Adding Visual Effects

Today I spent some time playing around with different effects to add to my footage to make it look a little more like a horror film,
 I tried a range such as lightning, texturizing, lens flare and so on. however, none of them look right or fitted in with the theme of my footage. So, instead of trying to add lots of effects and go overboard, I decided to try something simple which was to add a tint to my footage. Now I've tried tints before and they hadn't worked out quite how I wanted to but this time I built it up bit by bit so that I could get the desired effect.

What I did was add a black and white tint and decreased the power to 40% to add a slight decrease in the intensity of the colours. I did this because I feel it fits in well with the mood that I'm trying to portray - sombre.

The tint makes the images ever so slightly duller which I like as it helps to create the dark dull mood whilst also helping to determine the genre of the film. Typically, these form of effects and colours are used in horror films, as they help distort the image and portray a sense of dread for the audience.
Below are more screen shots of the tint where the difference can be seen more clearly.

I play around some more to try and find an effect which will help to disaturate the image more whilst also emphasising the bleak quality.

Until next time,
                          Toni

Ch-Ch-Changes

Today was all about tweaking and rearranging my footage as well as all the details that I included.

 Like I said in my previous post, I wanted to change the producer. Here I have changed it from Jerry Bruckheimer to George A. Romero who is a better choice for the type of film I'm doing.

I changed the layout of some of the credits as well as some were on one line whilst others were on two. In the above images is the layout of the credits I have chosen so all credits shown after the movie title will follow the same structure.

 I also edited some footage ever so slightly so that it fitted better and to reduce the continuity errors. This is because when Alex first enters through the door, in the close up it looks like she is moving forward even though when I was filming, it was just so that she got her whole body in the house before closing the door behind her. But, I cut this footage just so, so that it doesn't look like she's moving forward.

Also, because Lionsgate is the production company, I added in their ident as well as Universal's.

 I also added in a few more credits for production as there were a few gaps where no credits were showing. I also re-arranged some credits around as I still wanted to keep the format from the beginning up until the movie title. Instead, now only Alex's name is shown on its own before the movie title instead of two.

So these were just some subtle changes I did today. Next I will be continuing with the credits and also adding effects to the footage.

Until next time,
                          Toni

Bridging Points #2

So in the next couple of weeks I will be continuing with editing my video. After my rough edit, this will be a case of tweaking items and making changes for the final piece.

Here is main tasks I need to complete:
- find and add the Lionsgate ident to the beginning of the video as they are the production studio I am using
- edit the visual effects of the shots used to make it look more realistic as a low budget horror thriller (expect a blog post as to how I add these effects)
- change the producer from Bruckheimer to George A. Romero who is particularly known for his movies about hypothetical zombie apocalypses
- my credits need to be rearranged as there were some errors as well as adding some more of production credits

Until next time,
                          Toni

Voice Over Inspirations

This post is all about the voice over I'll be creating for my video and how I want to go about it.
 I've already written up a script for when May talks but I decided I want a voice over that sounds like a news report as well as a way of setting the scene for the audience.


The first option is to create a montage of different voices from a range of different news reports, similar to the style used in World War Z. However, instead of them reporting about nondescript life, I want it to specifically report about the events leading up to May and her sister's current situation. The reports would include things such a riots, cannibalism, lack of supplies and general terror from around the world. I want it to be set in a world where zombies and the undead aren't a part of pop culture (books, films, TV). I want it to be clear that no one has ever seen or heard anything like this before.


Another option which is somewhat similar to the first is to have only the one voice when reporting the news. This was inspired by The Walking Dead at 1:20 in the video above where all you can hear is the man's voice on the radio reporting about the events of the apocalypse happening worldwide. This would be am easier option to do as it only involves the one person talking instead of grouping together 4+ people to recreate the first option. Also, this script would include similar topics from those described above. Again, this is a world no one has ever heard of. However, instead of a series of different reports containing no more than one sentence, this will sound more like an emergency report that would be broadcasted over all radio stations, like a public notice.

When I come to record the voice over, I will probably keep in style with option two.
 However, I might even combine the two, primarily keeping one voice prominent but then have May send out a message of help, or asking if anyone else is alive.
 I will write up a script within the next couple of days when I reach a final decision.

Until next time,
                          Toni

Rough Edit

This post is all about the rough edit of my video which I finished today. This video isn't my final piece by far as it still has to be finely tuned so this is more of a general overview of how I want the video to look like.
 I couldn't upload it onto here so you can find it here on Vimeo instead.

Now to end the video on a happy note, I'll start off with the items I want to change.
 There are a few shots that I'm not that keen on. For example, at 1:13  the tripod was at a funny angle when shooting this shot of her footsteps so it looks like a dutch tilt. I might keep this as a way of distorting the audience but I'm not sure. It'll either be the case of refilming it or just deleting it to cut down on the duration as it's not really important that it has to be in the sequence.
 Also, there are a couple of parts where I've stabilised the footage using a warp stabiliser but it looks like the footage zooms in and out at some parts (0:55 and 1:13 are a prime example). I may just remove the stabiliser as I don't like the effect.
 There are also a few cutaways used which I feel are unnecessary as I only feel the need to use them when there's a continuity error or a jump between two shots that I don't like. For example, 1:28 and 2:36 aren't particularly needed so I'll most likely remove these when I resume with editing.

However, there are a few elements which I particularly like in this edit. First of all, I like how the music works with the clip. Especially the end when it all builds up and ends just as she turns off the light. I feel this works well and I'm glad of the timings. I also like the contrast between the footage and then it flashes to the credits. Originally, they were to mix together so that the credits were playing with the footage but I like the flashing credits better. Also, when the stabiliser works, it works really well and creates a smooth flow rather than shaky footage.
 Personally, for me the best part of the video is from 1:55 onwards as it all ties together and when I showed Alex, she even commented upon the fact that as soon as she enters the house, the dark setting "creates a sense of unease".  I especially like how the footage and credits work, and as the video continues the duration between each credits builds up alongside the music.

Obviously I still have a few things left to do, such as include the voice over and tweak a few edits and shots but so far so good (in my opinion). Anything that needs to be refilmed or changed will be done so within the next couple of weeks so I will be updating every couple of days.

Until next time,
                          Toni

Editing Update #2

So this post is another update after spending another few good hours editing.



At this point I had nearly finished compiling all my clips into a sequence. I still had a couple of clips to choose from as to which ones I wanted to include, but apart from that it was going well. I hadn't experienced any glaringly obvious mistakes or bad quality footage so it was just a case of carrying on with the process of editing.

I carried on editing today and finalised the sequence, ready for the rough cut. I added in more titles and credits as didn't have enough for the entire clips. I added effects as well such as stabilising some of the shaky shots I took when walking alongside Alex whilst filming the scene when she walks towards the house. I was quite impressed with this edit as instead of looking shaky and amateurish, it looks more sleek and smooth. I may or may not change some positions of the credit but for now I'm happy with how it looks.

Until next time,
                          Toni

Choosing Between Footage

In regards to my last post, this is all about choosing which footage to use in my final piece.
 When filming each scene, I took it upon myself to film certain shots at a range of different angles just in case my original idea didn't go to plan. And today I will be deciding which will be the better option to use for the real deal. The shot in question is when May closes the curtains in the kitchen.

Option #1

The first option sits at a medium wide long shot so you can still see the character but also her surroundings. I do like this angle but I feel it looks slightly amateurish for my liking and I feel it looks as if Alex is slightly out of shot.

Option #2

The next option is a low angle medium long shot and you are able to still see the character even if it is slightly dark. What I like about this shot is that you still get the impression of the dark gloomy weather outside, even though this part was filmed on a different day under different weather conditions.

The light works to my advantage as when put in sequence with my other shots, they all look to be filmed within the same day.






Option #3

This final option is one most similar to the one in my storyboard, however it doesn't work within my sequence. I tried several times to position this angle but it looks the most amateur out of them all. Also, because the camera is placed where a huge amount of light shines on it, the depth of field changes instantly to adjust to the change in light but is very blurry for a couple of seconds before it focusses back in again. For this reason, I won't be using this as my footage.






All in all, I think I'll use option two as it is better positioned in terms of how I want it and doesn't become blurry after the curtain is closed. And that's all for this post

Until next time,
                          Toni

Bridging Points #1

So in the past week I've only spent about an hour and a half so far editing which I will need to catch up on within the upcoming week. The hours I missed will be spent catching up during lunchtime and after school so that come Friday my draft edit will be ready and posted.

What I need to do now is:
- continue reviewing my footage and see whether or not I need to refilm any shots
- sort out my shots into a sequence so that they're all in order
- check for any continuity mistakes
- obtain the music needed for my footage
- record the voice over
- record the news reports

Until next time,
                          Toni

Editing Update #1

This is just a little update as to where I am so far with editing. I've spent around an hour and a half so far this week on my video.
So far I've edited together the first 2 minutes of my footage and I've compiled together my test footage as well.

I've also had the chance to look over about half of my footage and so far most of it looks good. I have had to delete a couple of shots because when I was filming these scenes, I was out in the snow and some droplets had got on the lens, causing the depth of field to change so that it was focusing on the snow droplets rather than the character. However, this isn't a massive problem as these shots were mainly cutaways and I filmed plenty of them. One of the shots in particular was a close up of Alex's feet as she walks down the path but as the angle of the shot looks like a dutch tilt so I'm still deciding whether or not to use it. 

I've also managed to edit some action shots and there aren't any continuity errors (or at least I can't see any).

That's all for this post. Within the next couple of days I will have a post on what to do next, and that will be up on Sunday.

Until next time,

                          Toni