Generations First Cuts and Feedback

 

Once I had finished editing my first cut of my documentary, I exported it from premier pro as a h.264 video and then uploaded it to YouTube. I then created a google form that I would send out to a focus group who I would screen my documentary to. This is so that I can receive feedback about the editing of the footage.

After I had made the google form I started to collect responses from people about my documentary. The majority of the small focus group said that opening scenes and the transitions were good. There was one response mentioning how the opening scenes could be shorter, so I will change this in editing.

There was also one response saying that the transitions were quite sudden so I will attempt to make the transitions smoother in editing the next cut of the documentary.

I then asked the focus group what they thought of how the shots were put together. Here, the majority of the focus group mentioned that the sequencing of the shots were quite good, with only one person saying that they could've been put together with some parts cut to make it run smoother, as with the previous feedback I will attempt to edit those parts out.

I also asked what the group thought of the way that the voiceovers were arranged and used. They mentioned that the voiceovers were quite clear and that they were set up very well. I don't believe that I will need to edit these in the next cut.

I also asked the group how the audio sounded throughout the documentary. This was mostly to see how the audio sounded in the interviews and voiceovers, as if the audio was too quiet or too loud I could easily change that in premier pro by increasing or decreasing the audio gain. The group stated that the audio for the interviews was good, which meant I will not need to change it.

When I asked the group about the lighting for the shots I received a mixed response. It was stated that the lighting for the shots could have been better, but since I do not have time to film the interviews again, I will attempt to increase or decrease the brightness to see if that helps.

I then asked how the music underlay and credits were. Everyone stated that the music underneath the footage was good, with one of the members of the focus group stating that I should lower the volume a little bit, as it was a little bit too loud. I will fix this in editing. The group also said that the credits were good, clear and concise.

The final question was what they thought about the documentary overall. The entire focus group found the documentary enjoyable. I will reflect on the feedback I have been given and make the suitable changes to the next cut of the documentary.

After I had made these changes I received feedback from the focus group again. I then began to act on this feedback. I was told that the transition from opening music to the voiceover in the intro was quite harsh, so I changed the audio transition to an exponential fade. I then began to add text at the beginning of each interview so that the audience knew who it was that I was interviewing

I also added things to cut away from the interview shots to images or B roll footage so that it was not just minutes and minutes of staring at someone talking.