Compiling shots

I began by taking the best shots from the multiple I took and compiling them onto my timeline. From there I began to trim the length of each shot so that there was no dead time in the final product.

Sound

After this, I added all of my sounds like the music, voice over and various sound effects and adjusted their volumes accordingly in terms of priority, making the sounds I wanted focus on like the voice oveer louder than something like the sound effects.

Fade in/fade out

From there, I added the fade in and fade out effect to transition between the audios, as the sudden lack of sound can be jarring and noticeable to an audience. On Premiere Pro, I am able to adjust the length of the fade, so that I could could make an audio become progressively more quiet or louder as I wished.

Credits

I then utilized the text tool too make the credits. I downloaded a font I found online in order to ensure that these looked professional. Additionally, I tried to vary the placement of this text, so that they would not cover up any important details in the frame, as well as appearing less static.

I also used the fade in and fade out effect on these.

Editing process

Successes

- As most of the shots were inside, I didn't have much issues with the lighting so no adjustments or retakes were necessary for this project.

- I was able to use a lot of editing techniques using the software, such as the fade in/out and the zoom in at the end, which I believe enhanced my product overall.

Challenges

- I came across a minor continuity error in my production. During the scene in which the Silvia gets dressed, I had initially planned to have her pull of both of her pant legs. Unfortunately, in both of the shots, it shows the other pant leg already being down, so if I included both of them, they would contradict themselves.

- I hoped to go back and refilm it but I couldn't return to my previous filimg location so I decided to fix the issue in editing by cutting the footage for the second pant leg. I also removed the second shot of pulling up the sleeve to match this.

Studio Logo

Specter studio was the name I decided for my studio logo. I choose it because I thought that the word 'specter' suited the mystery genre. I took inspiration from other studios like Pixar for the lightbulb idea, and I used the concept of searching in the dark to emulate the idea of searching for the truth.

The simplicity of the logo and it's colours also aids the recognizability of the studio so that people wouldn't forget it and it could reach more people.

Feedback

I asked five people to watch my production and give me feedback using a review sheet on Google Forms

Based on the feedback I was given, several adjustments were needed to create my final project, one of which being cutting down my ideas significantly so that it fit within the alotted time. Somebody also suggested changing the order of events so that it would make more narrative sense, which I also plan to implement.

Additionally, my volume needed to be adjusted. Whilst editing, the audio sounded fine to me but I noticed that when I uploaded it, suddenly the voice over became drowned out by the sound of the music, so this also needs to be fixed.

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I also noticed on my own that the footage looked more shaky in the instances in which I didn't have a tripod in my first filming location, so this needed to be fixed as well.

After this, I also noticed that I was visible in one shot from a mirror, so something must also be changed so that I am not visible in my final product.

Adjustments needed

Last fixes

Compressing ideas

To start, I shortened my script so that it would fit within the two minutes. From there I became more selective with my footage, cutting out any redundant footage and shots.

Volume

The long shot allows the viewer to read the character in relation to their surroundings. The path guides the viewer's eyes and the character's leisurely pose matches the serene background.

Stabilizer

I searched on the list of effect tools for any stabilization tool when I found the warp stabilizer. When I added this to my footage, it smoothed out most of the visible shakiness from my shots so it was no longer an issue.

Flash effect

To avoid being seen in the mirror of the shot, I decided to add a flash effectc at this moment in order to cover it up.

I made this by using the restangle tool to create a black overlay to my screen, whhich I dupcliated and added a white one after. Making two more of these frames and making them last a short amount of time allowed me to achieve a flash effect.

Conclusion

Overall, I found the experience of creating this opening helpful and enjoyable. I enjoyed challenging myself by using a program that was new to me. It encouraged me to experiment more often and take chances leaarning new things.

I would say the things I enjoyed most during the editing process was layering all of the different sounds to create the right atmosphere, as well as adding in the text credits and figuring out the best way to position them on the screen.

In the end, I acknowledge the amateur mistakes and errors I made during this production and I'm sure if I had the chance to do it again, I would produce something much higher quality. However, I am still pleased with the end result as my skills still capture the emotion and mystery I wanted it to whilst having a wide range of different techniques used.