Experimentation

As part of my experiment, I have shot a short sequence depicting a vague emotion. To build on my experiment, I have edited the sequence into two sequences to try and convey a different emotion each time. In doing this, I am showing how a change in editing may influence the audience to believe a completely different emotion is being depicted. This will give another point to discuss in my specialist study; How I had first-hand experience in testing the strength of editing with regards to emotional response.

Whilst one edit suggests we are witnessing the aftermath of a murder, the other suggests the character has discovered a body and is overwhelmed with grief and emotions.

First Cut:

Less close ups used to give a sense of distance between the character and the body. A lack of empathy.

Quick cuts to previous frames to give a sense of frustration or insanity. Also, this creates a feeling of uneasiness within the audience to remind them of the situation and the nature of the character, present.

Regular rapid brightness increases to contribute to the feeling of insanity resonating from the character. It is also there to remind the audience that what they are seeing is wrong and crosses a certain line.

The metallic type colour grading creating an overall negative and uneasy tone. There has to be a sense of discomfort created.

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Second Cut:

More close up shots to bridge the space between the character and the character presumed dead. This also allows the actor’s emotions to be considered for longer and from there the audience can make a judgment on whether they are feeling nothing or are suppressing their emotions.

Cuts are made to last longer and suggest the character may be feeling a certain way or trying to avoid thinking of what they have just seen. This is as opposed to shortening shots and suggesting that the character is trying to escape or flee-the-scene.

Flashbacks used to suggest regret and/or guilt. Blended with the performance of the actor, it really emphasizes the scene being a tragic moment for the character. The suppression and fear of looking back at what they had just witnessed.

The filter is very withdrawn of colour yet is mildly sepia tone. This creates a feeling of sadness and almost calls for empathy seeing this character locked in a cloud of visual negativity. The aesthetics have to really speak for the mood as well as the acting and cuts.

Experimenting with effects in After Effects:

In adding to the impact of the action in the fight scenes, I intend to employ muzzle flashes to not only add realism to each shot that is fired but also create an enjoyable spectacle for the audience.

Having observed, frame by frame, fight scenes from Kingsman and Baby Driver, I have created muzzle flash elements for further editing. Once added to After Effects, I can further the quality of the flashes to distance them from their original animated appearance.

Here, I am cropping the muzzle flash I want to use by utilizing the rotoscope pen tool.

Here I am positioning the muzzle flash to a more realistic place in frame. The flash only lasts for one single frame so there is no demand for motion tracking when the flash, in reality, would only last for a fraction of a second.

Here, I have employed the stylize glow to give the very two dimensional element a more realistic appearance. In addition to this, I will also keyframe a brief lighting and colour change in the frame. This will act as a realistic change to the environment as the gun is fired and light momentarily floods into frame.