Editing programme- updated post

For my editing I am going to be using a software called Adobe Premiere Pro which I have not used before but I have researched into this and have decided it will work best for the short film I am creating. In terms of learning how to use all of the features of the programme, there are many youtube tutorials that are informative on these topics. Looking closer at the features available on Premiere Pro I particularly want to use the responsive design aspect as I think it will be of use to the scenes I am editing. For example this will give me the power to preserve the integrity of keyframes in motion graphics such as intro and outro animations when making changes to the overall duration. I intend to experiment with the intro and outro because I want to create my short film with a motif as I find this most engaging for my target audience of this genre. I also like the fact that on Premiere Pro you can work on multiple projects simultaneously as it allows me to try different techniques during the production of my short film than change one scene multiple times. Adobe Premiere Pro also has immersive transitions which means that whilst I am adding transitions and effects to my clips, it will not create unwanted distortions. The programme has been enhanced for beginners to gain experience as there is a six-step tour available when you first open the app.

Unfortunately during the editing process, Adobe Premiere Pro crashed and it meant that I lost some of my footage due to this problem. Luckily I was able to download another programme called Final Cut Pro before it was too late. This was the editing software that I used to create my final product on. The loss of some of my corrupted clips meant that I had to compromise in terms of how I put the short film together as this happened too late in the editing process to go and film some new clips. Working around this was a learning curve but I feel I was able to do so and still have an effective storyline shown throughout. Final Cut Pro provides non-linear, non-destructive editing of any Quicktime-compatible video format. It comes with a range of video transitions and a range of video and audio filters such as keying tools, mattes and vocal de-poppers and de-essers. It also has multiple colour correction tools including colour wheels, sliders and curves, videoscope and a selection of generators. The viewer has tabs for each channel of the selected clip's audio, in which the waveform for the audio can be viewed and scrubbed, and where its volume can be keyframed. The effects for the clip appear in the filters tab which is also where the parameters of the clip can be adjusted and keyframed. Clips can be edited together in timelines called sequences. Sequences can be nested inside other sequences so that a filter or transition can be applied to the grouped clips. The timeline on Final Cut Pro allows 99 videos to be layered on top of each other which is useful when building up different layers of sound throughout the short film. The size of a video clip can be altered, and the clips can be cropped, among many other settings that can be changed. This programme has saved my short film project as it was easy to pick up and learn how to use and it auto-saved each stage of the editing process therefore I did not have to worry about the programme crashing and having to restart.

Institution

Whilst creating a short film it is also important to consider where you are going to be advertising your film and who is going to be distributing it once you have a final product. After some thorough research I have discovered some institutions that are perfect for distributing my short film. One example would be ‘New Line Cinema’ and it is popular in terms of the thriller genre itself. This company have released films such as ‘The Butterfly Effect’ and ‘Se7en’. The only issue with this distributor is that it is typically used for high budget/mainstream films and my short film is independent with a small budget. Another idea would be ‘Haxan Films’ which is a horror film distributor who have released films like ‘Blair Witch Project’, however it is slightly the wrong genre for my short film. A more ideal distributor for my short film would be ‘Warp Films’ which is a small British targeted institution. This would be much more realistic as it doesn’t distribute high budget films and it targets British audiences. Due to the fact my crime thriller features British actors and only has a low budget I think that Warp Films would potentially be the best option. They have released films such as ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ which follows one character through a personal state which is similar to mine in the sense that my film is mainly filming the personal state of each of the four characters. Despite other distributors having more successful films, it is important to think about which would be more realistic and Warp Films targets a British audience and films with low budgets therefore is ideal for the release of my short film.

Short Film Analysis

The Witness

Before we see any action take place in this short film, we hear the sound motif which is then heard again during scenes including build up of action and again as the film comes to an end. Having a sound motif is very effective because it creates a tune that the audience are familiar with and recognise. The opening sequence is used again at the end of the short film which is good closure for the film itself and it is then clear to the audience it has finished. There is blurred focus of the camera in the first scene that we see and this means that we are unable to see the action and this further connotes that this is the point of view of the story. Another interpretation of this would be that the blur is a reflection of the state of mind of the main character. The non-diegetic sound builds up tension and prepares the audience for the action to come. The music die down when the scene begins but the tense music begins and the first image we see is of some handcuffs and someone tapping their hands. This typically makes us think of crime and danger as this is a typical scenario in a police station or interrogation room. There is yet to be speech which is another element of tension being built up. We see one of the main characters under a spotlight which indicates once again he is being interrogated. The close up of his face in the camera shot allows us to analyse his facial expressions and how he is feeling. There is a look of nervousness and confusion on his face highlighting how he doesn't want to be in the position he is currently in. The nervousness could connote that he is guilty for something or the confusion may be there to tell the audience that he is unaware of the situation. The title of the film then suggests that the character is a 'witness' of a crime. When the characters begin to converse there is a formal tone which indicates the seriousness of the interrogation. The gentle hum of background noise is typical to be heard in an office setting but the way the sound has been isolated gives a more mysterious feel. When describing the action taking place there are flashbacks to when the character was a witness. Once again there is non-diegetic music featured in these added scenes to build up the tension further. The cuts between the action and the narrative are slick which makes it much more effective as a believable story line. One thing I would constructively criticise about this short film is that there appears to be no motive for the events that take place and it leaves questions in the viewers mind. Who are the people in the action scenes? How do they have any relevance to the witness? What was the motive for the crime? How did the interviewer know of the witness? Gaps in the action can be effective in short films however to improve upon this I would suggest that a few more questions were answered to make the purpose of the short film much clearer. The conversation ends with a handshake between the two main characters and this is captured in a close up camera shot to highlight the working relationship between the two of them. It is then cut back to the sound motif and the original credits the short film began with. This is effective because this will be familiar to the audience and they will be aware that the short film has come to an end.

Two Detectives

The introduction of this short film has non-diegetic music that creates the atmosphere for the scenes to come. As the characters are walking into shot the pace is slow as the speed has been altered to build tension. The credits are carefully featured throughout the opening sequence so that they do not defer from the introduction but are still shown as important. The title of the short film follows this on a new screen and when it cut backs to the original setting the speech begins. From the title 'Two Detectives' it is immediately apparent that the characters are in the middle of a case because of the terminology used. This short film features lots of comedy within the speech but this is unexpected and subverts the stereotype of a typical thriller short film because the narrative is generally serious and about the crime or the events taking place. Within "Two Detectives" every other line of speech features a humorous comment about spoilers of films or series such as 'Game of Thrones'. This is effective because it is unexpected, thus keeping the audience engaged with the action.

Three Minutes

The beginning of this short film is very effective because it uses a sound bridge of diegetic noises to give clues to the audience as to what may be taking place in this short film. The title and actor's name are the first things to appear on screen and they are memorable because of the white text on the black background and nothing else causing a distraction. The scene begins with a mid shot of a man in a suit tied up in a chair and he is completely unaware of how he has come to be where he is and why he is in the situation. This conforms to a stereotypical thriller genre as there is generally an unsolved twist to keep the audience engaged and leave them with the same confusion as the actor. I plan to use this acting and screening method in my short film as I believe it to be very effective and interesting for the audience to watch. The setting and the props are very basic but this is good because it means there is more focus and attention paid to the main character and no distractions from the action taking place. Another camera shot used is a high-angle shot which displays the action from the corner of the room through what appears to be a CCTV camera, conforming to a convention of a typical crime thriller of the idea of being watched. As the man realises that there is a bomb in front of him and the time of 3 minutes appears on it, the tension and suspense builds and some non-diegetic music begins in the background to increase the pace of the short film. I would like to use this pace technique in my short film when the denouement of the film has been reached. The switching between the close up shots of the man and the bomb timer is effective because it emphasises the build up in the action and how heightened the pace is. Once he has stopped the bomb the suspense decreases and the door handle makes a noise which makes the audience believe the man has been allowed to escape the room he was trapped in. However we soon learn that once he presses the button on the door it is linked up to the bomb. The timer on the bomb is not displayed on screen again so we are unaware as to how much time he has left but the film is cut off at that point anyway to leave the action on a cliffhanger. This conforms to the codes and conventions of a stereotypical crime thriller and I would like to use this technique in my short film, as the audience are left wanting to know what happens. By leaving questions unanswered it is more likely that people will remember the film and thus if there were a sequel there would already be an audience waiting to watch.

Choosing a title

The title of a short film is important because it should give an audience the incentive to watch the film despite not knowing everything about the plot. If the title does not catch the eye of the audience then they will not be interested in watching the film and therefore it will be unsuccessful. It can be used to neatly encapsulate the underlying idea or moral of the film. To ensure I had the correct title I decided I would have to think of a few potential options first and make my decision based on what is most fitting with the plot and the moral of the short film.

Here are my ideas:

Blackout
The reason behind this name is because at the end of the short film I intend there to be a blackout in the action at the end of the short film and by having this title the audience will be waiting for it to happen within the action. Having this effect at the end of the short film will ensure that the audience are engaged throughout the duration of the screen time. Another reason that I like this title is because some teenagers refer to getting really drunk as "blackout drunk" because that is what the human body does if too much alcohol is consumed, linking to the action in my short film.

Best Behaviour
I like this title because it is ironic and in the short film the actors are not on their "best behaviour". It is intriguing because it makes the audience wonder what sort of events will be taking place within the short film. Another reason it is effective is because there is a song by current artist, Louisa Johnson, called "Best Behaviour". This gives a different vibe to the title because it makes is more modern and relatable for teenagers, especially those that listen to this type of music. It would typically be associated with party songs and this links to the atmosphere in the short film.

17
This title is effective because it is short, ambiguous and doesn't reveal anything about the plot of the film. It is a plain title but engaging because of the lack of clues given about the events in the short film. I chose 17 because of the age of the characters in the short film and the fact that 17 is just below the legal drinking age of 18. This links it to the events of the plot but subtly so it does not reveal any obvious information.

Intoxicated
The phrase itself is obvious as to what it means and for this reason it is an option for the title of my short film. It is straight forward and has a self-explanatory meaning yet it leaves an air of mystery when it comes to what the short film would be about and it does not typically link to a crime thriller which I think would be more engaging for my target audience.

What happened last night?

I intend to use this phrase in the short film itself and therefore when the target audience watch it they will hear the title of the film being paraphrased which I think is extremely effective. This is a common phrase among people who have been under the influence of alcohol and are unable to remember the events of the night before. It is also a theme in my short film as the actors are incapable of recalling what they did by the time they wake up in the morning.

Chosen title- Blackout
After coming up with these five film title ideas I couldn't decide which would be most engaging so thought it was best that I asked people what was most intriguing for them. I went and asked 15 people who fitted into my target audience criteria and this provided me with the final name of my short film. The feedback I received was that this directly linked to the plot of my short film but also left it unclear as to what it was going to be about. I wanted my target audience to decide on the title of my short film because I want them to be engaged in every aspect of my short film to ensure I am producing what they are interested in. Overall this makes sure I am concise with my research and work towards each stage of the filming.

Story boards

This is an example of the one of the story boards for my short film. It provides an insight into the first six scenes and how I have planned them out. They include the position of the actors, the camera shot and the angle it should be taken at. Also the time of day and brief outline of the action so I can look at my story boards whilst out filming so I do not forget what scene is next and therefore can be more time-effective than if I went out with no plan. This way it will be easier whilst filming and I can find out which shots work best for me even if I do end up altering the angle or order of shots, these story boards give me a rough idea of what action needs to be unravelling and when.

Props

This is an empty bottle of alcohol that will be filled up with energy drink in order for the actors to look as though they are consuming alcohol within the short film. I wanted to use an actual bottle to make it look more realistic in the film and easier for the actors to cooperate with the "drunken" acting, as working with the correct props can often give off a placebo effect.

This is the energy drink that is being used to put inside the alcohol bottle. When evaluating what I should use I decided it was between energy drink and apple juice and after testing them both on camera, I decided this worked better.

There is music featuring in my short film when the teenagers are having their own "party" and in order to make the atmosphere like a typical teenage get-together I figured a portable speaker would provide the best effect. This also means that I can play music without having to add it in post-production. I will evaluate how effective the music is once I have filmed the action I need, before I decide whether or not it works better having it edited in.

During one of the scenes, a character wakes up with "blood" on their hands and for this I decided that tomato ketchup gave the best effect of this. I experimented with food colouring but the consistency did not look right on camera so I chose this as a substitute.

Throughout the video the actors are seen consuming alcohol and they bring it with them on the journey. I decided that using a hip flask was useful because it was not transparent therefore I could fill it with water and the actors could cooperate and make it look as if it had the same effect on them as alcohol would.

Location

Location ideas

In the search for my location it was important that I found somewhere abandoned or at least somewhere that looked derelict to go with the atmosphere I wanted to create within my short film.

My initial idea was Atherfield Holiday Park as I had researched abandoned places on the Isle of Wight, or those out of business. After looking at photographs online I decided it would be better to go and have at look at the site in person to get a feel as to whether it would be good enough for the short film itself, and ensure it was the correct atmosphere. Upon arrival I soon discovered that what was left of this old holiday park was not viable to use because the council have begun to knock it down ready for something new to be built, therefore it would be too dangerous to film there and there would not be enough space to make the short film setting effective.

The next location I decided to investigate was Brighstone Holiday Park as, when I had researched online, it had been said that it was no longer in use. It looked like another good option as Atherfield had but upon arrival I soon realised that the site had been taken over by new management and it had been refurbished therefore the buildings were not fitting for my criteria.

The final location on my list was Puckpool Park a, despite it being a popular place for visitors I discovered that there was access to old war barracks that were no longer in use. After discovering this I got in contact with the management who provided me with the keys and permission to access the other unused parts or Puckpool. When I looked around I decided it was perfect for the setting I wanted and that it would create the correct atmosphere within my short film.