the surroundings for the audience and it also made it look less realistic. So by filming it again and this time holding the tripod more firmly and keeping it steady, we were able to make it look more like we were looking through 'Mia's' eyes as she walks towards 'Lydia' instead of just a shaky camera. In addition, filming the other view point shot was a success because before I had made the mistake of using the tripod, which made it steady, however it was a viewpoint shot so making it steady made it unclear to the audience that it was a viewpoint shot. So when filming it again I held the camera instead of using a tripod, allowing us to get the shaky effect (as Lydia is panicking), in order to make it clearer for the audience.
One part of the editing process that we found a challenge as a group was the flashbacks. During our opening 'Lydia' experiences two flashbacks which give the audience an early insight into what she has gone through (as our 'film' is about Lydia's struggle as she faces her fears after being kidnapped). During one of these flashbacks we wanted to make it quick and sharp, as we didn't want to give too much away whilst still building the tension for the audience. This was difficult as IMovie didn't allow us to achieve these fast cuts and effects, so instead we used Final Cut Pro which enabled us to get the aspects we were looking for. This helped us get the fast cuts that we wanted, as well as a green effect over the top. This is because the not only made the flashback look more frightening, in order to build the tension, it also helped the audience understand what is going on and understand that it is a flashback. Moreover, as we used a different soundtrack for the flashback it made it even more obvious for the audience that it was a flashback. The soundtrack also goes very well with our flashback as it contains jolts and cuts, much like what we were aiming for when making cuts and adding clips for the flashback.
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