1. Megan Robinson
IG4 Final Major Project
Final Edit Evaluation
Introduction
At the very start my tutor, Iain told us that we have to create a Final Major Project such as
video, audio, motion graphics, photography and graphic design. I chose video and wanted to
produce a short film. I had to research it and produce some idea generations which included
Tagxedo, a mind map, moodboard and Pinterest Influences. I decided what genre I
wanted to use which was horror because when I research short film, most of them did
horror and I liked the idea how they did it. Next I produced a pitch and
delivered to my tutor. After this I started my production by filming and
sound recording then once that was done, I completed my post production
by editing using software such as ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ and ‘ Adobe After
Effects’.
Technical Quality of Final Product
Footage – The quality of camera footage was of a higher standard than previous projects
because I had more experience and took my time checking each shot making sure it was clear. I
used the cameras Canon 7D and Nikon D3100 which both professional cameras and record in
HD. This improved the quality as it was much sharper.
Use of Sound – I used a separate sound recorder which included a ‘boom microphone’ and this
made the quality of the sound very good because it caught all of the noise including
background noises. When I recorded the screaming scene, I found the sound was too loud so I
had to turn the volume down.
Editing – Overall the editing has worked well because I used techniques such as cutting from
scene to scene which was effective in explaining my narrative. I also pretended to drop my
camera in one scene which had a mystery effect because the viewer wasn’t sure what was
happening. I used the black eyes technique because it concluded the story with a twist ending
which was what I originally wanted. Whilst editing I added some sound effects which made it
more scary. My editing techniques are similar to my secondary research and follow horror
genre conventions.
Composition – The composition throughout my film was shaky composition for the house
scenes because I wanted the handheld shot effect to make it more realistic and like a ‘home
movie’. In the interview scenes, the composition used different camera angles to try and add
the variety to the shots. The composition was very still to create an effect of an interview style.
Lighting – The lighting I used was all indoor artificial and I was happy with the quality because it
suited the setting where I was filming and everyone could be seen clearly and things were
much brighter.

2. Megan Robinson
IG4 Final Major Project
Costume/Props – The costumes I used showed the characters because I wanted the spirits to
look old fashioned like they had been dead for a 100 years and the priest was wearing
appropriate clothes although you couldn’t see his outfit properly. The characters that lived in
the house were dressed in normal modern clothes. In the interview room, you could tell it was
clinical because the doctor wore a white lab coat and the patient was in plain hospital clothes. I
think the costumes helped to show the characters and the role they should have played.
Make-up – I used some make-up throughout my film to create better effects and to make
things more realistic. The bedroom scene, I thought the cut looked good and quite
professional, it added to the horror suspense theme.
Use of setting – I feel the setting was relevant to my original idea because I wanted to do a
‘home movie’ and being in my house to film made this very realistic. For the interview scenes, I
used a blank meeting room in an office which was effective however could have been better if
it was a proper clinical setting.
Production Skills you have newly acquired and existing skills you have further
developed
I have learned new skills such as black eyes, T.V. static, subtitles, converting sounds, putting
sound and footage together, credits, and the existing skills are ‘Reaper’, and ‘Adobe Premiere
Pro’.
Putting Sound and Footage Together – While I was filming, I used a video camera and sound
recorder. The video camera did have sound but my tutor said it
would be better if I used a sound recorder separately to have a
better sound quality. Once I finished filming, I uploaded all the
footage and sounds. Then I created a new project called ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’, I imported all
the footage and sounds that I wanted to use for my short film. Then once I got the footage and
sound, I had to match it up and checked that it was correct. I deleted the original sound
that was with the footage then once they are all right and together, I exported it and
added the ‘SS’ an example, ‘Scene 1 Take 1 SS’. I found matching up the sound and the
video slightly difficult however I used the clapper board so it was easier to see where the
sound matched up because there was a visual representation of the audio waveform peaking
when the clapper board shuts.
Converting Sounds – I needed to convert sounds because I wanted to add suspense music to
certain scenes therefore I found the sounds on ‘YouTube’ and then used a website called
‘hddownloader.com’ which converted the music into a compatible file that I could put into
‘Adobe Premiere Pro’. At first I was unsure on what to do however I asked my tutor for some
support, he showed me how to use it and after that I was quite confident to convert other
sounds file using this website.

3. Megan Robinson
IG4 Final Major Project
Reaper – After completing my first edit short film, my tutor watched it and advised me to
introduce the sound better by introducing my music by having slowly increasing and at the end
of the music having it slowly fading out. I used the software called ‘Reaper’ which allowed me
to change the volume. It wasn’t difficult because I have used this software before in other
project so I was used to editing sound in this way.
Subtitles – First I watched my short film and due to my deafness I had to ask for help when
listening to the specific words, so I went to my support tutors. It was important to me that it
was accurate. I asked my tutor how to put subtitles on my short film. He showed me how to
use it. First you clicked ‘Title’ then ‘New Title’ and ‘Default Still’. It
comes up with a scene where I wanted to put the subtitles. I had
to choose what title style I wanted and where I wanted them
placed. I did it for all the scenes. I knew how to do it but it was
difficult because there were so many subtitles to do and it was a
lengthy process. The reason why I wanted to have subtitles is
because it is very important that hearing impaired people have
access to them. I wanted to make this point as I know how
frustrating it is not to have them.
T.V. Static – I wanted to use T.V. static because there’s one scene when I ‘supposedly’ dropped
my camera. I have never used this effect before so I researched tutorials on ‘YouTube’ which
were difficult because some of them were too fast or complicated
however I found one to work with which took a lot of time. I ended
up being happy with the results. I used ‘Adobe After Effects’ and
followed the tutorial and then exported it out of ‘Adobe After Effects’
and imported it into ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ and replaced the original
footage. The T.V. static I created had no sound therefore I used the
skill of converting sounds and found some T.V. static sound from
‘YouTube’.
Black eyes – As part of my narrative I wanted the main character to become
possessed at the end of the short film therefore I thought it would be a good idea
for her to have a black eyes. Again this is a skill I have never used before and I had
to research a tutorial from ‘YouTube’. Then I exported it out of ‘Adobe After
Effects’ and imported it into ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ and replaced the original
footage. This process took me a whole day to get it right as it was lots of new
things to learn however in the end I was happy with how it turned out.

4. Megan Robinson
IG4 Final Major Project
Credits – I wanted to do credits because I felt it would look more professional
so I created credits on ‘Adobe After Effects’. I used previous experience of this
software to create these credits using the techniques such as style of text,
opacity, position, background colour and timing. Then I exported it out of
‘Adobe After Effects’ and imported it into ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ and replaced
the original footage. I enjoyed creating credits because it wasn’t too difficult
and added to the professional look on the film.
Adobe Premiere Pro – To edit the film, I used a software called ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ and I
used this for my music video last year so I was used to using it however this film was a lot
longer and therefore the editing was more complicated. I also had to consider adding sound,
suspense sound effect and T.V static noise. I organised my footage and sounds very well so I
could use them properly and effectively. I enjoyed creating my short film using ‘Adobe
Premiere Pro’ but found it difficult because it took so long.
How closely your Final Major Product matches your Original
Intentions
My final short film reflects quite closely the original ideas and theme.
However, I have added extra scenes to create a more dramatic effect.
These scenes include the interview with the doctor and the ‘bedroom’
scene was changed to make it less complicated. I feel
the interview scenes really added to the mystery and
suspense of the film. It makes the audience wonder what’s going on and also
makes the narrative more clear.
Time Management and Problem Solving
When shooting my footage, I had to consider my timing because I had to book the equipment
from college and it wasn’t always available therefore I had to reschedule which sometimes was
difficult. However when I shot my footage I didn’t have problem with my locations because
there were only two which were available through my family members and therefore I could
have a choice of when I shot my footage. Building on improvements from last year’s music
video, I managed my time well and solved problems by not including too many characters and
planning ahead who I would use. This worked well because I could be in control of my
characters and my time.

5. Megan Robinson
IG4 Final Major Project
Reaching your Target Audience
I completed a survey to get feedback about my short film, 37 people responded which has
helped me to get a lot of different opinions. I asked 7 questions, first one was, ‘Do you think my
short horror film is suitable for my target audience which is teenagers and young adults of both
genders?’ 100% said yes that they thought it was suitable which is good because it shows I have
met my target audience’s needs. My second question was, ‘Do you think my short film fits in
the genre of horror?’ Again 100% of people said yes which is positive because it has met the
aims of my final major project. My third question was, ‘Do you think my
editing techniques were successful?’ All respondents said it was
successful which makes me happy because I have put a lot of effort into
the editing process. The fourth question was, ‘Do you think the sound
used was appropriate?’ Which again everyone said yes, this is good
because I struggled to find appropriate sounds and also with editing
however it shows that the sounds has been effective. My fifth question
was, ‘Do you think it was a good idea to add subtitles?’ 95% of people
have said yes and 5% of people have said no. The majority of people
thought it was good which pleases me because normally subtitles
annoy people who are not deaf however this shows that it does not
have a major impact on the viewing of my film. The sixth question was,
‘If I was to do it again, do you think there is anything I could do
differently?’ 19 people said that I don’t need to do anything
differently whereas 18 people have commented suggesting changes,
some of the comments are, ‘Spend more time making the eyes black
at the end, otherwise everything else is fine’ , ‘Don’t add subtitles, it
takes away from the realistic horror’ and ‘More explanation at the
end.’ All of this feedback is constructive and I would consider some of
this if I create another short film. I have print screened the rest of responses below. Finally, the
last question was, ‘Overall how would you rate my short horror film? 1 being low and 10 being
high?’ the majority of people rated my short film between 8 and 10 which is extremely positive
and shows my work is quite professional. However 3 people rated my short film between 6 and
7 which shows I can improve but they still like it.
Another way I got feedback was to set up a closed private Facebook
group where I invited members of my target audience to leave
comments from their opinions. This was good because it allowed me to
interact with my target audience. Below it is a print screen of some
comments from my group.
Overall I’m pleased with the majority of the feedback and feel I have
done quite well in meeting my project’s aims.

6. Megan Robinson
IG4 Final Major Project
Summary Conclusion of how you would respond to your Project Brief if you were
to do it again
If I was given this project brief again, I would do a short film again but challenge it in a different
way such as giving it a different genre and narrative. I would also extend my target audience. I
would make sure the narrative was clear so the audience wouldn’t be confused. I feel I
managed this project extremely well including all of my planning and organisation and I would
repeat this process in any future projects. I worked independently for the majority of my
project, only requiring minimal support with some hearing technical issues. All of the other
technical issues I managed myself seeking support from the tutorials on ‘YouTube’ when
required. I am proud of my short film and feel I have put a lot of effort into this project but
have enjoyed doing so.