Chaos - Tears - Monsters and Fears

I’ve been editing the opening sequence over the week-end. So, yes, I’ve started editing the second last day of the shoot (not counting day 6 since that was a ‘repeat’ of the shoot). Nearly there…

Very nervous – this is it – this is how the film opens – I hadn’t watched the scene since we had shot it.

Some amazing stuff – Danielle cries on cue - all in close up – even at low resolution you can see several tears welling in her eyes and cascading down her cheeks – this was one take –I worked the whole sequence around it.

Her panic and tears are dramatically countered by Luke’s and Chris’ cold and Zen-like manner. Hot and cold. Shocking and arresting. Love it.

For a writer/director, it doesn’t get any better than this; this was the way I wrote it – this is the way it was performed and shot – this is how it plays in the edit. I got to enjoy it three times.

So I cut - remember we’ve got ten cameras – cut - shot angles – cut - many takes – cut- reaction shots –cut – shouts – cut – screams –cut –ECU - cut– soundscape – cut etc etc…

And I made a complete mess of things… not just a little mess but huge utter custard of images and sounds – you’d think I had just got the program out of the box and started editing that day. I’ve been doing this now for over three months – on any other scene I can drive that thing like a F1 car. Usually, I’ve been working with vision from a minimum of five cameras to handling up to 8 to 10 video tracks – I’m a high performance machine.

[As an aside – I do not refer to my script as I edit – so the continuity is all in my head and based on the good take.]

This should be a cinch yet the beautiful designer baby had turned out into a monster…

How could this be?

What happen I think is that as I worked around the performance I lost track of the logic of the scene – my mind couldn’t recall what happened when and where and…disaster.

I looked at it – I’ve been working on this scene the longest of all – tweaking every nuance. Fourteen hours over three days of solid work.

My eyes were stinging – my mind was numb. My heart was – well - bleeding lifelessly on the floor...

Late Sunday night - I started back from scratch. Yes – threw it all out.

Still not there yet – but as is the case, I’m rediscovering the scene and I can tell you that there are more great moments…it rocks.

[yet to edit the closing sequence – I will have to watch my step there too.]

Nearly there boys and girl – nearly there – I hope I can surprise you all with the finished product.

Will keep all posted…

Editing and other loves

Edited way passed my bedtime last night – got caught in the excitement of it all - everything clicked – the camera work, the direction – oh yeah - and the performances(!)

The edit is reaching a point where the film in my mind approaches (and becomes) the film on the screen…which is a special and unique place to be for any film maker.

I was tempted in sharing some footage with you all – but I’m going to be selfish and hang on to it for a little longer…in good time though I will have a cast and crew screening…

Editing @ 23 September 2008 - MXF, FCP and speed...

Did some major technical updates to the file system in FCP - and have sped up considerably the MXF files workflow. Essentially what I’ve done is limit the number of files imported and send off-line the unused MXF files. As soon as I figure how to, I will post a tutorial with screenshots etc.

I don’t like to overpromise to myself or others (and then risk to underdeliver – a recipe for disappointment) - but it does make it considerably easier/faster for me to assemble/edit the footage. So possibly move ahead of schedule or at least spend more time creatively – either option a positive.

The approach that I’ve taken so far is to do a standard edit first – i.e. as if we’re watching a normal drama – then go back to each scene/sequence and intercut the additional footage/angles to give the ‘thousand eyes’ feel (I might have already said this before…) – then go over once more to give the ‘this could be a dream/nightmare’ feel, which includes the most experimental component. This last part is aimed at overhauling and reinventing editing conventions (how’s that for a small ambition!) – so 3 levels of creative decision-making with a fireworks last effort.

It sounds a little mechanical (1-2-3; X-Y-Z?) – in reality it is more integrated – and in fact at times I’m doing all aspects at once. Plus, eye of the mind makes the movie – what’s inside my mind/soul/heart is desperate to reach the screen. And I’m not going to stick to rules – even my own.

I know – I know - I’m changeable and impulsive. But my ancestors were pirates and mercenaries (no hyperbole here – this is a historical fact) – so it’s in the blood - no apologies – because as the women who love me say, it’s my mercurial and relentless nature that gives me the X-factor…

So to date - parts of scenes already incorporate the multiple dimensions approach. Is it magic? Don’t know - but it is undeniably an interesting result…

Anyway - picking up speed…

Editing @ 22 September 2008

Had wonderful time editing yesterday.

Spent over 6 hour uninterrupted and was able to edit three scenes and one sequence with multiple takes - multiple angles into – I reckon - a seamless whole - not without its challenges I might add.

There were scenes where the tail of one did not match the emotional intensity of the head of the next (great lesson learnt with regards to performances and direction of that performance across scenes shot out of continuity but which will then be cut together)

Thought I had it sorted – yet – there are small things like a body leaning in and then not leaning in – that I found jarring i.e. why would the character do that? And then you start to ask questions: how much time would need to elapse for the emotion to change to the next?
Also what can be done by un-synching audio from the visual? Namely, can the emotion be lessened if we only hear the words and see something else (not the body language)? The short answer is yes - but it depends!)

There were other takes where the emotional intensity – or whole performance really - changed mid scenes – but this was a plus as it enabled me to shift gears in the scene – which is the very essence of film making – the pure choices available to the director. – As I edit I must say that I am still spoilt for choice – yet to curse the director for not having covered this or that angle. Let’s hope it will all be this way.

As you read the above you can gather that I am moving beyond mere assembly and actually editing – oops – I was going to keep that a surprise.

The intention with regards to workflow was indeed to do a mechanical assembly but you know me - if you don’t you will now – ‘mechanical’ is not me - I just can’t resist temptation – after all ‘The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom’

Or ‘If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.’

That William Blake was a wise man indeed…

However, this is still a (rough) rough cut – there are still many aspects that I haven’t even touched – yet it is far more than sticking things together.

Logging - parte due - the horror...the ecstasy...

I'm getting better - no really - really good at copy files from one drive to another and then labeling each one with the right slate numbers...it is soooo much fun - fun- fun - oh look! butterflies! Pretty, pretty butterflies...

Okay - why does one lose his mind doing this?

Here's some maths - there are 62 cards for each camera x 4 cameras = 248 cards.
each card carries 4-6 takes/shots = between 1000-1500 shots to view and label...

No - I enjoy it - No, really - don't get up - I've got it sorted - would you like me to get you a drink while I'm up? San Pellegrino chinotto with ice and lemon?



I've got quiet good at it - when I see Deep (clapper) trembling - I know that there is really something special after the CLAP!

When he's too laid back - I just know there must be a plane or a dog - or pigeons or some other problem that will make the take NG (that's no good for those not familiar with the film world lingo) - so i just erase the take.

The problem is that many times he looks a little blank so I've gotta go through the whole take! Can you believe it - actually have to watch the footage!

(I kid I go through every take regardless - you never know when you can to discover the little diamonds in the rough - actors are funny creatures - sometimes you only see the truth before action and after cut).

Dreamophile

I’m going ‘back to school’ for the edit – I’ve been playing with the footage – which is my code for not wanting to take a disciplined approach to the logging and sorting of files/folders (I need an anal retentive assistant editor). But it is against my nature to play by the rules...even mine!

Anyway thanks to my undisciplined playing I got to discover wonderland – isn’t that worth the chaos?

By toying around with shots and music and effects the feel and look is very different from what I had seen in my mind's eye.

At first I was afraid that I needed to edit the film quickly in order to capture the moment but the opposite is true - the time it has taken to sort out the technical glitches meant I got time to review review the material in various formats (with or without audio - slow motion etc) that has give me a distance and new interpretation to it all. Some shots that I thought were dispensable are now powerful imagery.

All in all a wonderful feeling.

At the core of it all are the great performances – to watch them again and again on the screen cannot be described to the uninitiated - as a writer you live with a characters in your head for years, to see them realised on the screen in flesh and blood is spellbinding – like oxygen to a drowning man.

I will be forever beholden to Chris, Luke, Sweeney and the powerhouse Danielle.

I hate to single out actors as everyone contributed to a great ensemble cast - but DB reminds me of a quote about Fred Astairs and Ginger Rogers: when a critic complimented Fred’s dancing skills he quipped that Ginger had to dance in reverse (since Fred was leading) and notably in high heel! So who was the better dancer?

Well Danielle acted her socks off - while being strapped down…

All in all they more than respected the material – or to paraphrase DB ‘did not reduce it’ – indeed they added layers of humanity and truthfulness that are indelible.

And Max! What a fabulous job on set design with a $0 budget – Max – the footage will make you look like a god to your peers – they’ll want you to keep your secret or every other producer will put the squeeze on them to achieve more with less..
It looks rich – it looks real – it looks dreamlike…onyah mate – enjoy Paris with SJ.

But let's not forget CHW and his gang – for capturing it all despite the clock ticking – not to mention JH! for his single-minded dedication to my ‘thousand eyes’ concept and forever firing up cameras – it’s a nightmare of data wrangling John but one well worth it – footage coming out of my ears(eyes?)

Okay - enough thanks yous - you may start to think I want to adopt you - or shag you - now I gotta get the job done - I deliverd the script - delieverd the direction - now the edit - I promise I will be more disciplined – erase all the external hard drives of experiments and start afresh - This week-end I will start the assembly of all the master shots – the task-master has spoken...but if you know any anal retentive assistant editors please send them my way...