AICE Media Production Blog: Editing Errors

 

After wrapping up filming, I dove straight into editing. The first step was organizing all the footage, labeling each clip, and sorting through the takes to find the best ones. It was a time-consuming process, but having everything properly labeled made the editing much smoother. I started by assembling a rough cut, placing the scenes in order and trimming unnecessary parts to improve pacing. Watching the film take shape for the first time was both exciting and overwhelming—I could already see what worked and what needed adjusting.

Once the rough cut was complete, I focused on refining transitions, ensuring each cut flowed seamlessly into the next. Some scenes needed tighter edits to maintain tension, while others required a few extra frames to let moments breathe. I spent hours tweaking the timing, playing scenes back over and over until they felt just right.

Next came color correction. Some shots were slightly overexposed, while others had inconsistent lighting due to changing natural light. I carefully adjusted the brightness, contrast, and saturation to create a cohesive look across the entire film. Adding a subtle blue tint to certain scenes helped enhance the eerie, suspenseful tone we were going for.

After color grading, I moved on to sound design. The dialogue needed some cleaning up, so I reduced background noise and adjusted volume levels to ensure clarity. I layered in subtle ambient sounds to make the world feel more immersive—things like distant traffic, faint footsteps, and the hum of fluorescent lights. The soundtrack played a huge role in building tension, so I experimented with different tracks, syncing them to key moments for maximum impact.

As I neared the final stages of editing, I focused on small but important details, like smoothing out abrupt cuts and ensuring visual consistency. Every frame had to feel intentional. I was almost done when I noticed something strange—the final render was taking way too long. I let it run for a while, but then an error message popped up on my screen. Something had gone wrong, and now the entire project was frozen.