Editing Blog Post #26

 Editing our Film Opener!

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog. Today, I will be talking about what video editing software I used, a discussion of the video effects used, a discussion of the video transitions used, problems encountered during editing, solutions to problems encountered during editing, and who is primarily doing the editing work. Ok lets get started!

The editing software I used to edit our film opener was CapCut. I chose this software because of the professional tools it has and the accessibility for small filmmakers. Having the free trial of CapCut Pro allowed me to have precise control over timing, sound, and pacing, which was very important for creating tension throughout the opener. 

I used several video effects to enhance the mood and clarity without doing too much to it. Color correction was applied to make scenes a little darker and reduce saturation. This helps establish a more unsettling tone. I also adjusted the brightness of some shots to ensure that important visual details could still be seen. Also, I adjusted the audio effects, like lowering ambient noise, emphasizing the twigs snapping. They were paired with visuals to increase suspense.

In terms of video transitions, the opener mainly relied on simple cuts to maintain realism and tension. However, I intentionally used cuts to black between scenes to suggest a small jump in time, making the audience imagine what happened in those few seconds. These cuts helped make the pacing smoother and better overall.

Some problems I encountered during editing were lag and audio levels that did not match up across scenes. While I was editing, my computer began to glitch and lag out, which was terrible because I could've lost some clips or progress to this. Also, the audio between scenes would not match up, no matter what I did. Luckily, I fixed the glitching and lagging by disconnecting all other devices around me, allowing my laptop to use the WiFi freely. I solved the audio problem by adjusting it in a special setting manually.

Lastly, all the primary editing work was done by me, but Amaar gave me some very good tips and ideas to fix and enhance the film opener during editing. He helped me during this process by brainstorming new things that could be put into the film opener.

Learning how to make a Title Card Blog Post #44

Learning how to make a Title Card!

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog. Today, I will be talking about my idea to add a title card and how I am currently learning how to make one. Ok lets get started!

To begin with, as I worked through the filming part of the movie opener, I realized I needed to add a title card at the end to make it look more professional. So, I decided to watch a tutorial on YouTube to learn how to make one. When I have free time, I go on CapCut and experiment with different fonts, text placement, and timing to see how a finished product would look. As I was choosing a font, I realized simpler designs suit horror movies better because they feel more serious and unsettling. I am also testing out what color to make it, since that will also enhance it visually. I am learning how to do this on CapCut on iPhone because the tutorial was done on iPhone. Also, doing it on iPhone seems way easier than on my laptop because I am used to using CapCut on my phone to make edits. Also, to add this title card into the movie opener, I will have to slightly adjust the ending I currently have to make the audio sound smooth as it transitions from the last scene into the title card. This will take me a few more days, maximum, since it is not that hard, so you will definitely see it in the final blog where the project is posted. 

Sound Blog Post #25

 Sounds Featured in our Movie Opener!

Hey guys, welcome back to another blog. Today, I will be talking about the sounds featured in our movie opener. Specifically diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and for what reason they are used...

Editing and combining all the clips have been pretty chill. I used CapCut for editing since I have experience in the past using it. I used a free trial for it since it would give me tons of access to different features that would help me a lot. To begin with, diegetic sounds are things the characters can hear. Almost all of the diegetic sounds were recorded with the microphone, but I added 2 later on in editing. The diegetic sounds that were added in are the sound of an axe swinging and making contact, and the sound of twigs snapping. The diegetic sounds recorded by the camera include footsteps, rustling leaves, the wind, the scraping of an axe, phone notifications, and buzzing lamps. Since these sounds were already part of the clips, it made it much easier to edit and work with since I did not have to find a million different sounds online. Also, these diegetic sounds added a lot to the film by making it sound realistic and a little more believable.

Now, to begin with, the diegetic sounds in the movie are mostly just the extra dark ambience I added and scary, ominous music from YouTube. I looked online for free ambience, and I found one that suited the film opener well. The ominous music was free as well and added a very chilling tone to the film. Amaar helped me find the music since he wanted to have one that fit the most. Hopefully, the non-diegetic sounds are free as they stated, so our video can stay up.

Day 1 of Filming Blog Post #24

 First Day of Filming!

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog. Today, I will be talking about how our first day of filming went! I will include my experience on the first day and how I contributed. Ok lets get started...

First of all, I began testing shots and scenes to see how it would look on camera. I tried to find the best location for the film since we needed it to be dark but still visible. Amaar and I walked around the neighborhood, Riviera Isles, until we finally found the best spot. I took charge of recording since Amaar would be the main actor. I recorded from many spots and angles to see which one would look the best. It took us about an hour to get the first 30 seconds done. I think I did a good job recording these scenes with the equipment we had. 

Later on, we shot some of my scenes, such as me following Kyle in the dark. Also, I shot some more scenes of Kyle (Amaar) getting the unknown message on his phone. I had to send a message from my phone at the same time I was recording, so that was a hard task. After we shot these scenes, we started to waste time and just talk. We tried to think of where the next scene would be shot from, but we couldn't think straight. This was a very unproductive 20 minutes that could have been used for a better purpose. After this, I recorded some final scenes until we called it a day. It was getting very late, and we wanted to go to sleep. I felt like our first day of filming wasn't bad; it was just slow. We spent about 3 hours. We recorded about half the film opener, which was pretty good, but we could have done more.

These are some pictures I took from the first day, as well as the one above. I had a lot of fun on our first day and felt like I contributed a lot. My task was to film and act a little. I contributed by filming the majority of the scenes and acted in about 2 scenes.

Going to Work with my Dad to learn how to Edit Better Blog Post #45

 Going to Work with my Dad to Improve my Editing Skills!

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog post. Today, I will be talking about my experience going to work with my dad and learning many new things about editing. Ok lets get started!

Before finally starting the editing phase, I went to work with my dad, and since he is a cameraman and editor for Telemundo, I really learned a lot about what goes into editing and what tools can enhance your videos. I observed him, and he taught things like grouping audio layers and keyframing audio. I believe these are skills that are taught at editing camps or workshops, so to get this for free was a blessing. I also learned more about timeline organization, like labeling tracks clearly, and I learned how to keep sound effects, dialogue, and ambient noise separated. I realized how important organization is when working on projects like this, which will help me when I finally get to editing our film opener.

Additionally, I learned more advanced features like smoothing volume changes and adjusting sound levels gradually instead of making harsh cuts. This will be very useful since, for horror, sound design will help create tension and suspense. Another skill I learned was how editors test pacing. I tried it on my dad's laptop, and I was able to spot moments in the video he was editing that dragged on too long or needed to be cut.

In conclusion, going to work with my dad at Telemundo gave me hands-on experience in editing. It helped me improve my skills and decision-making, which I hope will make the editing process of our film opener easier for me!

Film Trope Blog Post #23

 Film Tropes found in our Film Opener!

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog. Today, I will be talking about the film tropes our movie opener contains and some movie inspirations we got them from. Ok, let's get started!

First of all, our film opener contains several recognizable horror and slasher film tropes. These help establish the genre and set expectations for audiences. In our film, we used the isolated victim trope. Our opening focuses on a teenager named Kyle walking home alone at night. This makes him vulnerable to something happening. This trope is common in slasher films since it allows for suspense to build because the audience is aware of danger before the character is.

Next, another trope in our film opener is the unseen stalker. For almost the entire opening, The Killer is hidden or only partially shown through POV shots from behind a tree or a shot where only The Killer's legs are shown. The limited visibility creates fear by making the audience visualize The Killer, while also making them witnesses to the crime that just took place.

The film also uses the trope of technology as a source of fear. The text message Kyle receives, which says "I see you," modernizes traditional slasher conventions. This illustrates the anxiety people may have online about being monitored and viewed. Instead of relying on a physical threat, the danger is introduced psychologically, which increases suspense before the violent attack occurs.

Another trope used in the film opener is the sudden aftermath reveal. In the film, we did not show the entire attack in detail. Instead, we cut away to black and later reveal what happened through Kyle's dead body. This allowed us to make it even more disturbing, and it makes the audience envision what happened before it cuts to black.

Lastly, our film opener is inspired by similar films like Halloween, It Follows, and The Strangers. These films all emphasize atmosphere and silence. Also, like these films, our opener uses familiar slasher tropes without using excessive gore, just realism and tension instead.

Rescheduling Conflict Blog Post #42

 Filming Schedule Update!

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog. Today, I will be talking about a problem we had during scheduled film dates that we had to postpone. Ok lets begin!

To begin with, we initially planned to film on December 26th, but we had to reschedule filming to December 29th due to a random trip my family decided to take to Universal. Since I was out of town, it made it impossible to shoot on that day.

Once I realized I was going on this trip, I contacted Amaar and told him as early as possible that I couldn't go to avoid any confusion. Since this project involved coordinating two people, this scheduling change affected us. Luckily, Amaar and I were able to accomodate to the new date and time, so this problem was resolved. While the change was unplanned, it actually benefited us a little bit. The extra time that we had allowed us to revisit our shot list and think more carefully about each scene. We also reviewed past blog posts during this time to ensure our plans still aligned with the vision. The delay overall gave us a chance to be 10x more prepared when filming finally took place. Finally, filming took place on December 29th, and it went smoothly. The location, which was Riviera Isles, was a fitting spot for our film opener. The natural light made the shots look realistic and we did not need to make any creative changes as a result of the delay. 

In conclusion, though the reschedule was a bit annoying, it did not negatively impact this final project and helped us stay ready and organized.