The Final Task Film

 I loved working on this project! Here is the final product below! It might not load up immediately.

The Last Day of Editing

 Today was the last day of editing. I am very happy to have finalized the project. Last time, the first clips were edited. However, the second half of the short film was not. Today those were edited and finalized. The first thing that was done was checking the speed of the clips. During the clips of me chasing after Constantine, I think it was important to make sure the flow of the chase was still there. This flow can add to the intensity of the thriller. After messing with the speed, the perfect one was found. For the clip of Constantine looking behind when I was running after him, the little snippet of him looking behind was taken out. From that clip, all that was left was Constantine running into the tree. Then, I replayed the short film from the beginning. Rashawn worked on making music. So, our music for the film was added in. His beat is well designed and I think it fits wonderfully. While rewatching, I saw how complete our project really is. The music and the editing seems top tier, in my opinion. My only issue is that the color correction filter still looks a little blue. However, the other aspects of the film are fantastic. So, I guess the color correction will have to stay. Who knows, maybe it really does look better and I am just biased.

More Editing

Since the last time I blogged, there is still a little more to be done. The first half of the film is edited and ready to go. The second clips are already added to the timeline. However, they need to be adjusted. They have not really been edited yet. Also, we need to make our final music choices for the film. Rashawn said that he wants to make an old-school rap beat on his own. My group and I agreed that if he won't be successful we will have to resort to other options. Those options are actually only one option, though. My group and I would have to find a free song online. For now, we had to continue forward. More clips were added onto the timeline. Then, my group and I moved the clips around and checked if there was a good flow between them. It was also necessary to check that the time limit was achieved. Also, we tried to make the color correction filter look less blue. Then an effect was added to make shadows pop more. After that, I had to go. So my group and I had to stop editing at that moment. There is not much left to do. The film is almost finalized. This is a wonderful project that I really enjoy working on.

Updating the Film from the Review

My brother critiqued the short film on Monday. So, my group and I had to make some changes. My group and I used some of the suggestions. But, we also did some extra things. Our film had more clips that we could add in to make the film seem more entertaining. The clips that were added in were me chasing after Constantine. Also, more clips of Kofi and James's conversation were added in. One thing my brother said was that he didn't really like the filter that was put onto the film. Rashawn said that filter was put on for color correction. So, we edited the color correcting filter to make it look less "old" as my brother said. Rashawn added on a filter that will make shadows appear more. I said that we should make the filter look less blue. Along with adding shadows, the brighter colors were balanced out. However, I expressed that I didn't really like the blue looking filter, since it was still showing. So, I told Rashawn to lower the color adjustment meter. It made everything look much more natural. The other thing that was criticized was the music in the background. So, the music that we will change it to is going to be an old-school rap beat. That will only be used for the opening. The music that will be played when James and Kofi are meeting up is going to be a stabby stub-bass. While I'm running after Constantine the music will seem upbeat, or music that is played in a chase. I am very excited because I think these changes really made a difference in the short film.

Film Review by my Little Brother

 My brother critiqued my group and I's short film. He said that out of ten he would rate it an eight. He didn't like a couple things. The first is that the quality seemed really grainy. The second is he didn't like the fact that the camera seemed a little bit shaky. The third is that the filter on the film looked "old". The fourth is that he doesn't like the music because he feels that it doesn't fit with the thriller theme. My brother also thinks that in the scene where James was walking on the sidewalk there should be a slight build up of music, like a note getting louder. He also said that he liked many things. He said he enjoyed watching most of the short film. The first thing he liked was the intr
o that says "Chills and Thrills". He said that it looked very professional. He said the crackling sound of ice goes well with the name "Chills and Thrills", as well as the icy-looking font. The second thing he liked was the fact that the whole beginning of the title sequence seemed professional, up to the definition of Murphy's Law. He also said the story build up kept him intrigued. The fourth thing he liked was the tracking shot of James walking. The fifth was the close-up of James's face after he turned around. The sixth thing he liked was the transition from scene to scene because it was smooth and not choppy. Overall, he liked the film. However, his critiques will be taken into consideration for the final product.

Another Editing Day

 Today is the another day of editing. Rashawn said he wanted to change the name of the production company. We decided on "RHC Studios". I told Rashawn that he should make "Chills and Thrills" look look icy to really make that chill effect. I really love the name Chills and Thrills if I'm being honest. It captures the fact that our genre is thriller. I suggested that Rashawn should add a definition of Murphy's Law in the beginning. This is so that it shows that James will experience the effect of Murphy's Law. Especially when he is trying to sell drugs he will experience this effect. I told him that he should do a simple effect for the definition like he did on the production company name. He ended up doing a fade in and fade out effect for the definition. For the scene of Constantine waking up, I suggested that Rashawn should put on a filter. The next scene was James going to wash his hands but the faucet wouldn't work. The scenes of the back and forth of trying to turn the water on and none coming out had to be added to the timeline. After adjusting and cropping how long each clip should be, it was time to move on to the next portion of the editing process. The next scenes are where James forgot his keys. Those were added onto the timeline. It was funny to see the blooper clips while we were selecting the correct clip. Then, the scenes of James going to and being in the elevator were added. Those were cut to the correct length. All the scenes so far have a filter on them. The editing process will continue after what has already been done and then the final product will be finished. I am very excited to see the final result.

First Editing Day

 So today is the first editing day. As we filmed yesterday, it is important for us to edit now. Rashawn is the one using the computer. So, I gave him suggestions on what to do. I firstly asked him if he downloaded the clips we filmed yesterday onto his computer. He told me he did. So when he opened the editing app, I told him to first put the clips on the timeline. However, we ran into an issue. Since we filmed on an actual camera on the first day we filmed, all the storage is on there. But, Rashawn forgot to bring his camera. So, I told him to use the clips we filmed on Constantine's phone so we can at least start on something. Rashawn then converted all the clips we filmed on Constantine's phone to mp4 files. Rashawn said he wanted to start the very beginning of the title sequence. I went back to the blog we made to tell him what font we will use. Rashawn and I decided on the name "Chills and Thrills Studios". He added that onto the timeline with a black screen behind it. Then I told Rashawn the names of the rest of the fonts we will need so he can download them for the next editing day. I asked Rashawn if he will make the title zoom out and fade in/fade out and he said he will. We agreed on the name "Murphey Films" for our production company. I asked Rashawn what effects he will add on the production company title. He said he will add a basic effect, like the zoom out effect. I agreed with him on using that to not make it too dramatic.