Finished Editing

Opening Video to CCR

After weeks of researching, planning, filming, editing, and much more, I have finally finished the opening video. Getting the right sounds and font was not too hard, as I had already researched about this prior to doing so. The font I used was already provided by Adobe and the sounds I used were all on the same couple websites or were done by Foley.

Shown above was the process of doing transitions, sounds, etc.

Listed below are the websites I used to get the sounds:

https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/royalty-free-music/downloads-c/jump-scare-effect-music/79

https://www.soundjay.com/chainsaw-sound-effect.html

 Although finishing the video feels amazing, I am far from done. The CCR is next in line and this is extremely important. Earlier in the project, I researched on the CCR and decided that I will answer the 4 questions in a podcast and presentation with voiceover. Also, I was told the CCR takes about 1 week to a week and a half to complete, meaning I am behind. So, I am not going to waste any time. 

Editing Start Part 2

 Second Attempt

Here we are again! Today I went to Matthew's house and started editing. At first, when I sat down to start working I got nervous because Adobe was not loading up, but it eventually got up and running.

The first thing I did was upload all of my clips to Adobe. I believe I did so in the most insufficient, time-consuming way. It took 2 hours to upload all clips because I did it on Google Drive. As soon as the clips finished uploading, I got to work.

I decided that I would first put all the clips together and then do sounds, coloring, etc. after. So, I started doing this and after getting a minute done I realized I was in trouble. The first minute was the protagonist in the kitchen, while the rest of the main content would have to be the other minute. This made me realize we filmed too much and couldn't fit everything in the 2 minute time limit. So, I decided I would still put them all together and see how long it was. After doing so, I had a total of 3 minutes and 30 seconds. I was shocked. This was devastating. Lots of hard work was going to have to go down the drain.

Shown above is the clips I had to take out of the video.

So, after a long thought decision, I deleted the whole kitchen scene and was left with 2 minutes and 30 seconds. I then started trimming long clips and got it down a few seconds. I realized the maximum amount of time I could do is 2 minutes 15 seconds, so I deleted more clips to get there. I ended up getting to 2 minutes and 14 seconds!

Without further edits and only putting them together, the video looked great. I was excited to get the other parts finished to make it even better! Unfortunately, due to the circumstances making me edit on my friend's computer, I could not get to that point today, so I will get to that soon.

Today made me realize I needed to be more organized and realize that the time limit cannot be ignored. I clearly made a great mistake by going over almost double the time limit. 

Editing Switch

 iMovie to Adobe

Today I made the executive decision to stop editing on iMovie and switch to Adobe Premiere Pro. Although I got a decent amount of work done on iMovie already, I didn't like how it was coming out. Therefore, I started to download Adobe on my brothers computer to get to work immediately.

The problem with this was at around 45.5% of downloading, it stopped moving. For about 2 hours there was no progression. This is when I took matters into my own hands and canceled the download and moved to my desktop. 

I got onto my desktop and after a short period of time Adobe was downloaded. As I started to get my first clip in, I realized that it was extremely laggy. I knew this would be a huge problem because all I had in was a 3 second clip. So, I rendered it, and it took hours to render this short clip. At this point I was freaking out because I needed to edit and finish the opening video ASAP so I could start the CCR. 

Shown above is the 3 second clip I was having issues with.

I then called my brother and asked him to help me set up Adobe on his computer. I wanted to see if it was just me not being able to set it up. So, after an hour or so my brother and I came to the conclusion that it wasn't working.

This is when I reached out to my friends to see if any of them have a working device I could use Adobe on. My friend Matthew said I could use his computer and edit at his house. I was content to hear this, but still frustrated with the whole situation.

So, tomorrow I will be going to Matthew's house to start to edit the opening video. From this specific situation, I learned that I need to be more prepared before it comes to the time to edit. I should have set up Adobe prior to the start of post-production. Although this situation was an extremely time-consuming inconvenience, I will put this behind me and finish this project exceptionally.

Final Schedule

 Schedule

As we come closer to the due date, the time to complete certain parts of the Portfolio Project gets shorter. Having not finished the editing process of the video, my group and I have to get moving. The CCR is done individually and should take the whole final week to finish, so we need a schedule to make sure we can get the video out of the way first.

Monday 3/27- Group Meeting and editing

Tuesday 3/28- Finish editing

Wednesday 3/29- Start filming CCR

Thursday 3/30- Continue filming CCR

Friday 3/31- Edit CCR

Saturday 4/1- Edit CCR

Sunday 4/2- Peer Review CCR 

This schedule will give me enough time to not only complete the project, but make it excellent. Following this schedule is extremely important because if I don't I will have no time for the CCR which is a large portion of the project. I learned the hard way what not following a schedule does, so I will make sure with my group that we follow the group portion of it.

The Start of Editing!

 Editing

Wow! It is time to edit the opening video! I am extremely nervous for this part of the project because I am the main editor of the group and I don't want to let my group down. As said in earlier blogs, the video is a huge portion of my AICE Media exam, so this means I have to do my best.

Per usual, my group and I have not followed the schedule we made. This is due to all group members having personal activities during this spring break. Now, we are behind and will have to put other classes work aside when all of us work individually on the CCR part of the project.

So, I decided it is better to start now instead of waiting even longer. I loaded up iMovie and put the clips together and got to work!

Shown above is the editing process on iMovie.

Although iMovie is very easy to use, there is a limited amount of features that can help me. I know Adobe Premiere Pro is much better, but it is harder to use. I am really considering switching over, but I always feel overwhelmed when I load Adobe up. 

Starting the editing process helped me realize that this part is difficult and staying organized would have helped us immensely.

Creating Sounds!

 Foley

Foley is creating sound effects for sounds that weren't gathered on set. We have to use this a lot due to the horror genre having many sound effects. Specifically, the chainsaw we used was never on, so we will either have to get that sound online or record audio of the chainsaw on. 

One part of the opening video that we have to use Foley for is the footsteps of the landscaper as he creepily approaches one of the victims inside the house. To execute this, I will simply walk in place on creaky stairs in my house with my phone placed directly next to me. This will give the viewers more suspense and fright for what is about to follow.

Shown above is the landscaper approaching the victim that I am using Foley for.

Shown above is Foley being used for the scene of the landscaper walking up to the victim.

Creating these sounds will help perfect the video and will give the viewers a sense that it is realistic, which makes it more scary, as this is the purpose of the slasher subgenre.

We Filmed!

 Filming Is Done!

Today my group and I got the filming done for our video. This is huge! This means we can finally start to put the clips together, edit, input sounds, and complete the opening video. 

My group members came to my house at night, as planned, and we got right to work. Since, my mom and step-dad are leaving to Amsterdam tomorrow, we had to rush so they could get a good sleep. This put us in a scary position because we needed to get all of the shots in such a small period of time.

To help with the filming process, we split our group into different areas. I was filming and directing, Dave was acting as the landscaper, Rafael was taking behind the scene photos and making sure the lighting was correct, and Lucas was helping with the type of shots we were using.

Shown above is me getting a low-angle shot of Dave to make him look more powerful.

Due to us rushing to get shots because my parents had to go to sleep, we decided we would get all of the shots that they are in out of the way. This helped us stay more time efficient and allowed them to get to sleep. 

Shown above is me filming my mom in an extreme close-up to show her reaction to seeing the landscaper through her eyes.

Also, another problem we had other than my parents needing to go to sleep was how we were going to pull off certain scenes, specifically murder scenes. We had trouble finding a way to have the actors fall without getting hurt. We eventually decided we would do an action match cut to give the effect of a fall, without really having to perform it.

Shown above is me recording Dave and my step-dad performing one of the murder scenes.

After filming, I realized how important following a schedule is. We shouldn't have put ourselves in a position where we would have to rush the filming process. Although, I think our shots were great and we will have an amazing final product!

Prop Preparation!

 Preparation

As I predicted before, we did not stick to our initial schedule, but we will 100% film soon. When filming, you need to be prepared with the right props for the video. Today my group and I went out to get supplies because we will be filming any day now.

We first went to Party City and it did not turn out how we thought it would.

Shown above is my group and I at Party City.

At Party City, we were expecting to find all the supplies we needed such as fake blood, a fake weapon, a landscaper outfit, etc. Instead, we found nothing we needed. We later realized that these are usually only there near Halloween. This made us nervous because we thought that finding the right props was going to be easy, but after this visit we quickly realized it wasn't.

We then set off to Walmart which had a slightly better outcome.

Pictured here is Dave, the actor playing the landscaper, in Walmart.

While at Walmart, we found that they only had real gardening tools/weapons so that was ruled out. They also did not have any fake blood or landscaper costume. As our group was about to walk out empty handed for second time, I saw this neon green vest pictured above that we needed for the costume design of the landscaper. This gave us a bit of relief because we at least accomplished something.

Other than the vest we bought at Walmart, the rest of the props we are using in the video is either being borrowed or we already have the item. For example, for the fake blood, we will use Ketchup. For the weapon, we will use Dave's chainsaw. Lastly, for costume design, we are all bringing chosen clothes for the actors to where.

 A video that has a landscaper that doesn't look like one ruins the whole purpose. This is why getting props for the video is essential in having a final product that shows time and effort.

Specific Content!

 Plot Becomes More Specific

Today my group and I made our plot more specific and decided on all of the content we wanted to include in the opening. We did this because we realized that going into filming without knowing all of the specific parts we wanted to include would be terrible. This would mean we would be coming up with it as we filmed which takes too much time and will have a negative result. So, we sat down together and wrote a full page of the opening content.

Shown above is the content that will be in the opening, listed chronologically from top to bottom.

We will be carrying this with us while we shoot to make sure we include and film everything. It is easy to forget parts of the video, so using this as a checklist will help immensely.

Mark Your Calendar!

 Film Schedule

After meeting with other groups, I knew I needed to make a schedule for filming. With spring break coming up, not all of my group members will be available to film, which means we need to get most, if not all, filming done this upcoming week to stay on track. This gives us another reason to make a schedule and stay organized to make sure we are all available when we are going to shoot.

Shown above is the schedule that my group and I have created.

Following this schedule is essential for staying time efficient. This is why I talked to my team and strongly encouraged them to be strict with themselves and stick with the schedule. My group loves to wait until the last minute, which is a problem we have experienced in the past. 

On Monday, I see my group members in class, which is when I will explain to them how important it is for us to do this production process. In the next blog, hopefully it will be about my group and I filming. See you then!

Storyboard time!

 Storyboard

I am getting closer to filming my video, which is why it is essential for a storyboard. This is a layout and illustration of shots and angles that we will be using in the video. Making one of these helps me run through the production process smoothly without having to think of shots and angles while we are on set.

Shown above is two pages of the storyboard with the first 16 shots that we will be using in our opening video.

Although the illustrations on the storyboard are not the best, this is fine because our group understands what needs to be done. Also, putting a description of the shot that we will be using and what is happening in the shot assist us with including all parts of the plot and incorporating it correctly in the video.

I am glad that my group and I made a storyboard because it will be extremely useful for when we film. Our filming process will start next week, so stay tuned! 

Plot Is Perfect!

 The Plot

I have finally come up with the plot of the opening video. My group and I had a meeting and discussed we need to create the plot before we continue with any other part of the project. So, we sat down and I gave them the idea of a psycho landscaper that stalks a couple and hunts them down with his weapon (maybe a chainsaw). We believe we will be able to create a great video with this.

Shown above is the filled in paper for planning for our video. On the left, titled "Storyline/Plot," is the full plot for the film.

Making the plot for our film creates a better sense for what we are going to include in our film from shots to props. Without a plot, you have to make it up as you film which is extremely difficult and can have a terrible result.

Planning: The Start

 The Start Of Planning

After an immense amount of researching, the planning process has finally begun. My group and I realized that we needed to get going with the project, after the group meeting we had, mentioned in an earlier blog post.

This is why I sat my group members down and made all of us brainstorm about what our film was going to be about. I ended up coming up with the idea of a slasher film with the antagonist being a crazy landscaper that tries to kill the protagonist, a blonde woman. We also jotted down costume designs for both characters along with the setting.

Pictured above is planning for costume design, characters, and setting.

Planning out what we are going to do in the future is extremely important to do because it keeps the production process organized. 

Although we got major parts of the planning process out of the way, there is a lot more we need to do, which is why we are going to start to pick up the pace. 

Learning about CCR

 What is the CCR?

CCR is abbreviated for Creative Critical Reflection. This is the post-production part of the Portfolio Project, which is part of the AICE Media exam. This is why the CCR is extremely important and a key role in presenting the Portfolio Project to Cambridge.

In class, I paid close attention and took notes on the CCR. I will refer to these notes when I am finished with my opening video. Yes, that is in a few weeks, but it is better to get an understanding of what I will need to accomplish in the future.

Pictured above is front and back notes on the CCR.

One key information I took from above was that I need to reflect on the entire process of the project by answering 4 questions, through 2 different media products. This requires hard work and lots of thinking, so starting to learn about it now is a great head start.

These notes and information will help me run through the end of the project smoothly with a fantastic final result.