Post-Production
Post-Production
The first step of my post-production process was logging all of the footage and labelling which videos were the best etc. After this was done, I started to compile the footage into a montage. This process took time, but it was vital I found the best sequence of shots which provided the best coverage of the car in a short amount of time. I was conscious I was editing to the pace of the music so made sure to use slower shots at points where the music is slower than other parts. From my research I understood that these types of videos are often fast paced with many quick transitions. During the shoot we attempted to do some transitions in camera e.g., whip pans, however these were unsuccessful. I then contemplated downloading some transition packs and using those transitions to keep the speed of the edit. Despite this I decided that I had done a good job at blending cuts in the edit and using too many transitions would distract from the images as the videos are quite short anyways; I still feel that the pace is fast and on par with other promotional car videos I have studied.
Going into the edit I knew there were certain effects I wanted to use in order to keep the intended pace I planned. One of these were speed ramps, as I knew I wanted to do these I planned for them appropriately in both pre-production and production. To achieve these, I needed to use a higher frame rate (instead of 25fps I used 50fps) this allowed me to increase the speed of certain videos in the edit. I think this was effective in the video as it allowed me to show the whole car in a few seconds. I also used this effect to speed up the interior screen animation as this too helped save time and maintain a snappy edit. Another thing I had to tackle was camera shake and stabilising this. I refrain from using warp stabiliser as much as possible as I don’t like how it can affect the image. Therefore, to try and rectify some camera shake I slowed the duration of some videos. This was not 100% successful but helped to disguise the shake a bit. I also used a few fades to black and fades into and out of music using keyframes where necessary.
Once I had a rough cut I was confident with, I decided to have a screening with the client. I wanted to ensure they were happy with the montage, pace and coverage before taking the edit into the colour grading process. The client was happy with the cut so far and were exited to see how it would progress through colour grading. I ensured them that they would get to see a second rough cut before receiving a final edit as it is vital they are satisfied with the product I am creating for them. I also had others view the rough cut, these included members of my target audience as I thought it important to check I was using the right aesthetic which appealed to this target audience. From this I received feedback on the pace of some clips, camera shake and colour (pre-colour grading) so these were all things I took into consideration.
I then began colour grading. To do this I decided to learn how to colour grade in DaVinci Resolve as this software is one of the best for colouring videos. This took a while but I watched some YouTube tutorials which taught me the basics. First, I began by exporting the Premier Pro file as an XML and importing the XML file into a timeline on DaVinci Resolve. This took some trial and error, but I eventually managed to make it work. I then began colour grading. Some of the main issues in the colour of my edit was that nothing looked distinctly black or white; there needed to be an increase in saturation and a pop in the mid-tones; and the red needed a punch as it looked too bleak. As everything in a normal image should live where it is supposed to, I began by adding ‘blacks’ to the images. I used the lift tool to make the darkest parts of the images a bit darker, making certain aspects appear black according to real life. This helped the bright red colour of the car pop. I then moved onto using the gain tool to make the brightest parts of the images brighter e.g., white elements appearing bright white. This too helped to create contrast between the reds and blacks throughout the images. I then went on to use the gamma and saturation tools to really make the vibrant red of the car pop and the image to feel warmer. There was a big difference between the raw clips and colour graded clips. The pace and popping red colour work in synergy to create excitement. To monitor all of these elements and ensure I was not over or underexposing any images I kept close attention on the colour scopes which also help to determine what colours are present in the images. After I had to export this project as an XML file again in order to put it back into Premier Pro and add in the final effects as some are not compatible with DaVinci Resolve. This whole process of colour grading in a new software was a massive learning point for me as I am relatively inexperienced at colour grading images and learning DaVinci provided me with the best tools to colour in a professional way. There were some teething issues at the beginning but once I got comfortable using the software, I found it easy and beneficial. I aim to learn colour grading in more depth for future projects.
After the initial rough-cut screening I also added in some downloaded overlays which consisted of lens flares and ‘god rays’. As I already had some natural lens flares I added some in where it felt necessary to keep my images concise and similar; I ensured these were discrete so they were not distracting from my images and appeared natural.
I also created a graphic for the end to make the commission feel more professional and corporate. For this I got a PNG image of the MG logo and imported this into After Effects. I then used the Bevel alpha tool to increase the edge thickness and light intensity of the logo. I then added a light sweep, which has a corporate style to it, I changed the angle of this so it moved in the direction I wanted it to. To make the logo look metallic and be in keeping with the motor industry I added a gradient ramp, put this effect above all the other effects and it created the desired look. The logo went through many different variations before I decided on a red colour to match the red throughout the video. I also made the logo appear 3D by selecting the 3D button and adding the bevel alpha effect to the logo and changing the edge thickness. I then duplicated the layer multiple times and changed the position value for the Z axis by 2 for every layer which created the 3D layers of the logo.
I then added some copy to the graphic which helps anchor the video and the fact it is a launch promo for a new car. I created the text, each line was on a different layer, and created a track matte for this to hide behind. The track mattes were underneath the lines I wanted them to cover. Under the track matte section for each shape, I selected “Alpha Inverted Matte” which turned the invisibility of the shape layer off. I moved forward a few frames and keyframed my position on all of the texts layers, I then moved to the beginning of my timeline and dragged all of the text layers down under the track mattes. This then animated the text to appear from behind the mattes. I did not entirely like this animation, so I decided to change this by using one colour matte to reveal all the text without the text actually moving. This was a lot simpler but looked better. I feathered the matte edge so this was not harsh. I also added the company website and company logo, for each of these I changed the opacity and had them gradually fade in over the course of the graphic. I thought this was a nice way to end the video.
Video References I Used
Colour Grading
Faris, C. (2019). Color Correction For Beginners - Basic Color Grading Concepts Tutorial In Davinci Resolve 16. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJnMkchydrM [Accessed 11 Dec. 2022].
McDonough, J. (2020). My Davinci Resolve Color Grading Process - Simple & Effective! [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPG-JmKGP3k [Accessed 11 Dec. 2022].
Sowden, J. (2021). How to export your film from Premiere Pro to DaVinci Resolve for coloring and back to Premiere Pro! [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IVQzX_ypKw [Accessed 11 Dec. 2022].
After Effects
Adobe Care (2022). how to feather mask in after effects - Google Search. [online] www.google.com. Available at: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+feather+mask+in+after+effects&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB996GB996&oq=how+to+feather+mask&aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57j0i512l2j0i22i30l5j0i15i22i30.6426j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:eee7abbc [Accessed 12 Dec. 2022].
Keyframe Academy (2019). Become a master of After Effects Text Animation (EASY). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJBwE2psOBU [Accessed 7 Dec. 2022].
SonduckFilm (2020). 3 Popular Logo Animation Techniques in After Effects | Tutorial. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McASqbIan_8 [Accessed 7 Dec. 2022].
TechnoMafia Visuals (2020). Clean 3D Logo Reveal Animation In After Effects | After Effects Tutorial | S05E01. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1HdX_Ab-7U&list=PL68xL1v2belWcZvGCoWH03DDfw7EmCvD6 [Accessed 7 Dec. 2022].
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