Experimental Editing

I struggled to create the idea. I looked into some experimental movies like Talk to her

by Almodovar and I wanted to use resized objects in my project but then I felt like it

is not enough. I watch Lost Highway by David Lynch and I start to think about

including straight lines with different angles in my project and then I started to think I

want the lines and shapes to repeat rhythmically and create composition. I added

Memento to my research and I know I am going to use time laps.

I use this experimental project as an opportunity to learn and practice effects I didn’t

know and always wanted to learn. As I was reading “Cutting Rythms. Shaping the

film edit” by Karen Pearlman I found the chapter about dancing edits the most

interesting. I started to follow his quote “editing is a choreography” and I decided to

use dance scene in my experimental project.

I took different approach to it. I filmed a dancer dancing to “If I rule the world” by

Nas and Lauren Hill. And in postproduction I swop the song to Moby’s “Why does

my heart” and I cut to the bit of it. Originally in my idea I wanted to use very strong

song with clear, and hard bit. But then I have decided that I want the song to work

only as a gentle background. I didn’t want to distract the viewer. I wanted the viewer

to be focused on the edits.

Initially, at the beginning of the clip the pair of screens show movement and next set

of screens is still. I wanted to cut set of screens with dark images next to set of screens

with light images. That idea of composition just came to my head when I was doing

paper edit. And I felt like it is good idea and I am going to use it.

I also had an idea of tinting clips but I dropped it after tinting couple of clips. It just

didn’t work for me, it looked fake and forced. Instead I tinted one clip using the

colour from the blue light in a background from previous frame.

I used split screens to stress the importance of the edit rather than the performance

and I used performance as a background – sort of a mirror – to my editing skills. I

experimented with framing. I used 3D wrap and opacity settings to create the effect of

performance being projected on the wall. I finally had chance to use the effect I saw

in film Dior and I.

I used sound displacement to leave the space for reflection. There were two moments

in the clip when I felt naturally like I want to pause because this clip is to much to

take on.

I wanted the colours to be pale and dull for same reason as music choice.

However, watching the video for thousands times I start to realise that I want to

reshoot it in a day time and make the colours more vibrant. My intention of making

music and colours neutral, turn into a little bit blended and boring.

Also for future I have to pay more attention to screens timing. There was a bit in

which one screen came on one second quicker than the other. Also initially I used

transitions. I am not a big fan of those and after watching them on screening day I

decided not to use them any more without strong reason.