PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Editing The Film & Rough Cut Feedback

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoe_(tool)

I had an idea to have someone using the Fly Tool and then the background fading into a stock video of the 18th Century workers at the river. This proved very difficult when I couldn't the specific video I had in my head. I know I definitely want a video as it'll look better but I may have to settle for a photo if I struggle with the video. I attempted a few photos and videos to see which one would look better (example on the right). 

I want the shot to be of just the peoples legs and the spade, without any faces in (like the photos below). This way, I can shoot the tool being used at this angle and then the continuity will flow better if I then fade to a stock video in the same angle.

I found a reasonable video which may be good to use, the only problem is that they are in jeans which the victorian workers wouldn't have worn but they also aren't digging, just hitting the spade on the ground. 

Screenshot of photos from https://www.shutterstock.com/search/exhume

I had thought about this before the first shoot day so I was able to position George corrected to where the person in the video was. As I didn't have a definite video by the shoot days, I filmed George using the tool in a number of different angles so I would hopefully find a video in the editing process which would match one of these shots. 

Below are a couple of screen shots as to how I have filmed the materials which create the cement. I was very happy with these shots as they are clear and I think are good visuals for the words. 

'fired in a kiln'

'and sieved'

Screenshot of my edit timeline

Voice over
I knew from the beginning that I wanted Katie for my voice over artist as I definitely didn't want to use my own voice. She was happy to help me out and spoke the words very professionally. She had a cold at the voice over recording but she sounded good when I listened to it back so I was happy with the outcome. If Rachel and Steve want it changed then we will do it again and hopefully she will not have a cold and therefore it will be an even better recording. 

Set-up at the voice over recording 

For the voice over, Ferg set us up with the computer and the Adobe Audition system. This was new to me to work with but I am very glad I did as it gave a very clear recording of Katies' voice with no fuzzy background noise. I just had to press record and stop and it copied the recording into my own folder on the computer. We had the microphone set up with a board behind it so Katies voice would be aimed into the microphone, giving a louder and clearer sound. 


Rough cut feedback

Friday 24th was our rough cut viewing with Rachel and Steve. I had a problem with my audio at the last minute last night so my video was silent, but I read the voice over out so they could hear the words with the moving images.

Initially, I think Rachel and Steve both liked the approach I took with my video, however, some of the shots weren't emphasising enough as to how tough working as a 'muddy' was. I have a clip of George using the tool but it wasn’t with enough effort, as working with mud and clay was tough work. 

Feedback notes:

- Get stock footage of the actual muddies - won’t find videos but there will be photos, so maybe have a montage of some photos - video of someone digging in really muddy mud (doesn’t have to be victorian people)

- I showed them some of my research into the stock footage and they said the videos of men digging in jeans was acceptable and the people are allowed to be 'modern dressed' and as long as they were digging hard then I could use that to emphasise the hard work

- The video of the chalk I have is of processed chalk and not original blocks of natural chalk which is what they would have used to combine with the clay to create the cement. For this I think I will go down to the cliffs along the sea and get shots of the white chalk/rocks so it looks more what they would have used in the 18th Century

- The clay shot was good but the clay looks very clean compared to the mud shot at the river earlier on in the video. Maybe I could change the colour of the clay to a dirtier/greyer colour in premiere/photoshop

- Change the measurements at the end (1090mm and 122mm) to something which can be pictured easier e.g. ‘just over a metre in length’ 

- It was good to see the chalk breaking underneath the glass but the video should really be mill stones grinding something - stock footage of this or mortar and pestle

- ‘create the narrow cutting edge’ - show a shot of the edge of the tool, the one I had didn't show the end, just the detail in the middle of the spade

- The voice over at the end was really nice and a good way to finish and the beginning titles and end credits were good, maybe change some sentences to make them more child-friendly 

Taking all this information into consideration, I am going to go to the Studios today and get the audio to work and put in some of the stock footage. I will book out a camera with Ferg for the 4th of December to film the chalk. 

Once the voice over is on the video and I have sorted some of the stock footage, I will email a YouTube link to Rachel so she can hear it with the voice over, therefore I will have time to make any improvements around the audio before the fine cut on the 6th December.

It was a great learning experience having Rachel and Steve to look at my video and how I was getting on so far and to give their ideas. This was the first time I have had a rough cut viewing of something that will help someone else and their business rather then just a viewing of one of my student projects. It was good to hear what they thought and to give their ideas for me to think about. Their points have given me a couple of ideas which I hope I will be able to pull off for them. 

UPDATE:

I have decided to shoot someone digging in mud with a spade, therefore, it's all my own work and not stock footage. I will have close ups of the spade and struggle of digging a hole and shots of the mud being thrown over the shoulder. Being able to control it myself means I can tell my actor to put a lot of work into it. Then I will cut to stock photos of the real 'muddies' in the 18th Century. I am also going to film someone using a mortar and pestle for the "to a ground" line, then again it is my own work and this is a simple task to do so won't be too time consuming.