Research into editing software

To edit my video/trailer that i am producing I will be using an editing program for PC called Sony Vegas. I have decided to use this editing software upon production of my trailer as I am fairly familiar with the dynamics and features that the program has to offer, and have an already outstanding knowledge of skills needed to achieve an effective trailer. In this post I will look briefly into editing software and cover both the basics and more advanced videos of how to use programs such as the likes of Sony Vegas.

In this video above, this 'YouTuber' shows the basics of how to use Sony Vegas and covers how to import media, cut it, adjust and add features to your video. Although i already knew how to do all of this due to me using this program repeatedly over the last few years for both my hobbies and AS coursework, this helps to remind me of how to achieve the basic elements the program has on offer. Although this video covers Sony Vegas aspect, many of the skills are transferable and can be used within the editing stage of my main task.

In the next video i found on YouTube, this guy described how to make an effective horror movie upon the editing process stage. In this video, he uses Sony Vegas Pro 12 of which i have used on a regular basis and have available across a range of various different devices- it is a program that i am very familiar with. One of the key points i picked up from this video was that to make the trailer look unique and 'cinematic' you had to add widescreen bars, which essentially adds to black bars to the bottom and top of the frame to cut of some of the video to give it more of a film look rather than uploaded straight from the camera and unaltered. This however can also be achieved in Sony Vegas itself by clicking on properties and adjusting the frame whilst holding 'CTRL' - this may be the better option in this instance to avoid any confusion. However the widescreen bars can be loaded on top of the trailer with another video track to be consistent. I also learned that you had to play around with some of the settings when you edit your video to adjust the brightness of the video to give it a more darker look and feel- making it more effective. The darker the trailer usually is, it gives a scary or tense feeling. I also learnt how to reduce blurring of the video upon playback both in the editing program and when the film is finished, this is done by going into the properties, and reducing interflace flicker and disabling the resample

How to make a horror trailer

In this tutorial, it shows how to make a horror trailer and achieve the basics of making an effective horror movie in Sony Vegas Pro 12. With this video, it shows what to include in a typical horror movie such as the MPAA screen shown at the beginning of the trailer as well as the various features and sound effects to include. One of the key parts to a horror movie or any trailer is to introduce the film with a 'thud' sound effect to set the scene and suspense. I plan on using some of the conventions shown in this trailer in my own film when it comes to editing and filming to achieve an overall and sustained look of a horror trailer. 

How to film cars

This YouTube video helped me to understand how i can achieve smooth car shots when filming my trailer. Particularly at the start of my trailer, it begins with the group travelling to the location of filming, and I as a director want to show a few shots of the group in the car- with a variety of different shot types and angles. 

The method shown in the video is "How to film cars on a budget" and is achieved through the use of a piece of string (i.e. safety string) that you can attach to the camera to prevent it from falling and breaking, a suction cup which will be attatched to the side of the car, a camera of course to film the shots with, a car to shoot & also a car to shoot from (along with a friend). By filming the shots of the cars this way, it is a relatively simple and easy way to get steady rolling car shots, at a cheap price with no major expenses involved.