Swede Final Cut - Instant Family Dinner Scene

    Following the final cut for the scene being completed many of the issues which I noticed are interconnected with the issues I had elaborated on in my previous blog:

1. Poor Shot Labeling/Selection: Going into the advanced portfolio I will need to create a film that is 5 to 7 minutes in length, and as such will require far more takes/shots. The editing/organization process was prolonged by the fact that I didn't have any system to organize what order I needed to place the shots into. Next time I will have a checklist of what scenes happen in what order so I know when a scene is in place, and ensuring they're in the proper order.

2. Poor Trimming of Clips: This also slowed the creation of the final product as I needed to trim parts of the clip after they were already put into the editing software. It would've been easier to cut out the extra parts from each shot prior to putting them in the editing software.

    Nearly all of the issues I faced as cinematographer - and defunct editor - were due to a lack of proper planning. If I had done a better job ensuring clips were labeled properly, extra parts were cut out of shots, etc. the editing and finalization process would have been far more simple. Creating and using systems to keep myself - and the content I shoot - more organized is pertinent to a smoother and quicker editing and filming process during the advanced portfolio.

Filming/Rough Cut

     Following the first and only night of filming, I recognized 3 issues:

1. Lacking Shot Log/Plan: Despite having a folder of all the shots present within the scene they were not organized in a way that allowed me to quickly/easily know what shots would be taken from each setup. I scrolled through the folder of screenshots of each shot selecting each shot with an identical setup, and then deleting them after they were shot. This was not effective or efficient as I had missed a handful of scenes. Additionally, these shots lacked a description which slowed production even more as I had to rewatch parts of the scene to figure out what happened in each shot. This simply could've been avoided if I had taken the time to put together a script that also showed which setup that shot was using.

2. No Backup Battery: During the last 10 minutes of shooting I got a notification from the camera that it was low on battery. Due to this fact, we had to rush the last few shots, leaving no time for retakes. Thankfully the shots we took turned out good, but in the event we did not get all the shots we needed this would've been a major issue. Next time I just need to have a backup battery on hand to use.

3. Improper Focus: This only happened for a handful of shots, but what should've been the primary focus of the shot was not in focus. This occurred most notably when shooting the over-the-shoulder shot of my brother and Briana. Despite Briana being the intended primary focus of the shot, the background was in focus instead. This is a simple mistake with a simple solution - pay better attention to detail and ensure what's supposed to be in focus is in focus.

The Rough Cut: https://youtu.be/UUhCnfLk9N0?feature=shared

For some reason, it wouldn't let me imbed the video^