Editing Our Preliminary Task!

Final Cut Pro

Learning to edit was not as difficult as I thought it would be.  Our group (Simon, Leila and I) had all edited a bit before, but never with Final Cut Pro.  We were taught how to Check In, by signing in to the Final Cut Server.  From there, we retrieved our footage in the folders marked with our names. It was very organized and useful to have the Server! We checked out our footage to the desktop, and from there we were ready to begin editing.  

Using Keypad Shortcuts

To organise the shots, we made a Rush Bin and a Log Bin.  The Rush Bin is where we copied the all of the shots that we had, to keep them organized. The Log Bin was where we copied the takes that we actually used in the editing process.  It was important to copy the shots and not just drag them in, in case we forgot to save or accidentally deleted something.  

Simon And Leila Editing

The timeline at the bottom of the screen was daunting to look at, at first, but after we figured out how to zoom into the timeline it was a lot easier to be more precise.  We named a few of the takes specific names, for example, “gun slam”, (writing the take number at the front to keep them in order) so that we wouldn’t have to keep watching them over again to remind ourselves what it was.  

Simon Loves to Edit!

It was relatively easy to divide up the work, to work together.  We each took turns editing, but always gave input and made creative decisions collaboratively.  The most difficult part of the editing process was cutting the film in the way that it was smooth and fluid.  It would take many attempts of cutting and dragging the film, before we were satisfied that it looked natural.  We didn't specifically match our editing to the storyboard because we added a few extra shots (close-ups of the gun, extreme close-ups of the actors) but in the end it made sense. They added interest to the script, a more specific meaning to our film.  Although it won't be an award-winning short film (at least for another 200 years or so), it was one of our first films.

Maggie, Editing

Although we all agreed that the editing process went well, next time we thought we would be faster and more familiar with the technology.  I most enjoyed watching back the footage and deciding what to copy to the Log Bin.  Seeing what we had filmed before was interesting to me.  Watching the finished product was interesting and satisfying.