D1- How Post-production techniques were used to create meaning

 Post production techniques to create meaning.

Before the song begins I chose to add in an extended intro which serves as exposition as well as an introduction to the point of view character of the researcher. I added both visual and audio effects to this section which creates the impression of using dated technology which ,accompanied with this characters black and white angular appearance and blank environment, emphasises the rigidity and dullness of the normal world, which can then be disrupted. This section also features the videos only use of completely diegetic sound, although it is purposely understated to only be able to hear the rustling of a paper and the voice of a cameraman behind the screen. This is again meant to create a feeling of dullness and a completely emotionless character and situation, somewhat being reminiscent of an office building even when contrasted with the strange and unusual things that is being described. This is followed by a smash cut to black, further separating this normal world with the supernatural world which is about to enter. Finally, a j cut is used to transfer from black into the beginning of the song, cutting on the action of the first beat of the song.

As the song continues, the use of a lowered or changing opacity is used on the ghostly character, a technical code of the supernatural and horror genres which is often used to quickly show that a character or thing is intangible and has ties to the supernatural. Most of the edited in movements of the supernatural character are meant to be wild, large and flowing, again contrasting the practiced rigidity that the normal world is meant to represent. As the first chorus ends, an invisible cut is used to make the scene of the SC landing and the toe-tapping shot look like one continuous shot, meant to show how the SC never loses energy and is always doing something. The toe taps are edited to the beat, which is meant to inform the audience that the SC is linked to the background music, which is meant to be from its perspective.  

The following shot of the SC crawling on the ceiling was edited to both pay homage to other horror movies, which often use this as a horrific idea, as well as again showing how the presence of the SC breaks the basic rules of the world. The use of the changing colour shot (which is repeated again near the end of the video) is both meant to match with the bouncy and energetic feeling of the original song, as well as show how SC is beginning to change and overtake the environment, taking power away from the researcher and his normal world. The instrumental break also features the first use of smoke effects which are a piece of iconography which are used repeatedly throughout the rest of the video. These are meant to accompany the lyrics of the song, which use imagery of smoke and mist throughout as a part of its narrative, and so I felt they should also visually run through the video for the song. The use of the light zoom on the doorway in this section is used to visually show the movement and progress of the storyline, as well as providing a reason for the researcher to continue in that direction and push him forward through the storyline of the video.

The words in the tunnel scene was edited to match the rhythm and speed of the line in the song itself, further linking the SC and it’s influence to the words which are being sung, making it clearer that the song is meant to be from its perspective. The use of fuzzy and blurry effects in these sections again further distance the SC from reality, and add a separation between them. The shots during the chase scene are slowed and edited to match up better with the pace and energy of the background instrumental track, as well as to make the waviness of the cape more noticeable and make the chase seem more intense and climactic. 

The scenes where the SC begins to grow and overtake the room was meant to create a sense of rising action, tension and intensity, as the threat grows stronger and more powerful. This makes sense as the song reaches its later stages, and the narrative of the song begins to reach a climax and ending. The spark effect which comes out of the SCs fingers are both edited to the beat, again showing how in tune and connected this supernatural force is to the music, whilst also being reminiscent of an effect that magicians often use, connecting this force to that idea of wonder and the unexplained. The speed of the footage is played with  during these final scenes to make the impact of hits seem more powerful and unnatural, again trying to sell SC as a more powerful and unpredictable character. 

Finally, the ending shot used multiple techniques to create the feeling that I wanted. First the floating and disappearing was meant to create an ethereal feeling, reflecting the light music which plays at the end of the song, as well as setting up for a simple ending of the ghost disappearing. However, just like how the ending of the song is shockingly disrupted by a harsh and monotonous tone, I added a harsh dissolve to a bright white light at the end, subverting this idea and leaving the ending ambiguous as to what will happen next. This links to many other supernatural stories codes, as a concrete good or bad ending is hard to come by, since leaving things up to the audiences imagination will lead to more strange, unusual or even individually scary interpretations then what the author will imagine.