CCR editing

 Post production is basically where all the separate parts of my project finally came together to make a real movie. I spent most of this time using technology to change the mood and make sure the audience understood the story.

I used Clipchamp for all the main editing. One of my biggest goals was to use Stuart Hall and his theory about encoding. I did this by adding a creepy background noise under the talking to encode a feeling of fear. I also used the color tools to make the car scenes look blue and cold. This made the vibe feel more lonely and trapped.

 For the actual CCR video I included screen recordings of me working in Canva and my Clipchamp timeline. This lets people see how I layered the video and sound together. I also had to focus on the pacing of the clips. I cut the footage to match the beat of the music so the audience stays interested. This is like the hypodermic needle theory because it tries to get a fast emotional reaction out of the viewers through what they see and hear.

 The last part was making sure the film was ready for distribution. By putting my project on a public link it is like what independent films have to do in the real world. They have to make their work easy to find for companies like A24 or different streaming services.

CCR production

 

GeminiThe production phase of my Creative Critical Reflection was a unique challenge because I had to balance two different "sets." Half of my production took place in a kitchen to film the "Baking Interview," and the other half involved gathering high-quality behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage of my thriller, SECRETGemini said

The production phase of my Creative Critical Reflection was a unique challenge because I had to balance two different "sets." Half of my production took place in a kitchen to film the "Baking Interview," and the other half involved gathering high-quality behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage of my thriller, SECRETS.

Gemini said 

Since you have already finished your filming and editing, these blog posts should sound like a "look back" at what you did. Use the classroom theories we talked about so your teacher sees that you applied themGemini said 

The production phase of my CCR was a challenge because I had to balance two different sets Half of my production took place in a kitchen to film the Baking Interview and the other half involved gathering behind the scenes footage.

For the baking part I had my mom as the interviewer and she asked me questions off camera while I prepared the base and mix of a cake. This served as a metaphor for the conventions and social groups in my film. I had to ensure the lighting in the kitchen was bright and clear to contrast with the low-key lighting I used in my actual thriller opening.

During production, I focused heavily on Representation Theory. I wanted to make sure that my character Emily was represented authentically as a student-athlete. Managing the actors Emily and Luis taught me that clear communication is the most important production skill. I used a strict shot list to ensure I didn't miss any important angles, like the close ups of the mysterious note, which were essential for my encoding of the mystery.

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Links

flim opening: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pVaGldakXNsOnEGafBqDEwnQB0mnBGga/view?usp=sharing

ccr: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VxR-chEg3QhtWJpE5rTnxEXyZQxmiWPP/view?usp=sharing

Final reflection

Overall, I cannot believe I am done with this project it went by so fast! I have learned so much in the process of my film opening and the ccr. When I first started I was not very good at editing and I was dreading the part where I knew I was going to have to edit but I learned how to do it and I actually enjoyed it and it made it worth it once the final result was all put together. I definitely learned to appreciate all the hard work that goes into making media because I got to see all the work that goes into just production. I had a lot of fun and even though it might have been frustrating sometimes in the moment when lines were forgotten or scenes had to be reshot but looking back at the footage it definitely made lasting memories. 

CCR question 4

Interviewer : We have talked about your skills but what about the tools? How did you actually use all this technology to bring the flim opening to life?

Emily: Technology was a huge part of making this look like a professional thriller and not just a school project. I used my iPhone 16 to film everything I chose it because the camera quality allowed me to film in low light inside the car without losing the details in the shadows.

For the software side I used Canva to design my production logo for EP FILMS. It allowed me to layer the dark doorway image with the white text to set the mood before the movie even starts. Then I moved everything into Clipchamp for the final edit.

Clipchamp was where I really integrated the online edit tools. I used the color balance settings to cool down the temperature of the footage and added a film grain overlay to give it that cinematic texture. I also used the audio tools to layer the background music which is what really built the suspense. Using all these different technologies together is what helped me turn raw footage into a finished product.

Actions:

 Show a BTS photo of you holding the phone while filming Emily or Luis.

 Show a quick screen recording of you in the Canva editor moving the "EP FILMS" text around.

Show your full editing timeline with all the different tracks for video and audio.

 Do a Before and After on the screen where one side is the raw phone video and the other is the edited version with the grain.

CCR question 3

 Interviewer (Voice only): So the cake is in the oven and we are looking at your computer now. Looking back at day one of filming compared to the final product how do you think your skills actually grew?

Emily  (Voiceover): It is crazy to look at this behind the scenes footage. Honestly on the first day my production skills were pretty basic. I was mostly worried about just getting the camera being still and getting the phone to vibrate loud enough.

But as we kept filming I learned how much direction matters. I realized that to get the thriller vibe I had to be very specific with my actors Emily and Luis about their pacing and eye contact. If you look at these clips of us filming the note scene you can see me adjusting the lighting and the angles to make sure we were not breaking the 180 degree rule.

My organization skills definitely developed too. I went from just having a rough idea to following a strict shot list. I learned that if you do not plan the close ups and over the shoulder shots ahead of time the editing process becomes a nightmare. By the end of the project I felt way more confident leading a set and making quick decisions when the lighting was not hitting right.

Actions: 

 Show a shaky behind the scenes clip of you trying to balance the phone in the backseat.

 Show a clip of the actors between takes.

When I mention the 180-degree rule show a screenshot of Clipchamp timeline where two different angles are put together.

Show a screen recording of you dragging clips around in the editor.

CCR Q2

 This will be the script for question 2

Whisking/Mixing the batter.

Interviewer: This is looking good. Who is this cake for anyway? Like, who did you have in mind when you were putting all these pieces together?

Emily: The "ingredients" of the film were mixed specifically for a Gen-Z audience. I represented this social group through Emily a student-athlete who is relatable but stuck in a dangerous situation. I wanted my peers to see themselves in her shoes.

 Pouring batter into the pan and sliding it into the oven.

Interviewer: Okay, it's in the oven. But once it's done, how do you actually get it out there? If this were the real movie, where would people even find it?

Emily: That's the distribution side. I wouldn't just put this on a random shelf I’d go to a specialized bakery for a thriller I’d target a distributor like A24 or Blumhouse I would also use social media marketing to get it hyped and eventually aim for a streaming platform like Hulu or Netflix where my audience lives.

Transition to q3

Closing the oven door and wiping your hands.

Now that the cake is baking I’m going to jump over to my computer. I want to show you the actual technical "oven" I used Clipchamp and Canva to make this whole thing look professional. See you in the edit!

Script for ccr question 1

This will be the script for question 1

Opening 

*Opens front door*

Emily : Oh my gosh hi its been forever come on in!

*small scene of camera coming in, I turn my back to camera I start walking, cut to kitchen*

Cut

Interviewer: Hey! I haven't seen you in a while, what have you been up to lately?

Emily: Honestly, I've been so busy and focused on my AICE Media project. I just finished the final edit for my very first thriller opening called secrets and I’m actually just about to bake a cake to celebrate well and to clear my head for my reflection. Do you want to help me out? You can ask me some questions while I get this started.

Interviewer: Definitely! What are we making?

Emily: Just a normal cake, but honestly it’s a lot like the movie. You need the right base the right mix and you definitely can't mess up the timing. Let's start with the dry ingredients.

Cut

Interviewer: So speaking of the "base" how did you actually come up with the style and what rules did you follow? 

Emily: That is actually the first thing I had to figure out. In media we call those conventions. Think of this flour as the base of the film. In the world of psychological thrillers there is a specific recipe or set of rules the audience expects. These are conventions.

For my opening I used low lighting inside the car to create a sense of being trapped and tension. That is like the flour in this cake because it is the essential foundation that makes the genre work. I also focused on representation theory. I wanted the female character to represent the innocent victim at the start which is a classic convention.

According to Stuart Hall and his encoding and decoding theory I put specific mystery elements into the scenes like the secret note to make sure the audience feels the stress and suspicion. I am basically using the hypodermic needle theoryhere by trying to pull a specific feeling of fear directly out of the audience from the very first frame.

However I did challenge some conventions. Usually in thrillers jump scares are really loud and sudden but in my film opening I chose a very subtle beat drop. I wanted it to feel more grounded and creepy rather than just loud. It is like adding a pinch of salt to a sweet cake because it makes the whole flavor of the film more interesting and unique.

CCR production ideas

 For my CCR production at first right off the bat I knew I wanted to do something that included me moving around and doing something while answering the 2 questions instead of just a talking head. The idea I had in mind actually came from my mom who is going to be the "interviewer" in my CCR. The idea is for me to get interviewed while baking something like a cake. It can be like a baking show and I can relate the questions to what im doing for example, for question 1 I can say "While I’m measuring out the flour think of this as the base of my film. I used conventions like low lighting and a mysterious note to keep the audience on edge. But I challenged conventions by..." It's a metaphor for what im doing and I think it creates a clear image. And when I’m mixing the batter I’ll explain how I "mixed" different features into my film opening. I am also gonna insert small videos like when I mention low key lighting I will add a clip from the film opening to show that. And then for the second question since its about social groups and distribution the social groups part will be me mixing the batter and a small scene of me putting it the oven and the distribution will be me talking about how am I going to distribute the cake out.

Shooting process

I want to show the shooting process and how it is like on set for my film opening secrets. It’s one thing to see the final edited version with the music and filters but it’s totally different when you’re actually there filming in a cramped car at night.

 One of the biggest challenges was definitely the space, fitting two people and a camera into a small car is way harder than it looks. I had to get creative with the angles to make it look like there was more distance between Emily and Luis than there actually was. We wanted to capture that isolated feeling but in reality we were all squished together. 

 We had to wait for the right moment when the street lights were hitting the car just right. And we had to find a red light which in our case was hard to find since it was night and barely anyone was on the road. In the raw footage it looks pretty basic but I knew that once I started editing it and adding music and adding filters I could make those lights look vibrant and moody.

 It was also a challenge to keep the energy right. Since this is a thriller the mood had to be super tense.We had to make sure the timing of the hand movement and the eye contact was perfect so it would match up with the beat drop I planned for the edit.

Post production editing post #2

After putting all the clips together and added music I took my foley sounds which was the phone vibrating and the sound of the blinker and I made sure they were perfectly aligned with the clips I did not really want to mess to much with the colors of the clips but I noticed in some it seemed really dull so I turned up the saturation on the clip of the car from the outside since the inside was ver4y tense and moody I figured the outside should be a contrast of that and be more vibrant  I also made sure the shadows inside the car stayed really deep so you can’t see everything perfectly which keeps the mystery going like when Emily was reading the note.

For the actual title card, I didn't want to just use a basic font because that looks basic so I chose Montserrat in all caps but the thing I did was change the Letter Spacing. I stretched the letters out so they look long and thin across the screen. In a lot of thrillers they use this wide spacing because it feels cold and kind of empty which is exactly how Emily feels when she finds that note. It makes the word secrets look way more like a real movie title.

The last thing I did was the final audio balance. Even though I put the music in earlier I had to make sure you could still hear me clearly so it didn't get drowned out by the suspenseful music. I wanted the audience to hear the dialogue but feel the music. I also worked on the ending where the screen goes black making sure the word secrets stays on the screen for a few extra seconds before it fades out. It leaves the audience sitting in the dark thinking about what just happened.

Production editing process post #1

For the production of my film opening called secrets. I started with putting all the clips together and I edited suspenseful music from pixabay starting from after Emily left practice and I made it louder when she was getting closer to the car so the audience can assume that the car is gonna be the start of something suspenseful and how something is about to happen. When Luis pulls his hand away there was a beat drop that was very subtle because I did not want to take away from the scene itself but I wanted to audience not to hear but to feel that was an important move. 

I had to take several takes of Emily reading the note I chose the take where her eyes look towards where Luis is sitting which is highlighting that whatever she is reading has to do with him. But also it creates mystery since the audience cant see what is on the note. After the suspense music I edited into before when he was writing it, it cuts when she snatches it out of his hand. I trimmed the clips to create a beat of silence which emphasizes the shock. This is where I ensured timing was perfect before moving on.