Monday 24 October 2011

Quick Evaluation of First Edit

I have just completed my first edit of 'Robbing' Hoody', it has taken my a couple of days to complete, but I am fairly pleased with the outcome. I only have a limited amount of knowledge using Adobe Premier Pro CS5 and for this edit I transferred this knowledge to try and create the best possible result. What I discovered straight away was that although we had been filming over two days, I still did not feel we had enough footage. Whilst filming I learnt that it definitely is not as easy as I first anticipated, it takes a lot of team wok, cooperation and commitment to complete. Some of the shots we got we really effective, such as the POV shots from Robin Hood, but I wish we had captured even more footage like this so I had more to play around with once it came to editing.

Also I found it fairly tedious to continuously adjust the camera and set it up so that it was level and also the white levels were correct, some of the shots we got when this was not completed as well as it could have been, stood out. Now that I have completed the first edit, I do feel that we should have worked harder for some of the shots and really pushed ourselves- as the results can be endless.

Once I had remembered the basics of editing I did enjoy watching the short film come together. I had some difficulties with the sound, I found that there were long periods of silence where the background noise was not prominent enough, I felt that I needed to do something about this as it wasn't achieving the mysterious effect that I wanted. I searched online for some copy-right free music and found a few tracks, I used several, one for a siren sound effect, another for church bells and the last one was eerie music, which I feel helps to create an atmosphere. Looking back now, I know I could have easily recorded the church bells and sirens ourselves, this is something which I will definitely bare in mind for the future. I do feel that by adding the different sounds I have enhanced my piece slightly.

I was initially impressed with the footage I got from the interview scene of Zoe, however once looking back over it, I feel as though we should have definitely tried to have got better shots, with various angles. Also Deb pointed out that in some shots there was a grey notice board in it and that it diverts the eye from the actual important footage, this is something which I would reconsider shooting. It's small elements like this which can create the overall edit of the film to become and appear less professional.

One of the most obvious faults in the filming was underestimating the angle of the camera, I now know that it is very, very, very important to always ensure that the tripod is level. There is one particular shot in my edit which stands out dramatically because of the slight tilt, it makes the shot appear unprofessional. The same can be said about the light in some of the shots, this also needs to be carefully considered when filming next time.


I am really happy with the opening sequence, I felt that it was important to complete this sequence because it gives the audience on the setting. I editing into four establishing shots, which I feel all work very well together. I added in a video transition of a cross dissolve, which blends each image in really well. My personal favourite is the tram shot, it captures a sense of movement which I think is really effective.

I am generally pleased with my finished product, I think it depicts a good first edit. By creating this film I have learnt so much on the ethics of filming, so much more that what I already know. I am very happy with the storyline we chose as a group, I feel that it has a good structure to it and also uses the social and historical context of Nottingham. Hopefully I will get enough time this term to re-shoot and edit some of the footage once I have been able to develop my knowledge on Premier and that I have gained feedback from the group, friend, tutors and family. By gathering all that I have learnt together with feedback and new knowledge I am sure I will be able to create a knew improved edit.

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