Editing 2

 Second half of Editing week !!

As building up suspense and tension is the main priority to our sequence, we did our best to include this within our sequence - we tried to do this with the font and colour of the titles  (using only black) and the establishing shots at the beginning. As we were shooting on location this was easier for us and we didn't need to edit much. We also put in sound effects to emphasise the dog getting hurt, which immediately sped up the pace of the sequence. The music we added, was slow and somewhat 'creepy' at the beginning but towards the end it became faster and more thriller genre, and this also added tension and suspense all the way through - this combined with the fact we had very little dialogue meant that we could play into the soundtrack more. 

Based on our editing choices, I think that our audience would want to keep watching as we decided to end the sequence differently. Our first idea was going to end up with the actor getting killed and attacked from a point of view camera shot, however we realised this would be difficult and so decided on a popcorn editing ending where the camera turns around and ends on a loud scream. We cut this off so it sounded like to was interrupted, I think this was effective in captivating the audience as they would want to see who/ what had created this massacre and keep on watching to find out if he was going to survive or not.

Choosing our title name, we had a little big of trouble with - we were going to go with 'Over your shoulder' but as we then changed our ending shot to be an over the shoulder shot we didn't think it was appropriate. We decided on 'Gathering' when we were all fully decided to make the 'creature' a satanic cult. We had other varying choices such as the 'Awakening' and also explored some titles that were translated into Latin but we decided on 'Gathering' to keep it simple and short. With the titles, we had a lot of time to fill up at the beginning, as for just under a minuet at the beginning its mainly establishing shots and the actor walking with his dog, some added in a few other titles with made up names to make it more realistic that it would turn into a full movie. Our 'funder' and 'studio' were also both under fake names but we tried to incorporate them into the theme and genre of the. film - naming them "The Panic Foundation' and 'Exorcist studio's' as these both have dark and negative connotations. For the appearance of the titles we just put them all in the same size and in black - as we didn't want to distract from the film but also keeping in with the dark theme. 

Editing the sound, we didn't really have a problem - we found all the sound effects and soundtrack easily and none of them had been copywrited. Although due to some absences in the group there were only 2 of us deciding the sound track and audio - but we managed to compromise well.

Overall I think we did a good job on filming and editing our sequence - the conditions we were filming in were rough but it ended up paying off for us when it came to the editing. We all worked really well as a group and all had a similar idea of what we wanted the final product to look like, if we could reshoot I would have tried to make the display of the massacre more dramatic and longer so it felt like more of a climax.

Editing 1

 

First half of editing week!!

As we were filming, the conditions were awful so we didn't get a chance to watch any of the clips back - so the first day of editing was watching through the footage we recorded - and naming all of these so it was easier to organise and would make the editing process quicker and more efficient. We carefully selected and deleted the clips that we didn't feel were good enough for our sequence. Going through our footage was a positive and reassuring experience knowing that we had more than enough clips to put together a good sequence - however near the ending we could have added some more shots before and after the massacre clip. 

When we had organised all the footage into the right order we used some techniques we learnt in the editing workshop such as blending the sound together to make it sound more natural, using popcorn editing and we started to think about how we could use sound effects to emphasise and tune in on the horror aspect of our sequence. Popcorn editing was especially helpful for us, as we could effectively put together different shots to blend together - so the audience can see both the characters point of view and also what was going on in the sequence. We realised the establishing shots we took at the beginning were very useful to add titles over - which is what we did next. 

All 4 of our group members were here for the first 2 days of editing, however due to various trips and illness we didn't all get to work together after this - although we found our way around this as we had all taken part in the editing workshop so even though Olly (lead editor) was absent the rest of us could still continue editing. 

Most of the changed we made to the original idea were made in the actual filming of the sequence, so this didn't change much in the editing, although we were still unclear about what the villain was portrayed as (whether it was a satanic cult or a supernatural monster) but
because of the symbols and props within the sequence we found it was easier to base it on the satanic cult. 

Some of the choices we made earlier on was to make it more of a title opening sequence, as we had a lot of establishing shots that we thought worked really well with the theme so we added more titles than we were expecting, this included actors/ director/ music producer ect. We were able to use this to our advantage as the location we were shooting at, combined with the foggy and rainy weather made a very gloomy effect, allowing us to set the scene well. Another choice we made while filming and editing was to play more into the dog aspect - the original idea was just to have the dog to give the character an excuse to be walking through the woods but we realised if we played more into it, then it would be able to act as a catalyst for the actor to find the massacre scene. In post production, we added sound effect to make it seem like the dog had been hurt/ killed so we could speed up the pace of the sequence. 

Research of Saul and Elaine Bass

 

Who are they?

Saul Bass was a graphic designer and film maker who introduced a new art form with his creative film title sequences. He revolutionised the film industry in terms of motion pictures, film posters and corporate logos. His wife was Elaine Bass, who also worked in the film industry, they developed many projects together. He won multiple awards for projects he took on such as Psycho and North by Northwest. 

His work was mainly based around designing titles and posters but with an original and creative effect while also trying to share his passion for this - he did this effectively by playing on emotions when nessacery.

Some of his most well known work regarding logos include Vertigo (1958), Kleenex (1980's), The man with the golden arm (1955) and the anatomy of a murder title sequence (1959).

In one of Saul Bass' most famous works, he designed an opening title sequence for North by Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1959. The graphics immediately engage the audience with a bright green screen and mesmerising transitions of the text. Bass uses the dissolve filter effectively and early on in to differentiate but also link to the plot, for example you can see the outline of the green grid move into a barrier for an abstract car scene.

Visually and musically it captures the audiences attention combined with a symmetry and geometric shapes - the main aim for an opening title sequence is to not make it boring, and Bass certainly did a good job on this one.

|

The BBFC

 (The first 2 questions have been answered in the previous post)

3. The BBFC classification guidelines have very clear rules as to what and what can't be shown either at all or for different ages. As previously states their are 7 different age certificates that can be awarded to a film. 

The universal rating should be appropriate for all ages although is targeted at children age 4 - 8. It should not contain any violence (unless very mild), bad language, drugs or alcohol, nudity or sex and dangerous behaviour - as this may not only upset and disturb young children but they can also pick up and start internalising the behaviour shown, so this would be setting a bad example

Films with a Parental Guidance rating are aimed at children over 8 -- however anyone can go see or buy them unaccompanied, parents however are advised to consider the contents of the film and decide if it is suitable for their kids. Dangerous behaviour/ injuries and violence may be shown but the detail should be minimal - obscene language is rare but may be used mildly in the correct context and this is the same case with drugs. 

12 or 12A rated films cannot be bought by anyone under 12 years old however if its rated a 12A a person under 12 may see it in the cinema with someone over the age of 18. Promotion of dangerous behaviour or violence is prohibited, violent or discriminatory language is rare unless explicitly condemned. Substance abuse should not be glamourised and must only be shown in small detail, infrequently and showing severe consequences. Nudity is okay in a sexual context but must be vague and brief - similarly with sexual violence and threat can be referenced but in more severe cases must be brief and very negatively represented

For a 15, nobody under the age of 15 can buy or view the film - for most of the topics they are allowed but should not be shown in a light that encourages it at all. For example with Drugs, you can show people taking them but it mustn't glorify misuse of drugs. Sexual activity can be shown but with no clear details, a strong focus on sex or sexual violence is unacceptable. There may be threat of horror however if the main focus of the film is on 'sadistic threat' is unlikely to be passed. 

18's are a lot different, as you are now an adult and should be responsible for what media you choose to consume - the only exceptions are, if its against criminal law or the filming of it has broken laws, if the material is strongly encouraging dangerous acts (eating disorders, suicide, substance abuse ect) making it look appealing as this may damage peoples health, or films based on clear and detailed images of sex (this may be rated an 18r - see below)

R18 is a restricted type of film where you can only sell in liscensed shops. The following content is banned, any form of sexual activity where consent isn't given and any form of physical restraint as then the person may not have a right to withdraw consent, sexual scenes with children, inflicting serious pain, or any films that are against the law.

4. Personally I think that if the BBFC were to give our opening sequence an age certificate it would be a 15 - as it us a horror film there is some gruesome scenes but the viewers don't see anybody getting killed or the killer itself - only the dead body. There is no references to drug misuse, discriminatory or obscene language, nudity or sex and no promoting of dangerous acts. However it wouldn't be a 12 or 12A as there is reference and explicitly shown terror and violence and a dead body is seen - as is a shot of the man getting attacked and this could be potentially upsetting and disturbing to children under the age of 15. However it would't be an 18 because it isn't completely revolved around sadistic violence and there aren't any promotion of dangerous acts. However if we were to make a whole version based on our opening sequence, I think it could potentially be rated an 18 - because we agreed on an idea together we didn't properly think of how the film would go on or end but the horror convention would be kept through all the way and this may get too disturbing for anyone under the age of 18.

Editing Workshop review

 

Editing plays a major part in post production of any film -- because our opening sequence is simple but also fits the horror convention editing will be significant to build tension and make the climax moment at the end more dramatic. To help with this we attended a workshop on editing, where we put together and organised different clips from something we had filmed a few weeks prior.

A lot of us didn't really know where to start, so we began with some simple steps; how to trim clips, get them in the right order and got the basic gist of editing. This was probably the most challenging part for me, and I still don't feel I've understood it properly. As we moved on we tried some audio transitions and this worked okay - the final product turned out very messy with some random black screens and the audio wasn't working too well. I was working with Olly and as he's been assigned the role of editing in our actual coursework we've decided to take some extra time to properly learn how to figure it out - to make the transitions look cleaner and more professional. 

The specific issues we were faced with stemmed from the lighting we shot with - the white balance was wrong, lighting was too dark and we didn't have enough material to make a good edit out of so we ended up using 2 sequences to put together.

The skills we were taught included unlinking the audio from the shoot so we could make the transitions cleaner and more fluent. We learnt the 'I' key for in and the 'O' key for out to trim the audio and delete unwanted clips. 

We followed the 180 degree rule as best as we could but because we didn't have very  much footage to work with, this was a slight challenge in the first clip although we learnt from our mistakes and in the second half of our editing sequence we did better on this. The first clip where there was b rush as a prop  -the footage was filmed against the 180 degree rule which made it significantly difficult to edit to this rule. However the second one with Laura and Raff was filmed correctly so we were able to edit this better. If we were to do this again we would probably have to reshoot some of the shots to make it easier for us to edit in a coherent way that makes sense to the audience.

When we are editing our actual coursework sequence, the main thing we need to focus on is making sure we have enough footage and that it'[s all filmed in the right way. We can also make sure the white balance is consistent and the lighting looks natural (as we will be filming in daylight this should be relatively easy). We will take more time to make sure the footage looks like its all in a one fluent series and this should make the editing process easier so we can enhance the horror convention to its full potential.

The BBFC Summary Notes

 

The British Board of Film Classification is the body that regulates what can and cannot be shown in the film industry and assigning age certificates to films. A film cannot be released via cinema or DVD if it hasn't gone through the BBFC first. Audiences can complain to the BBFC if they disagree with anything. 

There are 6 age certificates in the uk; U - universal and can be shown to any age, PG - recommended parental guidance if under the age of 12, 12A - children under 12 can watch but only accompanied with someone over the age of 18, 12 - must be 12 to view at cinema or buy DVD and 15 & 18.

Things the BBFC consider when deciding on the age certificates include 

- discriminatory/ obscene language

- strobe lighting

- scenes with drugs, alcohol & smoking

- self harm/ suicide

- dangerous behaviour

- scenes with sex or nudity

However this can also be put into context, the time period its set in, animated or real, fiction or non fiction ect and how the the issue is dealt with, for example romanticising drugs would be given a higher age certificate than a film that shows the negative consequences.

Sometimes the age certificate differs from DVD to cinema, e.g. the Hunger Games is a 12A in cinema but to buy the DVD they rose it to 15.

The process is straightforward, a production company will send the film to the BBFC and they will decide on an appropriate certificate, if the production company is unhappy they can re-edit and submit again, hoping to get a lower age certificate to make it more accessible for all ages. The hunger games were originally given a 15, but they re-edited and took out a lot of diegetic sound, cutting out some very bloody scenes and made the killing g shots shorter so they audience didn't see the full extent of the injury. It was then awarded a 12A in cinemas. 

Audiences have sometimes complained about age rating i.e. Joker, Peter Rabbit, Logan & the woman in black (most controversial).