Here is the final cut of my Drama- "Joshua Jones Directs Breaking Bad"
Friday, 26 February 2016
Directions: The Self-Portrait
Here is the final cut of my Self-Portrait: "Static- A Self-Portrait Directed by Joshua Jones"
Directions: Project Evaluation
PRE-PRODUCTION
For my final part of pre-production on the drama I broke down the script and started working on costume design.
Whilst doing all of this, I spent some time doing pre-production work on my Self-Portrait. Before thinking about what I was going to do, I spent some time researching Self-Portrait films. I found four very interesting portraits that all had different themes and styles. Not too long after completing my research, I had an idea, which I wrote about here.
After I knew what my idea was, I began carrying out research to help aid me. I looked at a few Film Riot tutorials on some smoke and lighting techniques, as they linked to my initial ideas. I then spent some time preparing for the shoot. This involved creating mood boards; looking through old photo albums; rebuilding sets and props from old projects; writing a script; testing some shots; and creating a shot list.
Overall I think my pre-production process was very effective in aiding the final product. I did more pre-production on these two films, than I have ever done on anything before. I think my additional research into techniques and television programmes helped me direct my own vision, as it allowed me to think about what has been done before and how I could work with it, and re-imagine it. I think my research into other self-portraits helped me understand what a self-portrait was and what they tended to be about. This allowed me to develop my own ideas. And finally I think all of the pre-production paperwork I did helped me stay organised and helped me keep my actors up to date, which ultimately meant that the shoot day went very smoothly.
Once all of my pre-production was complete, it was time to start production. I had created scripts; shot lists; character profiles; costume design documents and more, so I knew I was ready to start filming.
Filming got off to a bad start because bad winds had mucked up train times, meaning my camera op and one of my actors were late. However, because I had created a pretty tight schedule, I was able to see what I could move around to keep us on track.
After arriving at the location we set up, I briefed the cast and crew, and we got started. We had a couple of rehearsals and then Gus, my actor, was ready to go. Chris was brilliant and we were able shoot all of his half of the scene on ahead of schedule, which meant we had time for a few extra shots.
Not long after finishing with Chris, Philip, my second actor, arrived early. After a short break, I briefed the cast and crew and we got started. For this part of the scene we had to shoot all of the shots that had both actors in them. Once this was done, Chris headed home and we took lunch.
After lunch we began shooting Philip's half of the scene. Unfortunately due to extreme wind, we had to change his location in the scene, which meant some of our shots from earlier in the day were unusable. After running Philip through the scene, we began shooting. He was great and again we finished early, meaning we had time to get extra coverage. Then we were done with Scene 2.
That afternoon we headed to our second location and began shooting Scene 1. It was still very windy, so I knew I wouldn't get any usable sound. Luckily, there was no dialogue in this scene, so if I didn't get any sound, it wasn't a major issue.
After running Philip through the scene, we began shooting, starting with the interior shots. Once these were complete, we moved outside and shot the second half of the scene. After running Philip through this part of the scene, we began filming and not long after that we were done, with two hours to spare. We grabbed a few extra shots, packed up, and headed off. The next day I did come back to the location to grab another shot, as one from the shoot day wasn't usable.
To see more about filming the Self-Portrait, go here.
The next day, I began filming my Self-Portrait. I began by setting up the location. I used my bedroom but I didn't want it to look how it normally does. I removed a lot of things to make space; I then hung up old photos; I placed a few of my film props around the room; I used some lamps and LED strips to light the room; and finally I filled the room with fog.
Once the room was set up I began filming. I went around my room, filming each section. It was pretty simple, I didn't try and do anything too crazy. For the final shots, that I am in, I asked my brother to operate the camera, as he knows my shooting style. Finally, I sat down and shot the stop-motion opening, which took a while. After all of this, I was done.
Overall I think filming for both films went really well. I didn't really encounter any major issues, apart from the wind during the drama filming. I had to think on my feet at all times when shooting the drama, to come up with ways to work around the wind. I decided I would do a complete sound edit in post, meaning I didn't worry about capturing too much sound on location, apart from the dialogue. I think I was a good director. The actors said afterwards that I did a good job and that they hadn't worked with anyone like me before, but they enjoyed it. I think they always knew what was going on and they knew the characters and the script inside out. For the Self-Portrait I think I did a good job maintaining one vision throughout, even the parts I didn't shoot, and I beleive this is because of my directing abilities, which I have learnt throughout this unit. Overall I think production for both films couldn't have gone better.
I started this unit knowing I wanted to direct Breaking Bad, and so I was constantly think about which scenes I could do. I spend some of my christmas holiday rewatching every episode of Breaking Bad. As I did this I kept a list of every scene I could choose. By the time we started term 2, I had decided which scenes I was going to do, which can be found here. Now that I had chosen my scenes, I had to start writing the script and start thinking about preparing for the shoot. I started to think about how I could apply my own vision to the show and my initial idea was to direct it as though it was a British adaptation.
Next I wrote the script and started looking for possible locations. I found the script writing very easy as all I had to do was watch my chosen scenes back and write down what I could see and hear. However, I did have to think carefully about scene descriptions as I had to come up with them myself and adjust them so they fitted my idea of the scene, not the original. In terms of locations, I was looking for an industrial site and a small, quiet street.
Next I began looking for actors to play my characters. To do this I posted an ad on Casting Call Pro. I also decided what my final locations would be and started writing the second draft of my script. A few weeks are posting my ad, I had my final cast. Over the next few weeks I began working on preparing for the shoot. I made and bought props; I prepared call sheets and shot lists; and I created character profiles.
Whilst doing all of this I was constantly carrying out research to help develop my knowledge and skills. I looked at directors like Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams; and I looked at tv shows like Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead. I also spent some time looking at Breaking Bad's visual style, sound design and directors. And finally I continued to use Film Riot tutorials to develop my practical/production skills.
Throughout the pre-production process I spent some time taking part in workshops to help develop my camera/sound/lighting skills and my directing skills. This included workshops on using the Canon 7D camera; workshops on using location lighting kits; and directing workshops with Steve Finn.
Throughout the pre-production process I spent some time taking part in workshops to help develop my camera/sound/lighting skills and my directing skills. This included workshops on using the Canon 7D camera; workshops on using location lighting kits; and directing workshops with Steve Finn.
For my final part of pre-production on the drama I broke down the script and started working on costume design.
Whilst doing all of this, I spent some time doing pre-production work on my Self-Portrait. Before thinking about what I was going to do, I spent some time researching Self-Portrait films. I found four very interesting portraits that all had different themes and styles. Not too long after completing my research, I had an idea, which I wrote about here.
After I knew what my idea was, I began carrying out research to help aid me. I looked at a few Film Riot tutorials on some smoke and lighting techniques, as they linked to my initial ideas. I then spent some time preparing for the shoot. This involved creating mood boards; looking through old photo albums; rebuilding sets and props from old projects; writing a script; testing some shots; and creating a shot list.
Overall I think my pre-production process was very effective in aiding the final product. I did more pre-production on these two films, than I have ever done on anything before. I think my additional research into techniques and television programmes helped me direct my own vision, as it allowed me to think about what has been done before and how I could work with it, and re-imagine it. I think my research into other self-portraits helped me understand what a self-portrait was and what they tended to be about. This allowed me to develop my own ideas. And finally I think all of the pre-production paperwork I did helped me stay organised and helped me keep my actors up to date, which ultimately meant that the shoot day went very smoothly.
Once all of my pre-production was complete, it was time to start production. I had created scripts; shot lists; character profiles; costume design documents and more, so I knew I was ready to start filming.
Filming got off to a bad start because bad winds had mucked up train times, meaning my camera op and one of my actors were late. However, because I had created a pretty tight schedule, I was able to see what I could move around to keep us on track.
After arriving at the location we set up, I briefed the cast and crew, and we got started. We had a couple of rehearsals and then Gus, my actor, was ready to go. Chris was brilliant and we were able shoot all of his half of the scene on ahead of schedule, which meant we had time for a few extra shots.
Not long after finishing with Chris, Philip, my second actor, arrived early. After a short break, I briefed the cast and crew and we got started. For this part of the scene we had to shoot all of the shots that had both actors in them. Once this was done, Chris headed home and we took lunch.
After lunch we began shooting Philip's half of the scene. Unfortunately due to extreme wind, we had to change his location in the scene, which meant some of our shots from earlier in the day were unusable. After running Philip through the scene, we began shooting. He was great and again we finished early, meaning we had time to get extra coverage. Then we were done with Scene 2.
That afternoon we headed to our second location and began shooting Scene 1. It was still very windy, so I knew I wouldn't get any usable sound. Luckily, there was no dialogue in this scene, so if I didn't get any sound, it wasn't a major issue.
After running Philip through the scene, we began shooting, starting with the interior shots. Once these were complete, we moved outside and shot the second half of the scene. After running Philip through this part of the scene, we began filming and not long after that we were done, with two hours to spare. We grabbed a few extra shots, packed up, and headed off. The next day I did come back to the location to grab another shot, as one from the shoot day wasn't usable.
To see more about filming the Self-Portrait, go here.
The next day, I began filming my Self-Portrait. I began by setting up the location. I used my bedroom but I didn't want it to look how it normally does. I removed a lot of things to make space; I then hung up old photos; I placed a few of my film props around the room; I used some lamps and LED strips to light the room; and finally I filled the room with fog.
Once the room was set up I began filming. I went around my room, filming each section. It was pretty simple, I didn't try and do anything too crazy. For the final shots, that I am in, I asked my brother to operate the camera, as he knows my shooting style. Finally, I sat down and shot the stop-motion opening, which took a while. After all of this, I was done.
Overall I think filming for both films went really well. I didn't really encounter any major issues, apart from the wind during the drama filming. I had to think on my feet at all times when shooting the drama, to come up with ways to work around the wind. I decided I would do a complete sound edit in post, meaning I didn't worry about capturing too much sound on location, apart from the dialogue. I think I was a good director. The actors said afterwards that I did a good job and that they hadn't worked with anyone like me before, but they enjoyed it. I think they always knew what was going on and they knew the characters and the script inside out. For the Self-Portrait I think I did a good job maintaining one vision throughout, even the parts I didn't shoot, and I beleive this is because of my directing abilities, which I have learnt throughout this unit. Overall I think production for both films couldn't have gone better.
POST PRODUCTION
To see more about editing the Self-Portrait, go here. To see more about editing the Drama, go here.
To see more about editing the Self-Portrait, go here. To see more about editing the Drama, go here.
I began this process by editing the Self-Portrait, as that required less work. I began the process by assembling a rough cut, which pretty much involved putting the footage in order and fine tuning the cuts. After the rough cut viewing I began working on the sound design, which involved using the clip mixer to mix all of the sound layers together, adjusting balance and dB levels. I also began working on the stop-motion sequence but eventually decided not to use it. Next I added in some glitch effects. And finally I did some colour correction using the RGB curves and Lumetri Scopes. After the fine cut viewing, no changes had to be made.
Next I started working on the drama. I split the piece into separate sequences to make editing it more organised. I then assembled a rough cut, which involved putting all the shots in order and fine tuning the cuts.
Next I started working on the sound design for Scene 1. This was a long process, as I had no sound to use from the shoot day. I downloaded all of my sounds from the YouTube Audio Library. Then I used the clip mixer to mix all of the sounds, along with my music, together, adjust balance and dB levels. Finally I colour corrected and graded all of the footage.
And then did the same for Scene 2. Finally I created my opening titles and closing credits.
After the rough cut viewing, I made a few changes to some cuts and some of the sound design in Scene 1. I also went out a shot an additional shot for Scene 2. Then after the fine cut viewing, I adjusted a few more cuts and the final cut was ready.
Overall I think the post production process went really well. I didn't encounter any major issues. I had a lot of footage to work with, which meant I had lots of angles to choose from. In terms of sound design, I think I did a good job covering the fact that I had no location sound, apart from the dialogue. For both films I think I cut them together very tightly, and I think I was able to maintain my own vision throughout. I'm very happy with the final films.
Next I started working on the drama. I split the piece into separate sequences to make editing it more organised. I then assembled a rough cut, which involved putting all the shots in order and fine tuning the cuts.
Next I started working on the sound design for Scene 1. This was a long process, as I had no sound to use from the shoot day. I downloaded all of my sounds from the YouTube Audio Library. Then I used the clip mixer to mix all of the sounds, along with my music, together, adjust balance and dB levels. Finally I colour corrected and graded all of the footage.
And then did the same for Scene 2. Finally I created my opening titles and closing credits.
After the rough cut viewing, I made a few changes to some cuts and some of the sound design in Scene 1. I also went out a shot an additional shot for Scene 2. Then after the fine cut viewing, I adjusted a few more cuts and the final cut was ready.
Overall I think the post production process went really well. I didn't encounter any major issues. I had a lot of footage to work with, which meant I had lots of angles to choose from. In terms of sound design, I think I did a good job covering the fact that I had no location sound, apart from the dialogue. For both films I think I cut them together very tightly, and I think I was able to maintain my own vision throughout. I'm very happy with the final films.
OVERALL EVALUATION: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS
- Strengths-
- My organisation skills made preparing for the shoot very easy. I was able to produce detailed call sheets and schedules that ensured my cast and crew knew what they were doing at all times. I was able to sort locations out ahead of time, meaning I didn't need to worry about not having anyway to shoot.
- My overall production skills were very good. I ensured everyone knew what they were doing. I rehearsed the scenes with the actors before shooting anything to ensure they knew how I wanted them to act the scene out, which helped keep continuity. I stayed in contact with my DOP at all times to ensure that she knew how I wanted each scene to be shot. I also allowed her to have some creative input as I believe that having input from others, who may see a scene from a different perspective, can be really useful.
- My editing skills came in handy, especially as I had a lot of footage to cut together. My sound design skills were very useful. especially considering the fact that I had no location sound. And finally my colour correction and grading skills came in handy, as I needed to match the Breaking Bad style, not only by framing the shots in a certain way, but by colouring the shots in a certain way as well.
- I think my directing skills were good. I applied everything I learnt throughout the unit. My actors enjoyed working with me and said I was a good director, which is always a positive. Everyone knew what they were doing, and understood my vision. I think this comes across well on screen.
- Weaknesses-
- I think one of my weaknesses was trying to direct my own vision, when I was applying to something that already existed. I found that some of my shots were very similar to the ones used in the original scene, and I believe this was because I couldn't get that image out of my head when deciding on my own framing.
- I should have thought more about sound before booking equipment. I decided not to book out a boom mic, which would have come in handy in the windy conditions I ended up filming in.
- Possible Development- What did I learn?
- If I were to do this again:
- I would book out everything I think I need, and not restrict my equipment because I didn't want to carry too much around.
- I would not spend too much time focusing on the original scene, instead I would try and focus more on my vision of the scene, to avoid and copycat shots.
- And finally, I would try filming something a little more challenging than the scenes I chose. I need to step out of my comfort zone more.
CONCLUSION
Overall I am very happy with the final product. I think I cut together two good films, that I can be proud of. I think the reason for this, is all of the pre-production work I put into this unit, compared to the last unit, where I should have done more research. To summarise, I think the two films are very good, and I think this is down to good sound design; good acting; a great script, written by the brilliant writers of Breaking Bad.
Thursday, 25 February 2016
Directions: The Real Breaking Bad VS My Breaking Bad
Once I had the final cut of my drama, I could compare it to the original scenes from Breaking Bad.
Here are the comparisons (Breaking Bad on the left, my Breaking Bad on the right).
SCENE 1
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| Frame match |
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| Frame match |
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| Frame match |
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| Frame match |
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| Frame match |
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| Classic Breaking Bad Style Wide Shot |
SCENE 2
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| Frame match |
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| Frame match |
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| Frame match |
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| Breaking Bad style POV shot |
Directions: Fine Cut Feedback
After taking on all the feedback from the rough cut viewing, I put together a fine cut of my Drama and Self-Portrait, and showed them to Simon for some final feedback:
DRAMA
DRAMA
- Adjust one of the shots when Gus is looking in Walt's direction as the head movement between the two shots does not match.
- Change the point at which the bomb is revealed, as it is currently comes in too early.
- Apart from those small changes, everything else is fine.
SELF-PORTRAIT
- No changes need to be made.
- The sound design is very good.
CHANGES TO MAKE
- Adjust the cutting point on the shots of Gus looking around, so the head movement is the same in both shots.
- Move the reveal of the bomb further down the timeline.
Directions- Rough Cut Feedback
After putting together a rough cut of my Drama and Self-Portrait, I showed them to Simon for some feedback:
DRAMA
SELF-PORTRAIT
CHANGES TO MAKE
DRAMA
- Change a part of the sound design in Scene 1. Currently the ambience is the sound of crickets in the distance. This feels to American, and I have chosen to direct Breaking Bad as though it is British.
- Change the build up music in Scene 1. When Walt walks towards the house, a piece of music helps to build tension. The current track doesn't work very well or fit with the rest of the scene.
- Add a shot of the bomb under the car in Scene 2. If you haven't seen the episode, you don't know there is a bomb under the car, and so I need to show that.
- Edit some of the cuts in Scene 2 to make it even tighter. E.g. As Walt ducks down inside the car, it needs to cut to him quicker.
- Adjust the shot that shows Gus approaching the car as it can confuse the audience a little because of the angle it was shot at.
- Apart from those small changes, everything else is fine.
SELF-PORTRAIT
- Work on the sound design as it currently has no sound at all.
- Apart from that the visuals are absolutely fine. Has a very Spielberg like feel to it.
CHANGES TO MAKE
- Replace the cricket sounds with something more British.
- Replace the build up music in Scene 2 with something that fits better.
- Go out and film a shot of the bomb under the car to add it later.
- Edit some of the cuts, make them tighter.
- Adjust the shot of Gus approaching the car.
- Work on the sound design for the Self-Portrait.
Directions: Editing- Drama
Once all the filming for my Drama was complete, it was time to edit. I have not gone into too much detail here as a lot of the work involved tiny fine tuning details.
EDITING: DRAMA
I began the edit by importing all of my footage into Adobe Premiere Pro. I then used the bins to organise all of the footage and audio. For example, I had a bin for each scene; a bin for all the separate audio; a bin for the sound effects; and a bin for the music. I also created five sequences to work in: Scene 1, Scene 2, Sync Clips, Credits, and Final Cut. Next I went through each clip and created an in and out point for the sections I thought I could use in the final cut.
OPENING TITLES AND CREDITS
EDITING: DRAMA
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| Some of the bins |
I began the edit by importing all of my footage into Adobe Premiere Pro. I then used the bins to organise all of the footage and audio. For example, I had a bin for each scene; a bin for all the separate audio; a bin for the sound effects; and a bin for the music. I also created five sequences to work in: Scene 1, Scene 2, Sync Clips, Credits, and Final Cut. Next I went through each clip and created an in and out point for the sections I thought I could use in the final cut.
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| The sequences |
SCENE 1
Step 1: Assembly
Next I started to assemble the footage in Scene 1. I didn't worry about fine tuning any cuts yet, I just wanted to get all of my shots in order. I went through the footage and selected the shots I wanted, and then assembled them in the sequence. Whilst I was assembling the footage I noticed that, as I had expected, the extreme wind had ruined all of the sound, even the shots inside the car because we had to shoot from outside the car. I will have to fix this later when working on the sound design.
Step 2: Fine Tuning
Next I watched the sequence back and began fine tuning the cuts, using the ripple delete and rolling edit tools. I adjusted the cuts, and swapped a few shots around. After viewing the opening shot back, I decided it didn't look very good. The wind meant that the shot was very shaky, and so I went back the next day and filmed the shot again, using the same car. Because it is shot from a distance, I didn't need to worry about getting my actor to come back.
Step 3: Sound Design
Next I began working on the sound design. This was a very important step as I had none of my original sound to work with. Before starting, I went out to the car I used are recorded the sounds of the engine being turned on and off, as I didn't do this on the shoot day. I then went onto the YouTube Audio Library and downloaded all of the sounds I thought I could use.
Once I had done all of that, I began putting the sound into the sequence. I started by adding in my ambience sounds which were the sound of crickets in the distance and the sound of a light breeze in the air. Next I added in all the foley sounds, like Walt's footsteps and the sounds of his movement inside the car (e.g. handbrake pull, ignition key turn). Then I added in all the sound effects, like Walt's phone ringing; and the sound of the car as it pulled into frame. Finally I added in the dialogue, which was just Gus's line that is said through Walt's phone.
After I had added all of the sound layers, I had to mix it all together. To do this I used the track and clip mixers. I used them to adjust the balance and dB levels of each audio clip, cutting it in time with the shot changes. I had to think carefully about how I could blend all of the sound layers together so they sound like the how they would all sound if you were there in real life as the scene took place. All the sound you hear when you watch the scene back was added in post as all location sound was unusable.
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| Using the clip mixer |
Once I had locked down all of the sound design, I started working on the music. I had chosen two tracks from the original Breaking Bad soundtrack to use. The first track, "Long Walk Alone", was used in the original scene, however the not the entire scene. For the second half of the scene I had to find a different track. I chose to use one entitled "Baby's Coming". I used the clip mixer to mix the two tracks together.
Step 4: Colour Correction & Grading
Now that I had sound and visuals I was happy with, I began colouring the footage. I started this process by first correcting all of the footage. This meant I was adjust the levels to bring the colours back to how they looked in real life, not how the camera saw them. To do this I used the Lumetri Scopes and the RGB Curves. I went through each shot and balanced the RGB levels and the black and white levels. After I had done this, I could see that the colours and the blacks and whites were more true to how they were in real life.
Once I had corrected the footage, I used an adjustment layer and the RGB curves to grade the footage. It's incredible how much grading you can do with just one tool. By adjusting the RGB curves for the highlights, midtones and shadows, I was able to give the footage the look I was hoping for. For this scene I went for a very golden look, as I felt this fit the Breaking Bad style.
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| Using the RGB curves and the Lumetri Scopes |
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| Before and after colour correction & grading |
And that was it for Scene 1.
SCENE 2
Step 1: Assembly
Before doing anything, I used my sync clips sequence to sync up my dialogue and my footage. I recorded all of Walt's dialogue separately on a clip mic.
Next I started to assemble the footage in Scene 2. I didn't worry about fine tuning any cuts yet, I just wanted to get all of my shots in order. I went through the footage and selected the shots I wanted, and then assembled them in the sequence. For the shots with dialogue, I just copied the clips from the sync clips sequence. Whilst I was assembling the footage I noticed that all of the audio, apart from the dialogue, had been ruined by the wind, something I had expected. This meant, like Scene 1, I would have to do a lot of sound design work.
Step 2: Fine Tuning
Next I watched the sequence back and began fine tuning the cuts, using the ripple delete and rolling edit tools. I adjusted the cuts, and swapped a few shots around. I had to work carefully to cut each shot so the pacing of the scene was right.
Step 3: Sound Design
Once I had a usable set of visuals, I began working on the sound design. This was going to be an important step as I couldn't use any of my original sound. I went onto the YouTube Audio Library and downloaded all of the sounds I thought I could use. I then imported all of my sounds and began adding them to the sequence.
I started by adding my ambience. For this scene I had chosen distant highway and nearby city traffic sound effects. I also decided to add in a distant ambulance and a helicopter flying over, two sounds I heard in the original scene from Breaking Bad. Next I started to add in all of my foley sounds, like Gus's footsteps; and Walt's body movements inside the car. After that I began to add in all of my sound effects, like the sound of Walt's radio turning on.
After I had added all of the sound layers, I had to mix it all together. To do this I used the track and clip mixers. I used them to adjust the balance and dB levels of each audio clip, cutting it in time with the shot changes. I had to think carefully about how I could blend all of the sound layers together so they sound like the how they would all sound if you were there in real life as the scene took place. All the sound you hear when you watch the scene back was added in post as pretty much all location sound was unusable.
Once all of the sound was mixed, I added in a music track. I was able to use the full soundtrack from the original scene. The track is called "Parking Garage Standoff". Because the timing of my scene was slightly different to the original scene, I did have to cut and mix the track so it fitted my cuts and action.
Step 4: Colour Correction & Grading
Same as before, now that I had sound and visuals I was happy with, I began colouring the footage. I started this process by first correcting all of the footage. This meant I was adjust the levels to bring the colours back to how they looked in real life, not how the camera saw them. To do this I used the Lumetri Scopes and the RGB Curves. I went through each shot and balanced the RGB levels and the black and white levels. After I had done this, I could see that the colours and the blacks and whites were more true to how they were in real life.
Once I had corrected the footage, I used an adjustment layer and the RGB curves to grade the footage. By adjusting the RGB curves for the highlights, midtones and shadows, I was able to give the footage the look I was hoping for. For this scene I went for a very grey/light blue look, as I wanted the scene to have an industrial feel to it. I wanted all of the concrete to stand out, and the sky to look natural.
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| Before and after colour correction & grading |
OPENING TITLES AND CREDITS
For the opening titles I used After Effects to recreate the Breaking Bad intro and add my own custom text. This can be found here
For the closing credits, I used Premiere to recreate the style of the Breaking Bad credits. This style involves making the first letter of the first name of each person green. This was pretty simple but effective. I then used DaFont to find a font that closely matched the one used in the show.
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| Recreating the closing credits |
And that was it. The rough cut was complete.
(UPDATE) EDITING AFTER THE ROUGH CUT FEEDBACK
After receiving feedback on the rough cut, these were the changes I made.
I changed the ambience in Scene 1 to something that was more British sounding. I used the sounds of birds singing in the distance as this was what I could hear when I stood on location in real life. I also changed the build up music to a track called "Searching for Jessie". The music fit the scene better and helped build up the tension very effectively. I then used the clip mixer to mix all the sound again.
I had to make a prop bomb and attach it to the car I used in the scene. I then shot some footage of the bomb so that I could cut it into the scene. I decided to add it in after Walt picks up his walkie talkie. I then used After Effects to add a little red light to the bomb, so the audience knew it was active throughout the scene.
And finally I edited a few of the cuts to make them a little tighter.
(UPDATE) EDITING AFTER THE FINE CUT FEEDBACK
After receiving feedback on the fine cut, these were the changes I made.
I adjust a few more cuts to make the scene even tighter. I also swap two shots around as Gus approaches the car to help avoid any confusion as to which direction he was facing.
And finally, I moved the bomb reveal further up the timeline so it cut in after it is revealed that Gus is approaching a car.
And that was it. the final cut was ready for submission.
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| The final sequence for Scene 1 |
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| The final sequence for Scene 2 |
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| The final cut with both sequences, titles and credits |