History and Development of Editing

In the early 1900's the method of film making was done with no editing at all, it would just be one reel of tape when the method of cutting came about the editor would have to physically cut up the film and glue it together. This was done by holding each frame up to the light to identify it and then cut and paste them appropriately. 

The Moviola is a machine of editing technology created in 1924. it allowed to operator to have smoother editing and introduced Edge numbering which allowed audio and video synchrony. The machine was slow and was limited, With further developments flatbeds were invented, it consists of two motorised disks, one for picture and one for sound. The plates move simultaneously with one projecting the visual and one for audio. Steenbeck and KEM which stands for Keller-Electro-Mechanik are the two main brands.

This method of editing is called Linear editing, the process of selecting, modifying and arranging the images and sound in a sequence. This method was inexpensive and quicker for smaller editing jobs. The first digital editing consoles were consisting of two minors, the CMX-600. The right monitor on the left was used to display the edited video with the right showing the preview video. In 1991 the Avid 1 was released, atThis is when digital products began to replace the classic editing tools such as the moviola. The editing then became largely computerised and operated in a way the original content isn't modified during the editing. 

Non linear editing is a form of offline editing which is where raw footage is editing without effecting the original taken and it is now the major form of editing. The offline editing is essentially the whole process where the clips are cut together in a way that expresses a story and narrative. 

Film editing is carried out in modern editing software such as final cut and premiere pro allow editors to transfer onto a hard drive. Premiere Lori was the first computer based non-linear editing systems with its first release in 1991. 

 

• https://www.filmcomment.com/article/game-changers-editing
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edwin-S-Porter
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-linear_editing_system

Promotional Video - Editing Decision Log

Start Time
End Time
Description
Shot Description
5s
7s
Quick cut    
pole spin
8s
13s
Quick cut    
hoop split 
13s
17s
Quick cut    
hammock split
17s
24s
Quick cut    
pole backbend 
24s
27s
Quick cut    
hammock split 
27s
29s
Quick cut    
hoop drop 
29s
32s
fade
instructor talker
332s
33s
quick cut    
group dancing 
33s
35s
quick cut    
hammock split 
35s
37s
cut            hoop hip shift

Research Evaluation

With assessing the strengths and weaknesses of my research methods I will be using the music video production unit. Within this unit I had to analyse music videos to understand and show that I grasp the concept and different genres and types of music videos. This was the first stage of the research that I undertook, getting knowledge on theorists; Andrew Goodwin and Carol Vernallis. 

When it came to the focus group this was an effect method for us to present ideas to a group of our peers and get feedback on our ideas. This was helpful because it allowed communication between our group where we could give them honest feedback and help solidify any ideas that we have. 

The primary research that I did for my music video production was the survey. This was helpful because it meant that I could get an understanding of the requirements and what I could aim to do in order for the music video to reach its full potential. A strength of the survey was that it was all my own research which made it valid to my research and helped me answer what I want to answer. 

When it comes to secondary research I looked into Andrew Goodwin and Carol Vernallis. Goodwin's book "Dancing in the Distraction Factory" this helped me understand how different genres had different conventions and made looking into the conventions of genre much easier. To back this up I looked heavily into the indie genre and those with 'monster' conventions. 

I analysed four music videos for the next stage, this helped me gain confidence in the conventions of music videos and also helped me understand and focus on what I wanted to gain from my music video. I analysed four songs based on the several different ideas I had for my music video to have plenty of selection when it came to my final choice and ideas.

Looking back the strengths of the research I have undertaken with Primary Research are that the aim of the research is better addressed. The data given by Primary research is more easily interpreted and it is more valid to whatever is being researched. The disadvantages are that its very time consuming and that the feedback can be often irrelevant aka with the survey.

The strengths of the secondary research that I undertook is that it is often much more extensive than primary due to it being based on a different idea from a different person just with intersecting ideas. It is also less time consuming and the data is readily available, the disadvantages are that it might not be specific and inaccuracy of data.

Editing Techniques Video

This is the video that me and AJ created to express our understanding and ability to recreate different editing techniques.



Shot Reverse Shot - 

Shot reverse shot or also known as shot/countershot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (the other character is more than likely off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

180 Degree Rule - 
The 180 degree rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in one scene should maintain the same left/right coordination to one another. When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a 'reverse angle'.


30 Degree Rule - 


The 30-degree rule is a basic film editing guideline that states the camera should move at least 30 degrees relative to the subject between successive shots of the same subject.

Cut In - 

In film a cut in shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually, although not always, followed by a cut back to the first shot, when the cutaway avoids a jump cut. The shot is only on screen for no longer than 2-3 seconds. 

Cross Cutting / Parallel Editing - 

Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the two actions are happening simultaneously. However it is not always the case. 

Establishing Shot - 

An establishing shot is usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the scene is taking place. It is usually an extreme wide shot.

Match On Action - 

Or also known as 'Cutting on Action' is an editing technique or continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. This creates the impression of a sense of continuity. The action carrying through creates a "visual bridge" which draws the viewers attention away from slight cutting continuity issues. 

Temporal Overlap - 

When an action is repeated from a different point of view and often within slow motion.

Kuleshov effect - 

A recognition that a shot’s meaning is not only dictated by what it contains, but by its relationship to other adjacent shots

Eisenstein Montage - 

An approach to editing developed by filmmakers in the Soviet Union in the 20s. It emphasises dynamic, often discontinuous, relationships between shots and the juxtaposition of images. It’s primary focus was to engage with the viewer in an intellectual manner.

Evaluation for Music Video

To start of this evaluation I would just like to state that 2/3 of the way through filming I decided to leave the group because I didn't like the way we were managing ourselves and I felt like my input was not being taken seriously and I got frustrated with the members of my group so I made the decision to leave the group happy with the work that I had helped with.

We chose the song I Only Wear Black by The Wombats because it was a song we all liked and after picking several songs we all liked we created ideas for each one and then we decided that our idea for the Wombats song was the best idea we had to go with the music and we felt like we could do the most with this song. I was away on holiday the first week of the unit but while I was away Connie and Leah held a focus group and helped get ideas and feedback on our idea and the song and asked for advice on the way we could do this to the best of our ability. After a focus group we were solid on our idea and it helped us become creative with what we are capable of.

With regards to the production of the music video we decided to do a narrative of following the monster around in his day to day life, the problems that came with this are that a lot of the shots in the sun are over-exposed which added some issues but to counter-act this we used heavy editing to balance out the saturation and the exposure. With filming within Connie's house we had the issues of space and the camera and tri-pod setting was very space consuming, to counteract this we did a lot of walking shots and hand-held shots and then just have to stabilise them in the editing phase of the music video.

The main problem my group faced was time-management and the conflict of schedules as we all had part-time jobs and other commitments etc. The first time we filmed Connie's boyfriend came over due to something that was already pre-planned which cut our filming short for example or like the time I had plans later in the day and filming ran later than intended and when we had planned to film other times we would do film about 15 minutes of footage because we would get distracted with other things. This ended up being very frustrating for everyone in the group because we felt like we were just wasting precious time when we could have been filming. Another issue we had was that the mask was very claustrophobic and hard to see in due to it being paper-mache. This made it hard to film for long periods of time because I would begin to feel light-headed, it also made seeing where I was going hard so this impacted on how natural the filming looked because sometimes my walking would be awkward and timid. To try and counteract this we would do the shot several times with and without the mask so I could try and  gain some spacial awareness.

Another issue was that we broke continuity half way through the video because we filmed on a hot day where it reached 24 degrees and I did not feel comfortable or want to risk getting ill from the heat with wearing a mask I couldn't breathe in, fur and a jumper so we decided as a group to let me wear a t shirt with a similar design to the jumper on the front of it. This messed up our continuity but meant that I wouldn't be get ill or being uncomfortable.

This is the final video for what my group created up until 2:05 is where I took part and everything after that was filmed without me. Also at 0;47 the clip filmed isn't me either. I am proud of what I helped create with my group and it is a shame that things ended the way that they did but as far as i am concerned the 2 minutes of the video that I did help with are very good and we did do a good job as a group.

Health and Safety

In regards to health and safety the main concern was the mask and how little vision and breathing space it gave me to wear. It was very claustrophobic and that paired with the furry arms and the jumper meant that I overheated a lot and I couldn't see where I was going so I kept tripping over and walking into things, we tried to counteract this by me re-doing the scenes a couple of times with the mask off and then doing it with the mask on after I got to grips with it. Another issue we had was that one of the days when we were filming it was really warm and got to about 21 degrees, so the combination of the mask and the furry arms and the jumper meant that I would overheat quickly and it would have been unsafe for me to film and possibly make me ill to film. So we compromised and decided that instead I wear a t-shirt with a similar design to the jumper on it.

Apart from the monster mask we didn't really have any other health and safety issues apart from that. We had two cameras and both of them did not have any wires or anything like that. So in other regards we didn't really have any other worries apart from making sure our bags were out of the way of the public when filming. 

Editing the Music Video

Editing

With editing the music video we decided that the best way to go about it was to label the clips and sort them into bins first. This makes the editing process easier and help with the putting together of the music video and just creates efficiency. 

We then went through clips and decided what was the best way to go out about deciding what clips were useful and what weren't, to do this Me and Connie went through each clip and deleted what wasn't useful and what was. I sorted the clips out into folders that I figured were useful and then we imported them into premiere pro where Connie edited them. 

With Connie taking the lead in the editing she had a lot of the creative freedom to create the best image and idea that we all wanted with the music video. She said a couple of times that she wished that the song was longer because it would have given her the opportunity to create an even better video because there was a lot to fit in with the short amount of time the music video allows. 

Making the Monster

This is the making of the monster costume that Connie kindly offered to do seeing as she is more arty than me and Leah, this process took about a week to do and consisted of creating the monster mask and the arms and shoes that I would also be wearing in the video. To create the mask as you can see Connie had to paper maché  a plastic mask to create the texture and expression of the monsters face, afterwards she glued in eyes and teeth to create a monster look. The mask itself was very well made and was a good attempt based on our budget and the money we had to spend on it. Evaluating it though I would've liked if the mask itself had some breathing holes or something that I could see out of. The mask itself had no eye holes and nowhere to breathe out of so it was very claustrophobic and I couldn't see out of it at all. This meant that I couldn't see anything when I had the mask on so it made it difficult to act because I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going, the lack of breathing holes meant that it was uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Especially when we had to record in 20 degrees heat. Although it was not very practical it was a very realistic looking mask and portrayed what we wanted it too.




The rest of the materials were used to create the monster were found either in Connie's house or Leah and Connie went charity shopping and found them there. The cost ended up being about £8 each which was very cheap for what we got out of it and what Connie was able to do with it. The teeth Connie already had due to an old project of hers and everything was sourced from different shops and then it was used to create the monster.

Storyboard - Shot List

Storyboard

This is the storyboard that Connie created that details what is going to be happening within our video to help us with what shots and angles, a storyboard is also useful because it helps us set out our ideas and bring them to life with images before creating them in real life, it also brings out a set type of communication within the group because what we can't explain with words we can explain with images and drawing.

The second half of the storyboard as you can see is incomplete, after communicating with Connie we found out that she was struggling to create the second half of the storyboard because it was getting difficult to create the ending of our video because we had not decided on what was going to be the climax and the change. We then decided that the blank spaces within the storyboard are the things we can just improvise as we go along and decide what is best for the image we want to portray. This ended up being 'day in the life' activities of the monster and how they were going wrong to inspire him to want to change to inspire the narrative.

Shot List

Here are some examples of the shots we are going to do to create our music video and bring it to life. 

1. A birds-eye shot of the monster in his bed.
2. A montage style of the monster getting ready for his day - changing clothes etc.
3. Close-up of the monster brushing his teeth and his hair. 
4. A mid-close up of the monster getting ready in the mirror over his shoulder.
5. Low angle tracking shot of the monster and his feet as he leaves his bed.
6. An establishing shot of the park the monster is visiting.
7. A tracking shot of the monster as he walks through the park. 
8. The monster walking from frame to frame.
9. Mid shots of the monster sat on the bench.
10. A reverse dolly zoom of the monster sat on the bench through the bin.
11. An over the shoulder shot of a scratch card.
12. A close up of the scratch card.

Gantt Chart for the Music Video

This our Gantt chart to help us keep on schedule with our filming it helps us remain on track.

Survey for Music Video

This is our survey that Connie created, this survey is a way that we can see what our target audience would be and what type of music they like etc. This is helpful because it means we can adapt and change our music video to get the prime input from our audience. 

This question was to devise the best place to put our music video. This question was helpful as it helped us decide that youtube would be the most influential place to post our music video.

This question was helpful because it helped us decide which genre had the best videos and because our music video was very indie it gave us the confidence to help us realise that we could make a video that people like. This was a relevant question to ask.

This question was very helpful and relevant because it helped us decide what type of music video to do. We ended up doing a narrative video.

This question was unhelpful because it was it ended up with a 50/50 answer so it offers no input or incite.

This was helpful because it was an open question which allowed people to expand on the previous question because it means that it allows us to have a greater understanding.

This is relevant in the fact that it shows what the audience wants and if the music video should be relevant and we followed the answers to this because our music video matches the response.

This question is not really relevant because it does not add or detract from the music video.

This question was helpful because it helped us realise our age range when it came to creating the music video and the survey so we could work towards it.

Equipment List and Props

1. Cameras (we each have our own to choose from) 
2. Spare batteries/ Charging cables
3. SD Cards
4. Lenses (18-55mm and Macro and Fish eye and Wide Angle)  
5. Tripod
6. Portable Lights
7. Dolly 

Props: 

1. Monster Costume - Shoes, Mask, Furry arms
2. Different black clothing - for the changing section 
3. Fake Lottery Ticket 
4. Sleeping Mask
5. Glue/Staples/Back up fur 
6. Nutmeg for the dog scene.

Focus Group

We did a focus group in order to help us with our idea of our music video, these are some of the ideas we got given by our peers after showing them our ideas. It has been very helpful to do this because it has given us ideas from people outside our group while also helping us see how other people will perceive it. 

• There is a note or something in the shirt, some kind of inspirational note that helps him
• Falls in love with something or someone which helps him to get happy again 
• Dancing with an item of clothing, falling in love with somebody, clothing or an item
• Watching campy horror films 
• Even the people on the tv are screaming at him
• Italian neorealism
•  Just walking through town with the costume on and getting people's natural reactions to it
• Really rubbish things happening to him throughout the day 
• Dogs running away from him, raining on him, bags breaking, loosing on a scratch card.

Moodboard for Music Video/ Brief Description of Video and Inspiration/ Location Planning

Our song we are doing is The Wombats - I only wear black, we are aiming to do a video about a monster who is going about his day to day life and he's on road to self improvement and at the end of the video when he feels happier within himself he peels off the monster outfit to reveal a normal human underneath. We are focusing on the physical manifestation of sadness.

Inspiration for the music video:



Here are two video inspirations for the video we are aiming to do, The Fall Out Boy video is a good inspiration because it shows the more human side to the Antler Boy and we are trying to embody this in the later stage of our video. The Sea Fret video is good because it shows the monster we are trying to portray. The hairy monster is a good reference point for us when creating our own monster.

Location

This is the location we have decided to film in, partly due to convenience and also for our music video we are aiming to do a day in the life style video so its useful to have Connie's house available to use to film the day to day functioning of our monster. We are also planning to use the area around connie's house as well, Riversly Park or the big block of green on the map is also going to be a key area that we film in due to its accessibility and its also quite a picturesque place to film.  

Music Video Research Theory

Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis is music video theorist who produced the Kindest Cuts which talks about the difference between the editing in film and music videos, She refers to the role of editing when it comes to narrative, meaning, star image and the way sounds and images are synchronised as well as how the editing imitates the music.

There are four key concepts in Vernallis's theory which are; Narrative, Editing, Framing and Camera movement and Diegsis.

Narrative; Within her theory Vernallis's, she suggests that music videos are a response to the narrative within the song. So what happens on screen reflects the lyrics. If the narrative isn't complete she goes onto say that if it isn't fully realised the video can go on to seem disjointed and fragmented.

Editing; One of the main conventions of music videos is to break the rules of continuity. Editing in music videos can be used as a focal point with editing to the beat of the music or a beat drop etc rather than the narrative. Music videos have a distinctive style of editing with noticeable conventions such as jump jumps, cutting to the lyrics or beat of the music and juxtaposed shots and scenes.

Framing and Camera Movement; Vernallis states that having establishing shots is a important element of music videos as well as close ups of either the artist or the focal point of the video. Camera movement is also important as it moves with the timing and genre of the music video it is in. Slower music videos contain a lot of close ups and tracking shots whereas upbeat songs have more establishing and long shots.

Diegsis: Diegsis or the setting of the music video works in the way that Vernallis says that actions in the video are not always completed and can be disrupted, this can lead to a repetition of shots and frames which will come across as more important than other frames.

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin was a media theorist and a director of music, he published a book called Dancing in the Distraction Factory. The book contains codes and conventions that come up with making a music video.

Genre Characteristics; Music videos have a set of typical genre characteristics and they have codes and conventions. Examples of this include that if you were to watch a music video and it was a live performance its likely its a rock or metal band e.g River of Fire by In This Moment. The audience gives a new level of energy to a music video that comes across in the music. Film genres can link to this as they have an impact on music videos, for example a lot of rom-com's have a lot of the same conventions as slower love songs.

 There are five key setups for a music video that can help analyse it:

-Stadium Performance; Stadium performances are mainly used for rock music to show enthusiasm and physical endurance of the music and the impact it has.
-Studio Performance; Studio sessions are for more indie bands and for meaningful songs that aim to convey emotion.
-Location-Narrative-Conceptual/ Experimental

Voyeurism; There are references to the notion of looking and the treatment of both genders in an overly sexualised manner in order to sell records. Through the use of props, for example items such as tv, microphones and mirrors.

Record Label Demands; Record labels have very high and specific demands when it comes to filming a video such as close up of the artist and certain props or themes that have a reoccurring imagery. For example with In This Moment, the leader singer is always dressed in very religious seeming robes with a corset on underneath to portray religious themes counteracted with her being dressed provocatively. 


Intertextual References; Theses are references to other tv shots and music videos or books within the music video itself. e.g Buddy Holly by Wheezer. This can bring in an audience that are fans of the movie being referenced and it gives the video more depth in the production.

Music Video Analysis

Evaluation of Promotional Video

For our promotional video unit me and Connie decided to shoot a studio in Nuneaton called Bliss Pole and Aerial, we got into contact with the owner of the studio and organised a meeting and pitched our idea to her. With this we created a powerpoint that had all of our key points on it and reassured her that we would do the studio and herself justice with our video and create the best video possible. She was more than helpful and had a lot of creative input with the final video.

The studio is a 5 minute drive from Connie's house and a 15 minute drive from me so because of this I had to get the bus to get there and back. When filming ran too late and there was no buses we worked around this by Connie's mum giving me a lift home on a few occasions. We ran into one problem with it came to travel and filming and this was when there was a snow storm in Nuneaton and therefore the buses were cancelled so we had to miss shooting for one day because Connie couldn't film without me because I had the release forms. To make up for this we quickly rescheduled and made up for the lost time.

Another problem we had was that in the hoop room of the studio although it is spacious enough for two hoops and 4-6 students if you add two camera people in to that with limited shooting space and angles we kept getting each other in our shoots which would make them useless. So to counteract this we created a quick action plan so that we would be in opposite spaces at all time and we could avoid each other and we got used to the space after one or two filming sessions.

With our shot list we decided to create one to give us some diversity and artistry to the shot, this allowed us to play around with filming. It also gave us the ability to film a lot quicker and allowed us to communicate with our client about what we wanted and we had hoped to achieve and the shot list allowed us to visualise that before filming.

We had one technical problem and that was the microphone which when we tried to use it was dead and even with the spare battery we packed it still wouldn't work and died quickly after we started the first recording. So after two failed attempts of interviews we released we had a dead mic. Luckily I already had a recording app on my phone from a previous video so we used that instead and ended up with three useable recordings.

With what went well I think we presented ourselves in a professional manner and we held that professionalism throughout our time filming and we included our clients wishes and made any changes she deemed necessary e.g. the website link which was wrong. I think that the editing we both did to our own respective videos was good and they were fast paced and high energy and blended a lot of editing techniques into it like using a voice-over and remixing the music and the cuts and transitions. Our communication with our client was also detailed and constant and we were professional the entire time with our emails. Our client left us incredible feedback with it all being highly rated and well done from the way we conducted ourselves to the quality of the footage itself.

In terms of what to improve I personally think that the footage we got could of varied in angles and shot types but this was hard to do so in a closed environment when trying to stay out of the way of the students and to not get in the way of each other. Another thing we could improve was how stable the shots are. Some of them are a tiny bit off balance and you can see the slight shift in the camera as it moves which could come across as unprofessional and to counteract this we could have used the stabiliser.

Overall, I am happy with the work we have created and the way we have presented ourselves and the work we have put across. From the communication and the planning to filming and then to editing the final video ourselves. Amanda our client was incredibly helpful and we couldn't have asked for a better client.

Client Promotional Video Feedback Questionnaire

Feedback

Music video brainstorming

Promotional Video FInal

Weather/travel/moodboard/release forms for promo vid

Moodboard

This is my gantt chart. It depicts what I am going to be doing with the client and the planning that I will undertake.

This is the journey from the college to the studio, it takes 8 minutes to walk there so we just walk from college to the studio which makes it easy to get there. They are easily accessible.