Post Production Diary (Documentary)

 My Post Production Diary

So I edited my documentary using Kinemaster Premium because I know how to use it better than Premiere Pro. I also used the app Text Crawl for my ending credit scene. The apps I used where fairly competent and I didn't run into any basic issues whilst editing my documentary. 

The first edit I did was add my voice over as well as some music. This is a basic yet crucial edit. The music I used was Hall Of The Mountain King. I used that track because I have seen it used in various documentaries. I made sure to turn down the music to the point where you can hear the voice over. I also added some facts and statistics over my video to show people that I am talking facts. I also used an mp3 converter to change my voice over from a video to a soundtrack (MP4 to MP3). 

This next edit I did was for my intro. I added a black block as an image and overlaid it over my video. I then added my text and made sure to add the fade effect at 1.5 speed. This makes a nice smooth end to my intro and I think this edit improves it a lot. If I didn't use the fade it would look really choppy and amateur. 

After this I began editing my interview shots. Firstly I made sure to add subtitles and pair them with the letter by letter entrance effect. The subtitles make my documentary more accessible to deaf people who can't hear. I also made sure to add some overlay videos over my interview to make the interview seem less stale. This helps the pacing of the interview.

After this I edited together a gaming segment. I did this by mixing and matching my game footage with my face cam to show my reactions to the game. I did this by using simple jump cuts, simple but effective. At the end of my gaming footage I zoomed into the screen and used the black block to create a fade effect.  This segways perfectly into my next segment.

The next thing I did was my b roll footage to transition to the college scene. I did this by putting my clips together, muting them and adding music. I used The Pokemon XY Elite Four Theme because it is non copyright and fits well with the fast paced B Roll. I also used the circle transition to transition to my bedroom because I think it looks slick.

For my next segment I mixed and matched again but this time with multiple pieces of footage of me setting up my equipment. I used 2 phones to mix and match different perspectives and angles of what I was doing. This is a nice touch to make my documentary more advanced.

The next thing I did (After an interview but it's more of the same edits so we don't need to talk about it again) was add a bunch of clips from my YouTube videos and make a bit of a montage out of it. This gives people a better insight of my content. To end my montage I added a video in each corner of the screen. I did his by overlaying the videos and placing them in each corner.

After that I made a quick transition gag to segway into the next segment. I added the sign fell music because it is really upbeat and fits well with the funny aesthetic. I also added entrance transitions to the text and image. I used the drop down effect on the text and the slide up effect on the image. This makes the transition look more professional. I also used a yellow background for the over layer because it is bright and fits the mood well.

I then edited together my vlog footage. I mixed some b roll shots with talking segments to give people a better idea of what's going on. I used a lot of basic jump cuts because I felt that it fit better than the transitions. I also added some non copyright music (Prankster Gangster Party).

I also thought I'd add a feet transition edit which teleports me from outside to inside the shop. In order to do this I pointed the camera at my feet on 2 different backdrops and made sure to add a quick jump cut. This is a nice little extra effect you can add to link to places together. The only flaw could be the positioning of your feet. I also had Fluffing A Duck (Music) in the background just to make things seem less bland.

For this edit I made a very up beat get hyper session segment. Firstly I changed the colour of the screen to orange to give off that triggered effect. I also added the MLG overlay. I did this by downloading a green screen version of the layer and activated chroma key which takes away the green screen. This edit is a fun little thing I added for comedic effect. Plus a lot of northern people go on sessions so it i relevant to the culture. 

Here is a similar comedic edit I have did. But for this one I changed the screen colour to a black and white filter and added some music (All By Myself). Just like the other clip this one was also edited for a silly comedic effect. I made these to make the documentary more enjoyable and less boring.

I started this editing by creating an ending credit scene on text crawl. The app uses a random star wars themed template and as you can see all you have to do is write what you want to see and activate presentation mode. You can record it within the app. I then went on Kinemaster and added it to the end of my documentary. I then also added some music (Stop, Drop, Roll).

So last but not least I added all of the clips together and exported the video!

As a whole the post production phase was a huge success and I had no problems whilst editing and exporting my video. I enjoyed experimenting with some of the edits and my favourite part is the intro. I edited all of my documentary on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S20 FE) and got all edited with time to spare. This post production process has helped me develop my editing skills and become a better editor. It gave me a deeper understanding of how documentaries work and how I should edit them.