Research: Final Cut Express introduction

The Social Network was edited by Final Cut Pro.

As we have finished our filming, we are now able to edit our clips using a professional editing software called Final Cut Express. Final Cut Express is a software which allows a person to edit their video clips from colour correction to sound editing, it also allows the clips to be rendered into HD so that the clips are at the best of their quality. Final Cut has been used over the years by professional film makers to edit their multi-million pound film, films such as The Social Network movie and The Kids Will Be Alright used Final Cut x to edit their film and both were nominated at the Golden Globes last year for best movie.

You are able to buy Final Cut x for a pricy £500 but is it worth it? The following are some of the best features which can be used through it:

• Multichannel Audio Editing
• Unified importing
• Streamlined share
• Dual viewing screens
• RED camara support
• Copy and paste attributes
• One step freeze frames
• Flexible clip connections
• Drop shadow
• Enhanced compound clips

As you can see Final Cut has a wide variety of different new features, so many I haven't named them all. Below is a tutorial on an introduction on how to edit.

Construction: Day 3 Filming

Our third and final day of filming took place on the Thursday 21st Febuary.

Location:
Today we filmed in 3 different places, we started at the exit of Kettering Buccleuch academy, we then made our way to the path outside of school, finally we finished off filming outside of a house.

What we done?:
We needed to capture footage of our main character walking home from school, because of the various different flashbacks we filmed each shot individually instead of one long scene and cutting it when editing, this would make the edited film look more professional when played. We also waited a while until the sun came out so that the clips from when we first started filming matched.  

Construction: Day 2 Filming

Our second filming session took place on the Tuesday 12th February

Location:
Today we started filming in my partners garage.

What we done?:

We started filming the flashbacks which would occur during the opening 2 minutes, we were very cautious about mise-en-scene during filming as we had to make the garage seem a lot more secluded and creepy, we also planned out what the characters would wear so they would match the scary theme. Yet again we made sure we had at least each shot filmed 2-3 times in different angles so that we had a variety to edit with. We are planning to do our final set of filming soon.

Construction: Day 1 Filming

We started filming on Wednesday 6th February.
Location
We started filming our first part of our horror film at the main entrance of Kettering Buccleuch Academy.
What we done?
Today we started filming the first opening shots for our 2 minute opening, we familiarize ourselves with the equipment such as the camera and the tripod so that we knew the ins and outs before actually filming. During filming we used different shot techniques such as over-shoulder shot and also tracking shot. We filmed each shot around 2-3 times so that we have a lot of footage when it comes to editing and also filmed some shots in different angles to see what it would look like when we put the clips together. So far we have filmed around 20 seconds of footage.

Day 2 of filming will start during the half term break..

Planning: Shot List

Here is a list of all the different shots and movements we used in our opening, below is a key and a list of what shots and movements were used in each shot.

Key
Establishing shot - ES
Mid shot - MS
Over the shoulder - OTS
Close up - CU
Two Shot - TS
Extreme close up - ECU
Long Shot - LS

Movement used
Tracking
Crane
Panning
Point of view

Shot 1 - Camera shot : ES Movement : None. Shows the school building as a whole with Jordan walking out

Shot 2 -  Camera shot : MS. Movement : Panning. Jordan is now walking out of the school

Shot 3 -  Camera shot : CS Movement : Crane. Killers hand is hovering over weapons on a table

Shot 4 -  Camera shot : MS Movement : Panning. Jordan is on the phone

Shot 5 -  Camera shot : ECU Movement : None. Killers opening garage door

Shot 6 -  Camera shot : ES Movement: None. Killers footsteps are walking into garage

Shot 7 - Camera shot : CS Movement: Panning. Jordan worried from phone call

Shot 8 -  Camera shot : MS Movement: Point of view. Jordan looking around

Shot 9 -  Camera shot : TS/OTS Movement: None. Killer putting bag on victims face

Shot 10 -  Camera shot : CS Movement: None. Jordan receives another phone call

Shot 11 -  Camera shot : MS Movement: None. Victim is getting rope tied round his neck

Shot 12 -  Camera shot : MS/TS Movement: None. friend comes up behind Jordan and makes him jump

Shot 13 -  Camera shot : MS Movement: None. Legs dangling as he has been hung

Planning: Storyboards

For us to be able to know what we are doing when filming, we have created a storyboard so we can follow which shot would be next, this helps us so that we don't get confused when coming to edit too because it allows us to remember which clips goes next to each other.

Next to this is a picture of 2 shots we have added to our storyboards..

Research: Lighting in Horror films

As part of our 3 minute opening to our horror film, Lighting will be a big factor in how the audience percieve the characters and scene and helps express the mood and atmosphere within the scene. As part of our horror film we are filming in a dark garage with minimal lighting to show something bad might happen and also we are using minimal lighting because this is usually used in horror films to show that the scene is in a dark and secluded area. However we are contrasting the lighting as we are also showing the characters being outside which shows that the character isn't in any danger and that the lighting outside will reflect the mood within the scene.

The use of lighting in horror films is used to create fear or uncertainess, the most common use of light in horror films is darkness, directors make sure that darkness is always related in horror films because it is assumed that darkness is the most common fear within people and this helps create a effect within the audience watching to make them feel like the film is in the 'unknown' and that anything might happen.

Low-key lighting

Low key lighting is usually used in horror/thrilling films, this is because it is the use of black light. The use of this lighting is used to represent a darker and an 'unkown' atmosphere. It will produce a sharper contrast of light in darker areas on screen in order to develop deep shadows and silouehette formations.