Thriller Opening: Editing

Editing

All of us had our own attempts at editing as we all have different visions and ideas of the outcome so using this as a base, we will then incorporate them into the final product.

I used Imovie to create my short clip which was inspired by the American horror Story opening credits where there are short cuts of close ups switching between one another. The sound used in this are added sound effects to build up suspense in the scene as the killer is watching the victim without her knowing and then following her into the steam room. The tone/colour of the film is quite faded and low in contrast giving a gloomy and sinister feel. 

To create the fast switching shots of the face, I reduced each frame to 0.1 seconds and also overlayed two shots on top of each other and adjust the opacity. The faded scene of the steam and the character also adds to the ambiguity of the identity of killer/victim.

This technique is called cross cutting or parallel editing where it portrays alternating two or more scenes that often happen simultaneously but in different locations. If the scenes are simultaneous, they occasionally culminate in a single place, in this case the killer is watching the victim but the victim is suspiciously looking around.

Suspense is added by cross-cutting. It is built through the expectations that it is open up for the viewers interpretation to determine what is happening in the scene. The rhythm of, or length of time between each cross-cuts can also set the tone of the scene. Increasing the rapidity between two different actions adds tension, much like in work of literature where the use of short declarative sentences gives a more striking effect.

Below are some attempts on editing including the credits, playing around with fonts, timing and positioning of the names. The aim is to make the credits disappear/dissolve resembling steam evapourating in the air which is the main element of the thriller.