In this workshop, I learnt how to use Premier Pro to edit a video alongside sound. Prior to this workshop, I had limited knowledge of Premier Pro.
We were given video clips and audio clips to create a story by putting them all together. I learnt how to use the basics such as, the mark in and mark out tools. Through asking questions, I discovered that what we were editing was called a 'rough cut'. We were also taught the importance of making the video flow, making sure the cuts didn't appear to jump too much and looking carefully at the angles of the shots.
Ferg placed emphasis on thinking about marking the videos in and out and putting them together based on the tempo of the music and the audio (around four frames per second). We were made to also think about the reasoning behind putting our video clips in the order that we did. For example, I put the video of the train arriving at the beginning and the train leaving at the end as they mirrored each other and resembled the main character's thoughts entering and leaving, taking him into a world of his own. I also tried to match the video clip to the story that was being told by the main character. For example, when he talked about thinking alone and getting lost in his own thoughts, I used a video clip of him sat by himself clearly lost in his own thoughts. I didn't use all of the clips that were given as there was rather a lot of camera shake on some of them and the story being delivered still made sense without these clips.
This was my first attempt at editing a short film on Premier Pro. If I remade the rough cut/edit of this video, I would change the ending of the video. Prior to the subway leaving at the end, I would add or extend a clip of the main character so that the video makes more sense and it doesn't just suddenly transition from the main character to the subway leaving.
Through this Premier Pro workshop with Ferg, I was able to build up confidence in myself as an editor and realise that the initial editing process (rough cuts/the first edit) is less complicated than I initially thought it to be.
Camera Workshop (The Chair) 06/11/2020
For the camera workshop, conducted by Sam Creamer, we had to work in a group to create coverage with the brief being a chair. My peers and I created a storyline based on a woman in a doctor's waiting room, nervously waiting to find out the results of a pregnancy test. We collaboratively thought about the different shots we could create.
Sam used the example of a six second clip from the film Taken 3, to show us that it isn't always best to have lots of cuts/cuttings on things however, it can work sometimes.
We were made to think about the intention behind each shot and the intention behind what we're doing. Thinking about the intention behind each shot/our coverage then enables us to effectively tell our story. Also thinking about the scene without the camera there/blocking the action out and running through the performance without the camera meant that we knew our intentions behind each shot and how we wanted to display this to the audience. An example of a shot we got that held meaning behind it was a shot of the main character's feet moving, which showed that she was nervous.
Due to the obstacle shooting during the corona virus pandemic, I learnt that using wide shots can help overcome this obstacle. It allows the actors to utilise the space and enables more coverage to be taken. Having more coverage means that the director and editors have more freedom to create their desired product. It was also emphasised to us to think about the 180 degree rule (an invisible axis connecting subjects) and incorporate this into our work.
We looked at a video showing Alfred Hitchcock's explanation of the Kuleshov effect. I learnt that the Kuleshov effect is a psychological phenomenon where the viewers obtain a greater meaning from 'the interaction of two sequential shots than from one shot in isolation'. I found the Kuleshov rather interesting as you can change the way the audience feels about a character/something based on the interaction of/meaning behind these two shots. The Kuleshov effect can enhance a shot and successfully relay the storyline to the audience without the use of words.
Premier Pro Workshop: Zero to Hero (11/11/2020)
This was our second Premier Pro workshop with Ferg. This workshop was focused on learning how to edit on the timeline.
I learnt how to move clips around on the timeline without overwriting another clip, how to extract a clip (pressing the x key and then pressing the apostrophe key), how to swap a clip's place on the timeline (command+alt), and how to delete a clip (pressing the delete key or semi colon).
I was shown how to change the sound channel in order to have the best and clearest audio for that clip. In addition to this, Ferg established the importance of keeping the audio all on A1 and putting the B-Roll (actuality) onto V2. Having all of the audio on A1 means that the sound can be mixed, controlled and modified easily by both yourself and others as it is easier to find than having to go through multiple lines of audio on the timeline to find the correct audio. Putting the B-Roll onto V2 (the second video line) means that you can change the feel of something without changing/losing the story.
When adding the background music, I was curious as to how to go about changing the volume. I asked Ferg and he showed me that I can either do it through the mixer or I can make the sections of the timeline bigger so that I could drag down the volume of the music on the timeline itself.
For this edit, I started out by marking each interview's in and out points and then placing them onto the timeline. Once I had arranged the clips on the timeline in the way that I wanted them, I then took a look at the B-Roll clips. I selected some that I thought went with the audio from the interviews and marked them in and out. Next, I matched them with the story on the timeline. Once I had done that, I chose an audio clip (music) from the B-Roll and marked it in and out, putting it on the timeline afterwards. In order for the story/interviews to be heard, I brought down the volume of the music. For the final part, I added the graphics in and put a black screen at the end to signify the start and end of the short-film.
I really enjoyed this workshop and getting to know the software better. Through these workshops, I am reflecting upon my previous work and using these reflections to improve upon each edit.
Premier Pro Workshop: Fairly Legal (18/11/2020)
This was our third Premier Pro workshop with Ferg. This workshop was primarily focused on learning the slip, ripple and roll tools in Premier Pro.
Through this workshop, I learnt that the slip tool changes what you see on the video and adds to the clip but doesn't make the timeline any long. The roll tool allows you to roll the action a little closer to where you want it and the ripple tool allows you to sync two clips together.
This edit wasn't as smooth (in terms of transitions between clips) as I would've liked it to be, but it was okay for a first attempt. I was able to learn what the three tools did and how apply them to the footage.
The Bar Shoot: Rebecca Script (25/11/2020)
We were given the choice of two scripts and around two hours to shoot and edit. We went with the "Rebecca" script as we felt that we could do more with it and were already coming up with ideas for what we could do. We altered the script slightly to ensure that the actors felt more comfortable in their roles. As a group, we were permitted to shoot in the bar set at Maidstone TV Studios.
We each agreed upon and allocated our roles. I put myself forward as director in order to try the role out. We decided to put a comedic spin on the originally emotional seeming script. As a group, we discussed how we could go about shooting this. We drew upon the POV shots often used in the TV show Peep Show and wanted to incorporate them into our work.
As director, I helped guide the actors on their performances by giving them feedback and putting forward suggestions. I also worked alongside the director of photography (Heather) to ensure that we successfully got enough coverage, the camera was in the correct position for the shot we wanted, and everything looked okay.
I found that directing was a fun, but stressful experience. It was rather tiresome constantly trying to maintain everyone's focus, ensuring that we completed the task. I ensured that we got enough coverage in order to be able to edit the footage together. Throughout the whole shoot and the editing process, we tried to keep in mind the 180 degree rule. If we had more time, we would've played around more with the positioning of the camera.
Whilst editing, I found myself getting frustrated with the jumpiness of the video. In order to deal with this, Ferg helped me use the roll tool to allow for them to run more smoothly, matching similar actions in each clip together. Aspects of the video are still a bit jumpy, but I decided to keep them like this as it added to the comedic effect that we were trying to portray. It is also representative of the kind of style of editing used in Peep Show.
I enjoyed learning more about Premier Pro and trying out the directing role. It was great to collaborate with others and achieve a mostly successful outcome.
The Grave Visit Test (02/12/2020)
We were tasked with filming two pages of our group's chosen screenplay (Derrin's Screenplay) within the baseroom at the Studios. We set ourselves up in the corner of the baseroom and moved furniture around to get a set that somewhat resembled a living room.
It was hard to maintain continuity due to the fact that it was shot in the afternoon and the sun was setting whilst we were completing the task. We attempted to try and fix this by adding in some artificial lighting, but were still unable to maintain continuity with regards to light as we didn't have time to reshoot everything. For future purposes, we shall ensure, to our best ability, that we have the same lighting set up throughout.
Our main goal for this shoot was to gain coverage and test out different ways in which we could shoot the screenplay. We tried to gather footage from a variety of angles.
With regards to the editing, the clips sort of flowed, although I would've liked the transitions to have appeared a bit smoother. I also added in royalty free audio that I had found online. I would like to understand how to edit the video so that the lighting matches throughout. To combat this, I will research how to do this through researching and watching things like tutorials.
Overall, the video tells part of a story, which is in some ways is a success.
No comments:
Post a Comment