Post-Production

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Welcome to the Post-production!

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Editing Software used

For my the post-production, I preferred capcut over premiere pro or after effects. It is because capcut is easy to use and has most of the effects and techniques available to use which would suffice for my film. 

Opening scene

I started with a fade out effect by adding keyframes at the start of the video so the start of the film would be smooth as it also complimants the soundtrack.  Furthermore, I added the text to reveal the name of my film... 

 

The font I used for the title is "Larken" which was quite plain and simple. I did this because the name of the film itself  contains the word "Manuscript" and the font would now give off a script-like feel that will matche that theme. For the word "Unfiinished" I used a seperate font as I needed to highlight it and want the viewer's attention stick to that word so they can relate later why was the script unfinished...

The font I used here is "Constane" as it is really fancy and would help me to catch the eye of the readers. The animation I added was the same for both texts - Fade in - as it adds to the smoothness of the start of the film. I also ended them with a fade out before the next scene starts which gave a touch of professionalism to my film. 

  

Rising action

In the next scene, the hands of the protagonist were shown writing the script. To make it more realistic, I added a diegetic sound of pen writing which helped me to give the movie a realistic approach. 

Link - https://youtu.be/si_rJ2_PoXk?si=ylh7pqD6bKfawccb

I then also looked out for the colors and lighting in the scene. The lowkey light had created a darker effect, however, the ring light was still very bright but was also necessary as the copy or register had to be clearly shown. Hence, by grading some colors, I managed to do both things at the same time. 

The above picture has no shadows and looks very bright while the lower one focuses on the register while also creating some shadows.

To add an even gloomy hue, I used a filter "Humble", which increased the element of suspense in my film. This was necessary as when I did my formal survey, I came to know that most people like thriller films... Thus, I used this technique to integrate thrill along with horror.

Then I added a voiceover... This was done in an attempt to clarify the onlookers that the script he is writing is moving towards its end and he is about to finish it. However, at the point where the door suddenly opens, the process is disrupted.

I had to raise the volume of the voiceover a little bit so it is easy to understand as the eerie music plays in the background. Moreover, the voiceover was recorded by me and then sent through whatsapp, from where I imported it on capcut and used it. Another reason for raising the volume was the layer in which the voiceover was; the 3rd layer. Capcut lowers sounds according to the layers and as the 2nd layer was already occupied by the background music, I decided to put the VO in the 3rd layer. I didn't put it in the 1st layer because then it would have been too loud and would've broken the tempo or spooky ambience of the film. 

 After this shot, the rising scene came where the door suddenly opens. For that I again used a diegetic sound effect and this time, I put it in the 1st layer. That ound effect was basically a thud which looks as if someone has pushed the door really hard. 

That sound effect suited perfectly to the on-screen action and I also had raised the volume to full. As the door is in the background. all focus of the viewers is on the protagonist. Therefore, a sudden shift along with such high sound effects results in a great shock.

Link - https://youtu.be/zAVTuWX3dOg?si=COZNy6uC1c5MYZlZ

The protagonist then gets up and closes the door. There weren't any special effects or transitions used to show this as excessive use can also make the film monotonous. Hence they were left as it is, just a diegetic door sound effect was added.

Link - https://youtube.com/shorts/MM7u3Wwme40?si=9KeTY9Z1OLXSLotf

In the upcoming scenes, I used short shot durations so I could heighten the intensity of suspense. the protagonist looks at his script which he had left for a second or so, and as he does I used a straight cut to zoom in to the word "Die". This gave a very good effect and successfully added a layer of thrill. 

Along with that, I also added a non-diegetic sound effect of a jumpscare/beat drop which assisted the task of making the scene impactful.

Link - https://youtu.be/tpDUXgMCQX0?si=QC1eq9FG62zw0WNB

The next scenes built up the tension as they were a bit long in duration as compared to the previous scenes. The pace was also a bit slower for example last time the audience wasn't able to see who exactly had pushed the door. But this time, someone is clearly visible standing in the background but one cannot say who it is.

A diegetic sound of door creaking was added to give a horror effect which was coupled with the POV shot of that "Thing".

As there were 2 sources of light from the front, they created a lowkey effect while the background wasn't much clear. I did some shuffling with the colors in order to change the shades and produce a darker hue.

The difference before color grading and after it was done

Climax

I added a non-diegetic sound effect on the reaction of the protagonist as by his expressions it's visible that he is now scared as compared to the last time where he just ignored the scenario. 

Link - https://youtu.be/MBsdB4ykpug?si=LZeLTTVL2JDPL_mb

The protagonist then gets up and goes to investigate. The background music gets faster while taking the scene to the peak as the protagonist is about to view the top of the stairs. The build up sound is necessary as it enhances the overall impact of the scene and brings the viewers to the edge of their seats. 

The protagonist the sees what was up there . That is the climax where that thing is seen upstairs as the protagonist gets petrified and rushes back to his room. For the climax I used one of the sound effects available freely on the same youtube video which I have mentioned before.

Link - https://youtu.be/MBsdB4ykpug?si=LZeLTTVL2JDPL_mb

As he does that, he closes the door while breathing heavily. Here, many sounds have been used together to make a perfect soundscape. Firstly, the closing of the door, which added realism to the scene as if it wasn't there, it woouldn't seem real. Secondly, as the protagonist breathes heavily, his voice should also be there. Here, I decided to record my own voice, as the ones available weren't matching my body language and looked too fast or too slow. 

Thirdly, to make the scene more dramatic, I added sound of footsteps which increased the intensity of horror element in the scene. Not only this, I even added keyframes which helped me to zoom-in to the video as well as rotate it from a straight angle to a dutch.

All these elements clutched together made the single shot phenomenal

Link - https://youtube.com/shorts/cP2T2-tgeMs?si=Oa7gcC6QuZpZVWBb

Cliffhanger

As the protagonist doesn't seem to find a place to run, and he couldn't keep standing with the door, he hides under the bed. However, in the background, feet are seen to be appearing as that thing bends down and the scene ends. To add an essence of drama, I added the non-diegetic sound effect of heartbeat enhanced enough to be haerd clearly. This just didn't highlight the suspense element, but also portrayed the nervous or frightened state of the protagonist. 

Link - https://youtu.be/oqUs32pBleU?si=jUWrLejvsMZK5kU5

Like the previous scene, in this scene too, I added keyframes to add a zoom in effect and did some color grading to make the footsteps in the background clear. Without them, the scene would've been too simple and wouldn't have been able to catch the fancy of the viewers. 

This leads to the end of the short film and after that, credits are shown on a black background.