This time around the film is slightly quicker. I didn't have a great camera or editing software when I initially filmed it, but now I have taken the old footage into FCP (final cut pro) and have sped it up and tightened the editing a bit more. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of the original footage so I couldn't start from scratch. I mainly had to use the original .mov file and re-edited that as opposed to going back into original footage.
Because of this, the film still has its original filters, which I actually prefer. The old filters are just from iMovie but they still give off the look that I felt worked for this short. I really wanted to capture antique cinema (pre-talkies/ silent film era), which is why I chose an aged film look with a thick sepia tone.
As for the style and film elements, as well as character design, I wanted to really show that Southern Gothic style that I often lean toward, and incorporate a magical, but dark, side to it by having a séance gone awry. The séance itself also plays into the spiritualism movement, which was also common during the turn of the century/1920s era.
For the sound, I had my brother Bijan Sharifi assist me, as he is an expert. I told him I needed original music (since the music I originally had in the short was not my own) and I wanted the film to sound old and scratchy. He accomplished this with ease and made it sound even better than I had imagined. An extra slight reverb on the music made the audio sound a bit ghostly, which exceeded my expectations and made the film much spookier.
For more information on Bijan Sharifi Audio visit Bijan Sharifi Audio or "Like" Bijan Sharifi Audio on Facebook.
Take a look at the final cut of Séance on Vimeo:
This is INCREDIBLY cool! Sending folks your way from my blog!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! And thank you so much for checking it out :)
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