Editing Process #1

I've started off by labelling and renaming all the different sound files we recorded over the 4 days we filmed as well as the foley sounds recorded off set. After doing this and organising them all into their respective scenes, I began to write a sound list required for each scene, combining the foley sounds and sync sounds (mainly the dialogue) which I will refer to later when we have the rough edit done for the visual side so I can begin to sync the audio to the video.

After organising the sounds, I used soundtrack pro to begin cleaning them up by reducing noise where necessary, adding the Dynamic Compressor effect to sounds that were recorded too quietly to make them more audible and higher quality and linking individual pieces of dialogue, that were recorded separately to one another, together which started to form the individual scenes from the sound point of view. Due to the fact we did numerous takes for the same scene to get a variety of camera angles, we also recorded a large number of dialogue recordings that were almost identical. This really worked in favour of the sound as well as visually because it allowed me to choose the best pieces of dialogue and combine them together to get the best quality which will really strengthen the narrative.

After our group tutorial with Dom, we were advised against using the Midi keyboards with Logic at the risk of them making our film cliché and cheesy, so he suggested we attempt to create mood and emotion through other means. After a bit of discussion between the director, Dom and myself, we decided the most effective way to do this was through the careful editing of the atmospheric tracks which underlay the piece. In specific scenes where we were originally going to do this, the atmos on its own couldn’t do this very effectively due to the drab nature of it, so I recorded some foley sounds as well as taking some well recorded camera sounds of Ella (who played Abbey) sighing and inhaling, the way she did these showed a heavy amount of emotion which really shows when tied in with the atmos. Dom also suggested that we try and portray Abby’s emotions  through her ‘headspace’ by adjusting the atmos in specific scenes/shots. This involved me key-framing the volume in soundtrack, and adjusting the levels of the sighing accordingly, to create a powerful sense of mood.

I also used key-framing when panning the footsteps in a few scenes to give a sense of space and movement through the static shots. It also adds to the realism of the film which makes it easier to relate to for the audience which is what we want from our film do increase its effectiveness at connoting specific emotions and the emotional journey it is based on.

When I got the rough cut of the visual edit, I began syncing the sounds I had improved earlier with the video, making sure to use foley sounds where necessary, and also to lip sync as well as possible with the dialogue. I finished a final soundtrack to go with the rough edit of the film which will serve as the basis of the final fine cut in terms of structure, and will hopefully only require minor tweaks to get it to satisfactory standard.