I really liked Neve’s documentary about the guy who likes whipper snippering his lawn. The pace of the documentary lended itself well to the comedic tone of the subject and she did a good job of presenting his personality to the camera in a way that comes across as natural.
JACK MANNING
I also really enjoyed Jack Mannings sit’em advert. The editing was fast paced but appropriate to the comedic tone of the advert and was visually interesting. The cuts were effective and nothing felt like it lingered too long or was cut too short. The music choice was also effective and reinforcing the fun tone of the commercial and the audio levels sounded proffessional. The documentary about the painter who specialised in pet portraits and painting canned food was also well done. The sound design, text and audio all worked with each other and it was a good little insight into the painters profession and what specific art styles she likes.
PEOPLE AND PLACES
BOURGEOIS+61
By Sabrina Hua & Ellis Lee
This short documentary about Phoebe who started her own fashion brand has a very professional look which has been aided by the editing. Sabrina Hua & Ellis Lee did a great job of making sure the visuals, sound design and narrative all fit together cohesively. The documentary is inspiring and effectively communicated Phoebe’s passion for sewing and her creative drive. This documentary was extremely well made and created a very intimate feeling.
HOW TO DRESS LIKE ME
Aaron Alvarez and Juanita Ebbs
This documentary was also very well made and the music, video and audio all worked together to represent the subjects personality and the fun attitude they have towards life and the fun work environment of the store they work in. The quirky audio fitted perfectly with the quirky clothes and the title cards worked with these elements to emphasise the quirkiness. This documentary was able to explain Dan’s position and what their job involves without it being boring. This documentary was extremely well made and provided me with a brief but rich glimpse of Dan’s character and their world.
The most valuable thing I gained from this course was having a deadline, and even though I missed the deadline for this assignment, I reached my own “internal creative deadline” – (Philosopher/ Artist, 2015). Having a deadline gave me motivation that I find hard to muster up on my own. It allowed me to move on from an idea quicker if I didn’t think it was working and spend less time obsessing over small details which no one will even notice in the bigger picture.
While we didn’t do any script writing in this unit, the script shot list that we did in week 2 inspired me to start reading scripts and motivated me to write the scripts for this edit series. Writing the scripts and imagining the shots as I wrote them taught me how important it is to think about how something will be pieced together in pre production and how much easier and less cluttered the creative experience is when you have written out the shots, angles and cuts on paper.
To be entirely honest I didn’t have much expectations for this class except that it would be much funner to edit than write film theory mumbo jumbo. I enjoyed discussing editing in class and it was useful to hear different perspectives on the same media as it provided me with fresh views on the how and why an edit decision was made.
NARRATIVE: CRUMBLESS BREAD
I hope my news parody sketch uses editing techniques such as banner overlays and general editing to create a comedic pacing effectively. For this particular video, using the green screen was a beneficial experience. I got to play around with simple visual effects, which was time consuming but fun, and shooting on the greenscreen limited the angles I could cut to if the pacing wasn’t right due to the fact that the background would also have to change, which is far beyond my expertise. Although this was a parody of a news show I think I learned some useful editing techniques in terms of when to cut to an image or video to keep the viewer entertained, mixing audio and how to tell a story through editing.
If i was to keep working on this video i would make the first part of the news segment more visually stimulating as i felt it had a bit of a lul in the beginning and even though it is not editing i would probably include more shots outside with more than one actor as they provided the video with much more energy than the newsroom footage.
DOCUMENTARY: THE NAMES BEAUMONT, BAXTER BEAUMONT.
This edit was a good challenge as I was writing the video as I filmed, and as a result, I had to structure the story in the edit. Cutting this down to 2 minutes was hard because I wanted to keep all the characters in, but once i “killed my darlings” as they say in the world of the artsy fartsy it was quite easy and Sebastian’s suggestion of moving one line from the beginning to the end to give the trailer a cliff hanger and a profound moment was extremely helpful in giving the narrative a satisfying ending.
I hope the viewer finds it engaging and entertaining. I hope people enjoy this mocumentary and laugh at the absurdity of it.
In terms of the editing, if I were to keep working on this mocumentary, I would like to improve the visual and audio editing so that it feels more legitimate. It was initially meant to be a trailer but I feel like the end product wasn’t as tight or engaging as a real trailer. Other than the editing i would just improve the lighting and script to add more layers to the characters and story.
COMMERCIAL: SEASOL
This was interesting to edit as the video relied on the edit to make it visually interesting and reflect the personal monologue that the tree is giving about its life. I wanted the visuals to feel intimate, like a scrap book or an old person telling a story and I hope I achieved that. I did this by adding a film filter and cropping the sides of the image so that it felt vintage and rough and by intentionally having half a second of a clip pop in like an error in a projector reel. I also used an acoustic guitar track from epidemic sound that provided a reminiscent and intimate vibe, as well as ambient nature sounds, the sound of an old projector whirring and I used an EQ to cut off a bunch of the low end to add to the lo-fi vintage aesthetic.
I hope the video’s monologue is engaging and mysterious. I want the target audience (which would be people who like to garden) to feel like they need the product if they want their plants to appreciate them and be luscious and green.
If i were to keep working on this i would plan the shot list much more and shoot much more b-roll, such as people interacting with the tree to reflect what’s happening in the monologue as well as footage of the actual product being used.
COLLABORATION
Collaborating this semester, while brief, was a valuable learning experience. As someone who wants to work in both production and post production it was beneficial to work with others who are at all different levels of experience and who all have different specialities they can bring the project. I learned about letting go of how I have envisioned a project to be and let it become something else. Teamwork is good. I like teamwork.
I really enjoyed the homework activity where we were required to make a one-minute video that tells a story without using voice-over. I got carried away with the task and ended up making a short 2-minute sketch with a friend which I gained a lot of editing experience, both visual and audio as well as directing experience.
The story is about a guy (myself) who accidentally shoots himself with imaginary finger guns, resulting in a paramedic arriving who only uses imaginary equipment. Because the story required lots of miming of interaction with objects, I recorded some foley on my iPhone to tell the viewer what it is that the characters are interacting with. For example, I recorded the sounds of a bag being zipped open and downloaded audio from freesound.org for the car and defibrillator sound effects.
While editing this piece, I learned a lot about pacing and manipulating the footage to emphasise shock and/ or comedic beats. At 12 seconds, I used audio effects and slowed down the video in order to create shock and allow the viewer to take in the change of pace in the story. For example, the first 12 seconds is me getting ready in the mirror, but then it abruptly cuts to me accidentally shooting myself and falling onto the floor. I used slow motion so that the transition and impact of the situation was emphasised and used a low pass filter on the audio to simulate the character’s experience of being in close range of a gunshot.
This exercise made me realise the importance of adequate coverage even if you don’t use it all. It also helped me experiment with how sound can be used to tell a story. And allowed me to practice some basic visual effects, like applying a cracked glass effect to the mirror and adding a flash of white in conjunction with the gunshot sound to imitate a gun going off. Finally, this exercise also helped me learn how to tell a story with minimal dialogue.
INTERVIEW
It was interesting figuring out how to edit someone’s story down to the important moments while still maintaining the interview’s authenticity. Deciding when to use a B-roll and when to let the interviewee talk was helpful in understanding when to let the subject’s personality and body language shine through and when to use complimentary footage to keep the viewer engaged. For my 2 minute cut I found that the interview probably would have been more engaging if I had used one more camera angle that I would be able to cut to and from in order to have greater control over the pace of the story. In the future, If I were to do another interview and if it were appropriate, I would defiantly use music in order to manipulate or emphasise certain emotions.
I had a lot of fun with the 30-second cut. I enjoyed playing with the style of the trailer even though the trailer was not an accurate representation of the 2-minute cut. It was challenging selecting which moments from the 2-minute cut I should use, but it ultimately helped me understand what good audio snippets can do to create anticipation and manage expectations. I also enjoyed editing to the rhythm of the sound. In this instance, combined with the orchestral music I used, it gave the trailer a sense of importance and snobbery.
I didn’t enjoy this exercise as much as the homework exercise or the previous workshop activities, but it was valuable learning how to use the edit to create a respectful representation of someone’s experiences.
WOLF OF WALL STREET SCENE
The scene takes place at 2:11:02 – 2:17:20
In this scene from The Wolf of Wall Street, we see Jordan Belfort (Dicaprio) addressing his employees as he announces he is stepping away from the company to avoid jail time and preserve his wealth. The scene starts with a medium-wide shot of the employees; this shot establishes the environment and the scene’s geography. We then cut to a tracking shot of Jordan emerging from his office like a king addressing his kingdom. The shot follows Jordan up to his microphone in front of the employees. This tracking shot immerses us in the scene and also establishes Jordans position in relation to the employees. We then cut back to the MCU of the employees waiting in anticipation for his speech. Scorsese gradually eases us into the perspective of the employees by slowly cutting towards shots with heads in the foreground, this brings the viewer into the scene as Jordans speech becomes more and more emotional. Eventually, as a result of his ego, Jordan decides not to leave the company. As he announces this, the cuts become more frequent, and the footage has more energy. The shots go from steady, almost static shots to quick panning, handheld, and tracking shots of Belfort and the employees as he slides back into his usual motivational wall street money-making ‘fuck everyone’ else shtick. The scene ends on a wide shot of everyone dancing on tables and causing mayhem in the office, much like earlier drug-fuelled scenes in the film.
In this scene, through the framing of Jordan in relation to his employees, there are many comparisons to messiahs or religious figures. Jordan is like a preacher to these people. There is a wide shot of him standing and addressing the crowd much like a preacher would at a sermon, and at the end of the scene, where everyone is humming the jingle Mathew McConaughey performs at the start of the film, it is reminiscent of something you may see in a black church in a movie.
Throughout this entire scene, there are no Close up shots of Jordan. This choice represents his disconnect from the employees despite his evident respect and love for them while also representing that he is still in performance mode. He is not ready to step down. He has yet to genuinely change.
MY WAY OF WORKING
I’m unsure if I’ve made any significant leaps in my editing skills so far, but I’m definitely more fluent in premiere and have paid more attention to how editing is used in the films I watch. I think at the start of the semester when I thought of editing I thought of editing that was obvious, stylistic and fun, however over the past few weeks I’ve learned to appreciate the editing that is invisible. By ‘invisible’, I mean edits that are obviously working to manipulate the viewer and how they perceive the story but aren’t there to show off. Examples of this is slowly cutting into a scene to build tension and cuts which use Sergei Eisensteins montage theory, even though, according to Eisenstein it seems most editing these days is montage. I also think my sense of pacing has improved in my edits and knowing when to throw away cool sequences that don’t serve the story and move it forward.
I have also become more organised in my file storage methods. Previously I would load all the clips into Davinci or Premiere and bring them into the timeline to edit, spending lots of time finding suitable clips. Now I have been creating bins for clips, audio, effects, etc., making the editing process much easier and less stressful. Learning some shortcuts like ‘command + L’ to unlink audio and video and ‘command + K’ to cut video has also helped keep the momentum going while I edit and made the whole process much smoother and intuitive.
In the future, I aim to improve my narrative editing skills, speed, colour skills, and sense of timing and experiment with masking and more L or J cuts. I would also like to improve my audio editing skills within Premiere pro, given that audio is essential to creating an immersive experience and professional product.
In this studio I would like to become proficient in creating interesting and entertaining edits that prioritise the script and story while still being interesting and entertaining. I’m a big fan of comedy and directors such as Edgar wright who not only use editing to tell a cohesive story but also as a layer of comedy and an extension of their unique vision.
I would also like to become fluent in premiere pro and other adobe programs that are associated with film editing such as adobe audition and after effects, work on my file organisation, learn how to bring someone else’s vision to life through my editing and strengthen my team work skills. Compensating on your ideas is hard but is a must if I want to work in the film industry, especially if it is someone else’s work you are working as an editor on because you are helping to achieve someone else’s vision, not your own.
Shot lists and story boarding are also things I would like to become proficient in. The first exercise we did on planning the shot lists for the ‘Lenny’ script was fun and inspired me to seek out scripts myself to practice creating effective shot lists.
I hope I am able to achieve these goals in this studio as I would like eventually to get work on films and music videos
Workshop Activities
Filming shot list
Creating a shot list for the Lenny script was a rewarding and motivating experience. In the past when I have made little videos for my own entertainment I never really planned out the shots or used a clapper and would improvise everything, this often resulted in lots of un needed stress in editing as my clips were all over the place and the only way to know what was what was to watch the whole clip. I really enjoyed the creative experience of planning the shot list, it made me think more about how the shot sizes and angles serve the story and how important it is to lay out the geography of the scene. The benefit of the shot list to the assembly in the editing phase was immensely helpful and saved a lot of time. Capturing the master shot first was something I had never thought about partly because I didn’t know what a master shot was and because even if I did I wouldn’t have thought about its importance as a safety net when it comes to editing. The experience of filming the script was extremely helpful in understanding how important location and space is when setting up a scene. The location I chose for my shot list was not spacious enough for what I had envisioned and even when standing at the very back wall I was not able to get a wide shot of the characters. This was annoying but motivated me to try different angles and practice problem solving. This task was also beneficial in learning how to communicate to actors and how to block a scene. Even though none of us are actual actors it was helpful to be able to talk to them about what I was going to try with the camera and where I needed them to stand. I enjoyed this exercise and am looking forward to implementing what I have learned in my own endeavours.
F for Fake
Orson wells ‘F for Fake’ uses frantic and exciting editing to tell a layered story about deception, while at the same time deceiving the viewer. The editing is not hidden and has very clearly been re arranged in order to tell a story and reveal more about the real characters that we are getting to know. Wells uses techniques such as the Kuleshov effect to make the most out of the footage he has captured as well as to give meaning to images and/or footage that in the hands of a less creative individual would likely have ended up on the cutting room floor. The film is layered a collage of images that make you feel as if you are at a busy party listening to a magnetic individual tell you a story you didn’t know you even wanted to hear.
The sequence at 1:10:00 combines still images of Picasso with footage of Oja Kodar to tell the story of their meeting. Many different pictures of Picasso with different facial expressions are used to serve the story, these pictures act as his reaction to the beautiful Kodar walking past his window and his frustration with a Trumpeter on the street outside.
Pictures of Picasso are filmed from behind moving blinds to place him in the world of the living. While Picasso is stagnant the blinds open and close and the footage is cut with these movements to show the passage of time and Picasso’s mood in reaction to what is supposedly happening outside his window. Most of this sequence is from the perspective of Picasso looking out his apartment window, the subject is either Picasso behind his blinds or Oja on the street with slightly ajar windows in the foreground. Photos of Picasso are also overlayed over footage of Oja when they are required to be on screen simultaneously.
At 1:12:00 Wells switches from pictures of Picassos eyes to pictures of the eyes in his paintings when describing his infatuation with Oja. He uses quick flashes of black over the frame to imitate the blinking of eyes that one might do when astonished with what they see. Editing choices such as this are less obvious on first viewing but are extremely effective in portraying Picassos infatuation and giving movement to stagnant images, resulting in scenes that are more rewarding on each viewing.
Sound in ‘F for Fake’ is just as impressive as the visuals. Wells often manipulates environmental sounds to emphasise pause and suspense in a situation such as at 12:45 when a clock sound is brought to the foreground of the mix after a question and to pivot the mood. At 1:12:50 the sound of birds flapping wings is paired with dreamy slow motion visuals of Oja walking. The sound of wings then dissipates and the audio is hollow with only the sound of Ojas tapping shoes over the slow motion walk of our subject before luscious strings and a dreamy harp take over as we cut back to Picasso’s studious prying eyes.
In ‘F for Fake’ the editing is its own character. Every cut has a purpose and is not just there to serve as a beat in the story but embellish every beat. There is reason behind every edit and it acts as a response to the story Orson Wells is telling.
My understanding of the Centralised gaze is that the viewer is completely engaged in the film they are watching. The centralised gaze offers a much more rewarding viewing experience due to the full immersion that is achieved when you focus on a singular thing. When a film has you’re complete attention it is a much more rewarding experience as you receive the film as the artist intended. For example you do not go on your phone during an uncomfortable sequence and instead are forced to experience the uneasiness or whatever emotion is intended.
Decentralised gaze is when the film is just another source for distraction or an opportunity for socialising like in the short film ‘Artaud Double Bill’. The positives of the decentralised gaze are the interactive social aspect or if you are analysing a film. I would count taking notes and analysing a film as decentralised because you are removing yourself from the full immersion of the film. While it may be the main focus you are still pausing, rewinding and looking away from the screen.
2:
In my experience the difference between Centralised and Decentralised viewing is an immersive and rewarding experience vs one that is muffled by the distractions of phone or laptop screens.
If I am watching a film I am ideally going to the cinema where I have turned off my phone and cannot pause for bathroom or food breaks. If I am at home watching a film even if I am trying my hardest to not be distracted it is far too easy to hit pause and go off and get distracted by my phone or something like a quick google search of one of the actors. I think in 2023 a majority of viewing is decentralised due to the obscene amount of distractions we have at our fingertips.
People + Places has made me think about something I never really consciously considered. What is authenticity?, what is ethical? And how does that affect the stories we tell? both non-fiction and fiction. I really enjoyed the process of creating assignment 4 and found reflecting on the process very helpful in understanding what makes a good media practitioner. I never really watched many documentaries before this course but have found myself drawn to the form more and more. It was fascinating seeing where other people in my studio went with their documentary and how different and unique everyones approach was. From people + places my favourite projects were Defining the sisterhood and When we were on the rise.
Defining the sisterhood by Ellie Finlay, Neve Saunders, Gabrielle Scott, Mia Ranalletta
Defining the sisterhood uses both expository and participatory modes of documentary to show us the power of female friendships. The film authentically represents its subjects through open questions that allow for very unique individualised answers and music that doesn’t overly manipulate the viewers emotions. The handwritten title text and the acoustic music that plays throughout the film compliments the intimate subject of friendship and womanhood and makes the film feel more personal. The use of interview subjects from different age ranges presents views on female friendship from all different stages in life and results in a wholesome and rounded collection of experiences.
I also liked that you could hear a couple of the questions. Such as ‘I want you to describe the personality of your best female friend’ it’s a great way of being time efficient and making the documentary more personal.
I thought this film did a really great job of creating a positive and intimate mood through creative editing that reinforces the theme of friendship, thoughtful open questions that allow for unique personalised answers and music that glues all the elements together.
When we were on the rise – William Palmer
When we were on the rise by William Palmer documents how Oskar and Julian began writing their musical ‘On the rise’ and presents an authentic representation of their experiences as creatives, their friendship and the ups and downs of the musical medium.
From the start this short documentary is engaging. William uses the songs from the play and repurposes them as the sound track for his documentary. William does this in an effective way that creates momentum and tells the audience how to feel without it feeling forced. On the rise immediately shows us the personalities of the subjects by showing them interacting with each other and filming their musical jams.
William uses the expository documentary mode to tell this story of friendship and creativity, and does so in a very professional manner. The film is engaging from start to Finish and the editing is very sleek and professional.
‘When we were on the rise’ is incredibly rich for its runtime and has a great clear story that is entertaining, funny and motivating. It authentically represents its subjects and does so in an ethical, non obtrusive way.
DELIBERATE FILM
Deadline – Ethan Hayes
This short film does a good job of representing procrastination through the comedic mindless flicking of tv channels and the chip bags that lay devoured on the floor. The choice to use a puppet for the role of the boss was a great decision that added some strangeness to an otherwise pretty bland script. I like what Ethan did with this video and can see he has a unique vision.
Before dinner – Niva, Zack and Linda
Good acting in this one that portrays disappointment in cooking dinner for someone who is ungrateful and the tension between two young men when it comes to setting a dinner table. The film is suspenseful and made me reconsider parts of my life, especially my youth when I was an ungrateful child. ‘Before dinner’ is a thought provoking video that everyone can relate to.
If I were to continue to work on this media piece I would improve the story, lighting and extend the documentary to allow for more interview pieces from my mum and other family members in order to communicate how sub par cooking affects generations of family members and the personality traits that result in bad cooking skills.
If I extended the runtime I would include interviews from those in my family who can cook and their experiences with those of us who can’t cook, I.e an interview with my Dad on my Mums cooking. I would also get my mum who is the source of the bad cooking skills to make a dish and explain why she made it, the flavours, her cooking experience and what she thinks of my sisters cooking. This would be a great point of conflict for the film as I’m certain my mum would agree on some of the things Eva said but also disagree with other statements and rush to defend herself while attacking Evas cooking.
Colour grading and lighting are one of the most obvious things that my documentary was made by an amateur. The white balance and natural lighting changes throughout the film is distracting and was the main aspect that people pointed out when I asked them for constructive advice.
Another aspect I would like to improve upon is sound design. I would have liked to include some audio flourishes such as a dissonant piano chord in conjunction with a cooking mistake but I didn’t find a place that would have been suitable. Other aspects of sound design I’d like to improve on would be using more microphones so I can manipulate the audio with greater control and blend audio tracks together with more creative freedom. Another aspect of the sound I would like to improve on would be EQuing. I am familiar with audio editing programs like Ableton Live but when it comes to using the built in mixer in Davinci Resolve my unfamiliarity resulted in a pretty bland mix. For scenes where the sound came from the mounted on camera microphone there was a lot of noise in the 10-20k range, I would have liked to have removed this but doing so would have cut out other important Audio information leaving the audio sounding muffled.
For the required project runtime of 5 minutes I only chose to use music in the credits as it didn’t feel necessary for the character study. I believe it would have subdued the comedic subtleties of my sisters personality and made certain scenes seem forced by suggesting comedy. However if I were to extend it, music could be a great way to create a lively montage of failed meals or introduce other interview subjects
For my project I believe the opening audio and imagery accurately presents an authentic introduction to the character of my sister. Eva’s vague description of the meal she wants to make presents a number of things to the viewer such as her personality and lack of cooking skills. “I want it to taste like fresh watery, I almost want it to taste like hot cucumber but not disgusting” This statement has many layers to it, it has an initial comedic layer as “fresh watery” is not a flavour I have ever heard described and “hot cucumber” is not a pleasant thought or phrase anyone has ever heard before. The statement also communicates to the viewer that this person has no idea what she is talking about. The image of her holding the dish with the awkward smile of someone who knows they have done something silly accompanied by this opening statement shows her goofy personality and intrigues the viewer within the first 9 seconds.
The simple title card sequence accompanied by the line “mmm hydrated…….mmm delicious…..comforting but………..fresh.”, builds suspense for what is to come with the lack of visual stimuli and dramatic pauses. This introduction builds suspense for what is to come and the character study that follows goes deeper into the person behind these statements.
While I found it easy to authentically represent my sister In the editing process I did find myself throwing away certain shots due to their staged feeling. For example once or twice I got my sister to repeat a line that I liked due to the fact that I hadn’t been recording or wanted to get it in a different context but whenever she did, it didn’t have the same impact. The timing was off, the delivery wasn’t as good, her facial expressions where over acted and it didn’t feel authentic so I chose not to include those takes and instead used the original version even if the camera angle wasn’t as good or the audio wasn’t as crisp. I don’t know if anyone else would have noticed but those recreations didn’t feel right to me and I didn’t want to use anything that could potentially diminish the perceived authenticity of the rest of the project.
As a solo practitioner I think I was successful on the creative aspect but lacked pre production and communication skills. Being a solo practitioner means you need to be able to communicate and present where your project is at to whoever you are working for/ with, and I was not successful at this. Not only did I fail to present the progress of my project to class but I didn’t book any consultations which I am certain negatively affected the final project. Pre production was another aspect that I didn’t put enough thought into. Even though I created a pitch, had a vague idea and a some interview questions prepared, most of the filming was done on a whim. In hindsight the aspects of the production I would have like to have spent more time on where things like Eva’s recipe, interview question for the boyfriend and lighting. Lighting and white balance are the most obvious parts of this project that reveal it is an amateur production. I did find a good spot for the interviews but relying solely on natural light meant that the weather changes outside greatly affected how the interviews were lit from moment to moment.
On future productions if I was to work solo or in a group I would spend much more time on pre production and shooting for the edit as well as making sure I focus on the checkpoints on the way rather than just having the project ready for the deadline, that way my project will be better and/ or more in line with the clients needs.
Besides my lack of communication and pre production, being a solo practitioner allowed me to make the project truly mine. I was able to film at my own pace, find the story in the edit and place myself to a limited extent into the documentary, creating a participatory documentary. If I had worked in a group the lack of pre production would have been a much greater issue as the other members wouldn’t have a clear reference point and communicating where to take the edit would have been much more convoluted and stressful. Because I was working solo the unorganised nature of the production was a hinderance but ultimately having just my mind to consult with made it easier to try things out and get lost in the creative process. In addition, the fact that my subject was a family member meant that if I had been working in a group Eva probably wouldn’t have been as relaxed and her usual self with the presence of strangers and cameras in her home.
