Practical Project Portfolio (2)

Over the last week I've been busy planning out what I'm going to be doing for my final project. Last week I mentioned what is going to be in my portfolio, and since then I've been working on a few more ideas, particularly for my showreel, as this is the section that I can really start working on straight away, without having to wait for production to start on the two 10-minute films that I'll be editing.

Obviously a showreel needs to display different skills and qualities, so I intend to include a variety of my work, past and present:

• One of my main interests is travel, and I have made quite a few films about the places I have visited, so I will be using parts of these and re-cutting them into the showreel (including my STA application videos, which I believe to be some of my best work to date).
• I will also be using footage from the films I have made over the last few years (whether in the role of director, producer, camera operator or editor), as I feel it is important to show my abilities in editing different styles - my work includes silent films, comedies, dramas and music videos.
• I am also very interested in the speciality of promos and trailers, so I will be creating my own trailer of an already release feature film...and which film? Well, that I'm not sure of yet. On my list are Into The Wild, Lords of Dogtown, Almost Famous, and (to go for a cheesy teen movie) 17 Again (If you have any suggestions or ideas for what film I should do, just comment below)
• Finally, as discussed last week, I will be cutting a trailer mashup of The Breakfast Club and Ocean's Eleven, using the visuals from OE, and the audio from TBC. I've already started on this one, and it's proving a lot of fun.

I'm also trying to make a start on my contextual essay, which is going to be about the role of the editor in a professional context. I've been doing a bit of research and at the moment I'm reading a book by award winning editor Walter Murch, called 'In The Blink Of An Eye', which is all about different editing styles and the reasoning behind why we cut films, and how it works. It's really fascinating, and I hope to focus a part of my essay on Murch and his editing theories.

So that's all for now...I'll let you know how I've been getting on with everything in next week's post.