Final Product

Blackout

Above is the link to the final edit of my short film. Overall I would say that I am happy in terms of the way in which I edited it and the different techniques that I used in order to link it to the thriller genre. One thing that I am unhappy with is how youtube has changed the quality of my video once I had uploaded it, despite filming with a higher quality camera and I also am unaware as to why the film has not uploaded in full screen.

Short Film Editing Stages

Due to the unfortunate technical difficulties I had with Adobe Premiere Pro I was setback in terms of what I knew about the editing software I was using to create my short film so after downloading Final Cut Pro it was time to go back to basics and begin with a step by step tutorial on YouTube to start off my understanding of the programme itself. This helped to develop my knowledge of the new editing software I was using and provided me with the skills to complete my own project on there. Soon after this I began my own editing and experimented with different effects that Final Cut Pro had to offer, still using YouTube as and when I needed to.

For the very first sequence seen in the short film, I decided that the most effective beginning must be relatable for my target audience. To ensure that I covered this I wanted to subvert the thriller's stereotype and make the approach more modernised. To do so I decided to use the iPhone feature of screen recording and capture a text message conversation amongst the teenage characters. The thought process behind this being that the target audience will relate to it because they are a generation glued to their phones. By introducing the action of the plot across the messages shown, this also meant that I saved screen time as it was a much quicker explanation as to what the short film is about. It also meant that the characters did not have to explain on screen; this would seem far too staged. This action conforms to the thriller stereotype of the film involving a group of naive teenagers wanting to do something forbidden with a risk of disaster, however I have chosen to subvert some of the thriller codes and conventions throughout the rest of the short film.



I added the screen recording to Final Cut Pro and decided that I did not find it engaging to watch as it was silent. To change the pace and make it more interesting I added music to the clip and was much more happy with the product of this. Whilst searching for the right song, I had to ensure that it was not copyright and that I was legally able to use it in my short film. Another factor was the pace of the music and if it would be engaging enough to keep the audience interested to see the rest of the plot unravel.

To move on from the screen recording to the short film, I felt that the best way to do this was a time transition to display time passing in the action of the plot. Continuing from the decision in the text conversation that the group would meet in '15 minutes', I decided that it was most relevant to cut to 20 minutes later and develop the story line from the moment they meet. This conforms to the codes and conventions of a thriller short film because typically there is use of time transitions to maintain pace and gage focus on how much time is passing for the actors.











As the time transition is just text appearing on the screen for a couple of seconds I also had to think of a way in which I could keep this interesting in order for my target audience to continue watching. There was a plethora of choices in terms of transitions available to add to the slide. The stereotypical 'wipe' or 'drop in' were too boring for the likes of my target audience so I decided to use a transition that gave the slide a stereoscopic 3D effect and I used this for all of the time transitions to ensure that there was continuity. This effect gave more of a jagged transition which I felt was most relevant to the thriller genre.



Whilst adding in the transitions it was important that I used it either side of the slide to give it a slicker effect for the changing of action on the screen. I also had to choose the screen time for the time transition. I chose 2.3 seconds as I did not want it to be too short so that the audience have to pause it to read it or have to rewind to understand why the text was relevant, and this time slot also meant that it wasn't on for too long that there was an awkward pause in the short film where the target audience were left feeling uncomfortable.

For the next scene I imported it was the meeting of the characters who had been messaging in the previous scene. I chose to have the characters in mid conversation as the camera began rolling as I wanted it to seem natural, and I felt that this worked because of the chemistry the actors had prior to shooting the short film. I used a variety of shots in the scene to reflect the comfortable nature of the scene and the stereotypical teenage behaviour. I intended for the friendships to be relatable and for the action to be realistic to modern day society. In all of the scenes I decided to separate the clip from the audio so that I could manipulate them quicker and easier. I ensured that the volume was all the way up for the speech of the characters; initially it was quieter and it did not match up to the level at which the music was playing at in other scenes. This also allowed me to speed up clips of the action whilst the audio remained at the same speed. The only difficulty I encountered with the first couple of scenes was the background noise of the waves and the wind. This was due to the fact that I had chosen to film at the seafront but I stuck with this location as I felt it was relevant to the action as it is stereotypical for teenagers to hang around down near the beach. It also links up to other scenes closer to it, so I remained at this location despite the small sound issue.

This first shot is at a low angle because it is most effective in terms of levels and the rule of thirds. It captures the two shot nicely as there is no central actor, making them both relevant. Being down low meant that I could protect the audio being caught on camera from the noisy waves on the other side of the wall.







To maintain engagement from the target audience I thought it would be best to change the location in the scene following on from this. It changes to a POV shot of alcohol being exchanged between two people. This action links up to the conversation the characters were having in the previous scene.









In the exchanging shot, I increased the original speed of the clip to maintain pace and intensity of the action. With this being a common occurrence in society (when older people buy alcohol for those who are underage) I decided I would make it as realistic as possible by making the shot subtle, fast and out of sight from other members of the public. This would make the action most relatable and this shot is the beginning to the build up to the climatic action shot seen later on in the film. The 'alcohol' is the motive in the short film and it is also the reason behind the thrilling plot twist so it was necessary
to shoot a scene displaying the exchange.



Keeping with the theme of the alcohol being illegal and dangerous, I also increased the speed of the next clip which was the character walking away from the exchange. The way that the alcohol is taken and hidden in the jacket indicates that she does not want to be seen. The actor also looks over her shoulder which conforms to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre as paranoia is a key theme.

The next scene displays the final connection of all four of the main actors together and it shows exactly how the scenes connect. I tried to do this as smoothly as possible so I used various camera angles and speech of the characters to support the fluency of the scene. The cutting back and forth between the scenes is in order to display that there is different action taking place at the same time and how they link up to the entire story line.

SHOT A

SHOT B

Shots A and B are the what the camera sees when we cut back to the first 3 actors that appear on screen. The element of levels is still apparent in the shot keeping the action interesting to look at- as opposed to the actors being sat next to one another in a line. The camera angle has also been changed to above the actors and it is closer to them than we saw before. This develops the involvement with the action as it seems more personal and deeper connected to the characters.

SHOT C

SHOT D

Shots C and D link up to A and B because they display the arrival of the fourth and final main character to the original location of the short film. The dialogue at this point is informing the target audience of what is to come and it is setting up the following scene. Again, there is more experimentation with camera shots here as there is a side profile close up that leads into a pan shot of where the other actors are. The master shot informs the audience of the location of the shot and that this shot concludes the actors involved within the short film.

The dialogue from the previous scene directs the actors to lead onto the next location which requires another transition. To do so I decided I would use a panning shot of the actors moving from their original location across the screen and disappearing. I did this so that it was unclear as to where the actors were travelling to. This leaves more suspense for the target audience and keeps them more engaged, as opposed to keeping the plot predictable and monotonous.





During the editing process of this shot I expedited the clip as it was just a walking shot which would have been boring and uninteresting at normal speed. This subverts the codes and conventions of the thriller genre as typically the editing would be slowed down to create tension in the action, however I believe that the opposite of this was more effective as it maintains the pace of the short film.

The next scene is filmed in the car as the teenagers are travelling from one location to another. I decided that I would make the music begin when the engine started as it was a key turning point and the action is getting closer to the climatic part of the story line. In today's society it is common for teenagers to have loud music on in the car and to dance and film one another for fun so I decided to replicate this as an experimental type of filming and I liked how it came out. I figured that this would be the most realistic way in which I should film a car journey in order for my target audience to relate to it. The happy vibes in this scene conform to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre because typically the action is happy and this is what makes the plot twist so unexpected and effective. The screenshot from the short film shown above is one of my favourite shots of the short film; I think it is very simplistic but creative and it came out exactly how I envisioned it.



This is how I layered the text onto the clip in my short film. I conformed to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre in terms of the timing of my text as there is typically a slight backstory to the action to begin with and the title sequence appears when the significant part of the story line is beginning. The scenes at the start of my film explain how and why they are there and the car scene is where the action is starting to build up, which is why I chose to add the title screen in here.

It was important to have a well known song for this part of the short film as it made it more reliable for the target audience and kept the music relevant. By having familiar music featured in the short film it would make it more likeable to those whom particularly enjoyed music, and it would also make the short film more memorable if there was catchy music that got stuck in the audience's head- further relating the song to the short film and leading to likely recommendations for others to watch. This conforms to the codes and conventions of short films in terms of methods seeking success.

To ensure that the long car journey scene is not tedious for the viewers once again, I decided I would change the action in the middle of the scene to keep it interesting.












In the research I performed of my target audience I decided that I would look at day to day life of teenagers- particularly those in my target audience. One of the most frequent events throughout a teenager's daily routine is being checked up on by their parents. Despite it not being a strikingly interesting event, I decide it would fit into the story line of my short film effectively so I incorporated it into this scene. The reason behind this is to highlight the lie that the character is telling to her parents when being asked where she is going, leaving her with no alibi- at this point the actors and the audience are naive as to why she might need an alibi.








After the phone call, the music comes back on and the atmosphere changes from a tense phone call to an exciting drive in a matter of seconds. This conforms to the typical codes and conventions of the thriller genre as the clips are fragmented and jump back and forth between heightened emotions.

In order to save screen time and to create unnecessary scenes, the action cuts from the car scene to later on when the teenagers are drinking the alcohol. This has been done because the scenes leading up to the drinking would not have been exciting to watch and there are no details needed from the previous scene to the time in which the short film cuts to. By selecting the time frames in which the short film would show, this saves irrelevant scenes from being screened. The transition used is the same as the one used previously which is effective continuity.

The first shot in the next scene is of the alcohol in the centre of the screen, highlighting how it is the most significant part of the action at this point in the story line. As made clear by this screenshot, the lighting has gone from natural to artificial. This was shot in the dark because it was essential that the location was not revealed in these shots. This is because the teenagers end up in a place in which they are not familiar with by the following morning, and I did not want it to be obvious as to how they got there- this meant that there were no obvious links for the audience to pick out. Throughout this scene there is experimentation with different types of artificial light including the flashlight of a phone and the use of a car's headlights. I think that these were effective for the atmosphere and mood of the short film.


Another popular song was used over the top of the action to increase the pace of the story line once again. The action in the clip and the speed of the song were both increased which built up towards the climatic part of the story line. To indicate the change of the time again, another time transition was used. This signified how the previous scene came suddenly to an end. Initially I had a clip in the film that displayed how the teenagers had found the strange location they woke up in but I re-watched it with the rest of the action and decided it was not effective and that I did not like it.

Here is the deleted scene:

When this scene was originally in my short film I felt that it could be relatable for my target audience as the teenagers are seen as though they are filming each other which is common in today's society. Throwing a modern twist on the short film it could have incorporated the use of contemporary apps like 'Snapchat' or 'Instagram' in which they recorded one another on. The use of props would have also been effective in this scene as they are seen carrying bottles of alcohol which indicates the reason for the change in their behaviour.

However there are a few reasons that counterbalance the positive effects of this scene in my short film and this includes running time, pace and screen time. Having the brief for the short film being around 5/6 minutes, I was already over the limit by a couple of minutes and I decided I wanted to be closer to the 6 minute mark. To do so I had to go through and select the least relevant scenes that would not confuse the action in the plot. The second reason is because the action was at such a fast pace in the previous scene and I only intended for the pace to change when the "next day" arrived thus this scene slowed the action back down again. Having a large amount of screen time was impractical and by looking back over the scene I decided that it was completely irrelevant as I wanted to leave an element of surprise in how they ended up where they woke up in the following scene. For those reasons I decided the scene was irrelevant and that the short film was more effective and mysterious without it.

















Here are the screenshots displaying the continuity in the time transitions. This also shows the abrupt end to the previous scene.

This is another one of the most significant screenshots from the short film. It displays the fate of one of the main characters and it is the denouement of the story line. I would say that this shot conforms to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre as it is showing the death of a character from the level at which they are at. In this case he is lying on the floor, therefore the angle of the camera also begins from the floor. Low angle shots are typically used to give significance to a character and show their importance to the audience. However, this shot differs because it is not looking up to the action- they are on the same level. This is displaying the world from the victim's point of view and emphasising the vulnerability of the character. Despite the angle not giving the character any extra height, it does heighten the suspense of the action.

As the characters panic about the situation, the most climatic point of the action is fast approaching and the build up is created through my manipulation of the sound and angles of the clips. The layering of sound effects can be seen in this screenshot. To create tension I thought a police siren would be most relevant to feature as it signifies the danger of the situation and creates a more serious atmosphere. As well as the siren I used a chaotic background music that used drums to develop tension in the song, which was perfect for what I wanted for the short film. The layering of these created an extremely dramatic, yet dynamic ending to the short film.

I used different camera shots in these final scenes aswell and the cutting of them added to the effectiveness of the pace of the action. For instance there is a shot of the teenagers fleeing from the building taken from behind them, and another of the same piece of action except it's filmed from outside to create a sense of continuity.




Below are the final shots of the short film and these reveal how the plot ends. During the editing process I decided that I wanted the cuts of the walking with the camera to be jolty so to create more suspense and conform to the shaky cam typically used within the horror genre. I also manipulated the music so that the one of the dramatic drum beats would occur at the same time as the conclusive shot of the short film as a signifier of the end.

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.