Evaluation

Short Sharp Shock Evaluation

Assignment brief

With this assignment we were given a brief which stated that we had to make a 15-20 second film sequence with a minimum of 30 edits and this sequence had to portray some type of journey or process within the narrative. One of the other key parts of this assignment was to exaggerate sound through the actions within the sequence by enhancing the sound effects to create a bigger and more exaggerated impact. We also had to create detailed storyboards along with this 15-20 second sequence, as well as research in edits through films, adverts etc, and also log our progress in this assignment.

Worries

When I first looked at the brief I was excited to do a filming/editing project as I thoroughly enjoy editing along with cinematography and mise-en-scene and film in general, so I was first looking forward to starting the project at the time. When I looked at the dates for the deadlines for the pitch presentation and the final deadline I was slightly worried as we have a very short period of time to brainstorm ideas and present them, and not that long to shoot, edit our work along with getting feedback of our final piece and then make improvements according to the given feedback from the class. So at the time I was slightly worried about getting this project done in time to the deadline but was up for this project and was planning on getting it done in time no matter what.

My idea

When our teachers were suggesting ideas of what our sequence could be based on, they mainly said something that’s simple and easy to do for example, cleaning room, finding keys etc. At first I couldn’t really think of a good idea that I’d enjoy doing, but then thought of a sequence of me setting up the recording equipment for recording. This idea is based from one of my hobbies I do in my spare time with me and 3 other friends where we record ‘LP’s’ or ‘Let’s Plays’ which are game play videos where people record them playing a videogame and commentating over it, whilst they are playing the game.

Basically I and my friends in some of our spare time hang out round my house and we record us playing games and commentating over it, with the use of a Blue yeti microphone and a Hauppauge HD PVR which is what records the game play from the TV. With my idea for this project is me having to set up the recording equipment before my friends get round my house like I usually do when I record with them. 

So the process would be grabbing the a piece of the recording equipment like the microphone stand for example then going downstairs, setting it up, going back upstairs grabbing the next piece of equipment and so on and just finishing it where there is then a knock at the door, being my friends ready to record. I feel like this idea is different from a lot of typical ideas some might have for a project like this but different is good and it also gives an insight to how I set up my recording equipment when recording with friends.

Shooting

When it came to actually shooting my sequence I spaced it between the weekend in two days, one day to record shots by myself that I could shoot and another day that my older sister had off from work so she could shoot for me for certain shots where I was either in the shot or needed someone else to help me with shooting.

 The first day of shooting was pretty good as I was able to shoot about half of the shots by myself and got what I wanted of the shooting with the shots I had originally thought of from my original storyboards. The second day of shooting I did with my sister as some of the shots needed me to be fully in the shot so I needed someone else to control the camera which is why I got my sister to lend a hand as she had the day off and wasn’t busy. Again on this day I was able to get all the shots I wanted. After these two days I had all my main shots done for my main sequence, however because I wanted to have an introduction I was planning on having some shots in the introduction to set the scene before the main sequence started.

With the shooting for the introduction I wanted to establish the scene by having a shot of me getting a text from one of my friends saying they were on their way round mine to record. This would give the audience an idea of what the sequence is about and why I needed to hurry and set it up in time before they get round my house. I originally shot a range of different angles and shots to explore what I could use for the introduction but taking in account that text would display on screen so it needed to be composed and placed well against the shots I decided to go for.

Editing

With the editing, because I don’t have Final Cut Pro at home what I first did was after shooting did a draft edit in Sony Vegas Pro 12 as it’s also a video editor and it would help me to give a brief idea of the sequence and how its going to be edited along with the shots I was going to use as when I first shot I had a lot of spares and repeats of the same shots. When I went to college and edited in FCP I knew what shots I was going to use based off practising the editing in SV, so it helped me to know how I was going to approach the shots and editing them together.

The process of editing for me in FCP was good, as I have used the software before I knew how to work on it and edit along with importing sounds and uses filters etc, so I didn’t really struggle with the editing part and because I love editing I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was hard to get the video to 20 seconds but with the use of shorting shots and speeding some it helped to give a very rushed and swift feel to the sequence I edited which is what I wanted to achieve.

Time management

I would say that I did manage my time well as I was able to research, brainstorm and present my idea to the class in a good structured way which helped them understand my concept for this project. The shooting was managed well and was done in time, along with the editing as well. The only thing that I think I could of done with time is to of thought of my introduction concept earlier and shot it when I first shooted s it would have saved me more time and made the project feel more organised and structured for me.

Improvements

I made a number of improvements to my final sequence after critting t the class. Some comment suggested certain things like shortening the phone clip for example and other people suggested making the tick at the end sync with the knock at the door. Other improvements i made were myself looking at any more improvements i could make, and one of them being making the intro text bolder to stand ou more which looks more eye catching readable. 

With the critique from the class i did comprehend the comments they were making but discussed with them the issues of those comments. For example some people said to shorten the text shot, however some people are not fast readers and i made it the length according to how quickly i could read the text when i was editing it, so i felt like it was fair to keep the length of that sound the same as other people agree after listening to my point.

Overview

Overall i really enjoyed this project, the shooting, storyboarding, editing etc all of it was very fun and overall would probably say it was my fav project so far on this course. The reason being it was made up of my fav elements of design which are film and editing.  really enjoy editing video and using sound and mise-en-scene, cinematography etc. So with this project i was able to get on with this project a whole lot more as i can edit very well and enjoy it so it helped me engage and not really struggle with this project. I've also used FCP before a lot so it wan't that hard to use the software for this project.

Overall Improvements

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YtnAKIxkgw&feature=youtu.be

After looking and taking things into consideration i decided based off my crit of my sequence that i would make small improvements from some of the comments made from my sequence and what i could improve.

Above is my final sequence of the process of preparing recording equipment and i've improved many things. Firstly i noticed that before the comments i was given that when i was editing my sequence that the video looked a bit odd. Here's an example below

As you can see the video quality of the screenshot from one of my shots in my sequence is HD but looks odd and i think it was because the video was interlaced. To improve this i went into 'effects' 'video filters' 'video' and then 'de-interlaced' and stopped the whole messy look of the video.

Now this is the comparison from it before and after.

Before:

After:

Another improvement i made which i personally decided to change was the font type. Instead of using 'moon flower' in a regular type i decided to use 'moon flower' in bold type so it stands out more and is more eye catching. and this is how it looks from before to now currently after being improved.

So above were the shots that contained the 'moon flower' text and as you can see that its a very light font so then because i realised this i decided to change the font to bold so it could stand out more, as shown below.

As you can see it makes more of a difference and is much more noticeable and will help to catch the viewers eyes in a more obvious way with making the font bolder.

The final improvements i made was placing the sound of the door knock closer to the shot when i was in relief. This was because in the crit some people mentioned to have the tick and the knock at the door at the same time. However because the sound of the door is a lot of a stronger sound i decided against it as it would overlap the tick and people wouldn't be able to hear it. After thinking i decided to compromise and have the sound of the door knock slightly earlier and starting in 2 thirds of the way through the mid shout of me. I feel like it works a lot better now and keeping in with the way i liked it but satisfying other people with nearly an instant knock at the door after i take a 'sign' of relief.

These were my final improvements and i am very pleased and content with my final piece of work with this assignment and really enjoyed it, and is probably my favourite project i've done so far whilst being on this course. The editing part of as well as the cinematography and storyboard part of this assignment is why i loved this assignment the most so far as editing and cinematography and film is a large interest i hold and enjoy doing.

Crit

Earlier today i presented my Short Sharp Shock sequence to the class, and gained a lot of positive feedback and a couple of comments that were critiquing certain points of  of my sequence in a very fair way.

When i came into class i was pretty content with my final edited version of the sequence and didn't feel like changes were needed, but after my crit of the sequence a few points were made which i considered.

My sequence:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj6AauYHcZY

Firstly the comments i received that were positive were that:

Good use of sound

Like the repetitive process (going up and down stairs)

Sound of the ticking works well, as it helps to emphasise time and needing to rush and the ticking getting gradually louder helps to build up the sequence and makes it more rushed and panicky.

Fast Shots worked well

Engaging

Above are pretty much a lot of the feedback i was given from the class and my teacher who i presented it in front of. However i was given some critique from some of the class about timing for example:

They said that the shot of my phone with the text could've been shortened

Also i could have the tick in sync with the knock at the door

These two comments were really the only comments i received from the class and did debate about whilst we were discussing the comments. Firstly i argued that the phone shot was appropriate as some people are slow readers and for me personally i couldn't read the text quick enough that i would shorten it any more. The main problem is that the text could have been worded in simpler form, however i don't have enough time to shoot, edit and make the changes. Personally  think the text length is fine and contrasts with the beginning of the sequence with the speed and swift actions throughout.

Also the shot being longer with the text also gives a sense of a calm and relaxed atmosphere and a sense of equilibrium in contrast to the events after happening after getting the text which then causes disequilbrium as its an unstable and fast process that needs to be done before time runs out, so there's a sense of panic and haste in contrast with the introduction shots and text shot.

With the tick syncing with the knock at the door, i tired experimenting with it, and as good as that sounds when i came to trying it out it looked kind of odd and i liked how originally i had had the ticking progressing and then when it showed the time it had the last tick loud and wiping the face then the knock. I feel like it has the build up with this and then the tick being loud on the clock worked so i'm unsure with this idea about making the knock at the door in time with the tick because the knock at the door would over through the sound of the last tick, so i think it works fine but i will try and make the knock at the door sooner perhaps.

Thinking of changing some initial ideas i had... (Rhythm/Beats from Sounds Effects)

In some of my previous analysis posts i talked about the idea of using sound effects to create rhythm or an beat, or even repeating sounds from previous shots in a repetitive way so it creates a beat within the sequence through sound effects. As great as this idea is i have beginning to re think this concept. With this assignment it's suppose to be about a simple journey or process and mine is setting up recording equipment before friends get round to record, so if i add or try to add complex aspects into the video the overall flow might look and feel messy with repetitive beats from sounds along with the current sounds from the actions in the shots.

So I've been rethinking this concept which i was originally going to experiment with, and have decided for the best it is good just to keep it simple, otherwise it could have a downside and effect my overall sequence in a bad way. Overall i'm thinking just not to create a rhythm from previous shots and continue that like in one of the videos i previously analysed. I will be still going for my main idea of 'setting up equipment for recording before friends get round' but that being the main focus and no complex narratives or stories within it or extra complex sounds or adding continuous beats from sound effects.

I think that this will benefit me in the long run and will help to only strengthen the sequence through the choice of shots which i have explored and made to look engaging with use of composition, angles and different depths of field. Along with shots, sounds that i used to enhance the actions will also not be too messy or complex with getting rid of the idea of rhythm throughout through the sounds, instead it will be just emphasise the actions and so far i feel like I've done a good job on that from what I've edited with sound and video.

Type for Intro

After shooting for my introduction and then picking 3 simple shots that work well to set the scene, i then went onto looking at certain type faces to see what would work well for this intro. One font i recently installed was called 'Moon Flower' and its a san serif and is quite tall. This font i though might be a good choice because it has a very informal feel to it and looks like a good font to use for a project like this.

Link to font: http://www.dafont.com/moon-flower.font?text=moon+flower

I then went onto placing it in the shots to see what it looks like and my personal opinion is that it works really well and i think fits in really well and blends well with the shots.

The first shot of the intro has the text from the title of the project which is called 'short sharp shock'. I think placing it in the middle of the shot helps to make it the main focal point and doesn't get lost with the background of the shot with the clouds so i think the colour works well, and the overall look and placement of the title within this shot.

With this shot it was harder to think where to place the piece of text which i decided it to be who made the sequence i.e. me 'By Matthew Davey'. Because the next piece of text was going to be my name i thought of the idea of placing the text on my T-Shirt but because my phone and hand get in the shot, along with the 'L.A' type on my shirt it was hard to do this. I then thought of putting it under the color of my shirt and just above the 'L.A'. I then changed the angle of of it slightly to make it visible and it also helps to make it informal and more unique and eye catching.

The final shot was the hardest out of the three because i want the main focal point to be the text rather than the title of the sequence, however what i'm thinking is that it shows up for the intro and then the shot lasts a little bit longer, being the beginning of the sequence starting, as i want people to be able to notice the title of the sequence and what text i received so the overall sequence makes more sense to people watching it.

With the text i placed in the frame of the i phone so it almost looks like its in the text, and then angled it so it looked more realistic and looked more well framed ad positioned. 

Shooted Shots for Intro

The other day in a previous post i stated that i was thinking of using an intro to my short sharp shot sequence and one of my teachers suggesting setting the scene in the intro by showing a text from a friend saying him and my other friends were on their way to come round mine and record. I really liked this concept as it helps to establish the setting and what the sequence actually will be and explains rushing through my house setting the recording equipment in my living room before they get to my house.

So what i decided to do today was to shoot these shots i was thinking of using for my intro and to establish my i needed to rush to set up the recording equipment i.e. the text message. I shot a number of different shots as i didn't know fully what i wanted for the opening.

After shooting a number of shots in different angles i then realized since its 3 seconds of an intro that we are limited to, that i couldn't make it too complex with a bunch of shots in this introduction. So i had to decide what shots would work within the 3 seconds and i came to decide the shots below were the ones i'm most certain i'll be using in the introduction.

I felt that out of the bunch of shots i recorded that these particular shots work well to set the scene within a 3 second time limit as the introduction. The first shot helps to establish its sunny outside and i was thinking of using bird  noises to give the feel of peace. Afterwards using a sound from my mobile of it vibrating or beeping, to suggest i got a text with it leading to the next shot where i look what text i got. Then having a closeup of my mobile phone with the text, so the audience can read it and understand what's going on and making more sense when it leads into the fast paced shots of setting up the equipment.

Now all i need to experiment with is the typography i going to use and where i'm going to place the text in the shot. I will most likely use subtle type and place it in different positions. For example in the first shot of the opening i'll most likely place it in centre and then in the following shot will place it at the side along with the shot after that so the main focus is the text but still an introduction of my sequence. But i will experiment with text and placement of it and make a post of it.

Extra shot ideas (Potential Intro idea)

After editing the majority of my sequence, my teachers did praise me for my efforts when i showed them and when i was still editing it all together and one of my teachers said that i could use an intro with a couple shots of something that gives the idea away what my sequence is about. He suggested that i should have a reminder on my i phone or one of my friends text me saying that my friend who texted me and my other friends coming were on heir way for recording.

Since the opening is supposed to only be 3 seconds that is plenty of time to have a couple of shots of me grabbing my phone and seeing either the text or reminder on my phone that its the day for recording and then the process beginning where i set up the equipment to get it done in time before they get round my house.

Potentially with this idea i could have a close up shot of my trouser pocket and getting my phone out of it after hearing a text sound from the phone or a vibration sound then a close up of the text or reminder so it indicates that my friends are on their way or that the day is recording day so i should prepare.

I think i want to go for the idea of a text, as it makes more sense and would make me in the sequence realize i need to hurry and set up the equipment which would compliment the overall sequence nicely and have them knock in time as i finish so i think it could work really well.

So the idea is that i could use background noise of birds or something and use a close up high angle of my leg where my phone is and have it vibrate with a sound effect and then have another shot of me getting it out of my pocket and then a close up of the phone and the text.

This could be the opening as i could use text below of the shots in the opening saying 'short sharp shot' 'by matthew davey'  then 'preparing equipment for recording with friends' or something like that so i can use nice shots in an intro and set the scene and start at a good pace and then once seen the text and it fade out or something then begin to start the sequence and have me rushing around trying to get everything set up in time before they get round my house.

I will most likely sketch out these ideas for the opening and look at what shots i could use within the 3 seconds as well as  looking at potential fonts to use for the text in the opening.

Sound effects

Sound effects are very important to this project as it stated to emphasise sound through the actions that take place and use sound effects to help achieve this. With a lot of my sounds i raised the volume which  were my organic sounds that were from the shots themselves.

Some of the sounds that i needed i want into our Server and browsed through a lot of them and added a sound folder where i placed the sounds from the server. Because the server didn't have all the sounds i decided to look online for some royalty free sounds.

I fount this site which is called 'free SFX' and are all free sound effects that can be used but must be stated that they have been used from the website.

Link to site: http://www.freesfx.co.uk

And found a bunch that i wanted to use. I then placed in these sounds and muted the original sound on some of the shots and placed in the sound effects i wanted to emphasise in certain shots which were non-diegetic, As shown below.

Basically i continued this process looking through all my shots and thinking about emphasising the sounds through the sound effects i found from both the college server and online as well, and trying to get the timing right as well as emphasising the sound to make it more dramatic.

Something i also did was added a sound effect throughout the sequence of ticks from a clock, now i haven't decided if i'm going to keep it in or not and have asked for advice but am still unsure. As its a great idea to give a sense of needing to hurry an time running out. However it might destroy the other emphasised sounds in the process so i'm still unsure if i'm going to keep this ongoing sound effect.

Video Filters

Something i noticed whilst editing my shots is that some of there shots were slightly dark in contrast to some of my other shots which were quite bright, like in my room for example.

This shot is an example of one of the shots that was slightly dark. At the time other people had some problems similar to mine and our teacher Andrew went through how to get by this and make our shots less darker and a bit more vibrant.

He told us that if we want to change brightness or saturation to our shots to make them look more attractive we have to go into 'effects'  then 'video filters' then 'colour correction and then click on 'colour correct 3-way' on the shot we want to change, where a video filter box appears.

This is what appears on FCP when you click 'colour correction 3-way' which displays  the 'blacks' 'mids' 'whites' and 'saturation' now i did this with a lot of my shots that were slightly dark by bring up the 'saturation' and the 'mids' in order to get a slightly brighter and clear shot as well as more colour and vibrance to the shot.



Below is an example of before an After using the colour correction.

Before                                            After 

So as you can see using this technique can make all the difference in the shot and making it look more clearer and sharper. As a result of this technique i repeated this process with the majority of my shots to create slightly more vibrance and sharpness to a lot of my shots as some of them were slightly dark or didn't have a perfect lighting set up.

Editing in FCP (Basic start and Speed)

As i started to place my shots in a began by simply arranging the shots in order and beginning to shorten the length of them so it could fit within the 20 second limit.

To start with it wouldn't fit in the time limit so i did get rid of a few shots towards the end so it would end with enigma of the the knock at the door, but at the same time obvious its my friends here to record round my house.

Because i was struggling with time and shortening some of then still didn't help i then began speeding up a lot of my shots not only to fit the time limit of 20 seconds but also to give a sense of speed and time consumption and also trying to quickly set up the equipment.

So i did this my going on a lot of my shots and right clicking them and then clicking 'speed'

Then this box showed up and to change the speed included me having to change the percentage.

I then raised on a lot of my clips to the speed of 150% because it wouldn't make it too disorientating from the speed but would give more of a feel of movement and quick pace throughout my sequence which is what i wanted to achieve.

Compressing footage

After having shot the footage over the weekend i then on the college day came in with my footage and compressed it in order to get better quality as well as a good format that work well for Final Cut Pro.

I did this by going into Compressor and selecting my footage and placing it in and then going into 'Settings', then going into 'Other Workflows'  then going into 'Advanced Format Conversions' and then selecting 'Apple Codecs' and choosing 'Apple ProRes 422 for Progressive material (High Quality). As shown below.

Afterwards i then converted my files from the footage i wanted to use into this format where it then had a copy of all the 'ProRes' versions in the same folder, and i then went into FCP and important the folder that the ProRes versions were in.