Editing Our Thriller

Today I was able to get some editing of the film done, and I have had a lot of time to also get some of my blogging work done. 

With the editing, I'm not using the Apple Macs, so I've had to use a different software which is Adobe Pro, which was a bit confusing at first but then after a while I got used to with a little help from the teachers a other members of my group.

Filming - Day One

Day One of Filming

After weeks of complications and miss communications we were finally able to film the first bit of our thriller film. 
We were lucky enough to get permission from The Beacon tree Bar & Restaurant who were happy enough to let us film in the premises. 

Below are a few pictures which were taken during the filming. 

Overall we ended up getting a lot film and are now loser to finishing, although we still have a little extra to film. 

Editing

Editing

Editing is the process of looking at all the footage shot during the making of a film or TV program and placing it in the desired order and joining it together.

There are two key areas to concentrate on with editing :

1. The speed of editing (how long each shot lasts for)
2. Style of editing (how each shot is joined to the next)

The Speed of Editing

In a film, on shot could last either a matter of seconds or even minutes but the length of each shot is really important as it establishes the pace of the film moving the action along.

The speed of editing helps to determine the mood of what is taking place on screen.

If the director would like the audience to feel a matter of suspense of anxiety then the speed of editing will be quick and snappy, meaning the scenes and shots will frequently be changing in action. This is usually used in action films.

However. if the desired mood is relaxed then the scenes will last a lot long and change a lot less frequently, which is usually shown in a romantic comedy.

The Style of Editing

This is when in a film how the shots are linked together. The movement from one shot to the next is called a transition. 

Straight Cut

• This is the most common and "invisible" form of transition.
• It is when one shot moves instantaneously to the next without attracting the audiences attention. 
• Straight cuts usually help to retain reality. They tend to not break the viewers suspension of disbelief.

Dissolves

• This is when one shot is faded off of the screen whilst another shot is being faded in.
• The audience will then be able to see both shots on the screen at the mid-point of the dissolve.
• This is usually used to show a connection between two characters, places or objects.

Fades

• A gradual darkening or lightening of an image until it becomes fully black or white.
• One shot will fade until only a black or white screen can be seen.
• This is used to indicate the ending of a particular section of time within the narrative.
• It is also used to show the passing of time.

Wipes

• This is when one image is pushed off the screen by another image.
• Images can be pushed either left or right.
• It is more common for the image to be pushed off the left hand side as the movement is more consistent with the sense of time moving forward.
• This is usually used to signal a movement between different locations that are experiencing the same time.

Jump Cuts

• A jump cut is where the audiences attention is brought into focus with something very suddenly.
• This happens by breaking the continuity editing.
• This is known as discontinuity.
• It appears as if a section of the sequence has been removed.

Graphic Match

• This is when shots are placed in a certain order to create a smooth visual transfer from one frame to the next.
• When to consecutive shots are matched in terms of the way they look, this is what a graphic match is. 

Lighting

Lighting

There are many different elements in lighting which all have different effects and are used for many different reasons. There are also different ways in which the lighting can be set up. 
The standard lighting set-up is usually something like this: 

Key Lighting: this is the brightest and most influential source of lighting and is usually used to make something stand out and make an impact.

Back Lighting: his helps counteract the effect of the key light or create an outline of a silhouette, which is used quite often in horrors.

Filler Light: helps to soften the harsh shadows that use of back lighting creates.

Under Lighting: this is when the main source comes from below he subject. This is also often used in horrors and thrillers.

Top Lighting: this is when the main source of lighting comes from above which then highlights the features which helps to create a very glamorous look. 

Low and High-Key Lighting

• Low-key lighting is created by using only the key and back lights. This will produce a sharp contrast of light and dark areas on the screen as deep, distinct shadows are formed.
• Whereas high-key lighting uses a lot more filler lights to make the object seem brighter and more realistic. 

This is an example of low-key lighting.

This is an example of high-key lighting.

Film Noir

This is the term given by french film critics to a group of films made in Hollywood from 1941 - 1958.
These films are characterised by the dark themes which tend to show and darker side to human nature. They are always filmed using low-key lighting to give the films a hard, sharp look with many strong areas of contrast between light and dark.

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Thriller Recipe

The Thriller Recipe

What is a thriller?

Thrillers are films of suspense which are supposed to instill terror into the audience. Different types of thrillers are:

• Spy thrillers
• Political thrillers
• Conspiracy thrillers
• Legal thrillers 
• Psychological thrillers.

Aspect of a thriller
Key aspects of a thriller would be:

• Macguffin
• Enigmas
• Red herrings
• Cliffhangers

A macguffin is a plot device that motivates the characters and advances the story but actually has little relevance to the story. An example of this would be the thing which they are after in 'North by Northwest' but you never really see this until towards the end. 

A enigma refers to something mysterious or some sort of difficult problem. In thrillers this is commonly something which is the protagonist has to try to find out or solve before the narrative is resolved and then the film finishes. This is usually shown in most thrillers.

A red herring is the name given to a device which intends to divert the audience from the truth or an item with actual significance. Red herrings also usually work with other devices like enigmas to create more suspense.

A cliffhanger isn't always used in a thriller but is still used quite a lot. Cliffhangers usually feature the main character in a difficult situation which will then entice the audience to keep watching in order to see how the situation resolves itself. 

Cinematography

Cinematography

In cinematography there are two main features, these are the camera shots and the different camera movements.

Camera shots

There are many different kinds of camera shots, these are:

• Long shot (LS)
• Medium shot (MS)
• Close up (CU)
• Extreme close up (ECU)
• Point of view (POV)
• Low angle
• High angle

Examples of these would be;





Long shot





Medium shot



Close up



Extreme close up



Point of view



High angle

Low angle

Camera movement

The different types of camera movements are;

• Pan
• Tilt
• Crane shot
• Tracking shot
• Rolling shot
• Steadicam

Examples of these would be:

 Pan Shot

 Tilt shot

 crane shot

Tracking shot 

Rolling shot

Steadicam shot