Gradual Improvements

When editing and applying sound effects, I've been saving out versions of my film each time, so have several versions of it (each at 20 seconds long). This helps me to show how I've developed it and improved my editing each time, hopefully creating a snappier, 'sharper' version of my film at each export.

Version 1

This version ends quite abruptly, as I was unsure how I was going to edit it. It's snappy, but doesn't actually have enough edits, and the beginning is too long. There's quite a lot of time between each vibrate, and it's resulted in quite an uneven rhythm. Also, there are breaks in the sound effects. It does not feel like there has been too much sound built up, and as a result there's a lack of tension and panic. To improve I needed to add more sounds and more shots, simple. 

Version 2

Here I have added the ending, and added more shots and sounds. Although, you can hear unwanted noise from shots that should really be muted. I felt like the doorbell at the end was too soon, there needed to be more breathing space between the hoover turning off and the doorbell sounding. There's also a difference in the sound of the hoover, as there are two different sound effects playing one after the other, so I needed to source a better version. 

Version 3

In this version I have extended the length of the heartbeat and turned it into one that's continuous and plays throughout, although there are points where it drops out and it can't be heard - this needed to be improved. When I showed this to a friend he also suggested repetitive use of the 'heavy breathing' sound effect, and perhaps shifting it so it's heard quite prominently when the hoover cuts out and fills the time between that and the doorbell sounding. By adding another shot (a drawer being closed) it forced be to trim the existing shots even further, which has resulted in an even snappier edit which is better. 

I'm working on the (hopefully) final version at the moment.

Editing in FCP X

Firstly, I have a title screen and a title.

I've gone for a very simple font, title and positioning, because I didn't want to bring more video into the introduction. The font choice was based on the meaning of the word 'messy', so I went for something handwritten. I did have other, 'messier' versions, but I didn't think they were very legible, so decided on this one. 

I've found myself extremely zoomed in on the timeline...

This is because I've been focusing on trimming shots frame by frame, and have noticed the importance of trimming by this much. It's allowed me to cut out any frames that do not contain any action. For example, a shot where my hand enters the frame and presses a button. If I cut this without zooming right into it and looking frame by frame, I may leave frames that still contain no action by accident. By zooming in, I can see if there is no action within each frame and trim this way, and this has played a huge part in creating a snappy edit. It's allowing me to ensure that there isn't any points that waste time that I could use elsewhere. When you're on tight constraints, you start to appreciate the importance of each frame and become ruthless. I've been removing shots that I like the look of but that just 'don't work', and I think this is making me a better editor. I'm able to separate myself from the edit, even though I'm the one in the film and I'm the one that's shot it, and focus purely on portraying a strong narrative.