For extra reference, please see the first part of this project here.
After shooting all of the required scenes for our 1 minute short films, it was time for post-production. In our original groups, we were to assemble our short film, apply sound design and finishing touches and then render it out.
Before beginning, we needed to first organise job roles so that everyone knew what the other was doing and there was no confusion, overlap or lost time doing the same work. After a quick discussion, we (mostly) decided on what each person would be doing although this, like the first lesson, could be subject to change depending on the pace that each person was working at and any obstacles or extra tasks that could have cropped up during the process. I think this part of the lesson should have been longer for our group because although we each knew roughly what we were supposed to do, a lot of elements were missing and there were gaps in the group production.
Roles
Kayla – Footage review & general decisions/opinions on the main edit
Bilal – Editing / colour correction
Will – Editing / sourcing sound effects
Jacob – Master edit
Tegan – Poster / general decisions/opinions on the main edit
Me – Editing / Bloopers
Craig – N/A
One member of our team was absent for a portion of the process and we also didn’t have a role for title sequence or end credits. This is partly my fault since I jumped at the opportunity to edit the bloopers out of excitement, without thinking about what was most important and necessary for the video. I think others experienced something similar, thinking of what they could and wanted to do instead of what needed to be done. There were so many funny clips and failed attempts that I had watched prior to the lesson that I was determined to do my idea of adding bloopers to the end. As always, more discussion was needed, which can be a little hectic with so many people. Nevertheless, everybody wanted to be productive and started doing something to help. Since I had chosen to compile together the bloopers, which is technically extra and separate from the main film, I let the rest of the group sort themselves out and worked independently for the lesson. I had a vision of how I wanted the bloopers to be, based on funny compilations that reigned youtube during the 2010 – 2020 period. This meant gathering a few clips and sounds that would elevate our footage and add some of the funny conventions that are seen in comedy-based videos.
↓↓ CAUTION – LOUD SOUND ↓↓
The broken TV screen is a classic meme used to separate clips and has evolved through the years, with the sound remaining mostly consistent, but various clips and footage being used on top, and still achieving the same effect with how well-known the “BEEP” is. I also wanted funny background music to play through, even when the beep can be heard, for consistency and comedy. I chose the classic mii channel theme, which is ideal for lighthearted, usually parodic videos and comps.
The assembly was pretty simple and I enjoyed the process. In Premiere Pro, I imported all of the shots that I chose to include as well as any extra mp4 or audio files. Once everything was ready, I began to compile the clips together, cutting where I felt it was necessary and including the broken screen between each one. On certain clips, I added little extras to give the viewer something more to watch and make the video more interesting overall. This was mainly text, matching with funny lines that were said or movement to enhance a key action/moment, such as the rotation and zoom when Will says “heh, heh, heh”. I had to finish the edit at home because I ran out of time in the hour that we had, but once everything was completed, Jacob sent me the actual short film, with VFX and music already added, which I spliced with the blooper reel. Here is the final render and finished product:
I am so proud of what our group accomplished! There is certainly a lot that could be improved, such as the quality of the short film itself, as the videos were blurry. Furthermore, had no title sequence or end credit scene, which would have made it feel more complete and fun, especially seeing our names in the credits with each of our roles alongside. Still, I love the grainy, B&W effect which shows that the genre is horror and not just comedy. Our B roll was also quite successful thanks to the clear shot, gleam and music, all exaggerating the usefulness and making the whole video more absurd and comedic. The bloopers are like the cherry on top and highlight the jokiness that we put behind each shot. It’s over-the-top, cheesy and a little stupid, so I’d say we succeeded in making a comedy-horror, infomercial-style short film.