Offline Edit: No special effects, transitions or final audio dubbing techniques have been added
Feedback: -Add in some sound effects -Adjust background music as its too loud -Maybe have some backgrounds and sounds for the company logo -The cuts between shots are choppy, so maybe add in some transitions -Maybe add in some more running shots, so its more powerful -Add in some credits at the end -Change 'Comicon award' -Check spelling errors
P6: Carry out post-production processes to edit the audio- visual material to produce the final product
Naming clips:
Editing sound:
Background music:
For my background music, I first dragged on the clip that had the music and detached the audio from it. I then started deleting,cutting and pasting the audio pieces together so they would flow well together and so that the audio wouldn't be too long. I then adjusted the sound levels so they wouldn't go over 5 or -5, so the audience would be able to hear the audio well. When I finished doing that I change the settings of the audio to ambience so the audio would sound better. After doing that I then compounded all of the cut audio pieces together. For the sound effects such as the actors voice over, people laughing ect, I first imported them into the timeline and dragged them on where I wanted them to be. I then cut the sound effects to the appropriate length or to the bits I want and adjusted the sound levels making sure that they can be heard over the background music but not too loud where we can't hear the background music. I then added in the cross dissolve transition over the audio clips because then it helps the sound clips fade in and out.
Editing trailer:
I first imported my footage into final cut pro and proceeded to name the shots so I knew what shot was what and it made it easier for me to find the shots I need when I was editing. I then dragged the shots I needed onto the timeline and added in more shots that would get next. I also changed the speed for some shots, for example in the close up of the lock I wanted to change the speed so it goes a bit faster, I changed the speed to this x2. I then start to add in the transitions between the shots, for example between the shots if the ticking of the clock and Charlie picking his hands I added in a fade to color transition and changed the length of the transition as well; I made the transition a bit shorted. I then added in the movie reviews in between the blank spaces where I wanted them to be. I made sure to write in a relevant movie review that made sense to the movie, I also changed the text of the movie reviews into Helvetica Light oblique, so the audience can easily read it and to also the follow a trailers conventions. This is because when I was looked at other trailers I noticed the movie reviews were always in italics so I made sure to do the same. I also added in the title of the movie at the end of the trailer because most trailers have their movie title at the end. I also carefully chose what kind of font I wanted the title to be in, this is because I wanted the audience to be able to easily read the text and I wanted the font to indicate to the audience what kind of move it is. Because of this I have chosen the font Virtus because it is easy to read and it shows what main character is perceived of; stiff, perfect,unrealistic. After finishing the writing parts of the trailer, I then moved onto the film awards. I first dragged on some nature shots as I wanted the nature shots to contrast to what the main character is feeling; calm, peaceful, beautiful. I then dragged on some png images of film awards onto the shots and adjusted the size and placement of it by using the tool transform. After doing this I then compounded the shots together. After this I then started to add in some filters on some shots, for example I placed a filter called Vigentte and Aged film onto the opening credits as I wanted the opening to have some sort of old movie kind of feel to it. I also added in some tints coloured a dark blue onto a shot of Charlie having a panic attack because I wanted to make the atmosphere be cold, lonely and unfeeling; showing what Charlie is feeling at that moment. I then added in the ending credits at the end of trailer to follow a trailers conventions.
Exporting and uploading:
When I finished editing I clicked on the export button and clicked on to the masterful. I then made sure to click on the ApplePres 422 so that all of the clips in the video would be compressed into a smaller file size. I then exported the video onto my desktop saving it under the title of the film. I then uploaded it onto the YouTube under the Netherhall media studies account.
Final trailer:
Audience Feedback:
I showed 3 groups of people my trailer and collected their responses to what they thought of it.
What is the purpose(s) of this product? Group 1: It informs, educate, entertain and sells Group 2: It entertains and sells Group 3: It informs, entertains and sells
What impact does the visuals create? Group 1: The images help to show an image of unstable mental health Group 2: Makes it and emotive and tense story Group 3: Has a reflective feel to problems and things going on in teenagers lives
What impact does the sound create? Group 1: The sound increases as the add gets more intense Group 2: Music was tenses and emotional, reflected the characters emotions and mental health and life changed. Dialogue was good and helped narrate the storyline Group 3: Makes the trailer very prominent and moves the pace along
What impacts does the information shared create? Group 1: The information shows that the film is well liked and is worth the watch, also tells us when to watch it Group 2: Shows the title of the film and the company logo Group 3: Makes you think; creates empathy for the character and what he is going through
What is going on in this audio visual? Group 1: A young man is recording a suicide video and it tells us about his story and why he is making this decision Group 2:Main character struggles with mental health Group 3: Themes of loss, sadness, depression, friendship and family
How would you develop develop it further? Group 1: Add more distorted images or transitions to emphasise his sadness and weak mental health Group 2: Be careful about language in the trailer if you want the trailer to be distributed to your audiences Group 3: Editing need to be more clean and face beds to be thought out but the overall feel and story was great.
What did you like about it? Group 1: The story and visual are good. The music fits well and the message is clear Group 2:The storyline, visuals and music was good. Also follows the trackers conventions really well. Group 3: The narrative, characters, dialogue and shoots were really good.
My thoughts:
After watching my trailer on the big screen I thought of some ways I could've improved it and made it even better. I think that in some parts of the trailer, like in the beginning, the short that were together were jumpy; it jumped from shot to shot disrupting the flow fo the trailer and was a bit off putting. I think I should go back and edit those different shots better, like either add in a transitions of use similar shots together. Another thing I realised was that some of the etc, like the movie reviews, were on for too long. Because the movie reviews were ins short sentences it meant that the audience would have already read them and would be gotten bored, I will need to shorten this reviews just so the audience wouldn't get bored. I also think that some of the audio, like the voice overs and sound effects can't be heard as well, this is either because the background music was too loud or that the sound effects weren't loud enough. I am going to have adjust the sound levels of this so that the audience can hear the sound effects and dialogue.
M3: Justify the visual and audio effects used within the promo
During the offline edit I was given a lot of feedback on how I could manipulate my shots and make the visuals and sounds be better. I took this into consideration and added in what I felt would be appropriate and help enhance the trailer even more.
Filters: I used one filter on one shot which was of when Charlie was having a panic attack, I used the filter cool steel which had hues of blues and purples. I used this filter because it gave off the effect of Charlie being alone and isolated, like he had no one to talk to. By using this filter it makes Charlie seem vulnerable and caused the audience to feel some kind of sympathy for him.
Lighting: In the trailer, the lighting is always changing. I did this because, like the music, I wanted the lighting to represent Charlie's feelings. At the beginning the lighting was very sunny, bright this is because it was when Charlie was happy, want feeling burdened. It indicates to the audience that Charlie wasn't always depressed. However as the trailer progressed the lighting started to get darker, I did this because I wanted the audience to know that Charlies mood has changed into something more negative and that he is now a completely different person. With the change of lighting I also wanted the audience to know that Charlie didn't just feel depressed one day, something triggered him into feeling like that. Near the end the lighting changed again into something brighter and lighter. This indicates to the audience that Charlie is feeling happy, like he did before. He's done a full circle with his feelings and that everything is better. However, I purposely used the lighting of the sun setting as I wanted got connote to the audience that although Charlie is happy, something has ended for him to feel that way.
Shots: I used a lot nature shots in the trailer, this is because the connotations of nature are beautiful, calm, evolving, sometimes dangerous. I purposefully added these shots because they represent who Charlie is; beautiful, evolving, dangerous etc. The nature aspect gives the audience an idea of how Charlie was before he felt suicidal, depressed. There's also a contrast of the nature shots and Charlie's panic attacks and mood swings, because it shows 2 sides of Charlie. Near the end of the trailer I also used a lot of different running shots of Charlie. I did this because I wanted the audience to feel like Charlie is running away from something all the time, that he's constantly being chased. One shot is a tracking shot of Charlie, this indicates to the audience that perhaps they are Charlies demons; that they're the ones that are chasing him.
Background music:
I used a piano based background music, mainly because with the piano I felt it could portrait more emotions and help the trailer move along.I made sure I had some background music in the trailer because this is a typical convention trailers have and it would also help keep the audience engaged. With my target audience feedback they all stated how they liked how the music moves the trailer along and sets the mood very well. Because of this I feel that I have chosen the right background music.
I used this piece of background music throughout the music video because it includes highs and lows and really represents how Charlie is feeling. For example in the beginning the background music was slow, calm, peaceful indicating to the audience that was how Charlie was feeling at the moment. However, as the trailers goes on the music starts to build up and get louder, this indicates to the audience how something big is building up in his life, and how more emotion Charlie is becoming.
I also manipulated the music, this is because I wanted the music to influence and how the mood and atmosphere of the trailer at different points. For example, the music built up and then suddenly stopped with a couple of seconds of silence. I did this because I wanted the audience to know that something big has happened in Charlie's life, I wanted them to feel curious about what has happened to Charlie. I made sure there was a couple of seconds of silence as well as I wanted the audience to feel curious, I wanted to leave them with questions. Also, with those seconds of silence it connotes to the audience that maybe Charlie did take his life and those silent moments where of him finally dying.
Also during the end, I used the same music at the beginning. I did this because I wanted the audience that Charlie has come full circle, that he is finally happy and at peace. I also moved it to the end because with the shot of the shoes hanging it creates an eerie feeling that maybe Charlie has taken over his life and he is finally at peace.
Sound effects:
I used a fair amount of sound effects within my film trailer as it added more to the atmosphere of the film and gave away some information about the trailer and the film.
The first sound effect I used was a sound effect of a VCR tape being inserted into a VCR player and film projected rolling. I included this with the visuals of the opening trailer credits and the company logo because I wanted the audience to have an idea of what the story is about before they even see the rest of the trailer. By having a VCR tape and film rolling sound effect it indicates to the audience the time period the film is set and tells the audience that perhaps an old video is going to show up. It also helps the audience link that sound effects and the next shot, which is of Charlie saying his goodbyes to the camera, helping them understand that the character is filming something. I also added in these sound effects as it captures the audience's attention immediately, if I had left the opening titles and company logo as silent then the audience may lose interest, by having a sound effect right in the beginning it captures their attention as it wouldn't be what they are expecting.
The next sound effect I had was of Charlie and his friends laughing and chatting. I included this in with the shot of Charlie hanging out with his friends as it tells to the audience that at some point in his life he was happy and cheerful. The sound effect of him laughing links in with his voice over as before that sound effect he is saying "I was happy back then" this indicates to the audience that he is no longer happy however at one point in his life he was. The sound effect of him laughing also adds to the atmosphere as it is a stark contrast to the background music. The background music is slow, mellow, sad however the laughter indicate to the audience that maybe Charlie has been feeling sad and alone all along and that he makes a facade of him being happy. It could also indicate to the audience that despite that he feels alone and sad there are small moments in his life that he does feel happy, even for a brief second.
The next sound effect I included was the sound effect of the ticking of the clock. I included this because I wanted to symbolise to the audience that Charlie is seconds away from giving up, that he no longer wants to live, that the clock is counting down the end of his life. The ticking also symbolises to the audience that it could be like a bomb, seconds away from exploding. This connotes to Charlie that he is literally seconds away from self destruction and that he doesn't know how to stop the countdown and ticking. This tells the audience that Charlie needs help, that his mental state isn't very good and that he is slowly self destruction. The ticking of the clock gives away some of Charlie's characteristics to the audience and helps them understand what Charlie is going through and what he is like.
One other sound effect I have used is of Charlie breathing heavily and hitting the walls. I included this as it shows to the audience that Charlie is having a panic attack. This shows to the audience that Charlie is mentally ill and just not stressed or alone. It gives the audience more information about Charlie and who he is as a person. The sound effect of him hitting the wall as well shows to the audience how frustrated with him and makes the audience relate to him as they have all at one point in their life felt so frustrated they wanted to hit something.
Another sound effect that I have use this the sound effect of Charlie being slammed into the lockers. The sound effect of this makes the audience aware of how angry Charlie's friends with him and how they no longer consider as a friend. The loud bang also makes the scene of him being pushed into a locker more realistic because if it was just him being pushed into the lockers with no sound the audience would be slightly put off as its not realistic and wouldn't make the scene be balanced. The last sound effect I used of Charlie screaming, I used this right near then as it would connote to the audience that Charlie has had enough, that he can't hold on anymore. It would also make the audience realise how Charlie is feeling; his frustrations, anger, sadness. With him screaming swell it provides the trailer with a climactic point, this is a commonly used convention in trailers as it pulls audiences in and makes them actually want to watch the film as they would want to find out more. With my trailer it goes from Charlie to screaming to then a shot of some shoes, this would make the audience intrigued and want to know more as they want to find out what happened to Charlie.