First Edit

After much time spent deliberating over minor details my first edit is done! Here it is:

A few people including some students from the year above viewed it and they all said that they really like it and gave me some pointers. 

It was suggested that I remove certain shots including this one:

It reveals more information than is needed. But now it could be leading on to more action (which it would be, as it is an opening sequence). It poses certain enigma codes such as What Happened? What was on the other side of the door? Why did she scream?

I also had to juggle around the audio a bit after taking out this shot as the timings were slightly off. But, as this shot was fairly close to end it didn't matter too much and wasn't too hard to correct.

Next I will get some feedback from my target audience. I plan to show the sequence to a few people then ask them to fill in a questionnaire about it.

Sound Effects

Today I added the sound effects to my sequence.

These include ambience sounds in the forrest section of bird song. I like this as it adds a very innocent feel to what is a stressful, sinister situation, it is slightly disorientating for the audience as it challenges their expectations. Also I have added in the door knock in the bedroom. This is vital to the story as without it the action doesn't make sense. It is the prompt for Heidi to look and walk towards the door.

I took these sound effects straight off of the garageband track I did for the animatic. I took the the complete track and in garage band removed any part of the track that I didn't need, leaving only the bird song and the door knock.

 Next after exporting the file and loading it into Final Cut Express I cut it up to place the audio at the correct places in the sequence. Funnily enough this didn't take as long as I thought it would. It turns I am getting to grips with FInal Cut Express.

It went from looking like this.

To something like this.

Changes to the titles

I have decided to change my titles. I wasn't happy with how 'Bloody Nightmare' looked on the screen. I liked how it squirmed into the shot giving an uncomfortable feel but the font looks to friendly and is not in keeping with the horror genre.

Before

I want it to look more threatening. So, I spent todays lesson playing about on livetype trying to create a scarier effect. It took me quite a while as I am not very good at navigating the program. Here is my result:

After

Changes:

• The font is more sinister, it is more fitting to the tone of the film. I think the first font looks too friendly and doesn't suit a horror film.
• The action - although I liked the way it squirmed onto the screen before I decided to change it. Now it is stationary at the start and motion builds up. At the end it is jumping all over the screen, this conveys distress.

I'm really happy with how it looks now. I am not changing the other titles as I still think they look good and don't need to be changed.

Editing: First edit completed!

Today I finished my first edit of my horror opening sequence! All I had to do since the last day of editing was alter the sound. I have reviewed all of the sound effects to make sure they sound coherent and realistic. I also had to remove some repeated dialogue as Heidi said "Hello?" twice when she picked up the phone. All of this took me much longer than it should have done because I am not very well accommodated with Final Cut Express, but I got it done and I am very happy with the result.

Things I still need to do before the final edit is completed:

• Get my actors to record some dialogue for me - Doms (who plays the antagonist) dialogue was in audible at times, he had trouble being loud enough for the camera to pick up due to him wearing the mask. Because of this I said some of his lines in his place, therefore in the current edit his character has 2 voices. This must be changed.
• Music! - I still have yet to sit down with Arabella and listen to the music she has composed. As I have stressed before it is imperative that I get the music right at is contributes to the tone greatly.

Decision changes: The ending

I have decided my opening sequence is a bit too much like a trailer. It has a very definitive ending when the main character Heidi gets stabbed in her bedroom.  This is similar to the start of Scream, the (who you assume will be) main character Casey is murdered within the first 10 minute of the film.

This is unexpected as we assume she is the main character and will be featured through out the film. Much like in my film.

This doesn't really signify that its the start of a film. To counteract this I am going to add in an extra shot at the end. This will most likely be an establishing shot of a location where the next piece of action will take place. The dream and murder featured in the opening sequence would be an important event integral to the story and referenced later in the film.

Editing: Day 2

Today I completed editing the remaining half of the sequence. Last time I finished when Heidi bolts upright in her bed after awakening from her nightmare. I am really happy with the way it has come together and the range of shot types really works well at conveying the tone.

This time I still referred to my animatic but a lot more loosely, I have changed some of the timings and added in extra shots. This is to create the right pace. For example during the chase sequence the shots are a lot shorter and there are more of them, this creates a fast, panicked feel. In contrast to this in the room once Heidi has woken up and she is slowly approaching the door the shots are longer, this is to draw out the time in order to create the most tension possible before the door opens and the Antagonist is standing there.

This edit is by no means perfect and I still have work to do on it, mainly on the sound:

• The Dialogue isn't all in yet and the bits that are in need tweaking. I may get my actors (In particularly Dom who plays the antagonist) to re-record their lines so I can place them over the top of the footage.
• I need to change the music I made to make sure it fits with the timings of the shots.
• The sound effects are pretty much good as they are but I need to go over them to make sure.

Editing: Day 1

Today I started editing the footage on final cut and it is going really well. I have done the first half of the video up until Heidi wakes up from the nightmare. When faced with the task of editing I always think its going to take absolutely ages and  be mind numbing but in fact it is a rewarding process, being able to see all your planning and work come to life.

Editing the footage

Old order of the shots

New order of the shots

Whilst editing I referred to the animatic but already I have had to make some changes due to the continuity. certain shots didn't flow after one another as I had planned so I switched the order of a few of them during the running sequence at the start. The changes aren't massive but are noticeable and I feel they improve the sequence.

This has worked out quite well and despite what I first thought when editing these shots I won't need to re-film them. I am trying to avoid more filming as this could be problematic and it will be a lot harder to keep the continuity correct. Of course if need be I will schedule for more filming but as I say it would be a bonus if I don't have to.

Things to keep in mind:

• Sound - I need to listen to the audio to asses the quality so I know whether I need to record some more. It may be a case of re-recording the dialogue and putting it over the top of the shots.
• Timing - The sequence is only aloud to be two minutes long. It is important for me to bare this in mind when editing to make sure I use the time wisely.

The Titles - revised

I did some more work on my titles today:

• I updated the names of my actors so they are correct (Ben isn't starring as my titles previously said, Dom now has the role of the Antagonist). 
• Due to Dom now acting I couldn't really use his name in another part of the titles so I have changed 'Dom Clarke Productions' to 'Shuttleworth films'.

These titles still have the same font, colour and are presented in the same way.

The white font flickers on the black background.

As the actors names are presented on the same screen I staggered when they appear and their position. I really like the way they flicker as it gives an unstable disturbed feel. It is important the the titles reflect the genre and keep the tone of the sequence so they don't disrupt or ruin the mood. This is especially so as the genre is horror because any slip up or disruption of the tone could ruin it for the rest of the sequence and take away the over all effect I am trying to create.

First Heidi appears and then flickers twice.

Then Dom appears and flickers.

Heidi fades away and Dom flickers once more
fading away.

The next thing for me to do is start editing the footage and add in the production cards I have made (Typeface Productions and Lunch Time Film). I am really exited to see all my work come together and take shape.

The titles

I have been developing the titles that will go with my horror opening sequence. For this I have been using the program LiveType.

My titles will be placed in between the action. I had a bit of trouble using the program as I am not familiar with it at all. After some struggles and some help from other students I came to a result I am happy with. All of the names are the same white font on a black background whereas the title of the film 'Bloody nightmare' is in a deep red colour and has its own font entirely different from the other titles. This is to establish its importance.

 Here is the title, 'Bloody Nightmare' on Livetype. It squirms as it is drawn on the screen in a blood red font. I like how it twists and writhes giving off an uncomfortable distressing feel. I think its really in keeping with the tone that I am trying to create throughout the sequence.

Similarly to this the other titles, the names of the actors, director, musician and such are in a white font that flickers. The white really stands out against the black background. I chose for the font to flicker for the same reason that the title squirms as it enters the screen: it contributes to the unnerving feel.