Editing Chaotic Scenes for the News Broadcast

Last week, when we went to the mall to get some clips for the news broadcast, we achieved the look that we wanted in terms of the shakiness of the camera to make sure that it looked as chaotic as possible. There were many videos that we took and we have finally decided on the one that we want to use. There were many problems with the other videos that I took that are unfixable with apps or editing skills since they have to do with the way they were filmed and the content that was taken. Down below are three of the ten videos that we took.

The first video is one of the first videos that we took, it started out fine, but as it went on I shook the camera too much, which made the the running unclear and you can't really tell what is going on. The second video, is perfect. It is the one that we will be using for the news broadcast, since it has all of the aspects that it needs. It has a lot of people surrounding the runner and the camera shakiness is accurate. It has the perfect chaotic look that we are looking for and it actually looks like people are in a desperate search for survival. The third video, was also taken into consideration, but the problem with it was that there weren't many people around the runner which doesn't give the clip a feel that there are mass-suicides going on.

Even though the second video is perfect for the news broadcast, it still isn't at its full potential. With editing and sound effects this video can look extremely realistic and give it that chaotic feel that we want in the film opening. For the editing, we searched for many apps and website and found one that was called "Camcorder". This app will give the video a more homemade look which is what we need because it has to look like a bystander is filming the chaos that is going on. In a future post I will include more information on the sound effects that we want to add onto the videos. Down below is the video with the special effects.

Ending Scene Makeup

The ending scene of our film opening is a very dramatic one and it needs alarming makeup to go with it. What is happening in this scene is that Valentina, the lead actress, is going to be going into the bathroom to take a shower and she will set her phone down on the bathroom sink and turn the water on. She will then receive a call from her "friend" but that friend will have already been possessed by the evil spirit. Then, when Valentina answers the phone, she will be immediately possessed by it as well. Moreover, the makeup that I was thinking about doing is a very horrific one that I have seen before in a show that I watched. In the show Vampire Diaries, every time that a human turns into a vampire they begin to get veins under their eyes and their eyes become very dark and their eye color turns red. Even though Valentina isn't going to be a vampire, it is still a perfect look to make sure that the audience can tell that she has been possessed.

The image above is the exact look that we want to achieve on Valentina. I will most likely be doing it since I'm better at doing makeup than my partner and it will look better and more professional. I plan on using black eyeliner for the veins under the eyes and a lot of red blush on her cheeks to make it look darker. For the most important part of the look, the red contacts. Since we have started thinking about this idea of using red contacts, we have been planning on buying them online. But after thoroughly researching, we realized that this would not be the best option for us since it would take a couple of weeks for them to arrive. So, we have looked up places to buy them in the store around where we live, and there are halloween stores in Miami which is about an hour away. I will be going to Miami this Wednesday and I am going to purchase them. The ones that we want are just plain red or red with veins in them, any that I find are going to be perfect for the scene. These images below are the two types that I am talking about.

Main Character Makeup/Outfit

makeup

Welcome back!! This week we have been thinking more in detail about the final touches of our film opening and every possible aspect that we need to consider. The part that we need to expand on is our character's appearance. Our lead actress, Valentina Suarez, is going to be acting as a stereotypical, popular teenage girl and she needs to dress like it. To the right and down below is an image of her and what the makeup that she is going to wear looks like.

hair

This makeup is very natural and fancy since she needs to look very well dressed. She will have some neutral colors of blush and bronzer on her cheeks. She will have some pinkish and glittery shades for eye shadow, and a light mascara. Her hair, however, is not going to be curly and wavy like the image above, it will be perfectly straight. Moving on to her outfit, we were also thinking about a classy and popular look. She will be wearing a skirt and a fancy blouse to fit with her characterization of a popular teenage girl. This will help the film opening by giving the audience more of an insight on her personality, without her having to say or do anything. We got our inspiration for this look from Mean Girls, since this movie is fully based on the popularity of teenage girls. The lead actress in this movie is always wearing skirts and fancy outfits like the one that we want Valentina to wear. Down below is the type of look that we will be going for with the outfit. She is probably not going to wear heels, but we aren't sure about that aspect yet.

The Script for the News Broadcast

Above is the script for the news broadcast. My partner and I will be the news anchors and this is what each of us will be saying. S is me and G is my partner. We made sure to use the appropriate tone and advanced vocabulary in order to make the news broadcast seem more realistic. We might be making changes to this while filming and editing due to restrictions on time and how it sounds overall.

Filming for the News Broadcast

In this video, you will see my partner and I in the mall filming the chaotic clips for the news broadcast. We started off thinking that we weren't going to get good shots since we didn't see as many people as we expected there to be. But with the use of the shaky camera movements of the handheld shots and the running, we were able to achieve the exact videos we wanted. At first, I was going to be the one running through the crowds and acting crazy while my partner was going to record me, and that is what we did. But after a few tries, my partner was too embarrassed to be running around with a camera, so we switched roles. I filmed her running through the people and we got the perfect clips for our news broadcast.

The Script for the Text Messages

Down below is the script that we will be following when creating the text messages. In the film opening, there will be a scene where Lucy, the main character, will be texting her friends about what she just saw on the news broadcast. She will also be displaying her ignorance through not only her facial expressions, but also what she says in these text messages. These text messages are using the modern slang that the typical teenager uses nowadays. For example the use of "Omgggg", "wack", tbh", and the consistent use of repeating letters to make it more dramatic. We made it this way so that it fits in with her attitude and personality. We also made the conversation be in a group chat, and not one with someone else, to emphasize her popularity and have the scene fit her characterization.
___________________________________________________________________________


Text Messages Script

(Lucy picks up phone after turning watching the news broadcast and turning off the tv)

Lucy: Omggg have you guys heard about the mass-suicides??!!!

Sydney: I heaaardd that’s soo wack!!!!

Taylor: Wait what happeneddd???😫😫😫

Lucy: I just watched the news and they said it’s like our phones that are making us kill ourselves😂😂

Tiffany: I know about thattt tbh I don’t believe it at alllll like that’s so dumb

Lucy: Yea honestly I don’t think it’s legit

Taylor: omggg that’s crazzyyyy

Taylor: yea I don’t believe it at alllll lolol

Tiffany: Sydney where you atttttt

A Change of Plans (Text Messages)

Last week, in my Aice Media Studies class, we did a peer review in which we were all placed in groups and we gave and received feedback for both our idea and our blogs for our film opening or magazine. In a blogpost a few weeks ago, I stated that it would be way too complicated for us to make the text messages appear on the screen, so we would be simply showing the phone screen. In the process of receiving feedback from one of our classmates, what someone told us, made us reassess our decision on our plan regarding the text messages.

In our class’s peer review, we were separated into groups of five. My partner and I were on separate groups so that we could get double the opinions of different people. In my group, everyone was very accepting of everyone’s decisions and didn’t really make anyone want to change anything they had already thought out or done. However, in my partner’s group, someone actually voiced their true opinion on our idea. She thought that making the messages appear on the screen would look more professional and make it easier to read for the audience. We told her, though, that we wouldn’t know how to do that using iMovie. So, she told us about the application called Adobe Premiere Pro, that is used for editing and we could use it to make an iPhone screen appear on the side of the video. Apparently, there is a 30-day free trial, so we will definately be testing this out to see how it would turn out.

Another reason why we would be switching our idea from showing the phone screen to making the texts appear on the video is because it comes with many advantages. First of all, we would be able to show Lucy’s face, which is the main character. By showing her face, the audience will be able to see her emotions and reactions to the texts that she is receiving. Doing so will aid in showing how ignorant she is to the mass-suicides and what she just saw on the news. Also, by displaying these messages on the video, it would look a lot neater and aesthetically pleasing. We are still going to leave the idea of showing the phone screen on the back burner just in case we run into any difficulties with the editing of this.