Week 4 ~ Media Arts ~ Editing

The 4 P’s: pre-production, production, post-production and presentation

“While screenwriters and directors are the first and second storytellers of a movie, editors are the third ones” (Moura, n.d)

Editing

The importance of editing became apparent as we watched the first cut of our film. Although the story was told, editing was essential to make sure the transitions were smooth and logical. To make the balloon move smoothly throughout the film we had to cut the clips, adjust the speed and consider the frame transitions. Another important aspect of editing was the addition of music and sound effects. The sound effects gave the film a comical mood so we decided to pair them with upbeat music. As a teacher I would highlight these principles of editing to students as they may be tempted to skim over detail, a mistake I made when I considered our work close to finished when in reality we had only just started.

After editing we were able to view each others’ first cuts and engage in the responding aspect of media arts. It was easy to comment on the films in relation to the curriculum including the elements of media arts with the character of a stressed child completing Naplan (ACARA, 2012). We could see the viewpoint of that child through the elements and story principles including close up shots of the child’s features, in a choppy, fluttering effect, showing anxiety. It was evident that the film makers were trying to communicate their concern over the pressure Naplan places on children. 

As Anderson and Jefferson (2009) considers, it comes naturally to engage with a literacy form we are so deeply immersed in. We comment on media forms that we experience everyday to our friends and family as we watch TV or share a video or image on the internet. It becomes evident that media arts provide an engaging and familiar means of developing skills for responding which can be transferred to the other art forms.

Source: Leglise, N. (2014)

Editing with my group on iMovie

Key Concepts

-       Media languages to tell stories

-       Technologies for producing, accessing and distributing media

-        Institutions that enable and constrain media production and use

-       Audiences for whom media arts products are made for and who respond to

-       Representations of the world based on shared social values and beliefs

Elements of media arts

-       Composition

-       Space

-       Time

-       Movement

-       Sound

-       Lighting

Story principles

-       Structure

-       Intent

-       Characters

-       Settings

-       Points of view

-       Genre conventions

Viewpoints

Occur within the contexts of societies, cultures and histories, combining an understanding of how elements, materials, skills and processes are used.

A video of our first edit, in comparison to week 13 where there are smoother transitions that create a more cohesive story to follow. 
(Source: Luu, 2014)

References

Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority. (2012). Learning in media arts. Retrieved (26/05/2014) from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/TheArts/Learning-in-Media-Arts

Anderson, M. & Jefferson, M. (2009). Teaching the screen: Film education for generation next. Allen & Unwin: Sydney.

Moura, G. (n.d). Principles of editing. Retrieved from: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/EDITING.ht
Luu, R. (2014, March 30). Journey of the balloon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR6ANdFFwQc