#8 FIRST FILM EDITS (The Book)

Surprisingly, this was the first time that I have shot, acted and edited something to this level. Though a basic exercise, each role took a level of proficiency and were more complex when done in conjunction with each other. Overall this was a rather simple exercise that allowed me to gain more experience in shot construction and edit of my own shot decisions. Compared to the Lenny exercise, this felt like I had more control over my editing decisions as I knew the psychology behind each shot. The editing process was very considered when designing my shot list and ideas. However, this exercise did contain an element of collaboration. As this was a group exercise, planning was needed before commencement of the project. As my group and I had previously completed the same exercise in project  #7, we were provided with feedback on the particular edit we produced. It was in our interest to improve on the previous product. In the next incarnation of our edit, we were advised to reshoot and focus on improving the establishment of location. This exercise was based on a script that was based in a singular location. It was our mission to be able to convey the shots constructed by a fellow group member and myself as clear representations of the same locations, even if that wasn’t the case. This took a great level of planning as we were not in the same location. We had to be able to communicate the layouts of our individuale abodes via Zoom. This was by no means easy. It was important that we understood each other’s house layout so our edit makes sense. We were able to produce a product that made visible sense. With the use of an establishing shot at the beginning coupled with a ‘J-cut’, I think we were able to quickly convey the environment. Though I have some previous knowledge of the importance of establishing location, I was pleasantly surprised how much of a difference it makes in the conveyance of a story.

#9 ANIMATICS (Yaw – Animatic V1)

At first I struggled to see the importance and need for this exercise. However, this lack of understanding was because I viewed this exercise through the lens of the previous edit that I had completed. I originally thought the simplicity of the #8 edits didn’t require such planning, as it was not a big production with much complexity. Though, when I began this exercise I quickly realised the importance of such task. I understood that realistically, the animatic process would not be extremely crucial in the pre-production of something as basic as the #8 edits. However, I realised that the purpose of this exercise was to give us an introduction to such processes. I enjoyed this exercise when I saw how this animatic process relates to the production of edits. It allowed me to really put thought into shot construction. As a personal evaluation, It’d be honest to say that I am in need of some improvement when it comes to shot construction. Looking back I could have executed this exercise a little better, if I allowed more thought behind each shot.  

Another element to this process I enjoyed, was the collation of sound to accompany the stills. It was an enjoyable experience to be able to build an organic sound collection that I can now add to my own personal foley library. Through this I found out that I really enjoy recreating sounds for film. 

In conclusion, the animatic process is something that I will use in the future when creating bigger projects that require very considered approaches to shot allocation. This also allows for less time used on set to decide on particular shots, which ultimately helps the efficiency of productions. I’ve learnt over the first half of this studio that efficiency is a very important element to production. These skills, processes and learnt knowledge are very useful tools to apply to further developments.