An editor's trials....

 Editing is definitely something I enjoy since it's my hobby, but it definitely has it's downsides. One thing that ended up happening was my file CRASHING! I was a little worried about it since I had done a bit of work already. It seemed to have taken out about 25% of my progress for the day. I wasn't too sad about it, but I still had to redo a bit of work. I ended up actually using it as a sort of learning moment. It helped me realize where I needed to pick up on some things. The experience let me see what I did prior and evolve it almost. So I ended up doing a completely new coloring for the film, giving it a more eerie vibe. This ended up turning out really well. I also did a little bit of tweaking with the credits. I have to decide whether I'll refilm and change it, or I'll just try to make it a bit more engaging in regards to the actual film. It seems that I'm more content with my original idea, though, and due to my editing experience, I could really make it look nice. I didn't see anything else missing, so I decided to leave it at that. It ended up even better than I left it, which was really cool. Redoing and revising things by accident ended up turning out really purposeful for me. I'd say I definitely appreciate it happening! But an editor's trials don't end... I had to download a lot of sound effects to my computer! And right now I'm messing around with them seeing which ones feel right. (All non-copyright free use sounds, of course!) And I'm getting the general vibe for what I want within this film. Things seem to be going pretty well!

Editing blog!

 So I decided that during my downtime I would decide to edit some scenes from Willow's Walk, the horror movie I'm making. Editing is definitely tough but due to my experience I made it a lot easier than it would have been. I have about 3 years of experience and it's one of my hobbies.  I decided to basically work on the first and second editing parts. These parts were okay to edit but I had to make the cuts seamless and make them look like an actual film. It's pretty neat on how I have so much I can do, but I stuck with the basics for now. I need to get things situated before I begin the movie. I started by following the storyboard and the clips. Then, I had to do some basic editing. I wanted to do the paper thing but I figured that instead of the black screen, I may have to change it into an actual scene. This is an important change and will be documented if it happens. It would probably be me looking through papers, though. I want to make the film near seamless, but if the story is good, I think I can manage. I also want to use some visual effects. These effects will be based off the idea that this is a camera and the person is recording. Some camera breaking, some fuzziness, the thing around the camera letting us know this is being recorded. This shows a lot of character regarding what the film is, and what it can be. This is especially important to immerse the watcher in the film. Something like this isn't the easiest, but I took today to do so by picking out what effects I use, overlays, etc. I also put the film together in full, or at least the parts I've done. I then mapped out what effects go where, and when these things happen. This is what I did with my editing.

Another day, another filming blog!

 Today I decided to get that important part of my film done. Which means that I had to get to work! This part involved the climax of my film, or the part that is filled with mystery when the masked killer gets to Paramaniac. This part was especially hard because I had to film myself. I'm a one-man show basically. So I have to be smart about it. I decided to make it so the masked murderer appears WHEN I drop the camera. So then I can open in with a seamless cut to where the masked murderer appears. It's the best way to keep the fear and worry there while still being able to coordinate this clip. So that's what I did... and it went pretty well! I had to run a lot, though. Another concern I had was about sound. There was a lot of noise in the clip, so I may have to essentially voice over the film. Which can be both good and bad, but it makes me have to basically time my filming or my voice. I think I leave enough room, or clips to actually pull it off. But that's for editing! For now it's filming. It did go well. It was in the dark though, so I had to be a little careful with my surroundings. It really added to the eeriness, though. I really enjoyed filming this part. 

Filming Blog.

 Today I decided to film the second part of my horror movie. Unfortunately, it started raining. As much as I do like rain, I didn't really think it was suitable for the movie. So I had to revise. A twist, though. So I focused further on what i wanted for the title screen. I decided that it would be exactly as I had it in the storyboard. It would be better if I considered other routes, but I felt that it was good enough to go on with. I began figuring out how I was going to make it look. It had to be important! So I decided to have the pages somewhat animated. Like an effect kind of thing. I think the pages would be a little too difficult to progress with in person. I'm not very good at stop motion.... So I'm using a program called Adobe After Effects. I've used it for years now, so I am very familiar with it. I decided to leave it to that. Then, I had to find out what I was doing with the paper. I figure it'll slide in left and right. Up and down. Ominous image. That would be a good shot. Like the horror games I play a lot, I want to make it mysterious. I'll do this by drawing things on them. Or getting things drawn on them beforehand. Then' I'll have to animate or keyframe them together. It won't be too difficult due to my experience, but I think it should go relatively well.

Music Blog!

 Well, today I decided to focus on a very important aspect. Music! It's nice, isn't it? Well, in the case of my movie, not so much. It would be very odd to use happy music in my horror film... So I had to get to work! I ended up deciding not to go so crazy on it. It has to be spooky, but not spooky enough. The perfect amount of spookiness! Another issue was the source. I didn't want to spend too much time waiting for music and I could film. I ended up settling for less this way, so essentially I used a non-copyrighted song. It's more like background music than anything, it's not really a song. That wouldn't fit the movie. So the royalty-free music was definitely the best option for multiple reasons. I couldn't ask for permission as filming may take too long. And so may waiting for the permission to be given. I think I chose a good song, though. I think it embodies the creepy, eerie nature of my film. I hope it'll be pieced together properly! If I had one dislike though, it would be the pacing of the music as it may get high or low at certain intervals at the wrong time in the film. So I may have to work around that. 

Production Blog

 Hello! Today was the first day for production of Willow's Walk. I figured I could record the day segment today since I was able to. Everything went well and seemed to fall into place for that recording. I had to make a few different takes just in case it doesn't really fit the pacing but I think I'll be able to use the original shots. It's a bit of a challenge recording while holding the camera steady. I also have to take voice acting into account since the movie definitely needs that. I don't know if I'll have to bear with the noise but most likely I'll do the voice acting after the movie is pieced together. One issue with that is the pacing, I would have to hope each segment gives me enough time to actually do so. Otherwise, recording went well. I enjoyed it, and I hope to record at night soon. The issue is the different times of day. It's a little hard to manage. The sounds would get in the way, but overall production was a success! I found no issues other than my surroundings which especially in the day are a little hard to film in. Things like traffic, other people, and your area you have to be aware of in order to make sure your take goes smoothly. I tried to be aware, but since technically I'm both the actor and the cameraman in this case, I would have to make do. Hopefully, the next day I can record at night time. There are some safety measures I especially need, though. But I think I can manage. Here's to today's production! 

 

Storyboard Blog

 

This page is the introduction. The first person (Paramaniac) is now being introduced to his surroundings, getting ready to talk about the next step on his journey.

The title card. We now fast forward to night in the script and he starts to explore Willow's Walk. 

Paramaniac proceeds, but something scares him about Willow's Walk, so he runs QUICKLY!

The camera falls, and the murderer appears to have gotten him.

An investigator comes a few years later, ready to challenge the mystery of Willow's Walk. Will he make it through?