Digital technology has been an essential part of our media
course, particularly in the aspect of post-production where the progression of
skills was invaluable from preliminary text to final trailer, poster and
website.
For my preliminary task, I used iMovie for post-production but
this was limited to very simple cuts and putting the clips I’d filmed together.
I did not consider any editing apart from simple transitions, and did not
enhance the film through use of colour saturation or any other effect. As a
consequence, my preliminary task was dull to watch and not compelling to the
viewer. For AS, I moved on from straight cuts as I could see they did not
provide a polished feel to my film, and I experimented with fades to create a
sense of mood and suspense in my horror film opening. By using a greyscale effect
and desaturating the colour of the film, I was able to reinforce the sense of oppression
and my use of digital technology in post-production ensure I conformed to the
codes and conventions of my genre. In post-production, I also considered how
pace was important, and I used digital technology in the form of iMovie to slow
down footage to create an eerie appeal, which audiences found added to their
sense of fear.
By A2, my skills had greatly increased, and I was able to
incorporate far more complex use of digital technology in post-production. I
remained with the horror genre, and used iMovie this time to create a series of
jump cuts to build tension and create shock for the audience. By using a
layering effect in our images, I was able to harness dissolves to ramp up fear
for the audience through suggestion and ambiguity when the ghost might have
been appearing behind the protagonist. When this was tested by audiences, it
was agreed that this evoked a similar sensation to the trailer for The Witch,
in the ephemeral impression of reality.
Sound in my preliminary task was not considered adequately
and I used a handheld camera to record only diegetic sound, which I did not try
to enhance in post-production. As a consequence, the sound levels were
distorted to in order for the dialogue to be audible, and this meant audiences
did not respond well to the film. By AS, although sound was recorded on the
iPhone, I learnt from my previous task that this would need enhancing. For example,
when the protagonist was being haunted by a headless horse racing past her
house, I enhanced the diegetic sound of the hooves in post-production to create
more impact. Without the use of foley sound and GarageBand, it would have been
impossible to create the echo that had connotations of haunting and doom. We
also considered the use of non-diegetic sound through music to accompany the
opening’s titles. This was sourced through copyright free websites, and then
placed at the film’s start. In hindsight, the use of GarageBand to alter the
music so it fitted the opening better would have ensured a smoother and more
convincing start to the opening.
By A2, my understanding of how post-production and digital
technology could be used together to create a convincing soundtrack was
heightened. Layering of sound, with a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic sound
was important to create suspense, and also to conform to the codes and
conventions of horror trailers. I took inspiration from The Grudge, where the
protagonist’s scream is contrapuntal to the build-up of stringed instruments,
and this was a feature I tried to emulate. By using both GarageBand and iMovie
to distort an original composition, I was able to create suspense and horror
through sound, and the film trailer would have lacked momentum without these
skills. Dialogue was of fundamental importance in creating awareness of the
narrative, and this time, the use of a cinematic boom was employed so that the
sound picked up dietetically was clear and crisp enough to be used in the
trailer.
Poster and website next!
