Our final
film, Cemetery Road, had a number of strengths and weaknesses with it. One of
the more obvious weaknesses was the narrative pacing and transition from one
shot to the next. This was partly due to the nature of the piece and script,
but also due to our actor, Bobby, taking a while to complete each piece of
action which, at the time on set, didn’t seem like a problem as it showed a
realistic approach to the characters situation, but when viewing the film all
together, it seemed as though there was a lot of time that could be cut out and
make the film a bit more lively. This problem wasn’t helped by me as the
editor, as I think I focused too heavily on continuity and keeping to the
script too closely, instead of allowing myself to watch it from a narrative
viewpoint and understand that in short fictional films, you can get away with
not having perfect continuity all the time.
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| Example of focusing too much on continuity instead of pace. |
This
problem also meant that it took too long to ‘get in’ to certain scenes and
significant elements in the narrative. The pictures above are good examples of
this as it takes almost 20 seconds for the audience to actually see the card on
the string. What I should have done here was been braver with the cut and made
it tighter so the audience can engage with the narrative more. Cutting between
scenes was also a weaker aspect of our film as it seemed as though they weren’t
linked particularly well and jarred the narrative slightly. I followed the
script on this as well and did a fade to black at the end of each scene like it
said, but once again I think we could have been more creative and ambitious to
find a work around on these.
I think
that the sound was very empty and didn’t build much tension around significant
events, especially around the first half of the film. Although this was partly
due to lack of time on the sound edit, it did feel as though the film was
missing something in the soundscape and we did try and fix that by adding
sounds in around those parts, like the ringing sound for the reveal of the key,
but I believe we needed a bit more attention on the area just to try and liven
the film up a bit and make it more entertaining.
This being
said however, the minimalist soundscape and slow pace of the film did work in
our favor in some respects, as it allowed the audience to engage well with the
character and his surroundings, as well as giving them time to comprehend what
was actually happening in this complex, si-fi style narrative. Upon doing this,
I also think it drew the audience into the world of the narrative more and
allowed them to become more immersed in the film as a whole, as the more
realistic style of editing and sound made it more believable to them.
Another
reason that the audience could become absorbed in the narratives ‘world’ was
the major strength of the art design and locations we used. Finding and using
the physiotherapy clinic and the equipment in there was very strong as it was
both unusual and unrecognizable to the majority of the audience making it
believable enough to be used in the context of our film.
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| Example of location and art design. |
The
dream/flashback sequences we used to break up the first part of the film were
also very effective as they were creative and different ways in which to
explain the complex narrative we had. The use of sound in conjunction with
these scenes also worked very well, as it was a different and richer soundscape
which clearly distinguished it from the rest of the scene. This also allowed
the audience to be transported into the character’s mind and experience what he
is, which is regaining his memory for the first time.
Finally,
the colour of the whole film and the way it was shot is also very powerful, as
it has a distinctive style and visual tone the whole way through. The powerful
red coat and use of red throughout is very symbolic for the danger the
character faces in reliving his past as well as playing with the acting and
giving off a sense of dazed isolation that the character is in.
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| Use of colour and costume design. |
After
creating the synopsis the director, Chris, began to write up the script for
Cemetery Avenue and when he finished we all reviewed it and gave him feedback.
We all agreed that it was an ambitious project to be effective as a 10 minute
film but the narrative was clever and entertaining so we began planning it. Both
Ellen, the producer, and Chris worked very hard to pre-produce the film as best
they could but we always struggled with actors and their availability. Even
though they were doing this however, there was a lack of communication of this
to the rest of the group so the rest of us didn’t know what was going on and if
we could help in anyway. When we did start shooting however, we definitely communicated
better and knew what we were doing on set and when. But, due to the actor’s
availability, there were issues of not being able to have the right people at
the right times on certain days which meant we had to work around that which
ultimately caused issues when trying to stick with the shot list. Lighting also
became an issue around this as when we were filming the same scenes at
different days of the week, the colour and overall look of the shot was noticeably
different.
What I have
learnt working on this project is that we should always have regular group
meetings so everyone in the group knows what is going on, even if it isn’t
their responsibility to help, just so everyone is on the same wavelength and
confusion can be avoided. I’ve also learnt that we should be more aware of
location’s space and potential things that could affect the quality of the
shoot such as background noise. This was a problem on the clinic shoot we did
as we overestimated the size of the room due to not drawing up a detailed
enough floor plan on the scout, as well as background noise from the street
outside.
As the
editor on this project, I have learnt that continuity isn’t the main focus of a
short film, and that the narrative pacing is much more valuable to create an
engaging narrative and an empathetic character. I have also learnt that just
because we have filmed a shot, doesn’t mean that it has to be used in the final
film even if it looks nice as more aesthetically pleasing shots may not have
the same narrative value as a more common one. "Keep in mind
that NOT cutting is an editorial decision, too, and it can be a powerful
one." [1]
My role in
the group was the editor and so for the first few weeks in the pre-production
stage, I had very little impact on the film. I helped out where necessary and
attended all group meetings but I didn’t want to become too involved with it as
it could affect me having an as neutral as possible stance towards the film as
I could when it came to the post-production process. What I mean by this is
that if I had suggested certain ideas and tried to influence the film at that
stage, when it came to editing it, I may be bias towards my own ideas more than
any others.
When it
came to the beginning of filming, I helped out with whatever I could on the
sets by setting up lighting and equipment as well as dressing the set. When we
were actually filming I helped with both the sound, by holding H4N while the
sound recordist, Luke, held the boom, as well as the camera, by giving my
opinions on the compositions they were using as well as if certain shots would
cut well together in the edit.
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| Helping check compositions on set. |
When it
came to the edit, I firstly reviewed all the footage as soon as we got it to
sift through all the different shots and takes we had, labelling them
accordingly, and then collaborating with Chris to decide which one we would use
and in what order they should go. After this I began to create an assembly of
all the footage we had to create a rough look at what the film looks like when
all the shots are lined up. I progressed
from this into a rough cut and eventually a fine cut where I trimmed individual
clips down, structured the pacing of each scene as well as how to transition
between one location or time to another in regards to the flashback sequences.
I accomplished this with the use of effects and use of colour grading where
possible to give the desired effect that the whole group was happy with.
As a group
we worked well on every shoot and in the post-production stage, the only issues
we had were with pre-production and a lack of communication around that stage
but apart from that there were no issues that affected us in the long run.
I attended
all but one of the seminars at the beginning of the year and did relevant and
detailed research into the fictional drama genre with the help of the research in
the seminars. We started by looking at the 3 act structure and how it is prominent
in almost all short films, such as Jen Jonsson’s ‘A Changed Man’ (2003), as it
is an effective way creating an engaging narrative. I also learnt about the
techniques used to create empathy with characters and the importance of
performance in that context such as the character of Baby in Emile Ardolino’s ‘Dirty
Dancing’ (1987). This acquisition of knowledge has definitely helped my
understanding and approach to making our own film as it has made me more aware
of the subtle, yet effective techniques that can be used in films and editing,
to make them more entertaining overall.
I have also
conducted my own research into my role and what techniques I should be aware of
as an editor, and how I should be approaching our film. "The
primary reason we edit is to tell a particular story in our unique way: to
guide the audience to see what we want them to see..." [1] This research has guided and
advised me when applying myself to our own film and has ultimately made the
editing process easier and more effective for myself and for the benefit of the
group. "A vast amount of preparation, really, to arrive at the
innocuously brief moment of decisive action: the cut... something that,
appropriately enough, should look almost self-evidently simple and effortless,
if it is even noticed at all." [2] This was always
something to be considering when making the film, does this all seem natural
and slick, or is it obvious that it is a constructed piece of film and not an
immersive story. “Editorial alternation occurs because the cut is the accent
or beat and th time between cuts is the unaccented alternate. The greater the
visual contrast in the visual components from shot to shot, the stronger the
beat produced by the cut.” [3] Due to the ‘look’ of
our film in terms of colour and shot styles, this was something that I should
have taken into consideration more when editing our film. The whole thing after
the introduction of the bright red coat seems to be quite drab and
uninteresting, which shouldn’t be the case especially around significant
changes or reveals in the narrative. The dream sequences pulled this off
effectively, especially the morgue scene which showed a real contrast in style,
which is why I think it is probably the best scene in the film as it changes
the very rhythm of it in an effective manner.
Overall, I am happy with the way our film turned out as I believe it
has a good narrative, it looks good visually and with a solid performance from
our main character, means that the audience can engage and enjoy it. I am also
happy, for the most part, with my own contributions towards it and think that
the only aspects we need to change as a group is to plan more thoroughly if we
want to make an even better final product.
Bibliography
1. Mick
Hurbis-Cherrier (2007), Voice & Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative
Film and DV Production, Focal Press.
2. Walter Murch (1988), In the Blink of an Eye,
Viking Press.
3. Bruce Block (2008), The Visual Story:
Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media, Focal Press.
