Millie Mae Creative Media - FMP
Technical Research:
Final Cut Pro:
Premier Pro:
For my FMP, I wanted to see which software would be best for me to edit on. So I started off by trying the one I am most comfortable with, Premier Pro. It was quite simple because I knew how to do most things on this app, especially the simple stuff. I started by dragging the clips I wanted to use for my first video (the running one) and placing them in order on the longer part where you are able to edit the footage. It was also going smoothly. I simply cut the footage where I wanted, lined up the best I can to make it look seamless and extra neat. and then I simply watched back and tweaked certain clips here and there to the best of my ability. For my second try on the running video, I opened Final Cut Pro. I have never used this app before so as soon as I opened and tried uploading my footage I was confused and slightly lost. However as soon as I learnt how to do this the rest of the steps were super easy and fast. It took me mere minutes to create the same video I had created on Premier Pro. the only issue I faced with this app was finding where everything was but like I said this bound to happen because it is new to me.
When it came to the second video for Premier Pro I found it a lot easier having that fresh memory of how to do it in my mind. This one was once again a walk in park. I prefer my editing on both of the second ones. This is purely because of the time difference. As my short film is fast passed and fast cuts because of the tension and genre I instantly prefer the work I did on Premier Pro. I know the time is down to my editing but I didn't even realise the different lengths in the clips until I put them on here and maybe that is just my mistake. But when I looked back at my time lines I noticed it was a lot easier to tell the time difference.
When I edited the second one on Final Cut Pro, I found it a lot more difficult than the first time around. My main issue this time was locating the stuff I needed to edit, even though I did it the first time round I had help, so the second was a lot more difficult.
Overall, I think it is the best idea to use Premier Pro to edit my FMP. Purely because I have more experience with it and I found it easier with the length of my clips.
Gradient Practise:
For my FMP, I really wanted to use colour grading to help make my piece more scary and real in a way. I already knew that because my short film is a horror/psychological thriller it needs to be darker than natural. For example the trees have to be a darker green colour instead of light to help make the scene feel more tense.
The first thing first was to learn how to actually do this. I have never used colour grading before and it is noticeable in my other pieces. I feel like they could have been made a lot better by simply using this. So I learnt that the easiest way and most simple way to do this on Premier pro is by using effects and selecting and dragging the colour lumtri onto my clip of choice. Then once I have done that I then need to select [ ]colour. This will bring a panel of options, I then go through these options, such as contrast and [ ], and adjust them to what I think is best and most suitable for what I am trying to aim to create.
For my first attempt I decided to make it brighter and lighter in colour I made everything a higher number and smoothed the edges. So it would look more appealing to the eyes. It really helped make the green and blue stand out in the clip. When you watch the original footage which is positioned after that first clip you can see how that clip was grey and dull. It wasn't appealing in any way and didn't sell the place as I wanted it to. I felt like my version shows that it is a fun summer location instead of a place you see in a horror film.
Speaking of horror films, the first one I made was obviously very different from what I want to show in my film. My film needs to be presented as tense and spooky. I believe the best way to do this is by showing the colours in a darker way to make it more scary, so this is exactly what I did. Instead of making the numbers higher like I did last time, I made them lower into negative numbers. This really helped make it look more tense. It did take me a bit longer to figure out what would look best without draining all the colour from the image. Yes I did want it to look dark and scary but I also didn't want to lose the colour. I feel like I did a good job preserving the colour and making it look equally spooky.
The two other clips worked the same as the ones above. The only reason I did four clips in total was to really help show that I have tried to learn this new technique. I feel like each one shows the difference between clearly and shows exactly what I wanted it too. Overall, I really enjoyed doing this and I think it will help bring my piece together.
I did want to try lighting and what looks best, however, I think the best way I can achieve this without literally changing the light bulb is by using colour theory. That's why I am no longer doing it.
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