Rough Cut | Feedback

Upon looking at the rough cut, we decided as a group to identify some strengths and weaknesses to see what could be improved on for our finalised version.  We identified the following: -

Strengths:
- The continuity editing of the piece was very effective. The clips flowed smoothly into one another and despite an intentional jump cut at the beginning, all looked effective as everything appeared to be happening simultaneously - without any obvious differences in the setting and actions/appearance of the character between the different shots.

- The wide range of shots used looked effective. The shots used alternated frequently and as identified in our horror movie conventions, we used quick shots which helped to quickly set the scene and these worked well. Also, the shots helped to convey clearly everything we had hoped for such as showing Anthony breaking in, walking around the mysterious large abandoned area and also becoming trapped inside the hole.

 - The setting looked scary. Even without needing effects to make the inside of the location look scary, it still appeared as a typical horror movie setting. It was dark, vast, old looking and mysterious which are all things we wanted to convey to the audience.

- The ambulance looked effective at the end of the sequence. As this was caught on camera by chance, we thought we would incorporate into our opening sequence to provide a much more serious and realistic atmopshere to the film. The ambulance helps to provide a sense of urgency and panic straight after Anthony gets taken by something in the hole and begins to scream. We all agreed that this looked extremely effective at the end of the opening sequence.

Areas for improvement:
After looking at our rough cut, this helped us to decide on a number of areas that needed improving. We all agreed that with the addition of a soundtrack, colour adjustment (particularly for the outside scenes to make them appear darker) and added text for the opening credits that our opening sequence would look really effective. We also decided that the sound effects of the crash which Anthony hears and his screams would need enhancing. Luckily, we would be able to alter the audio levels for these things in the video editing software. I had also managed to re-record Anthony's screams on my phone which we would also add on to enhance the sound of them even further. We also thought it would be a good idea if we replicated the sound of the ambulance siren over two shots to make it appear longer. We would do this as soon as the shot cuts to the outside of the mill and make it seem that the ambulance is instant.

As well as the things already mentioned, we also decided that we would alternate our storyboard upon viewing the roughcut. We decided that we would change the place in which the main title of the film would appear and decided that it would be better if it came on slightly earlier during the opening sequence. A good place we found for this was as soon as the door slammed shut just as Anthony entered into the mill. This would be quite a dramatic place to put the title as the door slamming helps to provide impact which would make it stand out in the face of the audience. It would also, if they haven't already realised, ensure that they knew where Anthony now was if they have not already identified the building he had just entered. The rough cut enabled us to decide on the name of the film which would be 'The Old Mill.'

In addition to the addition of titles, we also realised that in order to make the opening sequence look like an authentic film, we would need to add a letterbox to the footage. This is the thick black borders at both the top and bottom of the frame. By doing this, we would highlight the fact that the footage is in widescreen and it would differentiate it from other videos which do not have a letter box and therefore do not look like a film.

Furthermore, we also decided that one of the clips needed to be cropped in closer as it looked too similar to the clip beforehand. This would provide differentiation between the shots and also help to convey the unsettling atmopshere as Anthony made his way to the abandoned mill.

Shot 1:

Shot 2:

The group were now aware of what needed to be done after analysing the rough cut. For the opening credit text, we would use a similar format to the way it was done in the film The Fall (from 2006) which we analysed in our opening credit analysis. The text will appear as white wherever the footage in the background is dark and then as black whenever the footage is light.