Editor

My role for this certain project is an editor. It is a role that interrests me, but I don't have many skills in it. That is why I have decided to give it a try and improve my abilities.

Editor is supposed to cut and, well, edit every single shot the cameramen got and decides what shot comes after the other. They also have to make sure the whole film is smoothly edited, making it so that normal eye won't notice the cuts (much). There are also special effects taking place, and colour "repair" as well.

I see this as a challenge. This will be my second short film editing and I am nervous and interested in what it will turn out to be.

New York at night - ideas

New York at night:

Ideas:

·         Darker, showing the worst parts of city, yet with a sense of belonging (this city is the worst, but it is my city)

·         Actor could be only one, with no words, discovering the corners of Cardiff and being lethargic, sad, and deep in thought.

·         Nature leaves the city, rejects man

·         A siluette of a man/woman is the city showing us it’s heart (city centre)

Shots:

·         Camera shots of driving

·         Center of Cardiff – spinning motion?

·         Ideal would be in black and white, with the actor/thing in focus in colour (not sure how to do that in a video)

·         Shots on Cardiff Clock tower – showing the time still moving forward

Sound:

·         Sirens of Ambulance

·         Clock ticking/whole hour

·         Heart beating [?]

·         A sharp sound of a piano key at the end (nature rejects man), showing the city, dramatical effect

Verse	Ideas
A near horizon whose sharp jags Cut brutally into a sky	Sunrise, reflection of a skyscraper (or a really tall building) in a puddle of water, Opening shot overlooking Cardiff, instead of birds chirping the sound of planes
Of leaden heaviness, and crags Of houses lift their masonry	Smoke, chimneys, A factory, a pile of bricks, abandoned houses/depressive houses that are the same, pressed into each other,
Ugly and foul, and chimneys lie And snort, outlined against the gray	Fogs, steams, bad climate/air, chimneys again (?), trash, shot up into the greyness of the sky in contrast to the tall city buildings
Of lowhung cloud. I hear the sigh The goaded city gives, not day	The steam going up, into the sky. Tilting camera to underline the point. Slowly going into night. Actor could appear.
Nor night can ease her heart, her anguished labours stay.	She is in the city. Show of breathing. Shots from car, showing the traffic, train (?), Actor can appear.

Verse	Ideas
Below, straight streets, monotonous, From north and south, from east and west,	Crossroad, showing all possible directions (N,S,W,E), shots in neigh borough area,  showing the same streets in different directions
Stretch glittering; and luminous Above, one tower tops the rest	Definitely dark now. Showing the light of the city. Could be not focused. Could show it focusing. Actor’s siluette overlooking the lights.
And holds aloft man's constant quest: Time! Joyless emblem of the greed	The siluette of the man in front of the clock tower. Between this and the previous verse could be a pause in narrating. Showing the siluette to be walking. In front of the clock camera tilting upwards. The sound of full hour (?)
And holds aloft man's constant quest: Time! Joyless emblem of the greed	The sound of full hour (?), Showing the building of museum, city hall (showing greed)
Of millions, robber of the best Which earth can give, the vulgar creed	No idea. Maybe showing shops and shoppers? The siluette still there.  Probably will need something more climactic
Has seared upon the night its flaming ruthless screed.	Unfocused street lamp(?), electronical advert

Verse	Ideas
O Night! Whose soothing presence brings The quiet shining of the stars.	Tilting camera upwards, to see the stars (if possible) with some tall building in the shot, no sound
O Night! Whose cloak of darkness clings So intimately close that scars	Cardiff bay, showing dark with lights in the background, siluette still here, hugging itself, piano sound (?)
Are hid from our own eyes. Beggars By day, our wealth is having night	Birds, fish, any animal, barks/pleas in the background, (some shot of blindfolded eyes?), close up of a hand touching the ground/pillar (?)
To burn our souls before altars Dim and tree-shadowed, where the light	Shot of Church, best if it’s illuminated. Shadows of trees before the church. Sound ob bells ringing (?)
Is shed from a young moon, mysteriously bright.	Clock shot, Moon shot, Something round that shines, blackness around

Verse	Ideas
Where art thou hiding, where thy peace? This is the hour, but thou art not.	Looking at crowds from a distance, if sound then muted, bells ringing
Will waking tumult never cease? Hast thou thy votary forgot?	Still looking at crowds, maybe rotation of camera to make a point
Nature forsakes this man-begot And festering wilderness, and now	Some dead trees, plants, indicates nature leaving, show the factory instead
The long still hours are here, no jot Of dear communing do I know;	Last shots overlooking the city, still with the silluette overlooking it.
Instead the glaring, man-filled city groans below!	Break of vision (like shards of mirrors breaking apart), the sound of the piano key screeching

New York at night - inspiration

Here are several things I thought to be inspiring to use in shooting. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsec4hWZz2M – a video from a car showing New York at night

Bays in New York – showing the possibility for us to use water shots.

A shot from above showing the whole city – while doing the same in Cardiff would not have the same effect as in NY, it could still create good atmosphere.

A foggy night at NY – a good idea to use. If Cardiff gets any fog it could be usable. Otherwise, we could improvise and use a steam from a cup to create a fog for the shot.

Cardiff Clock Tower – a good clock we could film and then catch sound from.

A man/woman overlooking the city. The idea is that the person IS the city, looking at the people.

Our Chosen Poem

Welcome Your Confusion as a Guest

Walk swiftly in the wet November day, 

On the sidewalk that is pink from the sun,
 Somewhere in New York. 

Watch puddles tremble in the street 

As the cars move over them. 

You hold your jacket tight around you,

It is soft and warm against your body 

And the wind is cold across your cheeks. 

Traffic lights glow green and red, 

And the street lights are yellow. 

And you walk slowly, slowly. 

It has stopped raining and your head is bare.

Listen to your footsteps on the wet November sidewalk.

Watch the lights go on in buildings. 

You tremble 

Like puddles on the asphalt street. 

You cry 

Like the noise of traffic 

Muted by the rain.

Analysing Poems 2

Below is the analysation of the poem "Welcome Your Confusion as a Guest", which is the poem the group has chosen to represent in our video.

Welcome Your Confusion as a Guest (by Ellen Reiss)

Walk swiftly in the wet November day, (Pacing quickly down a busy street)
On the sidewalk that is pink from the sun, (Sun reflection on pavement)
Somewhere in New York.
Watch puddles tremble in the street
As the cars move over them. (Cars carelessly driving over puddles)
You hold your jacket tight around you, (Zipping up/tugging at jacket)
It is soft and warm against your body
And the wind is cold across your cheeks. (Close-up of face, hair blowing in the wind)
Traffic lights glow green and red, (Cars waiting at traffic lights)
And the street lights are yellow. (Sunlight adorning street?)
And you walk slowly, slowly. (Pace becomes slower)
It has stopped raining and your head is bare. (Person listening to music through headphones, blank expression on face)
Listen to your footsteps on the wet November sidewalk. (Close-up of feet, flash back to dancing)
Watch the lights go on in buildings. (Lights represent the realisation)
You tremble (Newspaper clipping/news report dialogue etc.)
Like puddles on the asphalt street. (Puddles shaking)
You cry (Close-up of tears rolling down face)
Like the noise of traffic
Muted by the rain. (Cut to black, music comes to an abrupt stop)

More ideas

• Colour shots to represent the present
• Black and white shots to represent the past
• Tribute to David Bowie; the beginning of the poem is a celebration of his life and music whereas by the end, the video slows down and his passing is represented through newspaper clippings/reports and the main character's emotions
• Audio: Use of short song clips mixed with street ambience (cars, people, rain, etc.) and also some use of news report dialogue mixed with the poem reading. [Video goes from loud and cheerful to dramatic and quiet.]

-By Scarlett Clarke

Analysing Poems 1

As the camera operator, I took a slightly different approach to analysing the poems than my fellow group members. I thought about examples of shots we could potentially use, as well as supporting my ideas with a few images. Below is the original analysation of the poem "New York at Night" that I did...

New York at Night (by Amy Lowell)

Verse 1
A near horizon whose sharp jags
Cut brutally into a sky (sunset in an empty, abandoned area e.g. coast)

Of leaden heaviness, and crags 

Of houses lift their masonry
Ugly and foul, and chimneys lie (neatly aligned homes viewed from a hill e.g. valleys)

And snort, outlined against the grey
Of lowhung cloud. I hear the sigh (clouds, fog, grey skies)

The goaded city gives, not day
Nor night can ease her heart, her anguished labours stay. (a female silhouette in the sunset)

Verse 2
Below, straight streets, monotonous,
From north and south, from east and west, (view of a village by day)

Stretch glittering; and luminous (view of village by night)

Above, one tower tops the rest
And holds aloft man's constant quest: (taller building that stands out e.g. church/cathedral)

Time! Joyless emblem of the greed
Of millions, robber of the best
Which earth can give, the vulgar creed
Has seared upon the night its flaming ruthless screed. 

Verse 3
O Night! Whose soothing presence brings
The quiet shining of the stars. (the night sky)
O Night! Whose cloak of darkness clings
So intimately close that scars
Are hid from our own eyes. Beggars
By day, our wealth is having night (people drinking/celebrating, spending money)

To burn our souls before altars
Dim and tree-shadowed, where the light
Is shed from a young moon, mysteriously bright. (more night sky, with focus on the moon) 

Verse 4
Where art thou hiding, where thy peace?
This is the hour, but thou art not.
Will waking tumult never cease?
Hast thou thy votary forgot?
Nature forsakes this man-begot
And festering wilderness, and now
The long still hours are here, no jot
Of dear communing do I know;
Instead the glaring, man-filled city groans below! (bustling city streets, people and cars)

-By Scarlett Clarke