I Have No Idea What I'm Doing With My Life Production Process
I was initially drawn to this project as I resonated with the themes of the story, and found the script to be well written with clear direction. I decided to take on the role as camera assistant on top of my primary role as editor and colourist so that I would have the chance to be on set for the shoot. I ended up wirelessly focus pulling, which was something I had never done before but really enjoyed. I received the rushes 3 days before our rough cut screenings due to data wrangling difficulties, which left me scrambling to get something together. Camera audio not being recorded so all audio had to be manually synced, and mislabeled slates made the initial assembly very tedious. Once I had organised footage, I pieced together my assembly by referencing the storyboard and script, making notes to ensure I pieced together shots that showcased everything outlined.
Pre-Production, Production and Assembly
Rough & Fine
Cut
I worked closely with the director to ensure he was happy with the actors’ performance and what was included, jotting down all notes. After our fine cut screenings, we made adjustments in line with the feedback received, mainly cutting dead space and speeding up pace, before locking picture to move on to the grade.
The Grade
I had never used Davinci Resolve before this project, so to prepare for the colour grade I attended the workshop and rewatched segments online. It took some time to wrap my head around how to use the different nodes, but with time I came to understand the process. I had technical difficulties crossing over my Premiere Pro XML into Davinci as I had left a linked sequence in the project. I referenced the cinematographer’s shot board and colour scheme to ensure my grade fit what he had shot for; a very cool contrasty look with pops of orange and red.
Final Cut & Special Effects
After the grade, the project was brought back into Premiere for the sound mix to be added, reframing, effects and minor tightening of shots do be done. I created a scratching effect in After Effects for the opening shot to make it seem as if Jamil is scratching away the title. I really struggle using After Effects, and while I am happy I was able to make the effect work, it could have definitely looked better.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m proud of how far the project has come. I have learnt so much through this process, particularly picking up the areas I need to improve upon. In the future, I plan to attend and watch workshops relating to After Effects, Davinci and adding effects, as I would like to improve upon these skills for future projects.