Post-production of Studio Shoot and Reflections(Camera Operator/ Editor)

I started with changing the file names according to their scenes and shots 

It's been so long since the studio shoot. When I first imported the clips into Avid, I was so confused about the names. So the first thing I did is to rename all the clips into scene-shot-takes. One thing I noticed what I had done wrong on set is that I started recording before the clapperboard was in place. I was thinking: I must not miss a thing. That means I have to skip a little bit in every clip to find the clapperboard for the information I need. I guess in the future if I am operating camera on set I will only roll when the clapperboard is in place and focused.

Finished. I call this satisfaction. 

After renaming and rearranging them according to names, I feel very satisfied. Also, all the memories of studio shoot came back to me at once. I remember shooting most of the normal light shoots on the first day, coloured shoots on the second day. I remember what scene is about which part of the "narrative" as I put them into 5 scenes when making the shot list. I remember the extra 6th scene was added on set to have shoulder rig shots of the whole "dance", in every different lighting.  I remember my shoulder and arms were exhausted filming intensively the shoulder rig shots. I remember each shot and what camera movements were taken with which equipment used. I remember that a day before the shoot we had to completely change the shot list as we found out the actors are doing movements that are not expected by the camera team. I remember now, I was a proud Camera Operator. It might be an advantage for me editing this, or a disadvantage. It being an advantage because I can edit fast according to the planed scene and shots. It might be a disadvantage because I know which shoot we put the most effort in and I might prefer those than the ones that are more suitable. So I have been keeping that in mind and remind myself: I am an editor, do my job. 

Then I labeled the colours of each shot. (picture taken after doing 3 edits)

I started by doing a rough cut of just picking best shots. Then I started the "rough cut 2" in the aim of picking best shots to add into the edit. I also started thinking about which lighting I want, blue, red or normal. The third cut is more about effects. While playing around with effects, I suddenly question myself: Do I need effects? What do these effects add to the edit and how do they help with the story telling. I had fun but at the end, I decided to get rid of almost all the effects but one. That one effect added is FluidBlur, in the part where the actors decided to interact/ hug each other. It is a state where they are trying to get to know/ feel each other. It is also uncertainty that they are figuring out what to do with each other/ Superego doesn't know what to do with her "reflection". The blur added towards the feeling of uncertainty. Also, cutting between the two lightings, red and blue, help illustrate their feeling of a decision making. 

My goal in this edit is to make audience watching it without noticing the edits. Well I guess that's the basic, being seamless. I am not sure if I succeed because I have watch the edit for so many times. I would say I definitely improved my skills since the last time I used this programme for my Maps & Network project.

At the end of the editing sessions, I started doing the title and credits. My first idea for title was to have "Entity" appear on one side, then have another "Entity" to come out from the original one going towards the other side. It doesn't look good and there is not necessarily an "original" between Id and Superego.  

Then I thought about the lightings in the film. I made a few version of titles playing with the colours but it all seems not right. The red and blue just made it look like 90s or 80s show. The font doesn't work as well. I chose it thinking the crack of the font just like the crack in the reality of Superego's (i.e. the "mirror"). 

I decided to just go with the basic. Normal font, white and still. There is no need for a distraction to the film. 

As for the credits. I decided to go with the rolling credits. The duration of that would be shorter than having stills showing the names. I really like the fact that it gives a feeling of an episode of a mini series. 

Timeline with sound edited. 

This sequence is called "Rough cut 3 Effects. Copy01", lol. I duplicated the final editor that I decided to go with and started doing colour correction in this sequence. I totally forgot to rename it. 

I only did some simple colour correcting to the clips with normal lightings and kept everything in the red and blue lightings. 

I made some sounds with my MIDI keyboard so that I can edit them according to the pacing of the visual edits.

Overall, I hope I did well.