4 Minute Feature Film Edit

As part of the post-production module assessment, each student had to re-edit a feature film of their choice into a maximum of a four minute clip. This proved to be a challenging assignment as it had to reflect the pace of the film and portray the plot of the film accurately.

Editing the indie horror film "Almost Human" was no different, despite its brief running time of 70 minutes excluding credits. It's an alien abduction/slasher film. Many would expect it to be easier due to the genre and running time, however, this was not the case. Establishing the open scene initially took up a minute and 10 seconds. In this time-space, the main character, Seth, drives frantically to his friend Mark's house. Upon his arrival he's scared and babbles on about lights in the sky that had sucked his friend up. Mark obviously doesn't believe this and proceeds to question him. The lights in the house shut off and bright green/blue lights illuminate the exterior of the house. Mark investigates, something takes hold of him though. He begins to make his way to the front of the house, while an ear-piercing, high-pitched shriek almost paralyses Seth and Mark's girlfriend.

Mark walks outside and is beamed up into the sky. It then cuts to the film's main titles which then swiftly cuts to a montage of news reports of lights appearing in the sky and UFO reports. We then cut to Seth waking up from a nightmare with the title 2 years later. In order to cut this down to a more manageable time, all of the news reports included in the film and the first cut of the edit were removed. They were removed because they're basically just repeating what just happened to Mark. The audience would be able to know what's happening without needing the news reporters blatantly saying it to the screen. Quick jump cuts where used when Seth frantically races down to Mark's house. The driving scene was drastically chopped down. A line of dialogue was moved over to where Seth runs out of his car and into the house "Mark open the fucking door". This only accentuates the urgency of the situation and helps introduce the character of Mark.

What follow is a number of quick cuts of the events that occur. "He was sucked into the fucking sky", which then cuts to the lights cutting out, and the exterior of the house illuminating. This is followed by a crash-zoom on each character as the ear-piercing shriek happens. It then cuts to Mark being abducted which cuts to black with a fairly simple albertus-font titles. They're kept in a minimalist manner to reflect the film and the most of Carpenter's films of the 80s used that title, which obviously influenced this film heavily.

The second minute begins with Seth waking up. His alarm rings in the background. In order to cut out the fat in between Seth getting ready for work and the non-essential bits at work, a match cut was employed. When Seth hits the alarm off, it match cuts to him clocking in at work. This trims the fat of the first act. It then cuts to Seth talking to his co-worker, mid-sentence his nose starts to bleed again just like the waking up scene. We then cut to a panning shot in a wintery forest, with a voice-over of two hunters chatting. This then cuts to one of them pointing out a naked body in the snow. Next shot they approach him.

In the film, when they approach the naked Mark, he lets out a very alien shriek before proceeding to kill the two hunters and take their clothes. However, to save time, in the four minute edit, mark lets out the alien shriek and the two hunters fall to the ground and it fades out with a fade-out echo on the scream. It implies the ominous activities that mark's going to commit and links in the nosebleeds seth's been experiencing.

This then cuts to Seth speaking with Jen, Mark's ex-girlfriend in the diner. Here exposition occurs, as it's established that Seth thinks Mark's behind something that's happening right now. It's also establishes Jen's character. After this scene, Seth's back at work. His co-worker asks if he's heard about the killings. What proceeds is a number of intercutting shots. As the co-worker explains what happens, it cuts to shots of said kills. This helps cut down the running time and keep the story fluid. Seth then experiences a black-out.

After this, we cut to Jen in the diner just seeing the news on the tv. She decides to go home, only to discover Mark's there waiting for her. Here we find out Mark's alien plan. It then cuts to Seth waking up from his coach to a phonecall, its Jen trying to communicate with him. We intercut between Mark placing Jen in the basement and Seth arriving and finding the basement entrance.

In the actual film, Mark isn't down in the basement when Seth breaks in to rescue Jen. Instead in this edit he is, in order to save time. This is similar to the pod people that are in the film. The scene where one of the pod people attack Seth/Jen has bee removed in order to save time. Surprisingly, it doesn't affect the plot whatsoever. Instead what occurs is a fight between Mark and Seth. Mark knocks out Seth and Jen makes a break for it. What follows is a tightly cut down scene of Jen hiding in the house in a bedroom closet and Mark finds her and knocks down the closet door. A huge dialogue scene was taken out here as it wasn't necessary. Instead it cuts to Seth finding the gun and shooting Mark, as Mark tries to impregnate Jen with the alien tentacle.

Sound Design: The Exorcist Re-Release

Horror as a genre has always been seen as a genre that’s nothing but cheap, contrived and done-to-death just for the cheap buck. This is quite far from that, especially this film, Friedkin’s The Exorcist. For a horror film to have a real impact upon its audience, it needs to have brilliant sound design which helps in creating a proper eerie atmosphere.

In this article, sound designer Steve Boeddekker and Mike Minkler discuss the different things that they changed in the re-release and what they kept unchanged. The duo wanted to adhere to the author’s original vision of what The Exorcist should be like, sound-wise. They wanted to- “to make the big things bigger and let the small things be smaller, while keeping the documentary-type elements as they were.”

This meant at times some scenes had wide stereo sound on the music, whereas the demon vocals remained mono with the production dialogue.  They didn’t want to “mess with”, the original signature-type stuff from the film, such as the demon vocals, so they remained untouched by Steve and Mike.  Interestingly enough, some sound effects had to remain unaltered. This was because, for example, the sound of a door closing would clash with the production audio. It’s a pristine sound clashing with old mono production dialogue- “You can't have a beautiful, pristine sound effect that goes with a 27-year-old dialogue recording that's been processed.”

Another weird but interesting aspect of the sound design of the re-release is the vomiting sounds used in the final product.  Despite actress Mercedes McCambridge giving a fine performance, the two thought new elements needed to be added into the sound for the modern re-mastered re-release.  Boedekker almost made himself hoarse making guttural vomiting sounds for the surround sound of the sound edit- “The original vomit sounds are now on the front, while the new ones are coming out of the sides and a little bit into the surrounds.”

Post-Classical Editing/ MTV Style Editing

Post-Classical is a style of film editing which is evident in modern film editing. It is a style of editing made up of: shorter shot lengths, faster cuts between shots, and containing more jump shots and close-ups than classical editing styl that existed before the sixties. 

David Bordwell  has said since the 90s, US studios have entered a "post-classical" state of filmmaking. Although it's argued that it has changed cinema into an incoherent narrative. However, film maintains many of the classical principles of filmmaking. This style of filmmaking is often referred to as "MTV Style" editing. Since the 1930s, the average length of a shot in a film would be between 5 and 8s. In the 80s, double digit shot lengths literally didn't exist. For example, the film top gun had an average shot length of 3-4 seconds. Prior to 2006, however, mainly action movies were known for containing fast-cutting between loads of different shots. Michael Bay action films are excellent examples of this type of editing, eg. Armaggeddon.

The quick cuts from post-classical editing is said to have been influenced by music videos, in particularly MTV, leading to the "new" generation becoming totally accustomed to it. MTV is said to have influenced films of the next generation through its overuse of quick cuts involved in music videos and the rise of reality-TV. However, this is something not all filmmakers agree upon. Filmmaker Alexander Payne argues that MTV hadn't influenced the use of fast-cutting on the new generation of filmmakers. He uses the film The Wild Bunch as an example, as it's known for its usage of fast-cutting in action scenes.

However, it can't be denied that it has influenced the pace of editing and shot lengths in modern cinema. The films of director Edgar Wright can be used as paradigms. They all have extremely fast-paced scenes, used with lots of tight fast-cutting/quick cuts. These are not only employed in action scenes, but even in dialogue-y/conversation scenes. One could argue though, that this is simply his own auteur-style of film editing.

Filmmaker Joseph Kahn parodies the shrinking attention span of the audience and influence of MTV in his feature film "Detention". He parodies it through the character's quick-cut dialogue and the almost-AHD editing style adopted throughout the film. He emphasises this by throwing in over-the-top plot elements into it too.
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After Effects: Basic 2D Animation

Moving Objects:

Firstly, a new composition was created after opening After Effects. The composition must be 5 seconds long and have a white only background. The layer will be solid and pixels @ 200x200 and a colour of your own choice chosen. Once this is done, double click the layer in the timeline, select the elipse mask tool and proceed to create a mask. While drawing it, one can also move it by simply pressing the spacebar.

Afterwards, close down the layer. It now opens up in the composition area but can be closed using the X in the top area of the screen. Then select solid layer and use CTRL+D to duplicate. Also, select Layer>solid settings and you can change the colour. Proceed by placing the solids one at the top left, the other at the bottom right. Using keyframes these can be moved over time:

Select the top right solid, then open the transform properties. This is done by turning the twirly tool OR pressing "p" to open the position properties. Now, press the position stopwatch to create a keyframe on the timeline in after effects. Pull the solid off the screen to the left. This can be done by either scrubbing the x position number or dragging the solid on screen. Put the timeline indicator to the end of the timeline and drag the solid over to the right of the screen. This creates a new keyframe with new position properties, causing the solid to move over the duration.

Create 2 more keyframes along the timeline and change the ‘y’ parameters this time to make a wave shaped motion.

Select the first and last keyframes on the timeline and go to animation>keyframe assistant>ease ease. It helps ease the motion, creating motion blur. Go to Layer>New>Adjustment layer

Add the tint effect by dragging from the effects panel onto the layer.Map the black to a colour of your choice. Select ‘s’ or ‘scale’ on the adjustment layer and unlink the parameters by clicking the link icon. Alter the scale on the ‘x’ parameter and shrink it until it is a bar down the screen. Duplicate these layers , change the tint colour on each and animate them left and right across the screen using the position ‘x’ parameters, creating keyframes.

Now that you're able to create objects and move them about in after effects this means you can move onto simple character animation using the techniques you've just learned.

PHOTOSHOP FILE OF SKELETON CHARACTER ANIMATION

Import the photoshop character created last week. Then go Use File>Import and select psd file

Assure it is imported as composition – retain layer sizes.This will bring in the object cropping the outsides of the layers instead of creating composition sized layers for each segment. Double click the new composition in the project window and we will link it together and move it about. On each layer open up the anchor point (‘a’) or use the ‘pan behind’ tool, move the anchor point to where the layer should pivot – eg: upper arm should pivot at the shoulder.

Repeat for each layer.

Now link the layers that need to move together by parenting them, on the timeline. Eg: Lower arm needs to be parented to the upper arm meaning that when the upper arm is moved anywhere the lower arm will be attached and move with it. Once this is done you can move the elements using the rotation parameter, select the stopwatch to create keyframes and change the values over time. Once this is done, return to the original composition and drag the ‘character composition’ from the project window, onto the timeline. Scale and position as desired.

Now if you want to change the movement on the character you need only open up the character composition and alter it – all changes will appear in the first composition.

History of Cutting Film: Birth of Cinema and Continuity Editing

The first films were made by the Lumiere brothers dating back to 1895 with such films as "Workers leaving the Lumiere Factory" or "Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat". These first films were only one shot scenes showing an event occurring, like such. The content of the film wasn't important as it was more about the spectacle on-screen. However, it was until George Melies that cinema began to evolve. In Autumn 1896, Melies was filming in Paris. There he was filming a bus coming out of a tunnel. Midway through shooting however, the camera jammed on him. Once he got it working again, the bus had been long gone and there was a car in its place.

When the film was developed, Melies discovered one of the first techniques used in editing. He accidentaly discovered the jump cut as the bus was replaced with the car in the film. Melies put this discovery into action right away. He employed them into his film "The Manor of The Devil" (1896). It used to create disappearing and reappearing effects in his film. Also through Melies still photographys skills as well, he helped introduce the transition edits commonly known as the fade in/out, overlapping dissolves and stop-motion photography.

Melies began to push cinema from single one scene shots in narrative stories. The prime example being "Voyage to the Moon" (1902). However, his films were still steeped in the theatrical. All his scenes are shot in the exact same angle. The camera remains restricted, unmoved. Influenced heavily by Melies work, newcomer Edwin S. Porter decided to try his hand at filmmaking. Porter's film "The Great Train Robbery" (1906) helped in the evolution of cinema. Although each scene is in one wide shot, he decisively cuts between each scene without using fades or dissolves. And most importantly, without letting the scene reach its logical conclusion. Porter was also one of the precursors which would have went to go on to become the Soviet theory of editing: montage. The compression of time/a series of shots.

However, it was D.W. Griffith who pushed cinema out of his tableau mentality and into the multi-shot films that exist today. His first discovery was The Cut-In. The cut-in captures the emotion on-screen and engages the audience on that level. In his film, "Greasers Gauntlet" (1908). He cuts in from a medium-long shot to a medium shot to highlight the emotional impact of the scene in the graveyard. Griffith also experimented with multiple different shots in a scene. It shows the scene in different angles, this is known as continuity editing. A cutting style of maintaining a sense of continuous space and time. This ultimately led to the discovery of the 180 degree angle rule for two people interacting with each other in a scene.

Another editing technique Griffith discovered was intercutting. This is cutting between shots from two different scenes in a parallel fashion. An example of this first in use is Griffith's "After Man Years" (1908) which cuts between a shipwrecked man on an island to a woman mourning. Griffith later went on to make the first blockbuster feature in cinematic history, "Birth of a Nation" (1915).

Chase Scene Editing Techniques and Examples

Most films have chase scenes, however, there are certain elements needed to make them effective chase scenes. Some films, especially modern ones, seem to lack a few of these elements that create the pace required for the scene.

The main basic element of chase scene editing is the pace. Without proper pacing, the chase would fall apart. Pacing differs in every different type of chase scene. An extremely fast-paced chase scene requires different types of shots and cuts to that of a more slow-burn/creeping chase sequence.  The fast-paced chase sequence needs quick cuts to keep up with the action on-screen and/or accentuate it. Reaction shots are also useful too, as it provides the audience with wider context of whats happening. It  can highlight the impending dangers in the reaction shots. This heightens the tension complimenting the pacing of the chase. Music too can assist in speeding up the pacing and stakes to a breakneck speed. For example, the soundtrack to the chase sequence on the highway in The Matrix 2 underlines the power music can have to a chase scene.

For this scene the filmmakers decided to use a techno-remix of a song. This helps provide a quick pace with the thumping bass drum in the techno song. It puts the audiences in a state of excitement and provides tension. The music also accelerates the pace, this can be both beneficial and detrimental to the filmmaker.
This is because the editor has to make sure the different shots and sequence are able to keep up with the soundtrack at hand. This chase scene also utilises slow motion shots and wide-shots. These help create a sense of location and give the audience a wider view of certain occurances in the chase. For example, a car explodes on the freeway in this sequence. There is a wide slow-motion shot that shows the vehicle flipping over and exploding on the road. Here :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBWOnPI7j5s

As mentioned earlier, chase scenes can also be more subtle, more of a slow-burn. A perfecr example of this is the first Terminator film, particularly the final chase sequence at the end of the film. The terminator is after being blown up in a truck. The protagonist rests only to see the mechanical skeleton of the terminator walk out of the flames. The chase scenes that occurs here is quite interesting as it contrasts with the Matrix 2 chase scene. It contains quick cuts of course but there's no high-speed pursuit. Instead the main characters are injured and are barely running away from the terminator. The terminator speed walks after them as he's clearly damaged from the explosion.

Despite the slow-down in the characters chase/speed, a quick pace's established through the use of quick cuts, cutting in between the two main characters limping away to the terminator speed-walking after them through a factory. The use of music's also evident here, it assists in the pacing of the scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9268_Dp3M4

And finally another example of a well executed chase scene is the tank chase sequence in Goldeneye. The chase sequence here is perfectly edited as it employs the usage of long takes, reaction shots, quick-shot close-ups of key events and humour. As James Bond chases after the russian antagonist, we cut to shots of him looking over the car seat back at Bond in the tank. This helps provide tension for the chase. As mentioned, there's effective use of quick-shot close-ups. When ever a car crashes or explodes it cuts to a close-up repeat action shot of the event, and may even repeat itself once more. This is to emphasise the high-octane nature and danger at hand. Little humourous events are also placed into the scene. These provide breathing room for the audience. It breaks the pace and allows the audience to catch up on what's happening. For example, Bond crashes the tank through a Carlsberg truck or when he drives through a statue and it ends up on top of the tank. Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fxjUrlyQR0

Photoshop Basics: Colour Replacement & Layering Images for After Effects

Over weeks 1&2 during semester 2, the basics of photoshop were learned through a variety of ways. Through lectures instructions, online tutorials via Lynda.com and mini-task assignments set by the lecturer. The basics include: Layering, Knowing the different icons and the different shortcuts on the keyboard.

Once the basics were covered, areas such as colour replacement were delved into and explored. Here the group learned how to replace the colour from one area of the image to another. Similarly, one can do this with textures too. Afterwards a number of simple tasks were undertaken to consolidate what was learned. These were replacing the colours of terraced houses to fluorescent colours. Whereas the textures task involved altering the different textures of a bowl of fruit. This meant changing the texture of say an orange and replacing it with that of wooden floor or a metal grating. These were fairly straightforward to complete.

Afterwards, for week 3, the group started to layer either an image of a skeleton or an easy to deconstruct cartoon character. This meant separating each different limb/body part of the character and placing each part on its own layer. The option of layering a skeleton was put in as it's a lot more simple than deconstructing a detailed cartoon character. Layering the different body parts in photoshop makes it easier to animate the character/skeleton in After Effects. It's easier because each limb can be moved separately and independently as they're on their own individual layers on the photoshop file. Once this was completed the files were saved and loaded up onto Adobe After Effects.