In order to maximise the quality of our final product, I wanted to ensure that the editing was as professional as possible. Myself and my partner Amy already had existing intermediate knowledge of Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018, which was invaluable when beginning our online editing phase to assemble the footage in sync with the music. However, in order to expand our knowledge further we purposefully chose to utilise a variety of handmade or plugin transitions to ensure the end product was of high quality. In order to create these transitions and overlays we used YouTube to find tutorials of our desired 'effects' as well as experimenting on the software. Similarly, I also utilised Adobe After Effects in order to create title layers for the beginning of our music video, (a convention often used in indie RMA's to establish the artist and song) which I then imported into Premiere.
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| An Exemplary Folder |
Our first step involved assembling the 'rough' first offline edit of our music video. However, beforehand we reviewed the footage, removing the shots that we didn't wish to include, and we then categorised the footage into folders dependant on the scene. This meant our footage was organised prior to editing, and made the editing phase much easier. We then placed all of our footage onto the timeline and began to edit it in sync with the music track.
After we had completed the offline edit/basic assembly, we began to research transitions. As the Director I had envisaged most of the edit using quick cuts between shots to make specific elements (including the flashback scene) of the music video appear as if it had been recorded on an old camcorder in a moment of spontaneity. However, I also wanted to utilise 'Smooth Zoom' transitions which can be evidenced in a variety of modern music videos. In particular, I was inspired by the work of Sam Kolder, a YouTuber who has had a massive influence on current pop/electronic music videos. The above GIF is an example of the 'Smooth Zoom' transition he famously uses throughout his work.In order to recreate this transition in our work, I found an online tutorial that had a downloadable plugin effect for this transition and explained how to use the plugin to create the effect. (See below Youtube video by Orange93) I purposely chose this plugin because you had to create the effect yourself using the plugin; this meant it was more challenging and beneficial than using a pre-made transition. It also allowed me to alter the timings of the transition to adhere to the timings of the music video. After downloading this plugin and placing it into the software, I dragged the effect from the effects panel. Below is my own example of the transition.
Smooth Transition Tutorial:
My Recreation of the Transition:
Creation of Overlays:
In order to adhere to genre conventions, we also made sure to use glitch/scratch/light leak overlays that we had evidenced in our RMA research, particularly in music videos such as The Hunna's 'Bonfire' and Catfish and the Bottlemen 'Homesick'.
In order to create this effect we downloaded overlay footage from YouTube and placed it into a file, as evidenced below:
In Premiere Pro, I added the overlays onto the timeline on the layer above our footage at relevant moments. I then reduced the opacity of the layer or used the screen tool allowing them to appear only just about visible, which looked highly effective. An example of when this looked most effective was during the momentary flashback our male protagonist has of taking the polaroid with the girl. A bright yellow light leak can be seen which is a metaphorically representation for both the flash of the polaroid camera as it took the photo and as a physical representation (transition) for the change in time between the two shots.
Editing Log:
15th November:
After finishing Production, we used our first lesson (one
hour) to look over our rushes and footage and select what shots we would use in
the final product. We then categorised the shots into folders.
17th November:
Within our second lesson we began the basic assembly of our
footage, working collaboratively on Amy’s laptop.
20th November:
Three hours – Edited the first thirty seconds of the video,
which included the first draft of our introduction that began with a fade from
black transition into our main protagonist Will walking down the street and the
first verse of the song.
21st November:
The collaborative file was then sent to me. I spent one hour
assembling the first offline draft of the couple montage which is featured in
the song’s second verse.
22nd November:
In two hours of lesson time we edited from 0:30-0:57.
This cut together couple montage with band shots.
24th November:
In two hours of lesson time we edited 2:20-3:13.
27th November:
In one hour of lesson time we received pivotal feedback from
our teacher that stated that we needed to increase the speed of the train shot,
therefore we adapted this segment of the video and received further feedback
stating that it was “much better” and “less tiresome”.
29th November:
In one hour of lesson time we edited from 0:58-1:19, cutting
between performance and narrative shots in time with the beat (cutting on the
beat is a convention of indie music videos).
1st December:
In two hours, I edited the flashback cuts together and began
online editing to create the camcorder effect formulating a first draft. I then
asked our focus group for feedback utilising social media and received feedback
that I should remove the ‘noise’.
6th December:
In one hour of lesson time we edited from 1:36-1:41. In
doing this we tested a variety of methods of transitioning between the
flashback footage and the ‘present’ narrative shots. I then decided to edit at
home a light flicker transition that cut on the beat, back to the normal narrative.
8th December:
In three hours, we edited from 1:36-2:19, but left some
gaps.
11th December:
In one hour of lesson time we filled in the gaps 1:30-2:20 with
band performance shots and matched up lip syncing shots.
15th December:
In two hours of lesson time we received feedback on our
first draft and planned to fix any issues over the holidays.
18th December:
I edited the first draft of the ending but left a couple of
gaps, I decided on using a mid-shot of the entire band performing the last line
of the song, however, I was uncertain as to whether it was an effective final
shot.
19th December:
I created the opening credits on Adobe After Effects and
exported them into our Premiere Pro file. I also went through and added
overlays to the relevant footage through the adjustment of the individual clip’s
opacity. Finally, I completed the final draft of flashback montage, deciding on
an RGB colour glitch and a TV style line gradient, along with 4:3 resolution.
After messaging members of my focus group, they approved of the change.
27th December:
Amy and I met up in person and adapted the ending of the
music video, in particular deciding on a finale close-up shot of Ben (our lead
singer) winking at the camera as he cheekily delivered the last line. We felt
this was a much more authentic ending with the slight humour also allowing our
target audience to relate to the lead singer and feel included in the music
video, as if they were part of an inside joke. This is highly representative of
the indie genre, as artists of this genre strive to have an informal
relationship with their audience which allows the listener to wholeheartedly
focus on their music, rather than the artist selling their personality and
music as a package. We also fixed a few minor feedback suggestions.
29th December:
In one hour Amy colour corrected the video.
3rd January:
Our focus group reviewed our changes along with our teacher.
We then received feedback which was very positive and rendered exported and
presented final draft to focus group. Completion of our music video.
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