Developing Filming and Editing Skills

 Here are some films me and a few other classmates made to demonstrate and practice our continuity editing skills.  Continuity editing is when a shot change looks seamless and the action that is being filmed logically continues as the shot changes. This is quite an easy editing technique to get right, especially if the filming is good quality, and can be quite satisfying to achieve a good sequence of continuity editing.

We experimented with a few different types of shot such as shots using a mirror, low shots and close ups on different parts of the body. It is important for us to practice using different types of shot because they will come in useful in the production of our music videos because music videos often use unusual shots.

Another important part of our filming we learned was to use the 180 degree rule. This is where the camera must never film anything over an imaginary straight line to simulate an audience sitting and watching a stage performance. However in filming our music videos it is okay to break this rule because music videos often defy pretty much all conventions of filming.

During the editing of Toilet Trouble II: The Sickqual we thought about the codes and conventions of music video editing. A basic convention in music video editing is to time cuts and movement with the beat and pace of the music.   We managed to time a lot of the shot changes and titles in time with the beat of the music. One piece of editing we are particularly proud of is the close up of the toilet door locking which is in time with a single piano note at about 0:13.