Second lesson of editing:

Yesterday was our first lesson of the new year, and our second lesson of editing. As I still have a small amount to film, there wasn't much that I could really do in this lesson. I arranged my clips in final cut express before we broke up for the christmas break, so in our second lesson of editing, and made a few minor adjustments to things such as lighting and sound.

As my footage was filmed at different times, the lighting in all the clips isn't exactly the same. Therefore, I fixed this using the 'brightness and contrast' effect on final cut express, which is listed under 'image control'. This effect really helped, as it made my clips look more as though they'd been filmed in the early morning, which is exactly when my opening sequence is set. Using this effect was very simple, and it was a huge improvement. Below is an example of one adjustment I made to the lighting. I didn't want my shot to look too edited, which is why I only edited it slightly.

Before adjusting the lighting

After adjusting the lighting

Adjusting the sound was also quite a straight-forward task, as there wasn't really a lot for me to do. All i had to fix was the levels of the sound, as I want my audio track to be heard. I wanted to keep the sound that accompanied the clips, but have them quite quiet; however, Mr Gower suggested that I just delete all of the natural sound. I am still undecided, as there are moments where the sound is crucial (for example, the microwave beeping, the door closing, etc). I'm sure I will come to a conclusion very soon, with the help of other people.


Overall, my second editing session was a success, as I completed the small tasks that I needed to focus on. This weekend I am going to film my final clips with my last actress, Stephie, therefore next lesson, I plan to add these clips to my opening sequence, and follow the same procedures as I have with my other clips.