2. First cut
We want to make sure that our video displays
various editing techniques, such as fades,
match cuts and slow motion, so aim to
include these from the very start to make
sure our video has all the features we want.
The first technique I used when editing is a
match cut/fade. This is evident when our
actress is lip synching on the stage. This was
one of the first pieces of footage we filmed,
so took me a while to get used to making
sure that the lip synching was in place, but
got there eventually. The match cut is shown
when she lies down, and a second is shown
when she sits up again, and I made the
decision to use fades instead of straight cuts,
as I felt it made the transition smoother.
3. First cut cont.
The second editing technique I used was a
fade by itself, shown when the dancer ‘fades’
off of the stage. This was done to match the
lyrics “But it’s over now”, referring to the
“show” talked about in the lyrics, which we
chose to represent metaphorically with a
dancer. As it was a metaphor, we wanted to
give the illusion that the dancer wasn’t real, so
had her ‘fade’ off of the stage as if she was a
figment of the artist’s imagination. We had a
slight issue in that the background changed
slightly between shots so you can tell that the
whole scene fades rather than just the dancer
but overall I think it looks ok and mostly how
we wanted it to.
4. First cut cont.
The third technique I wanted to use
in the first cut was slow motion. We
decided a candle being blown out
in slow motion would look really
effective, however we discovered
that the iPad we were filming on
didn’t have a slow motion option
on the camera, meaning I would
have to do it manually when
editing. I didn’t manage to do this
in time for the first cut, but plan to
do it in time for the second.
5. First Cut: Problems We Faced
I came across a few problems when editing:
1. There was a phone in one of the shots, and the app we are using doesn’t give me the option
to edit it out or zoom in a bit so we will have to re-film the footage completely.
2. The lip synching was hard to begin with but I got the hang of it quite quickly.
3. I found that every time I added in a new bit of footage it threw all the lip syncing after it out
of time, so found myself constantly editing the same bits over and over to make sure it was all
in time, however due to the app we are using I don’t think there’s much I can do to prevent
this.
4. It was quite hard getting the song onto the app in the first place as it wouldn’t let me take it
out of my music, so I had to record the song playing, convert it to mp3, and then add it in,
which made me initially worry about the sound quality, but it actually sounds fine.
5. The dancer fade I mentioned earlier was also an issue, however I think that it looks fine and
we don’t desperately need to change it.
6. Finally, the slow motion for the candle was also a slight set back, however can be fixed easily
in time for the next cut.
6. Second Cut
I had more editing to do in the second cut than the
first, because we had a lot more footage.
I was able to put the rest of the footage into the
video so we had a full video from start to finish.
The first thing I did was put all of the footage in the
right place, so I was clear where everything was, then
I went back and moved everything so it was in time
and put on the filters etc.
The first technique that I used was a black and white
filter. We decided to do this as we wanted the scene
to look like a flashback, and a black and white filter is
often used to portray this. This wasn’t too difficult to
achieve as the app I was using (iMovie) came with in-
built filters that you could select.
7. Second cut
The main technique I had to
use during the second cut was
lip syncing. Since we had so
much more footage than the
first cut, I found it was a much
bigger challenge to put all the
lip syncing footage in the
right place. In the end I
managed to get most of it in
time, but there were a few bits
that weren’t quite right.
8. Second Cut: Problems We Faced
Lip syncing was a lot harder with this cut due to the amount of footage we
had. I found that every time I fixed one part, it pushed everything after it out of
sync again, so it was quite a long process.
We also decided not to put the candle in slow motion as we liked it how it is,
however this meant that I had to make the shot after it slightly longer to make
up for it.
Finally, I found I had to put a slow motion effect on the dancer as she faded off
the stage, as without it the fade happened to quickly, and meant that the next
bit of footage started too early.
9. Final Cut
The final cut was the quickest
and easiest to edit, as I only had
to add in a few bits of footage
that we re-filmed, and fix some of
the lip syncing.
Replacing the footage was
frustrating as it pushed
everything after it out of sync
again, so putting all the lip
syncing back was a long process
but I think I got it all in time in
the end.
10. Final Cut: Problems We Faced
There was only really one major problem that I had with the final cut. There was a
bit of lip syncing that was out, and no matter how hard I tried to shuffle the
footage it wouldn’t move. In the end I realised it was because I had turned the
camera on/off too quickly when we were filming, so I hadn’t given myself any
editing room with the footage, so I ended up having to add in an extra bit of
footage because there was no other way to get the lip syncing in time. Despite this,
I still think that the video looks good, and the extra shot I added doesn’t look too
out of place.
Again, the fact that every time I fixed a bit of lip syncing it pushed everything after
it out was frustrating, as although I tried to do it in chronological order to avoid
this, every now and again I missed a bit and had to start over.
