Final Cut

 

CCR #1

 How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

CCR #2

 How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

CCR #3

How did your production skills develop throughout this project? 

CCR #4

 How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this project? 

Reshooting

To solve the non-flowing scenes in our film, we decided to reshoot and add a few more details to make the transitions smoother and more believable. The sequence where the stalker slams Eva's car door then suddenly appears in the car would leave the audience with questions about how he got inside so quickly. To solve this, we filmed stalking sitting in the car instead of having him already inside when the scene begins. This change made the shots feel more logical.

The new clip of the stalker entering the car

The first clip we added involved showing the car door closed, then cutting to the door being opened. We filmed the stalker entering the car from Eva's perspective in the passenger seat. This angle worked perfectly to show the stalker's movement and Eva's point of view in one shot. The audience can now understand that the stalker has entered the car before he starts speaking to her, which makes the transition feel more natural. This clip will be inserted right after the stalker slams the car door in the original shot.

The new clip of the car door locking

To add more tension to the scene, we also filmed a close-up of the car door locking. The clip is a close up on the door as the lock clicks into place. This tiny but significant detail heightens the feeling of unease, and signals that Eva is now trapped inside the car with the stalker. Our sound designer is planning to add a dramatic clicking sound over the shot of the lock, creating more intensity and emphasize the moment of isolation for Eva. The close-up of the lock will be inserted after the stalker enters and car and asks Eva, "You ready?". 

These reshoots have been crucial in improving the flow and tension of our film. By adding the new shots of the stalker entering the car and the close-up of the door locking, we've not only solved the logical flaw in the scene, but we've also improved it overall. The addition of sound design elements, such as the clicking noise over the lock, will further add to the drama and suspense. Additionally, we were a few seconds short in our rough cut, and these new clips will help fill that gap while also adding to the narrative. These small but impactful adjustments bring everything together and help us with the last step to producing the final cut. 

Removing a Logo

When filming Missing Eva, we were very focused on creating the best atmosphere and getting the right shots to tell our story. But unfortunately, we had a few minor details that got passed us while filming. One of those moments happened when we realized that the stalker's jacket in a shot had a company logo on it. This logo wasn't something we had intentionally included or thought was relevant to the film. Once we saw the shot in the rough cut, it was clear that it was distracting and drew attention away from the scene. 

In the scene where Eva and the stalker are walking together, we had chosen the jacket the stalker was wearing because it was what we had on hand at the time. We didn't think much of it during filming, but after reviewing the shot, we noticed the logo on his jacket. The logo seemed like it could be important, but it wasn't intended to be apart of the story. It was just there and it became too noticeable. We feel like it distracts from the tension of the scene. 

A still taken from the shot where the logo is clearly visible

At first, it seemed like a small issue. But after watching our rough cut, we realized that the last thing we wanted was for the audience to focus on something irrelevant instead of focusing on the plot. 

After discussing the issue with our editor, we came up with a solution: using motion tracking to remove the logo from the jacket. We found a YouTube tutorial that walks through the process of motion tracking and removing logos or unwanted elements from moving objects. The tutorial seemed like a perfect fit for our problem.

Here's the YouTube tutorial we found, which could be helpful for our editor

The tutorial is focused on Premiere Pro, and while our editor is working in Premiere Rush, we thought we could still try this solution. The idea is to import the specific shot of Eva and the stalker walking together into Premiere pro, apply the motion tracking to remove the logo, and then bring it back into Premiere Rush for further editing. While this sounds like a great fix, we do have a few concerns about it. 

One major issue with this solution is the potential loss of quality during the transfer between Premiere Pro and Premiere Rush. We want to make sure that the shot doesn't become distorted or pixelated after the changes are made. The shot needs to flow with the rest of the film, and we're worried that multiple imports and exports between editing software could mess up the quality. Additionally, we're aware this is a lot of work for our editor. He will need to carefully track the logo's movement throughout the shot and ensure it's fully covered without affecting the overall look of the shot. 

It's also unfortunate that if this solution doesn't work, we won't be able to reshoot the scene. Our actress playing Eva is no longer available for filming, which means we can't go back and re-shoot for this scene. While we hope that the motion tracking works out and the shot can be cleaned up, we're preparing for the possibility that it might not be as seamless as we want it to be. 

A still of the shot with the logo removed

To give an idea of what the shot might look like without the logo, I edited it myself very quickly. While it's not perfect, it gives us an idea of how the shot will look without the distraction of the logo. As you can see, it's not the cleanest edit, but it does show how removing the logo improves the visual focus on the scene.