Editing: General

Since filming was finished, we have been editing for over 2 weeks now. Surprisingly, the software is quite easy to use so the editing process is also quite simple. Having used the user-friendly iMovie last year, I had expectations that this year, the new iMovie would be much more complicated. However, the settings are similar, although some in different places. All we had to do was upload our raw footage and save it in a file. We then import this raw footage into a project created on iMovie, which was also saved. Looking through the raw footage, we started making a rough cut of our music video, which meant simply cutting clips from the raws and creating a a sequence that follows the storyboard. (Adjusting saturation and green screen editing would be done later). Image: The highlighted/yellow-boxed section of the footage is dragged onto the time line below to create a sequence Next was syncing the footage all awhile editing the clips slightly shorter/longer where necessary. Lip-syncing was difficult, because at times the singers did not pronounce the words clearly enough so that it was obvious to us and the audience. It was especially hard finding certain lyrics that were meant to have clips showing the performer singing them clearly. In cases where we could not find said clips, they had to be replaced by others. I found the majority of the time was used testing out different clips and cutting them again and again so it would fit the music perfectly. However, at the same time, replacing clips we couldn't find with something else was relatively easy as we made sure to film a variety of shots and angles. I noticed that by the end of compiling a rough cut, each band had eight appearances each, and the rest was narrative.

Image: The purple sections below the time line are the audio clips. The first thinner section is the guitar hero start-up sound effect, and the purple section that highlights the rest of the time line is the first half of the "Just A Day" audio.

Throughout editing, we made sure to conform to the conventions of music videos again. This included the distribution of narrative and performance cuts, close ups of the guitars when there was a guitar solo, high angled shots of the drummer when a clear beat could be heard, and solo-singer shots when there was certain emphasis on particular lyrics. At times, however, when for creative and logical purposes, the storyboard was changed. For example, the scene where a performer should have been was replaced with a hand knocking on the door to give more sense and continuity to the narrative. The hand-knocking clip should have appeared later on, but there had been too many band-clips and needed separated evenly with narrative. An issue of censorship arose when we found that the best cut scene in terms of quality was one with swearing in it. We also thought it would make the video more humorous to 'beep' out the swearing, as it is suggests something explicit without actually being rude. At the same time, the clip seemed to have been stretched by iMovie after importing, so the shot seems further away/ a long shot rather than a mid-shot. Which, if we wanted to dub over the swearing, could be easily done as the lips could hardly be seen anyway on the cut-scene. We had considered this, as the audio on the cut scene was poor and sounded too quiet. The sound on the cut scene only could be made louder, but after some audience feedback from class members and teachers we preferred it when it was quieter than the song itself. In relation to censorship, we decided our target audience would be above the age of fifteen anyway, and therefore would not be offended by the swearing in the context it is used in.

During editing, the story line could be manipulated to reflect a different meaning or interpretation from the audience. (We learnt this during narrative theory work). In the storyboard, the relationship of our two narrative leads was meant to be very ambiguous, and meant to leave the audience to wonder if it was friendship, or more. But after editing we discovered that the scene with the DVD made a clear distinction that they were friends, and rather than dull the narrative down it is a rather relate-able moment that gives our video a more positive feel, as opposed to the depressing lyrics.

More Screen shots...

Above Image: The time line shows the second half of the "Just A Day" audio AFTER the cut scene. From the preview screen, it is a high lighted section of the raw footage to the left of it. This particular clip was not used as you can see Jack's harness as he picks up the guitar.

Above image: To film the opening shots of preparing guitar hero, the pull-focus on Moby/the camera was used. This could have been done in post production, but we thought it would be easier to do it while filming.