Producton + Editing Pt. 1

 Hey y'all it's Soph!

I wanted to share how my production and editing process has been going so far! As of right now, I have only filmed and edited the first section of the opening, and I plan on recording the second part Monday. 

Production! 

    Filming, to my surprise, when as smooth as it possibly could! It especially helped to have Shania and Nicole give me advice on how to film the scene, and what they as actors wanted to add to the script to make the relationship between Val and Valarie more realistic. 

  Along with the smooth process that came with the first day of filming, I was able to incorporate different shots that illustrated the close dynamic that the two characters have. 

I decided to go with a long shot in the beginning of the opening, specifically showing Val and Valarie together because I wanted to illustrate two things: (1) I wanted to show their difference in personalities, with Val laying on the grass, it demonstrates that she's carefree and a happy spirit. Next to her is Valarie, who unlike Val, is leaning on a tree, further inferring that she keeps to herself, and represents the shyer half of their friendship. (2) I wanted to use this shot as a visual introduction to the characters, as well as the setting. 

 

Many of the shots directed towards Val are over the shoulder or close up, and the reason for this was because this memory is mainly from Valarie's perspective, so most of Val's reactions and moments on screen are meant to allude to her being apart of Valarie's dream. 

Editing: Adobe Premiere Pro

While I was careful in choosing the shots I wanted to include in the opening, my main focus was on how the shots would look artistically. My main goal was to make the scene look as fictional and dream-like as possible. Therefore, I decided I wanted the scene to have warm-toned colors: orange, red, yellow, etc. By having warm colors, it allowed me to illustrate that this was a simpler and happier time for Valarie, as well as that this specific scene is a past memory of Valarie's that eventually turns into a nightmare. As a bonus, I thought the warm colors would compliment the setting, and costuming of the characters, specifically Val. 

A side by side comparison of the original shot and the edited version. While it is difficult to see in the photo, I also added the "Fast Blur" effect on Premiere that further adds to making the scene look like a dream/memory. 

These are the settings I used for the "Fast Blur" effect (right image) . Before punching in the numbers, I pressed the square that is under the "Fast Blur" title in order to create a specific spot in which I wanted it to be clear, and where I wanted the blur to occur (left image). In order to find "Fast Blur", press the "Effect" tab located in the top bar, and type "Fast Blur" in the search bar. The effect can also be found in the "Obsolete" folder under "Video Effects"

SETTINGS FOR FAST BLUR: 

Mask Feather: 1654%

Mask Opacity: 86%

Bluriness: 89% (can be adjusted if needed, but I used this as a starting point for each clip)

The settings I used to change the color of each clip. This can be found under the "Color" tab in Premiere Pro. 

SETTINGS FOR COLOR

Temperature: 22.1

Exposure: -0.8

Saturation: 124.2 

OPTIONAL (I only did this for clips that needed extra warmth) 

Shadow Tint: Orange

Tint Balance: -55.8

Black and White

When Valarie is waking up from the dream, I wanted to visually demonstrate her happiness also being stripped away, as well as her leaving her dream and entering reality, therefore I used the "Color Balance (HLS)" effect, which slowly decreases the saturation until it is black and white. Below are photos that document the de-coloring process.  

       COLOR BALANCE (HLS) SETTINGS

                                                                                

       Saturation: -36.3 ---- -40

-Press the blue timer so that the decrease of color can start and appear on screen

-Starting at -40, I decided to decrease each clip by the 40's, until it was black and white

Music

    Towards the end of the first section, I decided to add horror/sad music in order to demonstrate Valarie's dream turning into a nightmare, as well as her fear of losing Val. The musical track I used is called Apocalypse, and I found it on Chosic. Along with the music, I decided to have echoes of Val's laugh playing in the background, symbolizing the end of the dream, as well as Valarie missing Val's presence. Plus, I thought the laughs would add an eeriness to the dream. In order to make the laughs sound creepy and unpleasant, I used the "Analog Delay" effect. 

TEXT

I decided that for the credit text, I wanted it to be serious and eerie, but also represent something about the characters. I decided to use the "Film Present" text, and specifically make it red because of Val's bandana. i have not decided what text the title will be in, but I want it to be slightly different from the regular credits.