Editing Process

As I am not an editor, there isn't much I can talk about in terms of the editing process as I'm not entirely sure how the software works. We chose to use Avid Media Composer to edit with as Jack S, who would be the main editor, works best on this program. As we had decided to use stills as opposed to video, the process was fairly simple - each frame could be edited in photoshop and then added to the timeline in the correct order, following our storyboard. 

First of all though we used the unedited photos just to create a rough cut in Avid, using the trim tool to change the shot lengths to adjust the pacing. From this we could get a rough idea of what the overall thing would look like. After showing this initial rough cut to Lewis, he gave us a few things to change in terms of pacing to make the film better. This included extending more dramatic shots but also keeping shots in the same part of a sequence at the same length so that they flow better. We also decided to cut out the sequence of the character dragging the sandbag as it didn't seem to work very well with the narrative. 

Next after making these changes, as well as cutting out some shots that we didn't need, we did an export which Jack R was going to use to create the soundscape, while we finished editing the actual visuals. Jack S used photoshop to make the highlights and shadows more exaggerated to make the contrast more obvious, as well as getting rid of unnecessary things in the background such as lights and wires, and of course now the sandbag. Making the cloth on the table with the razor seem smoother was important too, as you could see all the obvious dust particles on it, which didn't look great.

He also blackened out the hooded figures more to look more like silhouettes with backlighting, adding to the eerie effect.

After editing every single photo we added the edited versions of the photos into the timeline in Avid in the same positioning as the original photos in the cut.