Editing

Using the software and creative effects

I used Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 to edit my video , which is a software that I have used before for my AS film opening sequence. However, I have had to almost start from scratch when using the programme because a lot of the effects, techniques and functions that I have used throughout this editing process I hadn't needed to use before. Music videos require a lot more creativity in terms of editing and putting clips together in a more abstract and non-linear way, especially as these were key for my own video. I haven't been able to achieve all that I would have liked due to the limited time that I had to learn the software, but some of the shots and transitions that I ended up creating I didn't think I could have before I started.

Widescreen effect using the crop tool

I found that cropping it by 12% was a good size: more or
less wasn't as effective

My video follows a narrative that involves characters going on a journey physically and emotionally, and due to the similarities between this style and narratives found in some films, I wanted the video to have the same feel. One way I achieved this was by creating a widescreen effect by cropping the top and bottom of every clip by 12% which meant that black bars would appear and make it look like it was shot in widescreen. One disadvantage of doing this however is that overall 24% of the clip would be cropped and some detail lost in the parts that were cut if they fell above or below the crop line. It also meant that if I wanted a detail to be included that would have been cut I had to spend more time adjusting the position of the clip and nesting it before re-cropping it. This was time consuming and meant that not all the details I wanted could be included in the frame, but I think overall it was successful in creating a more cinematic look.

Lens flares

Lens flares are also another technique that give videos a cinematic quality, and so I utilised this effect in the last scene of my video where the two characters reunite. The moment is quite emotional and adding a lens flare gives it a more dreamy and serene quality. So that the flare seemed more natural and as if it was originally part of the clip, I blended it with the original clip and also lined it up with where the sun was positioned. This meant that it looked like a product of the filming technique rather than a post-production inclusion.

Transition (film dissolve)

I positioned the footage so that the actress
was at the same place in the frame
for all three clips

The two main transitions that I used were 'film dissolve' and 'dip to white'; the former to for a more smooth fade between clips and the latter to indicate flashbacks or a change in time (which I will talk about later). The most key moment where I used the film dissolve effect is when I wanted to show a similarity between the clips and how they are tied together, such as the sequence where the character Alycia turns around. There are three clips in the sequence, and the motion of her turning round is repeated in all three but cuts in at different stages in the motion: from fully facing away to partially turned to fully facing forward. The action takes place in three different locations but the movement occurring in all three ties them to each other and by fading the clips together it shows the progression of the action more smoothly than if it just cut without a transition to smooth it out. The sequence and movement also visually represents (and subverts) the lyrics in the song "but I won't look back."

Flashback sequence

This sequence includes a combination of different effects- both video and audio- to create the impression of a flashback. I used the 'dip to white' transition (which I mentioned before) to look like the short one to two second clips were flashing from one to the other and disconnected rather than linked in a linear sequence. To make it clear that there is supposed to be a distinct change from one scene to the next, I included the sound effect of a camera clicking. The scenes themselves are mostly aesthetic and close up details of the locations that will appear throughout the video e.g. the park, the seaside, and the arcade etc. It is almost a way of foreshadowing what is to come as well as introducing the character of Alycia in the clips.

The beginning of the video has a track over it of wildlife and nature sounds to fit with the opening shots of Rhi standing in the woods

Opacity

Layering clips played a large role in my video for mostly an aesthetic purpose, especially in the first chorus. I had to experiment with the opacity of the clips to make sure that the visuals were balanced and enough of each clip could be seen. I filmed some extreme long shots of various aesthetic settings such as sunsets and blurred city lights and then slowed them down to 1% of its original speed so it was more like a picture than a video clip. Usually I only layered two clips, but on other occasions I layered more and so finding a balance with the opacity was a challenge. As mentioned before, layering was usually to create an aesthetic purpose and to give the clip a 'double exposure' look, but other times it was to illustrate the visuals described in the lyrics of the song and link them together. An example of this is in the first chorus when the words "till our wide eyes burn blind" are sung and the image of the actress' eyes are are shown with a sunset behind them so that her eye lines up with where the sun is in the image.

Text

The titles and clips cut with the beat and last for the
duration of the intro synth of the song

I decided to include text in my video in the form of credits and the name of the song appearing at the beginning. This draws more on the conventions of a film than a music video, but as my video is extremely narrative based it is appropriate and adds another level of interest as audiences are introduced to the characters. The shots of the characters themselves are mid shot side profiles and fill the right side of the frame while the left displays the text. The writing is white so as to stand out against the background and is in a font which isn't too blocked or rigid which would make it look too formal for the subject matter of the video. It also looks a bit like the handwriting on the note at the beginning.

The title of the video is in a different font and colour so as to distinguish it as the main focus.The blue and pink colours introduce synergy as these same colours will appear on my website and digipak. The block letter font (and capital letters) again emphasise it as a title and make the words easy to read. I decided to place the title over the bright shot of the sunset and sea. The scene appears later on in the video and so introduces it as a somewhere that will be revisited, and the horizon lines up with the placement of the text to make it look more aesthetically pleasing.

Editing progress 6

After showing my first rough cut to the class, I decided to make some changes to my video, but nothing too drastic as most of their feedback and criticism was about aspects that it was too late to change such as the lip-syncing. The most noticeable change I made was that I decided to move the opening text (song title) to when the music started rather than have it right at the beginning during the scene at the park before the flashbacks and music. The pink and blue colours looked more appropriate when placed on top of a colourful background (the sunset) rather than the blank white of the sky. It also then comes directly before the actor credits, meaning that all the text is kept within the same sequence and can smoothly transition into each other.

Other changes I made involved lengthening the transition time so that the clips faded into one another more gradually rather than always being a hard cut, and brightening some clips so that the detail in the shot was more clear and not obscured by shadow.

Editing progress 5

When filming the reunion/hug scene, I didn't anticipate how long that scene was and so didn't have enough footage to completely fill out that part. To solve this, I looked through the footage I had from other locations and luckily had enough footage of the two characters hugging to cut in between the 'present day' reunion. In fact, I actually think that this ended up being better than what I originally planned, as it is a nice call back to the past and compares where the characters are now and where they were before. because much of the video is comprised of flashbacks, it is fitting to have one final look back when the characters are about to move forward. When I showed this part to some of my peers to see their reaction, they said that they liked this idea better than the original as it added more emotion and kept up with the fast paced editing that has previously been seen when flashing to the past (e.g. the introduction and bridge).

Editing progress 4

I couldn't find room in the main parts of the video (verses and choruses) for the scenes in the guitar shop as it doesn't really fit with the rest of the footage, and so I decided to use these clips in the bridge. During pre-production I decided that I wanted the bridge to be a collection of fast changing clips because of the strong rhythm in the song, and so cutting on beat would be a major focus here. In this way I can use a lot of footage up of this scene if I use a different clip for each 1 second beat. I also had a lot of footage from the arcade that I didn't use in the second verse, and so I filled out the bridge with more of this footage too.

Editing progress 3

I have edited the opening scene and made some changes from the initial ideas outlines in my treatment. Instead of the character of Rhi holing a photo of the two girls, she instead holds a post-it note with a message written on it. This is because, during filming, it was too difficult for me to acquire a camera that developed pictures in the short space of time I had to film. I don't think it takes too much away from the plot however, and may in fact make things clearer as to how the two characters end up in the same location at the end.

Other changes I added to the sequence (this time in post production) were with the flashbacks. Instead of just having the quick flashes of different shots, I included a sound effect too that sounds like a camera taking a picture, to literally present the idea of a "snapshot" of a memory. The flashbacks themselves are aesthetic in their close up details of natural settings but also shows the two girls together and then a shot of Alycia turning away from the camera in a shot that is repeated later on in the video as a call back. Apart from that, the sequence progressed pretty much how I storyboarded it.

Editing progress 2

The second verse is the first part of the video that I edited because I had a lot of footage from the arcade. However, because I focused on this first, I have to build the rest of the video around that scene which makes it harder because I can't reuse the shots and only have a limited amount of footage left. For this reason, I am finding it hard to edit the first verse, especially because it is solo footage of only one of the actresses and not a scene with both of them interacting which would give me more to work with.

Editing progress 1

Because I filmed the video without a detailed plan/storyboard it has been hard when it comes to editing to piece it together shot by shot. However it isn't too bad because my video doesn't have a distinctly linear storyline and match on action shots aren't vital to the story. It has meant though that editing takes longer than I was anticipating and so I'm having to spend a lot of time out of lessons working on the video.