LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL

I cannot believe how the semester has flown by.  This past week we got our ADR recorded, which was a new experience for both of us.  I have more experience in experimental film and have not worked on many narratives, so the tonal quality of the sound recorded on set and that recorded in the booth is a bit different.  We will have to get someone to help us out with a little more experience in sound to add a few filters onto the lines that we cut into the film.  I think they all match up very well to the image and it is exciting to finally see the audition scene with sound.  We also used another piece of music to bridge a transition into the auditorium, which really adds to the momentum.  The producer watched our cut and suggested that we take out a few of the black slugs in between scenes because they make the film a bit choppy.  Some of these dividers had to be left in for pacing reasons, but the work that we did on the few that we edited have really improved the film.  The feedback in the class was pretty conclusive that the film is a lot tighter, and I think that this will help this film with quality as well as programming at festivals.  We still need to work on our sound design with a few foley sounds and levels.  I will also work on the format of the credits in the next week.  We are almost DONE!

Week after easter break

The Method is coming along very well, we are getting close to the end and I am so ready!!!  So far the cut is pretty finalized in image selection, and we are awaiting our music compositions so that we can start to get a better feel for certain scenes.  Christiana, our actress playing Emma, was going to be coming into Wilmington this weekend from South Carolina, so we booked an ADR session with her.  It was so convenient for us because she needed someone to pick her up from the bus station also, and we did not have to pay her to come down here!!  We also booked sessions with Will (Nate), and people to play the judges for the final audition (the shots that were recorded without any sound).  While we have the H4N we will record the foley that we need as well.  To prepare, Taylor and I watched the entire film and made a list of lines that we would like re-done for quality and intonation purposes.  There were a few shots outside that had a bit of wind over the dialogue, so we will re-record this entire scene.  Also, some of Emma's lines that she says do not sound very scared, and we will suggest other intonations in which she can come across more frightened and angry.  We made a to do list of small things that we want to go back over and fine tune.  We also started to level sounds a bit, mostly penning clips in and out for a more smooth flowing soundtrack.  We still have to go through levels and assure that they are all about the same volume.. for the most part it sounds pretty good.  I can't wait to put the music in and really get the audio finalized with foley!  I can't believe it is almost done!!!

week of rough cut & credits presentation

Our entire timeline is finally laid out!!!! There is definitely a lot more to be done, but it comes as a sigh of relief to have the fifteen minutes down.  We will probably cut it down quite a bit, but a rough frame is helpful.  We have to fine tune and add sound.  We got one piece of music composed for us by Sid, which we added into our credits for this rough cut.  Now that we have this cut,  hopefully we can send him a copy and get a little ore music written (more catered to our eerie scenes).  We have a lot of fading to do on sound clips, as well as adjusting levels.  The credits need to be formatted better.  Our class presentation this week went well and we got some great feedback.  I think that the adjustments that we made this week based on our previous feedback has really improved the film.  The cuts that we have made to eliminate dialogue has strengthened the narrative a lot and helps with pacing.  The shot selections that we changed have improved the film as well (in the dinner scene, for example).  All in all, this week has been extremely productive and I am happy with what we have completed!