1. Editing Setup

2. Project timeline
I ensured that all of my layers were
visible whilst editing. I kept the timeline
in a “zoomed out” mode, so I could see
the length of each clip in relation to one
another, zooming into smaller sections
when I needed to accurately cut to
align the song audio with the singer’s
lip syncing.

3. Media Browser (library of
imported footage, light
leaks, audio and
adjustment layers)
I sorted my footage into folders based
on each shooting location. As my
narrative is fragmented, this made the
process of sourcing footage easier
during editing.

4. Preview Panel
The left preview panel was for reviewing
my footage before placing it into my
timeline. I would open multiple takes of
a shot in this panel in order to review
them. This enabled me to narrow down
my media library to the exact shots I
needed for editing, rather than
dragging every take onto the timeline
for review.

5. Project Panel
I kept the project preview panel at this size
for most of my editing process, as I needed
a large space for my timeline below to edit.
However, during the colour grading
process, I often enlarged the panel in order
to view the saturation adjustments I was
making, in more detail.

6. Effects Window
I rearranged the effects setup so that I had
tabs at hand for audio/video
transformations and colour editing. On
display here is the Lumetri Colour panel,
where I input LUT files and made necessary
adjustments to the exposure, saturation
and temperature of footage.

7. Effects Window
The second tab, for effects, replaced the
Lumetri Colour panel on the setup when I
needed to edit using dissolve patterns. The
effects folder also enabled me to fade
audio at the beginning and end of the
video.

8. Editing Process

9. To begin editing I placed the mp3 file of the
song, imported from iTunes, onto my
timeline. I wanted to fade into the song at
the beginning of the video, so I placed the
track at around five seconds.
Preceding the track, I placed a royalty free
audio clip (sourced from YouTube) of a vinyl
record crackling. I adjusted the duration to
seven seconds, and used audio transition
effects to fade this out at the song begins.

10. I organised all of my footage into folders
based on location, for ease of access.
Adhering to my storyboard, I dragged
the best takes of each shot onto my
timeline.
After producing a ‘draft’ timeline, I progressed onto making
more precise cuts to my footage. Whilst filming I ensured
that I hit record for each take before shouting “action,” so I
definitely captured all of the acting. Therefore, ‘space’ at
either end of each take had to be cut. In addition, the actors
broke character at the end of some shots, so I had to trim
clips for this reason.

11. Syncing my singer’s lip movements to the
audio was one of the most difficult parts of
production, as if the video was not synced
by a small fraction of a second, the ‘fake’
performance is more noticeable and the
video’s flow is interrupted. I adopted a trial-
and-error process of continually making
minor adjustments to footage placement
on the project timeline.

12. Light Leaks

13. I obtained light leak .MP4 files from the
online Rocketstock library. These files can
be imported over footage to create a more
emotive or cinematic effect, dramatizing
the lighting of a shot. I used light leaks in
most of my shots where the singer is lip-
syncing, to create a subtle ‘spotlight’ effect.
On the right is an unedited clip which I
later ‘blended’ into the footage below.
[PLAY VIDEO TO SEE CLIP]

14. To create a naturalistic lighting effect, the clip was flipped horizontally (so the light was
coming from the video) then the blending options were adjusted. To turn the black
background transparent I used the “screen” mode, then dropped the opacity of the clip
by approximately 50% to make its appearance more subtle.
[PLAY VIDEO TO SEE CLIP]

15. Colour Grading