Editing Jenny’s moment was the first occasion that I thought how we could use something other than the footage to bring or elevate a certain mood. The answer was sound. Jenny’s moment is split into two shots; one long take from her selfie camera that goes for about a minute, and another brief shot of her from a wider angle. The first shot is where everything happens, and the climax comes from transitioning into the next shot. After Robin viewed the raw edit, he advised us that we needed some kind of noise that heightens that climactic transition. After discussing with Alaine the next step, we opted to increase the volume on the transition, which is Jenny purposely dropping her phone on the ground. The sound has a crash quality that is truly powerful due to its velocity, frequency and purpose.

I also provided Alaine with about 30 or so songs/compositions that either I made, my friend made, or we both made. They are a combination of ambient and experimental sounds that I felt suited the project because of its ethereal nature. We’ve used 5 or 6 of them and the general response has been quite positive. It’s nice to use your own sounds; my relationship with the project feels even more personal.

The scene that I acted in (the headphones moment) was a rewarding experience; not for my future or anything like that, but just for enjoyment. I hadn’t acted for about 2 years but during the shoot I felt I rediscovered my desire. After the shoot, I asked Alex if he wanted me to act in his group’s film, which he accepted.

The actual footage from the shoot was fantastic. There was one glorious moment, where the brightness of the sun changed twice in the space of 10 seconds. I hear about how much ‘luck’ is involved when filming, and we were very fortunate that we were able to capture that moment. Alaine chose her angles really well, and Chynnae did a very good job with the lighting. The actual ‘moment’ required a lot of editing to fulfil its purpose as it relies on the manipulation of sound. It probably took Alaine and I a few weeks of work for it to reach its potential, but it was all worth it; its probably the most satisfying scene I’ve been involved in, due to its technique and meaning.

During an editing session, Robin gave our group a workshop on colour grading. My knowledge in this field was limited, if not non-existent, so it was quite an eye-opening moment to notice the different ways Premiere allows you to grade.