AICE Media Studies

 Hey blog! We’ve finally reached the finish line—editing is officially done! After what felt like endless hours of fine-tuning, we can finally say the film is ready to go. It’s been an intense process, but now that everything is locked in, it’s incredibly satisfying to see the vision come to life. We used Adobe Premiere Pro this time around, and I’ve got to say, it made a huge difference. In the past, I’ve worked with other editing software, but Adobe has really been the game-changer for us. The flexibility and range of tools in Premiere Pro allowed us to do so much more than we anticipated. From color grading to transitions, everything came together seamlessly. The learning curve wasn’t too bad either, especially since we already had some experience with other Adobe programs like After Effects and Photoshop. Those tools allowed us to integrate graphics, titles, and effects smoothly into the film. One of the best features has been the multi-cam editing option. It saved us so much t...

Hey blog. It is finally time to start editing. It has been a long process, but we’ve made it to this point. The hard work of filming is over, and now the real magic begins. Last time, all the editing was done by one person. This time, we are splitting the workload, which has been a huge relief. By dividing the tasks, we can focus on different aspects and bring more creativity into the project. It’s also allowed us to work faster. We started by organizing all the footage into folders based on scenes and takes. This step may seem tedious, but it’s incredibly important for staying organized. After that, we began cutting down the raw footage and deciding on the best shots. There’s a lot of trial and error, especially with timing and pacing. We want to make sure the story flows naturally and that each scene has the right emotional impact. One of the biggest challenges has been keeping the tone consistent throughout the film. Sometimes, the shots look great individually but don’t work well t...

 Hi blog. Today we ran into some issues with the clips. The first issue was actually really funny. During filming, Nico held the camera really close to his face. This led to his breathing being picked up on the recording. While it wasn't a huge issue, it did still pose a problem. We had to cut out the sound from some of the clips. This meant even more time spent editing. Our solution was to add overlays of sounds. This was easier than I thought it would be, which was great. Another issue was the drone. Getting the footage off it was much harder than it should have been. The drone died we had to charge it. So we lost a day of editing there. Then, once it was online, it took a while to get everything transferred. After that it was a breeze though. The last, and biggest issue, was some of the clips had to be reshot. Either they didn't turn out good, or we just forgot to film a small part of the scene. We all had to clear a day in our schedule and shoot the final scenes. Now, were ...

 Hey blog. Today we got to filming immediately after sundown. We had a lot to film and wanted to make sure we got as much done as possible. We started with the party scene. To set up we got out some folding tables and some red solo cups. We also wanted fake alcohol. The issue there was the issue with safety and censorship. We can't use real alcohol because it would be illegal to have underage drinking. So we used empty beer bottles to represent the alcohol.  This scene was also pretty fun to film. Setting up and taking everything down did take some time, so we did lose a little bit more filming time than expected. After the party scene, we got to work on the scene after the crash. The goal was to capture the sadness and despair of a death caused by a car crash. The hardest part was the acting. We were all having way too much fun to be very serious and sad. We reshot the scene probably 7-8 times because we kept laughing and breaking character. To make sure we covered everything...

We are finally getting to film our movie. I've been waiting for this. Due to limited time, the filming will most likely be split into two or more days. We wanted to get the hardest scenes out of the way first. We figured it would be the best choice. The first thing we filmed was the office scene. This was easy, but we wanted to do it earlier to maximise our nighttime shooting. We all have a hard curfew of 11 PM and didn't want to be in a time crunch. So started around mid-afternoon with the indoor scenes. The office scene took longer than expected. Our main issue was the lighting. We couldn't get it right, and wanted something specific. After some time playing with the overhead lighting, window shades, tableside lamps, and flashlights we finally got it the way we wanted it to be. After getting the lighting right, we focused on the car scenes. This took more planning to get right. The street was filmed on was the perfect setting. It was just what we had in mind for the film ...

Unfortunately, we got rained out. The weather app said no rain, but we got lied to. It was frustrating because we had everything planned out perfectly, and then the weather threw us a curveball. I did consider filming in the rain, but I really wanted to use the convertible roof. Without it, some of our key shots wouldn’t have the same effect. There is also the issue of the rain being a hazard for our film crew. The ground was getting slippery, making it risky for anyone carrying equipment. We didn’t want any water to get on the cameras either. Plus, I don’t know if a drone can fly in the rain, but I’m not gonna test it. It’s already stressful enough dealing with unpredictable weather, so the last thing we need is to damage expensive equipment. We all agreed to work on a new schedule as soon as possible. After a two-hour phone call, we came to the conclusion that we will need to sacrifice our time to film. It was a tough decision, but we knew it was the only way to get back on track...

 Today's blog is all about our shooting locations. Our original plan was to use several different locations. We knew we needed a quiet place to film. This meant either a secluded place or a private place. We knew we needed to search for a good, quiet place to film, so we started brainstorming places in our area. We all had some ideas, but none really worked. My dad's office might be where we film the office scene, but it might be too much travelling for everyone for such a short scene. For the car scenes, we can use any streets that are off a main road. So anyone's neighborhood would work. Nathaly had some locations we could use to film, but I think they might not fit too well with the image we had for the film. For the party scene, we can use Nicolas' backyard. It has a lot of space and is good for hosting events. We all have limited time, making this planning part crucial. If we don't have enough time, we may film everything at Nicolas' house. It should have e...

 Hi blog, today were working out our sounds. I feel like it wouldn't usually need its own blog, but I wanted to get it right. The biggest sound bite we are going to need to focus on is the car crash. Obviously we can't actually crash the cars. We also can't call any emergency services. So we are going to have to make it as realistic as possible with sounds and editing. I was thinking we can recreate sirens in the background of the video with a megaphone. Usually there is a siren button on them, and I think Nico has one we can use. Now for the crash, it is going to be a little harder. I was assigned the job of figuring out the crash sound because of my interest in cars. So my plan is to use scrap metal and maybe rocks or soda cans. I can bang them against each other to create a metal crunching sound and a screeching sound. I can also try to slide my car around in a parking lot to get a tire screeching sound that is often associated with hard braking before a crash. I conside...

 Hi blog, today my group worked on getting everything we would need to film. First was the biggest prop, the cars. We decided to use my car as one of them. I drive a convertible which could allow for some really cool angles. I thought maybe a drone shot following from behind then going inside could be awesome to film. For the other car we will be using Nicolas' mom's car. We are also going to need the props to fake the drunkenness. Our best options are either an empty beer bottle or some type of labed placeholder. This task will be left up to Nicolas. Another prop needed could be fake blood. Our group is still working on the decision to use it or not. There is the issue of it being too graphic. If we do want to add blood, our options are virtual blood added in post, store bought blood, or a homemade mixture. If we want a less graphic accident, we may skip to a scene showing Tom with bandages or simply looking deceased. Finally, we might need to use makeup. I think it would add ...

 Hey blog. Today my group worked planning our first steps. We had a conversation about how we are going to film. There was the issue of gathering props and materials. The gathering was split into costumes and props. After a quick debate, the job was delegated to Nicolas for props. Then it was decided that everyone would get their own costumes. We also started planning our locations. There was a need for accessibility and the concern over noise level. If it was a busy place, it would be harder to film. My group does not have any professional microphones that can tune out sound. This took us about an hour of discussion to come up with a plan. In the end, there were several locations we picked out to film. Most were places we knew well. For example, my dad's office, or a park near my house. There was also Nicolas' neighborhood, Tom's community, and Nat's work. We haven't finished creating the full film schedule. It is very difficult to do with all the testing coming up...