During the editing process the cutting tool was one of the most important tools needed in order to turn our raw footage into something that could be considered a thriller movie opening. We all found the cutting tool simple to use so were able to contribute to a large majority of editing each. The main place where we needed to use the cutting tool was when we needed to make sure there was continuity in our thriller by cutting out unrealistic things.
As we need to add tittles to our opening sequence we need to make sure that all of the titles are the same font and colour so that our oepning looks professional. We created titles for cast members names etc. and decreased the size so that they would fit in the corners. Also, we changed the corners in which we added the titles regularly so that the sequence looked more diverse and interesting.
Then, for the larger titles that named the production company, we increased the size and centered the font so that it looked symmetrical and professional. We found that the large sans serif font stood out the most, especially the white as it bounced of the background. This type of title is seen in a lot of student films along with professional blockbusters.
Now that I have finished my first draft I thought that it would be a good idea to analyse some more thriller opening so that I can take aspects and add more dimension and complexity to my thriller, hopefully showing more skill and resulting in a higher grade. Therefore I am going to analyse the thriller Se7en
This is the finished title that we made on after effects. I think it turned out well and will really make our thriller stand out once added to the opening.
I have watched a number of different title tutorials on youtube in order to be able to create a moving title screen before the actual thriller starts. My group and I wanted to do this because we thought that it would make our thriller appear more professional, and it shows some skill and resourcefulness.
This is the first video that we watched in order to help us create a title with a spotlight and a faded galaxy background.
We did have some initial problems and we had to carry out multiple attempts in order to recreate something similar as neither of us had ever used this program before. However I do still think that our turned out well and will still give our thriller a professional feel, adding drama at the start. We found that this video wasn't detailed enough and so searched for specific videos on YouTube to help us with the spotlight tool. For example we found this video very helpful:
We really found this video helpful for focusing on the spotlight tool in general as we had trouble following the first video. Also9, we wanted to add something extra to our title using a zoom, however we weren't particularly sure of how to do this so we found another helpful video which I think really gave our title a dramatic edge which is common at the start of high drama films especially thrillers.
In order to edit all of our loose footage my group and I used Adobe Premiere Pro, which wasn't too difficult as we had already had some practice from our preliminary task. Everyone in our group edited a section whilst everyone was giving input and creative design ideas that we hadn't previously thought of to improve the look of our thriller. Editing went smoothly for the most part and we were able to get the first draft up by the deadline by staying after school to get some last minute editing done. We also added sound and titles to our thriller in the editing of the first draft which helped us create a picture of what our final edit would actually look like. During the editing stage we noticed some shots that we really liked because the lighting was good and they were in focus, however some of the shots were dull and slightly blurred as they were out of focus, such as the pan on the staircase scene and the smirk during the close up of the lips at the end. To make sure that the editing process runs more smoothly next time, we made a list of all of the different shots that we will need to re-film, so that we won't miss any out. After we had edited our first draft and was happy with the quality so far we asked for audience feedback and made a few tweaks here and there to make the continuity and fluidity of a thriller better and smoother.
On the day of filming my group and I all went the first house location to film the bedroom scene for our thriller. When we arrived at location we set up the tripod and turned on the camera, whilst making sure that the backdrop was clean and how we invisioned it to be. We each did a shot at a time so everyone did at least 3 shots each. For the most part the filming went smoothly and we were able to film most of the shots successfully in focus with good lighting. However as the filming continued the light began to fade so the lighting in the last few shots weren't exactly the same as the firsts shots and so the shots didn't look very professional. Also we did have some troubles focusing on some of the extreme close up shots, so to resolve this we changed the shot angles so that are thriller had diversity but also look clean and professional. On the second day of filming we filmed the staircase scene which was a little more difficult as it is hard to light a staircase properly. However, the filming went much quicker during this shoot and we got more shots done in a shorter amount of time, showing our efficient time planning. Although, some of the shots did come out looking a bit rushed as they weren't all in focus, and the dull lighting really showed. Another problem in which we need to solve is that we took still shots instead of slow upward pans during the close ups of the object on the stairs.
What we will do differently when we refilm?
When we refilm we are definately going to make sure that we use a lighting kit during filming so that the backdrop is lit and not dull. This will make sure that the lighting is the same in every shot which at the moment it is not. Also we are going to make sure that the continuity is right because when we watched our original footage back items moved around in the background and some things just didn't make sense. Therfore we need to be aware when filming, if we do it in a different order that everything will add up when we edit it in the correct order.
In our thriller shot we want to have a mirror shot similar to this but the face will be unfocused and the back of the head will be in focus. This shot from Shutter Island and jumped out at me when I was analysing the opening scene, and is something that I am going to try and recreate with some adaptations in my thriller opening.
