The following is my spoken portion of the week 12 presentation:

So Jackson and I were the chief editors for our teaser trailer for Black Flat. Within this process, we learnt a lot about structure and organisation of shots, continuity, as well as audio editing and layering.

The process of structuring shots was relatively simple as obviously each was motivated and carefully planned. On the day we stuck close to the script and corresponding shot list, so we were thus able to work sequentially through the footage and audio in the suites. This was also made easier due to the fact that we labelled the video and audio file in line with the shot list – so if on the shot list it was scene 2, shot 2, take 2, then the files were labelled accordingly for painless reference and ease of synchronisation. During the shoot we also took notes about which takes were particularly good to ensure maximum productivity in the suite – saving us from the hassle of having to go through hours of footage we weren’t going to use.

Ensuring continuity was perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of shooting and editing our teaser. It can be quite hard to get your head around the little things regarding continuity whilst on set – things can fly unnoticed such as changing hand placement and movement, and things like cast members rolling their sleeves up and down. Even your sound operator’s feet may find themselves in the background of a shot… Oops.

With that, some shots did not line up seamlessly and the challenge became to carefully select the shots and cuts to MAKE them line up seamlessly. It very much became about experimentation and trial and error – putting shots in juxtaposition with each other to see if they flow or not. Video transitions also aided this process, as they suggest a shift in time in the event that things do not appear continuous. Through these strategic measures, Jackson and I were able to make the best of the footage we had to produce something mostly seamless and continuous.

Sound levelling and layering was another crucial part of our editing. Thanks to Sarah, our levels for dialogue were great, but there will always inevitably be variances due to the differences in volume of speech and pitch fluctuations. Jackson and I therefore went through each clip and brought the levels up or down accordingly to ensure they were within a suitable range and peaking at -6. We also consciously avoided audio clips with excessive wind and cut it out where possible. In terms of the scenes without dialogue – so establishing shots and the like – we layered sounds to match the action in the shot. For example, whilst Emily and Damien are walking along the river, we had the ambient sound of the location – so the flowing river, birds etc. – and footsteps fading in and out as they neared the camera.

Unfortunately due to time constraints, we were unable to properly colour grade or add text to our teaser. Hopefully you are still all able to pick up on the eerie vibe we were going for, so without further adieu:

[PLAY VIDEO]