Final Cut Pro X Guide

Throughout the duration of my AS and A2 media courses I will be using a programme called Final Cut Pro X which will help me organise and edit footage making it more aesthetically pleasing for the audience. I recently used Final Cut Pro when creating my short Kitkat Chunky film and I was able to get to know the basics of the application such as importing media and using simple transitions. In this post you will find a guide to Final Cut Pro X for beginners of which will explain how the programme works and how to use the key features of it.

Primarily, before we begin to import our media onto the app, we must create a new event which is just the same as starting a new document on a programme such as Microsoft word. This can be done by accessing File>New>Event or by right-clicking on the mouse and select 'new event' where you then have to name the event and select a place of storage on the apple device. After doing this,it is now possible for you to import media and begin editing. To import media, you have to simply select File>Import>Media which will then open the media import window and from here you can all connected devices and drives on your computer as well as any favourite locations that have been viewed most often. After deciding which clips you want to use on your event you need to highlight them and select 'import selected' at the bottom right of the application and there you want to store the media in the existing event. Furthermore, you are given two options of how to store the media: 'copy to library' or 'leave files in place'. In my opinion I find that, for beginners, it is more convenient to select the 'copy to library' option as it makes the media more organised and easier to edit when the time comes.

Now that all that is taken care of an out of the way, you are now able to create your video using your imported media which is stored in the browser. To display the clips on the timeline at the bottom you must simply select and drag the chosen clip onto the timeline in the order that you wish to display it. You can change the speed of a clip by selecting the re-timing button on the editing tool-bar and then click either 'slow' or 'fast' depending on how quick you want the clip to run. Putting the clip in slow motion can be used to capture a moment of emotion and drama as well as giving the audience a chance to process what they are seeing and make sense of scene.

 If you wanted to crop a piece of footage to reduce the size of it or perhaps focus in on a specific feature of the clip then you should highlight the clip and select the crop tool, this will allow you to click and drag the handles to crop the picture down to the desired size. zooming can  also be a goo technique to use when editing clips as it shows specific detail such as facial expression of a character. 

Zooming can be carried out by firstly using the blade tool to select a certain part of a clip that is going to be zoomed then clicking the Crop tool followed by the Ken Burns effect which essentially provides you with two windows. One will act as the start and the other will act as the end of the clip, you should move the smaller window to the area that you want to zoom in on. You will find that after doing this you can play the clip and it will zoom in on the selected area just as intended.

If you wanted a clip to be shorter than what it is then you must trim it by selecting the parts of the clip you want to keep and click Edit>Trim selected. The clip will get rid of any excess footage that is not wanted and the clip will be trimmed down to an ideal length. This tool can just be useful for if you don't want a certain part of the clip to be shown or if you just wanted the end product to be shorter.

Adding music and sound effects to a sequence can change the mood and effect how the audience processes media. To add soundtracks or sound effects to your music you first need to highlight your chosen clip and then select 'music and sound' where you have a list of Final Cut Pro X default music and sounds which you can then drag onto the timeline so it plays over the clip. If you wanted to get rid of the digetic sounds coming from the clip such as cars in the background then you need to select the clip and click on 'Clip' then 'detach audio' which will separate the sound from the footage and place the sound on the timeline where you can just simply delete it.

Thriller Sub-Genres

My group and I have chosen to do a thriller for our film opening sequence because it builds tension and creats suspense for the audience. In general I just think that the thriller genre will be the most exciting for our intended target audience. However, we must also considire what type of thriller movie we are going to make, I will be naming and explaining the codes and conventions for each thriller sub-genre.

Action Thriller- This type of thriller is one of the most popular and commonly watched sub-genre because it focuses on the action within a story as well as building tension. The action thriller tends to be common with a lot of audiences because of the visual appeal it provides them, for example, explosions, gun shots, blood and general violence. Examples of this sub-genre include: The hunger Games, Se7en and Casino Royal.

Crime Thriller- This subgenre focuses on crime and a violation of the law. In a lot of cases the story is from the criminal’s point of view and they are the narrator. Physical action and eluding the police is really common from the protagonist criminal character in these types of films while on the other side of the Law they attempt to gather evidence and try to discover the criminal. Examples of this type of film are, The Dark Knight Rises and Pulp Fiction.

 

Disaster Thriller- In this subgenre, a lot of the time, a natural disaster or freak accident is taking place, and the protagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, save people in the film, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course. Some good examples for this type of film are the Final destination sequals and San Andreas.



Psychological Thriller-  This perhaps is the most commonly reconised type of thriller. In this subgenre a lot of the conflict is mental, rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous conedrum of which threatens their sanity. They must overcome their opponent by using their mental skills and being smart. One of the biggest Psychological thrillers is the Saw sequal or maybe even The Shining.

Dramatic Thriller-  This sub-genre is quite different to the other types of thriller films in the sense that it shows the charracters emotions and what they're feeling on the inside a bit more. In these types of films ussually there has been a big event that occured and the main charracter is greatly effected by it. Also you will see that a lot of the time the main character is the antagonist as well as the protagonist because they are trying to overcome the events but at the same time their emotions prevent them from doing so and hold them back. Some examples of this Sub-genre include, Seven Pounds and This Is England.



Horror-thriller-  This is another common sub-genre because it normally combines scary, tension building scenes with a determined protagonist trying to deffeat the evil that is present. In these films, dark, low-key lighting is almost always used to connote evil or something sinister. Furthermore, the use of slow sound that gradually increases is common because it builds tension up to the big events in the film. Examples of Horror-thrillers are: Insideous, Sinister and The Visit.

Thriller Opening scene analysis- Seven Pounds (assessment)

As part of my AS Media Studies coursework I will be analysing the dramatic thriller- Seven Pounds which is about a man who tries to save the lives of seven people because of a recent event that is killing him inside. I would recommend this great film to anyone as it is thrilling in every way and has drama, romance and comedy as well as staring Will Smith. 

I think the purpose of this opening sequence was to hook the reader and make them psyched about enduring the whole of this dramatic film. When you put it into perspective, the first scene or first couple of scenes are the most important because they allow the reader to either keep watching or turn it off and watch something else. Ideally, the perfect opening scene forces the audience to keep watching as if they don't have a choice because then they know that they really want to watch and fully understand the film. As well as that, another intention of the director was to create tension and mystery to leave the audience engaged. Roland Barthes described several codes that are woven into narrative media texts. In this first scene, the Hermeneutic Code is present because you can see that some of the story is not yet fully explained which creates an element of mystery which is perfect for a dramatic thriller. Another one of the codes used is the Proairetic Code which essentially builds tension which is clearly shown in the first scene of Seven Pounds because it infers that something has happened to cause the character to behave this way and at some point we will find out what it is. This builds tension and creates excitement amongst the audience which is the main aim for the director and producer. In the first scene we can already see an outline of the plot for this film, the fact that the scene starts right in the middle of the climax and then switches to a different time zone implies that the narrative structure will contain lots of flashforwards and flashbacks which will change the chronology of the story. This repositioning of texts will influence the way the audiences will understand and interpret them.

The scene begins with the diagetic sound of the main character'so heavy breathing and the faint sound of the emergency service woman asking for the emergency. Immediately we know that something is wrong, already we can hear heavy breathing which indicates panic or fear and nothing has even been displayed on the screen as of yet. When the picture comes on screen we see a broken down Will Smith in a darkened atmosphere who tells the woman on the phone the problem at hand. It is especially surprising when the character states that the suicide is in fact his own which leaves the audience both confused and intrigued. Never the less, they are hooked into the thrilling film. The setting then changes and Will Smith's character is present. It's at this point when we realise that we just witnessed a scene that happens in the future which makes the audience ever more curious to find out why he was committing suicide and why he looked and sounded so broken.

In the film, the director used diagetic and non-diegetic sound to hook the reader and make them want and even need to endure the rest of the film. Firstly, the soundtrack in the background is slow and quiet to emphasise the sorrow and misery that the character is feeling. Next, the phone line, just after it's dialled, makes a long 'beep' noise as if to resemble a heart rate monitor in a hospital when the patient passes away. This foreshadows that Will Smith's character will in fact pass away. The Audience continue to be confused by this because it is not the norm for the main character to die in the film so they keep watching to find out the outcome. Moreover the speech from the character was very shaky as if to show real fear from him, in particular, when the woman said, "Who's the victim?" There was a three or four second gap before he answered with, "I am." This implies that the character might not want to commit suicide but has no choice we know this because he is hesitant to say he is the victim because he knows there's no going back.

Furthermore, the director uses a wide variety of camera shots and angles to portray different meanings and show different emotions in this scene. Primarily, at the start of the scene a close up shot is used on the characters face. The reason for this is because it allows us to focus on their facial expression which helps us understand how the person is feeling. For this instance, we can see the man's fear and worry on his face which indicates there is a real problem already in this film. The low camera angles when he is swimming to when he first starts walking up the steps shows power and superiority however, the camera angle then tilts and shows him walking up the steps from a wide high angle which shows him to be weak and maybe even alone. It also makes us think that maybe the character used to be superior and successful but now, because of whatever has happened, it's been taken away from him. Moreover, the lighting at the start of the scene is quite dark and low-key which adds to the sense of mystery when he is on the phone. The dark setting of Will Smith's character foreshadows the mood of the scene- dull, gloomy and deep.

Throughout the opening scene we see different sign which instigate varied things about the mood and emotions of the scene. First of all, the characters facial expression, when he is on the phone to the emergency services woman, is panicked and terrified which helps the audience to gain a bit of insight into the situation. It shows them that something is clearly wrong already in this story which is odd and confusing for them to understand considering it's not normal for the main character to be dying so early on. We see more semiotics used in this scene when the setting changes to him getting out of the see; there is a large house located on the beach that the character is walking up to as it's clearly his own possession. The fact that we are shown his grand and costly house so early on gives the reader more information about the background of this character which in my opinion is a really good idea because before this moment I can imagine the audience were quite intrigued to know more about Will Smith in this narrative as not a lot of information was revealed. Additionally, the character's clothes are another type of sign that we can interpret. The first time we see the main character in the light, where we can actually see him, is when he gets out of the sea after swimming. He wears nothing but swimming trunks leaving his body looked quite bare and exposed. This was actually intended as foreshadowing that the character is left with nothing after losing his wife. This of course is only understood by the audience once they have seen the whole film and have had time to process what they have seen so they can understand the director's thinking behind the scenes.

Overall, I think that this is a really effective opening scene for this dramatic thriller because it used the thriller conventions to build tension and create mystery for the reader. It essentially makes them want to watch on to see the outcome of the story. I think the fact the film begins right at the peak of the drama and action is especially effective because the audience will already know what to expect in terms of character emotion and thrilling drama.

Analysing Thriller scenes- Jaws

As I am making my own Thriller film trailer, I think it will be of some use to look closely at other existing thriller scenes and try to see how the conventions have been used in it. The film I will be analysing is the 1975 American thriller-Jaws. In this scene the shark has returned and claimed its second victim and I will be looking at why and how tension has been built up to that moment.

Throughout the scene, the audience are put in a position where they are made to think that a big event will soon take place. This is because as the film progresses tension is built up through different techniques used by the director. Firstly, during this scene you can see the look of concern and discomfort that Chief Brody has on his face, he also continues to look at the water as a precaution to the shark attacking the people in the sea. This is also the case when the girl in the sea starts screaming and the chief lifts out of his chair as if really worried.

The director foreshadows the sharks re-appearance when we see the man looking for his dog and shouting "Pipet"- the dog's name. Furthermore, the close-up of the dogs toy floating on the surface of the water further shows that the dog is gone. Our instincts suggest the shark is the cause for the dog's absence and suddenly we know the shark is present and in search of a new victim.  

The director's use of camera angles in this scene shows the characters reactions and emotions as well as the mood of the scene. Firstly, just after the boys gets attacked by the shark, a zoomed shot of Chief Brody's face is used to show the character's horror of what he has just seen. His facial expression and body positioning is completely static as if to maybe show how the situation is completely out of his hands and he may as well be still because there is nothing he can do to help. This makes the audience realise the danger of the situation because even the chief of the town can't do anything to stop the shark attack. Another effective camera angle is the shark eye view which is used to give the illusion to the audience that we are with the shark when it attacks which makes it seem more real and shows the danger once again.

One way the director builds up tension is through the change in lighting over the course of the scene, at the start, on the beach, the natural lighting from the sun is bright. However, when the camera switches into the sea the lighting changes; it is now a dark, dull and gloomy which could symbolise a sudden change in mood. The mood at the start of the scene is quite calm and relaxed which is from the natural bright lighting which gives this effect, when the camera turns to under the water the mood changes to almost a state of panic and danger because the dark water almost gives a gloomy and sinister effect.

Sound is used in the scene to create a similar sort of effect to the lighting- to build tension up to a big moment. The use of digetic and non-digetic sounds are very useful to build up tension. Firstly, the non-digetic sound of the jaws theme song builds up tension because the deep based tune starts off slow and gets louder as the shark approaches the victim. When the audience hears this specific tune they immediately know that the shark will make an appearance and attack another victim which makes the tune so effective. Secondly, the mood becomes more panicked after the attack on the boy which is understood by the audience from the digetic sound of people screaming and yelling on the beach front trying to get everyone out of the water.

Analysing thriller film posters- World War Z

In this poster the foregrounding image is of Brad Pitt who everyone recognises as a successful, emotive and good looking actor which draws the audience in immediately. The female gender in particular is drawn towards this film just because it stars Brad Pitt who is very popular with them.

Brad Pitt, on this poster, has his back turned to the camera and facing the action as if he is looking down on the drama happening below, giving us the idea that his charracter is a sort of protector or hero, this also shows in the way it looks as if he is shielding the audience from the action. The gun that is slung over the shoulder of Brad Pitt confirms the suspicions about the film being a thrilling, action-packed, war film with lots of fighting. The title- World War Z isn't very revealing as it doesnt give a lot away about the film apart from that it is based on some form of war which was already established from the forgrounding image.

Furthermore, the creator of the poster uses symbolism in the lighting of the image. As you can see low-key lighting has been used at the bottom of the poster to make it look gloomy, mysterious and daunting. The light colours towards the top of the poster contrast the low-key lighting at the bottom which could possibly signify that despite the oncoming carnage that we can see on the poster there' hope and the charracters will over come it. Furthermore, the dark lighting is a key convention of a typical thriller as it portrays mystery and a sense of something sinister.

The title at the bottom of the poster is well used as a method of persuasion to try and get people to watch the film. It leaves the audience wondering what the film could be about because 'World War Z' is a bit different to what we would usually see. The 'Z' in the film title, if you didn't know, stands for zombies but you can only really know this from watching the film or watching the film trailer. If the member of the audience had not seen or heard anything about this film it leaves them wondering and interpreting what the 'Z' means and what the film is about.