Editing Process: our Thriller Intro Draft

To get to the stage at which we have a completed draft, we spent many weeks editing and putting together each section of footage into a sequence of around 2 minutes. Firstly, we uploaded all of the footage to Final Cut Pro X. We then went about cutting down each clip to ensure it started at the right point and ended exactly when we intended that shot to end. We first started to edit the flashback scene, of which Alex and I filmed. Alex demonstrated the 'blade tool' which allowed you to separate sections of clips, meaning we could change the order of some shots to maintain continuity. For example: when editing the sequence in which Hannah 'runs off' we had to change the order of clips as the 180 degree rule had been broken. Because a heavy theme in our thriller is flashbacks, we explored the transitions option. We found a 'flash' transition, we think it does a good job of being symbolic of the flashback itself.

 In the scene where the grandad is alone in the shack, we struggled to create a smooth and flowing sequence. We again used the blade tool in order to change the duration of certain clips to find a way of making sure each clip has a smooth and natural transition into the next. We didn't want the editing to be too fast so we went back and extended the extent of some clips, even applying slight slow motion effects to achieve this to a greater extent. We did find however, that this affected the sound of the clips; deepening and distorting the diegetic sounds.

 We then worked out how to 'ditatch' the audio, meaning that we could remove it and apply other sound effects to take it's place. For example, when the grandad puts his foot onto the wooden floor, we inserted a thump sound. We found the sound too sudden and thought the clip ended too quickly, which meant the focus on this scene ended too quickly also. We therefore decided to try out the echo tool. This function allowed us to extend the feeling of this scene even into the next scene, through applying a 3 stage echo, lasting for 2.5 seconds. This also helped to develop the eerie feel that is created by the dim lighting we used.

We used sound and slow editing to create an unsettling and uneasy feel in the flashback scene in a playground. The footage is reasonably slow paced, some of which being in slow motion, slowed by up to 40%. This was heavily contrasted by our choice of music. Although the music is not fast, it has an intense, eerie and creepy feel which when partnered with slow paced footage, connotates danger and we feel makes the audience feel on edge.

One final thing we considered before handing in our draft was the stability of our clips. Some shots were not taken with a tripod because of the awkward angles at which we shot for effect. This turned out to be much less of a problem as we thought due to us finding the 'clip stabilization' option. We applied clip zoom stabilization to the shot where the camera zooms very slowly into the articles, and pan stabilization to the shot in which we see a pan from the grandad to the girl. Luckily the majority of our footage was captured with the use of a tripod because stabilizing clips took hours, even before the rendering process. However we managed our time by ensuring that all necessary changes were made before we started the rendering process. 

We used Final Cut's sound layering options to attempt at a tense and suspenseful atmosphere. In the sequence where the grandad is alone in his dilapidated shack, we use multiple layers of non diegetic sound, which means sound that happens off screen. We found a piece of royalty free suspense music to play subtly in the background. We adjusted the volume of this by right clicking on the sound and adjusting the sound levels of that particular layer. We then added a thunder and rain sound file, which we increased in volume. We chose this particular sound due to it's contrasting high and low points; with quiet periods and then sudden transitions into crashing thunder, this leaves audiences on edge, adding to the thriller convention of suspense.

Finally, we added the sound effect of dripping with echo. This gave the idea that his shack is old, derelict and dilapidated. This use of setting can lead the audience to believe he can't be trusted or there is something about his persona that may not be quite 'right.'