Now that my edit in Avid is finished I can take a step back to think about how it worked and how it possibly didn't work and also how I found my first project using Avid to edit. It has also given me another chance to reflect on the studio shoot in terms of what went well or what didn't work well for the edit:
Re-watching my finished edit there were a few things which I felt worked and went particularly well for me. Firstly the overlays were one of my favourite effects which I used within this piece. Our studio piece was intended to be very abstract from the beginning as it is a very conceptual idea and isn't realistic. This is why the overlays worked so well because they added to this disorientating factor in how it isn't real. It is also about how the mind works and these overlays helped to mimic how people minds can work remembering things slightly differently when they think back and memories and personal traits getting mixed together. I just feel like the overlay works visually and conceptually which is why I am happy with it.
Another effect I created myself which I liked was the glitching/flashing effect which I made by layering clips and cutting them up into very small sections. The most effective use for this was in the ending when I build the drama by having this effect slowly speed up between three shots till it is flashing a frame a second between them then cuts to black suddenly as the piece ends. I feel like this ending is much better than the slower needing I had in my rough cut. It builds tension and drama for the viewer therefore making more of an impact. Also this effect reflects the shocking ending whereby the main character looses the fight with her own mind.
I felt like the B roll footage we captured of the set was really useful to my edit to use for the title sequence which originally I wasn't sure about however I feel like it actually works well looking back because it introduces the set like an establishing shot but in a much more abstract and surreal way. It is a good comparison to see the two sides of the mind represented by the two desks and this introduces the characters to the audience almost before the piece has already started. The credits were a lot more simplistic but I liked these too because it makes it finish on a very professional looking note which is good. I feel like the titles work well for the piece without being overpowering.
The main issue I had with this edit was the sound. This issues stems all the way back to the actually shoot taking place. The sound on set wasn't recorded to a very high quality and the levels weren't set up properly so it was too low. I was so busy directing the actors on set that I didn't have time to check things like this myself but trusted the sound recordists and the main sound man to be capable of setting up and recording the sound properly. This meant a lot of the sound was unusable and also because the sound equipment wasn't working properly it cut all our takes into many segments meaning using the caller sound to like them in wasn't an option. We also didn't get the abstract soundtrack we had all planned for because our Sound man lost all his folly's we planned and also lost his soundscape edit and would not re-do this for us. As a director and editor I don't personally have the strongest set of sound skills and so I worked with the skills I did have and the time I had left and chose to just keep the camera sounds and edit them as best as I could. Then I added my own heartbeat sound effect to certain areas to add tension which I thanked worked well. I felt like the sound is the weakest part of my edit however it was out of my control and I tried everything I could. Given more time I would have gone and recorded my own sound effects to make a track and then learnt to use Adobe Audition to edit it to a high standard. This was unachievable in my time frame though but now I know for the future to always make sure the sound man is aware of how to manage and set the sound equipment and also to back up his files for him.
Another issue I stumbled upon while editing was the exposure in some of the shots. I feel like in some especially with the blue lighting it was very dark and in the red lighting it was very light. I realise that maybe this is because the camera team were rushing between each shot as we were on a tight schedule and also the different types of lighting were a very big challenge for us as a team because it meant we had to shoot a lot more footage for all the different colours and setting up each shot took longer as well because of this. I feel this was a good challenge for us though as it gave as a chance to really pull together as a team and try and achieve something different which we really wanted. We did achieve it it just meant some colouring and expire control had to been done in my edit. I mainly coloured the natural lighting shots to make the skin tones as even as possible. I then played with the exposure on the red shots to pull it down slightly without effecting the look we wanted. I then played with the blue exposure to push it up slightly. This was more tricky as it became grainy the more we put the spouse up so I could only lift it to a certain degree however these blue shots were meant to be sadder and therefore darker anyway. I felt like these different coloured shots have really show there worth during this edit because they have really helped me tell the story we planned through thesis flashing colours almost like burst of emotion.
During this editing process I have learnt how to use Avid while editing alone which is all new to me and even though I have found it really difficult learning and adapting to a new editing programme I feel like I have tried my best with it. I really liked the effects you could create with Avid and this probably was my favourite bit about editing. I feel like Avid is one of these programmes which will take me a while to adjust to but I feel like I have a good understanding of it after this project.
This editing process has also brought to my attention mistakes we maybe made on set and also good things which looked amazing from set like our Dolly shots. However the problems like the sound and the lighting on the exposure have left me with a better understanding now of how you must keep in mind the edit while filming. I was so swept away on the shoot days with directing that at times maybe the visual aspects of editing slipped my mind but I know for future now things to watch out for like the sound levels and exposure. I also feel like this project was so abstract and surreal that it really gave me a chance to edit in a very unusual way which I really prefer over perfect continuity editing. I like things which our abstract and give me plenty of room for experimenting with effects etc and here it has worked effectively on this piece. I wanted it surreal which it defiantly is and I have kept to my personal style of this through this process which has been so enjoyable to be able to do.
Overall I am happy with what I have managed to achieve on shoot and also with Avid as this was all so new to me. As always though I felt with more time on the shoot or on Avid I could have improved it further but obviously deadlines exist for a reason!
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