Major Project: Editing-Racing License
The racing licence happened to be the first sequence I edited on this project. As a result, it is one that has seen the most change. It started off in my hands, went to Cailan to be touched and tweaked a bit, then edned up back with me.
Initially this sequence was very long. It included the entire PTC of Alex in the morning of his race licence. Then cut to driving shots, which held the tension as we cut in to shots of Alex arriving at the circuit and taking his written test. Before finally transitioning into him out on track which took up about 4 minutes by its self.
I really struggled early on with this sequence, as three wasn't a great deal of usable footage from the day. We couldn't use any from the written test. One of the go-pros in the car cut out midway through the session, and the trackside footage was often unreliable. None the less i managed to cobble together an edit from this. All be it one that felt a bit disjointed (mostly due to sound design).
So the first thing to change was the introduction. We merged the driving and establishing shots with the opening PTC so that that became SOT. And we cut the written test entirely as it felt like unnecessary information at this point.
I had other issues with the sequence, the rain constantly stopping and starting throughout made it look as though there were continuity errors or that filming took place on separate days (which obviously was not the case). Along with this every camera had different audio levels which was a bit off-putting and difficult to balance.
Even after the above chnages, the sequence was still too long, however, so we spoke to Simon and made the tough decision to heavily condense it. Rather than having separate clips of Alex in the car and then out on the track, I overlapped them to condense the sequence. To do this I had to completely remove or re-arrange some if the instructor's commentary so it made sense with the new running order.
I also went through with Alex to find some better go-pro shots that looked more effective, but still matched the audio. We had a dispute about whether to cut some commentary but both Cailan and I insisted it added tot eh drama of the scene.
The final changes made involved cutting down Alex's closing PTC in the car and ensuring that the last thing we hear from the instructor is "congratulations you've passed". With some cutaways and clever L-Cutting, i managed to achieve this. As well as adding further on track footage to break up the end PTC Before passing the sequence over to Cailan to make some minor adjustments to improve the visuals.
As well as this we figured out how to fill one of our gaps early on. By setting up the scene in the way Alex wanted, we were left with a few shots where although things were happening on screen, there was little of interest audibly for the audience. I tried to combat this through my use of atmos, and raising the background noise of the circuit but this still felt a bit empty.
So we came up with the idea to record a small piece of V/O. This would not only fill the gap, but also help provide the audience with some additional information that explains what the test is/how it works, without going in to too much detail.
Those were the final changes made to the sequence which helped it stand on its own but also work within our timeframe. We are now worried that the sequence happens too fast and ruins the sense of challenge and build up. But Simon insists this was the right decision so hopefully our audience feels the same way.
The music allowed me to do some rhythmic cuts at the start (upon Cailans suggestion), which helped set the pace for the rest of the scene. For this scene, I had quite a good idea of what music I wanted, I needed something in a bit of a minor key, preferably piano based. This way it would stand to raise the emotional value of what Alex says during this sequence. As well as adding to the cinimatic effect when paired with our establishing drone shots and cut aways. These elements together help bring home the journey metaphor that we've tried to instil throughout. I was indeed able to find a track that fitted these peramitors and I am pleased with my choice.
I made sure to keep my opening shots on screen longer than i normally would in order to build up the suspense and tone that Alex would later bring in his monologue. As soon as Alex started speaking I was careful to gently lower the music and sea to ensure his dialogue was the most prominent sound (but you could still hear the atmosphere and feel as of your there with him). Cutting away on ocasion during his speech but less often than normal, and usually just to an alternative shot of him as he is to be the core focus of this scene. 
The scene was very simple to edit. It was all done in one take, I just had to pick the best one. To make it more interesting I did some cool L-cutting and audio work at the start. Establishing the scene with a drone shot, and having the audience hear a knock at Alex's door. Before seeing him walk in to his room with the equipment. I think this cut works really well. 
The scene then transitions in to Alex reaching his fundraising goal. Originally this was a corssfade but we all agreed it worked better as a dip to black, as it made it look like the filming stops and we are now just a fly on the wall. Upon Simons suggestion, I also put a graphic here to illustrate hitting the fundraiser. 
