edit swap reviews (sorry its late i forgot to post it!)

Here is the opinions and notes and other comments I came up with from viewing the work of the swap edit task.


Group One: ‘craving’ (the ciggy one!) STILLS


The basic video structure was based on stills of cigarette bins and photos of someone’s journey into work/uni. The photos were well shot. The video that was made from it focused around giving up and the cravings that you get while trying to give up. The images were flashed on screen almost subliminally. I don’t know if this was suggesting that it is a subconscious thing to crave cigarettes, or whether the images was edited to the non-diagetic background. The sound used was from a sound program (which I thought it would have been better to have used their own sounds. The backing sound was a heartbeat that gave a pulse to the video. Some words also flashed on screen between the images, the text was basic. Im really unsure whether or not I liked this. It was really good the way it was edited, but I really am not sure if it was intentional or not. I also think the group managed to remove the idea of transitional spaces from it and made it more like a ‘give up smoking video’ which I don’t really see how that fits into the topic.


Group Two: ‘industrial nature’ (jetfighter pigeons) VIDEO


The footage given to this group was of a park, shot pretty well, but with no sound. This is what brought the group to think of focusing on the sound to conclude to a contradiction in the video. The edit of the footage was pretty normal, nothing amazing was achieved, however the idea of using industrial sounds over the top was very good (like our idea for our 30second video!) When I heard it was what they were doing, I thought industrial sounds, LOUD METALLIC HARD SOUNDS. Overpowering. However the video wasn’t as much industrial as a mix of droning tones and a few added ‘impact’ sounds for some objects. I also noticed that some of the sound changed when the image didn’t, which I did find slightly distracting as the audience. The one section I, and everyone else seemed to like was the mix of a fighter jet sound and the visuals of pigeons flying away.


Group Three: ‘experience’ (aliens walk the earth) VIDEO


I really liked the sound scape to this video. The video was edited well, while the ‘backwards’ playing of the video was slightly over used it was still rather interesting piece. The sound for the whole video is just edits of the main word ‘experience’ broken down and sped up, played backwards. It was very disorientating the sound to some extent and was really weird. I like this video. If the sound was different I don’t think it would have been as effective as it is. The only other comment I would make is that it would have been better if they had used there own sound rather than a clip from soundtrack pro. I Know we didn’t have a lot of time for this, but maybe as a future reference!


Group Four: ‘Donald’ (yes we all love Donald!) VIDEO


I really enjoyed this video because it was so unusual in its idea, and completely different from what the original group wanted! The original idea was photos of bridges but the group also took a few other photos around the same area. Using text the edit group managed to make a story about a guy called Donald who loved to cycle around the waterways and bridges who dies. It was very random but I think it is what adds to the video. I also like the music. It was a track running under the video playing backwards and while it’s a commercial song the distortion of playing it backwards help.

waiting for the bus VIDEO



this group didnt really do anything interesting with the edits however they did use text to edit the plot. However i have to say they went for comedy which does seem a little... well naff. Its basically like the narration by the lettering is very sarcastic. Which i dont particually like. theres only background sound until half way through until the pace changes and music starts, and the editing style changes which i think adds pretty well, but still the sarcastic tone does annoy me.


Gone away STILLS


this is the group who we swapped our images with. Its good that they used sound (gone away by the offspring) to forward a narrative that someone had obviously died in a car crash, which is what we were kinda thinking when we shot the photos. there are some good edits in there like when the underpass fades to black and white from colour.


group 7 (epileptic lights) STILLS


this group had the underpass stills and used VERY fast (almost subliminal) edits, which work very well because they act as if the lights are flickering in the underpass which is also reflected by the buzzing noise which also sounds like floresent lights humming and flickering. I like it but it does almost make the audience feel uneasy because of the sound and the very fast moving images.


Mother? VIDEO


i really dont understand the idea behind this peice but yet again maybe that is the idea. I do feel with the editing they overplayed the use of the backward reversed video. the music, classical, almost like a peice from a film noir or a 1920s thriller. Very interesting mix. However the lack of a wind up or meaning does annoy me slightly.


Finding STILLS

 really seems to me like two videos put together, the first talking about train journeys, a man laying waiting for someone or waiting to get up to go somewhere, this is well editied and works well, however the second half appears to me to be a jumble of different images just thrown together for no reason and not alot of logic. it really is surreal that its both just chucked together.


Journey (with a radio)VIDEO

 the sound plays a big part in this edit. its really well constructed. the footage is off just a car journey but it is good because the audio adds to it, starting off as a mixed up radio not tuned in, as the journey continues the words become more clear among the static.