Re-Editing blog

Re-editing our film has been a top priority for the past few classes. It has been quite a struggle due to the inconsistencies of the laptop speed of the school's laptops. In the worst scenario Pinnacle Studios would just never load and we did try multiple different computers. When we were lucky and it worked that’s when we were able to edit. We switched between Pinnacle studios and my computer programmed video editor. This is because we wanted to start at home and continue because the computers at school would be unreliable when it came to speed. So, I imported all the scenes from the SD card reader onto my laptop and put them in order of the storyboard. Therefore, we’d only have to split each scene in order to add specific details. For instance the titles design, transitions, and special effects. Since the titles in my editing software did not have anything that would go with our theme, we used Pinnacle Studios to edit the design of each title. This process was grueling because we had to decide which fonts and styles we wanted to use. Many fonts were very similar and were only different in tiny aspects.



First, we wanted to find a scary font for the title of the movie, but at first we couldn’t so there was a basic one. We also wanted to fix the rest of the fonts, so it would match well with the title font. Anyeska and Jazmin found a scary dripping font which we changed to red and a green background. It looked as though blood was dripping, which helped create spookiness. The other titles were changed also, and the color is now red. After this, Britania began looking for transitions to add between each scene. It would be more entertaining and create suspense, and overall improve the smoothness of the film. So we thought about adding them at the beginning, when the girls are playing Frisbee as their title appears, to transition to the next person. Another detail we did was special effects. Lesly added a scream in the scene where Britania is separated from the group and sees the entity again before she gets possessed. I also added a screeching effect when an eye-line match was created between the monster and Claire. Below is a picture of the editing software I used on my personal laptop.

Editing Blog: New Software

Today the group and I re-filmed some more scenes that did not turn out good from before. So, once again we have to dump those scenes from the SD card to the computer. We cut unnecessary parts from each scene and continued to edit. We added titles and decided on a regular font for now. The font is white and does not appeal to our theme, but this will be changed later on. We added all of the titles we needed in the beginning. I added a creepy transition to the title of our movie. This will let the audience know the movie genre is horror. Along with this I added creepy music in the beginning. Lesly and I looked for copyright free music online and found plenty of amazing options.

I edited the music to lower and completely disappear by the time the characters started with dialogue. Creating suspense from the very beginning. Since we couldn’t use a computer from school due to the coronavirus epidemic. We decided to use Lesly’s computer editing software. Using his editing software we designed a scary edit to compliment the audience’s watching experience. This technique was found from previous horror films that have been made. This technique was to edit some quick pans of scary objects we filmed. One of the props was a scary doll, spiders, and a broken mirror. For the edit, the filter of the pan was changed. I also changed the color to black and white to adhere to the horror-like theme of the film. Below is a picture of the new editing software on my computer that we are using.

Editing Blog: Inserting New scenes

Today my group and I decided to log into our google drive and find all of the new scenes we filmed. Since we needed to re-film our scenes due to the fact some of the actors' appearances changed. Everything we had previously filmed was no longer good use. Therefore, we needed to re-edit again. This strenuous process is to make sure our film appears smooth and appealing to the audience. First, we took the SD card reader provided to us by our teachers. The SD card reader contained all the scenes we filmed previously. We then opened up the Pinnacle Studios editing software and dumped all of the scenes into the application. After this, I proceeded to move the scenes into the order of the storyboard. This is to help the film make more sense. 

I devised a special method to know what scenes are placed where. This method is to number the scenes and then place them corresponding to their number. One thing I designed was a scary edit to compliment the audience’s watching experience. I took this technique from previous horror films I have watched. This technique was to edit some quick pans of scary objects we filmed. One of the props was a scary doll, spiders, and a broken mirror. For the edit, I also changed the filter of the pan. I also changed the color to black and white to compliment the horror-like theme of the film. This edit gives the impression of a safe environment at first, then quickly switches to a scary pan. This is meant to keep viewers on their toes throughout the whole film. The picture below is of us cutting each scene.

Re-shoot Blog

On Sunday, my group and I decided to go to my group mate Anyeska’s house to re-shoot some of our scenes that required refinement. The meeting time was 4 o’clock p.m. The last few times we have filmed it only took us about two or three hours, so that’s why we were confident enough to film this later. The only scene we re-shot was the girls' eating scene. This scene introduces the dilemma of Britannia's character “Claire” realizing that she forgot her phone. My group and I went to domino's, so we could order pizza. Then, we went back to Anyeska’s house and started filming the scene. Although it took multiple takes, we successfully finished the scene. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to re-shoot the rest of the scenes due to rain. The following paragraph will explain the rest of the scenes and our reasons for re-shooting next weekend.

There are five scenes my group and I planned on re-shooting. One being Anyeska’s scene, where she catches and throws the Frisbee for her title sequence. This scene needs improvement because she looks at the camera at the end of the scene. Another is Jazmin’s title, where she catches and throws the Frisbee for her title sequence. This scene needs improvement because it is too short and looks staged. After this, we are going to re-shoot the Frisbee accidentally being thrown inside the abandoned house. This is because the viewer can’t see the Frisbee in the air and it looks unrealistic. Following this scene, we want to add a scene of me(the monster) quickly taking the frisbee that landed inside. The next scene planned is an action match. It will be a scene of the girls walking up to the house, opening the door and then walking in the house, closing the door. We recorded this the last time we filmed, but it got deleted. 

Peer Review Blog

On Monday, March 2nd, my group and I did our first Peer Review. We reviewed a girl who filmed on her own. Because it was our first time peer reviewing, we made sure to stay vigilante for all camera angles needed. In the process of peer reviewing, we learned more about the reviewing processes of films. Also, we decided to watch the film after the review itself. We did this in order to watch the film without having to look for angles, shots, lighting, etc. This would help us get a better understanding of the plot of the film, characters in the film, and the film itself. One thing about the film that stood out to me was the plot of the film. The plot was interesting, easy to follow, and believable in the real world. Another thing this film did phenomenally in doing was its subtle hints. One example of this is hinting at the antagonist's psychotic when she swings a knife earlier in the film.

Watching the film itself was enjoyable and interesting. It gave me a whole new perspective in film-watching. However, like every film, this one comes with its downfalls. First, it is missing an establishing shot. This may make it harder for the audience to know where a certain scene is taking place. Another thing the film is missing is a low angle. A low angle is an angle that represents many things to many people. This angle would also give the film more perspectives. Two other things missing in this film is an eye-line match and an action match. These two matches are essential, especially when attempting to create a Horror/Thriller film. It may increase suspense or may even be used for a jump scare.  Lastly, in my opinion the sound level is one recommendation i would make to the film. This is because throughout the film, the sound level is low. Even though it is easy to hear the characters in the beginning, as the film progresses, the dialogue becomes more ambiguous and unintelligible. 

Below is my peer review assessment of the film