Post Production - Film Opener

 Post-Production - Film Opener

                                                               Filming Process 

    For the film opener, the set days to film were Feb. 1st and Feb 3rd. My group ended up needing to film both days since we ran out of time on the 1st. On the 3rd, Gia ended up figuring out that there was just enough time to film the rest of the video. The backup filming day was unnecessary since everyone was able to make it on the originally planned days, and there were no other major issues. Regarding the shot list, it changed a bit since Gia wanted to implement other shot types and felt that if it were changed, it would fit the vision her, me, and Isabel came up with more. The three of us still used mainly all the same shot and angle types we wanted to use like mid-shots, pan shots, close-ups, POV shots, and zooming in during these to add emphasis. What was changed was the order. The same script was used and our actors cooperated very well. There were a few minor issues, but aside from that, it went very well. After filming, I imported the videos off my camera onto my computer and began to organize the clips. 

 

 

 

Individual Role in Group During Production 

 

    My individual role in the group is editor. I also supplied a camera that we all alternated holding when needed and was able to provide the location for filming which was at my house. Me, Gia, and Isabel worked together to gather our cast and create our basic ideas. They took over from there since they are producer and director. At this point in the process of creating this film opener, I wasn’t able to contribute much since filming had just been completed. My main job came in once I got my hands on the clips. Although, I individually created my own blog posts after discussing the plans Gia and Isabel to make sure we were on the same page. 

  

Challenges Faced on Set

 

Our major challenges faced on set were: 

 

• There were three cameras available to use in case of any issues, two of which were mine and one was Gia’s. The original plan was to use my bigger one, but it refused to turn on the day of filming, so I ended up using the smaller one to film. A few photos were taken on Gia’s camera. Having to switch cameras during the day of filming took a bit of time away, but it was not catastrophic. 

 

• The lighting in my home is mainly natural because I have large windows that let light in. I do have some warmer toned fluorescent lights inside, but the lighting did not result in following the vision for the video quite as well as the three of us had hoped. It was a lot brighter than planned, but it did not look bad, just not what was expected. There was not much that could be done since time was limited so it just had to work. 

 

• One of the cast members had to come late on the first day of filming so, it was decided to start by filming the spinning bottle clip which comes at the beginning of the opener, and the very last clip of me finding Ella’s (Gia’s) hand in the bathtub with me screaming since the entire group did not need to be present during those clips. 

 

• I had a family event at 8pm on the first day of filming, so as much filming that could get done was done, which was about the first half, and completed the rest on the second day of filming. 

  

Edits Made

Some of the edits made were: 

• Clips were cut and adjusted to fit within the length requirement of a maximum of two minutes. 
• Non-diegetic sound effects were added like Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennet and GoonRock during the first part of the opener to start the video off with a fun/party vibe, cricket sounds for a comedic affect during a pan shot of everyone just sitting around at the party, and a diegetic overlay of me screaming when Ella’s (Gia’s) hand is found lying on the tub to show fear and scare the viewer. 

• Silence was used to add focus to the characters and things happening in the clip, which also added to the suspense levels. 
• The audio in some clips was amplified so it could be heard better, and the music audio was turned down since it was incredibly loud + unbalanced compared to the diegetic audio.  

• Transitions were added when photos were shown for a cleaner effect. The main transitions used were fading in & out and a spin out. 

• Text was added over certain clips to show credits and the title. 
• As for pacing and timing, I wanted it to be fast paced at first and have the pace slow down when the dialogue begins so the opener can be understood. 

    All of these particular edits were made to provide a seemingly joyous and fun vibe that shifts into a fearful and suspenseful vibe. This follows the idea of the title, “Kiss, Marry, Kill” since the “Kiss” and “Marry” are in lighter colors like pink + white to signify innocence and romance while “Kill” in red symbolizes contradictory concepts and danger. 

Final Shot list: 

1-7s - Pan shots

8-19s - Photos zooming in and out

20-23s - Close up shot

24-43s - Mid shots

44-56s - POV shot

57-110s - Mid shot

111-119 - Tracking/Dolly shot

120--123s - Pan shot

124-148s - Mid shots

149-158s - Tracking/Dolly shot

159-160s - Close up shot

Title & Credits 

The idea of the title is, “Kiss, Marry, Kill” which has the “Kiss” and “Marry” in lighter colors like pink + white to signify innocence and romance while “Kill” in red symbolizes contradictory concepts and danger. It is colored this way to foreshadow some of the potential events that may happen and make the audience suspicious. It fits the chosen genres by again, foreshadowing and acting as a literary teaser. 

Image of the title over footage of the hand from the final cut.

 

The credits listed in our opener are: 

• SGD Productions – who the film is by and the distributor
• Gia Scalici – Creator of screenplay
• Isabel Hilmers – Producer
• Sophia Berman – Editor
• Sound credits to YouTube music: "Party Rock Anthem" and iMovie Library
• Sophia Berman – Sienna 
• Mario Marcano – Brian 
• Isabel Hilmers – Julie 
• Rebecca Sherman – Charlotte
• Gia Scalici – Ella  
• Grayson Loiselle – Ethan 
• Our title – Kiss, Marry, Kill 

The credits were placed where they appear because each person’s name pops up when they are speaking, signaling that the person shown on screen is who is described in the credit. Also, the credits saying what company the film is by, creator of the screenplay, producer, and the editor are shown in the order they are to be the first things people see. 

 

Improvements After Feedback 

The improvements made after feedback were: 

• The text I added to the clips went by too quick and was mainly during the first 20-30 seconds which did not give the viewers enough time to process what they were seeing. After feedback, I lengthened the amount of time credits were shown for and added the title of the film to the end of the opener when the “plot twist” happens.  

• Me, Gia, and Izzy were told to refilm the very last clip of Ella’s (Gia’s) hand being found over the tub, so we did. I adjusted the clip to fit with everything else that had already been edited and approved and just added my scream from the original clip onto the new clip of the hand since my throat was hurting and I could not scream again. 

• When one of the credits appears, it is my name and character which was shown over the spinning green bottle. Originally, it popped up at a bit of a strange time, so I changed it to pop up at the top of the screen, so it seems like when the bottle stops, it lands pointing to the credit. 

 

Image of the bottle and credit once fixed in the final cut.

Individual Contribution Overall 

As editor, this is where my job really came in. As previously mentioned in other posts, I was involved in a large amount of the other parts to create our opener, but they were mainly done by Gia and Isabel since it followed their jobs as producer and director and I took on editing. They pitched some of their ideas for edits, and I combined them with mine. The three of us had an overall vision that I was able to help create through editing. Clips were shortened, text was added, sound effects were added, and I changed things based on feedback we got from our teacher. I also provided a camera and the location that was filmed at like I said in another post along with doing my own posts and individual CCR’s. Overall, we each decided which job would be our strong suit and how we would use our talents to contribute to this project. I went with editing and helping the filming process, which is how I was able to do my fair share for this project. 

Final Reflection 

1. The strongest post-production decision made was having an upbeat, well-known, fun song be part of the very beginning giving a bright vibe, quickly shifting to a loud scream providing tension and fear. The pacing changed and so did the mood. 
2. Some challenges faced in editing were cutting the clips to fit into the two-minute maximum length, making the text look neat and stay long enough, having to refilm a clip and add it to an otherwise completely edited opener, and making the sounds fit in right. 
3. The final change that improved the video the most was changing the length of how long the credits were shown for and spacing them out more. It made the credits easier to understand, and it looks cleaner.