Post-Production (Editing) Reflection

Before we started editing we received a tutorial on how to use Final Cut Pro because lots of people were unfamiliar with using Macs and this type of advanced software. We nominated someone in our group to take notes on how to convert the files into a format suitable for Final Cut Pro. This sheet helped us get to grips with Final Cut Pro and make it easier to use. It will also help us in other scenarios where we will need to use Final Cut Pro when editing other pieces of work.

Notes we made on Final Cut Pro

The first thing that we did when we started the actual editing process was to delete all of the unwanted 'blooper' clips as they were not needed and we didn't want to get confused as to which was the right clip because some looked similar. Then we put all the clips into order. This way we knew what clip to use next and overall it just saved time in the editing process. Once we had put all the clips in order we started going through each clip and cutting it when necessary. This process was long as it required us to watch each clip over and over again to make sure that we had cut it in the right place and that the whole video flowed smoothly. In one shot we edited the sound and the video in a way where they did not match (put a sound clip with a video that didn't have an audio, sort of like a sound bridge). This helped make the video look more professional as it shows that we considered different ways of linking video and audio. It also helps with the continuality of the whole video as it is not just clip after clip. We chose not to include subtitles as they were not needed and we also chose not to include any music because our preliminary task had an mysterious vibe to it and we thought that by adding music it would perhaps make it harder for the audience to take the video seriously.

When using Final Cut Pro I found using the tools (e.g. the 'cut' tool) and putting the clips in order easy. However, I found navigating around the software and knowing where to find everything difficult as it is not always obvious. I also found that converting all the files quite difficult as well. Next time I would like to experiment more with the visual and sound effects to enhance our video and make it a lot more interesting to watch. I think that by doing this it will also develop my editing skills when using Final Cut Pro.