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November 06, 2006

Cutting Ciao

We're a few minutes shy of the hour mark on Ciao now, which means that the first should be done with the first cut in about a week. This is the most rewarding work I've ever done as an editor; usually, when I'm not working on my own projects, post-production feels like a job -- a fun job, usually, but there's no denying that it's work (just like being on set when you're not a director). This time, though, it feels like such a completely creative endeavor that I can go to bed at night after working on it feeling fulfilled, like I've done something worthwhile with my day. Not that I do go to bed after working on it, of course - I'm too much of a wannabe-workaholic to do that. I'm just saying that I could.

So clearly, I think the film is turning out great. We ran into our first problem scene - our first instance of having to make certain edits not because we can but because we have to, of having to fix things, of actually worrying. It's an eight page dialogue scene, involving three people sitting at a square table, comprised of thirteen camera set-ups. That's the recipe for an eyeline nightmare, right there. We got halfway through it tonight, and afterwards, to refresh ourselves, we turned back to the scene we cut previously - a six page dialogue scene, this one limited to two characters. After we took our first pass at it yesterday, we sat back to watch how it played. Five and a half minutes later, I think we both had tears in our eyes, and it was right around then that I realized I can actually imagine this movie up on the big screen. That's not to say it'll ever get there, at least in any widely proliferated manner - but if by chance it does, it'll belong there, which is more than I can say for any other film I've ever worked on.

So anyway. I thought I'd take this opportunity to offer a little bit of advice for anyone who's shooting on a P2 and recording their audio to a DAT or hard disk recorder. If you roll over from your first card to the next in the middle of a take, make sure you get a tail slate. Also, if you're a sound recordist and you're using a hard disk recorder (the use of which I fully support), please try to remember to number each take correctly. Your editor will thank you. And if you're an editor in charge of syncing up four channels of hard disk audio to the four channels of on-camera audio already linked to the footage - hire an intern.

Posted by David Lowery at November 6, 2006 11:03 PM

Comments

Posted by: Karsten at November 7, 2006 02:45 AM

Posted by: brad at November 7, 2006 08:22 AM