Editing the trailer and the finished product

Dan, Abi and myself have edited for the last two days. It was a slow process to begin with as we all had different idea's of what to do with the footage. Dan and Abi completed the Edit Sheets beforehand together, and had matched up the sound from the Marantz with the camera shots.

We agreed that we wanted the trailer to be edited at a fast pace and didn't want to give away too much of the story line - but at the same time we wanted to make sure that the audience had some idea of what the film will be about. We went off track slightly as we began focusing on trying to convey the whole narrative within the trailer. 

Problems we faced in filming/editing processes.

Unrealistic Acting
It quite frustrating to see that the actors hadn't delivered the lines quite as believably as I would have liked, which only served to make the editing process harder as we attempted to cut out the dialogue that seemed slightly stilted. I take full responsibility for this; being the Director. It was unfortunately something that couldn't have been helped given that the actress only responded to tell us that she could be part of the film two days before filming. Unfortunately every hour that I was free to rehearse, she was busy and so Dan and Abi had to briefly rehearse with the actor and actress the day before, whereas if I'd had that time I could maybe have gotten to know them better, described the characters to them in more detail, so that they could fully understand them, and could have seen them rehearsing, and given them some tips during that rehearsal, rather than on-set when there was more pressure to film immediately and stick to a schedule. 

Continuity Errors
Another problem that we came across in the editing process was that of syncing shots together. We'd filmed scenes from a number of different angles with one camera. This meant in each scene there was something slightly different, continuity wise. For example, in one shot the actress would be wearing a cowboy hat, and in the next shot she wasn't. We did try to keep on top of this during filming but things got slightly confused. This is something we'll concentrate on more in future filming. Another thing we may like to do is hire another camera and find a second camera person, as then scene's would not have to be repeated merely for the benefit of a camera position. Another problem with continuity was that some shots were script based and some were improvised, but towards the end the actors often merged improvisation into the supposedly scripted shots. This wasn't a major deal, but sometimes it made editing dialogue together slightly harder.

Silly Mistakes
On the day of filming silly mistakes were made such as a clapperboard being left on set, and thus being in view of the camera, or a boom mic getting into the shot. This didn't happen too frequently but it sometimes made an otherwise good shot, unusable. This is something which we really need to avoid doing when shooting for the final film.


Sound
Other inconsistencies were found in the sound. Some audio, which had been recorded in the same room, sounded largely different. This really affected good pieces of dialogue, so next time we will definitely have to get a boom mic so that it stays in the same position and the sound quality remains the same. We did try to get a boom mic but it wasn't possible on the day. Another reason for the sound changing was the fact that the room wasn't the largest to film in, and so when Dan had to move the camera around to reposition the shot, Abi also had to move out of the way with the boom mic. 


On our first day of editing we didn't really make a lot of progress, and began the same way the next day, but then Dan gradually began to take over as editor when myself and Abi were busy sourcing royalty free, copyright free music. After hours of searching, I found a song that had an upbeat, slightly indie-ish tone to it, that, when played over the top of the edited footage, worked really well. When we'd secured the music, editing became a lot easier for Dan as he could edit to the beat. It was perhaps better to have one sole editor, as when we kept giving our opinion, it was very hard to get something done, whereas when Dan showed us a segment of editing he'd created alone, we'd our give feedback, and he would make slight changes to accommodate that feedback, if needed.

We overcame some of the issues, such as unrealistic sounding dialogue, by fading the music in at certain points, and including fast paced, humorous montage sequences which underlined to romantic and comedic elements of the film. 

Editing Preferences
As previously mentioned we wanted to make the editing fast paced and so we decided to utilise the following editing techniques:

• Jump cuts
• Quick fades,
• Match-on-action edits 
• Increasing speed of footage

Here are some stills from the trailer:

 

I have watched the trailer and have noted some elements which work really well, and ones that could be improved:

Things that work well:

• The very beginning where the whole film is established is filmed and edited very well. The range of shots really add depth to the space and introduce the trailer as professional. It looks highly realistic and believable; the acting is also very subtle and humorous. The lighting also looks showroom-esque and fairly dull as we wanted it to be.
• The next sequence jump-cut edits, and the tracking shot of the man walking out into the showroom are really effective and the actors expression is brilliant in conveying the realisation of being stuck in the showroom.
• The fades into the montage are brilliant at establishing that the mood is going to shift slightly and get more playful. I particularly like the use of fades in the bath montage sequence. They highlight the idea of time passing also.
• During the argument the lyrics of the music sync so well with the context, as the singer sings "They'll be no fighting here tonight, they'll be no fighting here tonight." Also during a playful montage sequence the lyrics are "In my own little world, in my own little world." They are very apt, and the tone of the music is just right because it changes tempo and speed along with the dynamic of our trailer.
• The slider shots work really well, particularly in the sequence when the actress is sitting in the bath, sulking.
• The JIB shot is brilliant - especially when it speeds up, as it builds up with the pace of the music.
• I really like the font of the title at the end as it is simple, and like the bold emphasis on the word "long" in "The Long Night Stand"

Things that could be improved:

• The editing to the music and dialogue when the man enters the showroom is slightly jolted and could be improved. 
• The way that the actress delivers the line "Oh God really." sounds quite fake and insincere. I really did not want this line in but unfortunately we couldn't manage to cut it, given that she says it so soon after the man speaks
• The shift in focus/depth of field when the man has chained the woman to the radiator gets quite confusing to look at as it changes so often. Perhaps less re-focusing would have been better.
• There are some continuity errors during the argument scene between the man and the woman, when she is in the bath. For example, her arms are in different places from shot to shot. 

Overall I think we have done well and that the finished product is entertaining and conveys the idea of the film without giving away too much, however, the editing process has made us realise that we do need to take note on the aspects of filming that we got wrong for future filming and editing purposes.