Venting about PostProduction & “the biz” for over 20 years. Follow on Twitter
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Here's a little Timeline Tuesday for y'all.
Adam Epstein is one of the editors on the show The Bear. He used to be an SNL editor and he would make timelapse videos of his SNL edits. Enjoy.
https://vimeo.com/245771842
From the 12/2/17 episode, for the SNL Film Unit. Watch the final piece at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l26UFQ06eQ Director: Oz Rodriguez Written by: Anna…
Producer: The director had a note for your interview edit. He would like to end the interview on a wide shot of the host and the guest.
TCC: The interview does end on a wide shot of the host and the guest.
Producer: Haha... different camera. The A cam rather than the side cam.
TCC: The A cam is the wide shot. There's no other wide angle. There's a CU of the host, a CU of the guest, and a wide. I'm not seeing any other angles in the source clips.
Producer: Let me check with the director.
Producer: Got clarification. The director would like to cut to the CU of the guest for their final comment.
And, scene.
Working on a team project, remotely. Multiple editors, all working from home, working on different speaker segments of a multi-day virtual conference.
Text from Director: I looked at notes, pretty minor music cues. Do you have the updated Andrew segment? Is Paul done from [other editor]?
TCC: I don’t have any updated segments, let me check with [other editor].
TCC: Just to confirm - the only changes for Paul are color, yes? The only content comments I see for him are re: the throw to Andrew that we already cut.
Same question re: updated Andrew. I’m not seeing any comments on his segment in notes.
Director: Yes re: Andrew, and we are sticking with that.
TCC: So no changes for Andrew?
Director: No changes to Andrew.
Aaand... scene.
Pro tip: Don't keep people waiting an hour for your feedback and/or final approval on a 3-minute cut when they're working for you on a Sunday.
Dear client,
If you ask me to address your notes to be ready to share with your client by 2:00, and then ask me to join a conference call at 1:30 to discuss said notes for 25 minutes, I’m not going to be able to address said notes and be ready to share by 2:00.
Lovingly,
TCC
Wishing everyone a relaxing Holiday Season and a happy New Year.
Awesome interview. Enjoy.
Lee Smith, ACE won an Oscar and ACE Eddie for cutting Dunkirk. He was also nominated for ACE Eddies and BAFTAs for Inception and The Dark Knight. And nominated for...
Terrific interview with the editor of the movie Parasite, a beautifully made, disturbing look at class struggles in society.
Spoiler Alert - it was cut on FCP7 😮
Parasite won the prestigious Cannes Palme d’Or in 2019. In this Art of the Cut interview, we discuss the unique methods and workflow used in production and post for that...
As seen on Reddit... Happy Halloween everyone.
Hey Folks-
If you haven’t seen this, it seems quite helpful to know what people are getting paid in our business. It’s completely anonymous. The results will get posted in November.
You can fill it out more than once if you span multiple genres.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdr2RGSqS5sayrTlzqMvNIEJQWAu9Ja6u4psenzdbER6fWhow/viewform
If you do multiple roles, or work on different types of content, feel free to submit separate responses. Your answers are completely anonymous, even to the people collecting the data. Each year we publish the full dataset of responses, so that anyone at any time can see their average expected rate b...
Producer: Are you available for a quick job?
Me: I'm kind of swamped right now, actually.
Producer: It's a really short job. Should only take a couple of hours.
(Long pause. I've heard that tune before.)
Producer describes job, reiterates that it should only take a couple of hours.
Me: Sure, OK.
Job ensues. Completed in approximately 2.5 hours. Producer offers to pay one half full day rate.
Cut to:
THE NEXT DAY.
9:30 AM: I receive an email from the director with the heading "One more task?" The email contains a list of 12 bullet-points describing the "one more task" needed to complete two versions of this video.
Producer offers another half-day rate.
4:30 PM: I upload the six final deliverables.
4:35 PM: I politely point out to the producer that we have breezed well past the half-day mark, on day two of this quick, two-hour job.
I’ve decided to start a new school for learning post production. One of the core classes will be called “So You Want To Be a Video Editor (or just look like one)” and I think I found the perfect art work for the class listing
Overheard in the Edit Suite -
If I had a dime for every time I told a Producer that I haven't put in music yet, just getting the structure down...
and then they immediately gave me the note "There's no music. We're gonna need music in this."
..I wouldn't have to work at this crappy company anymore.
Got the notes back on a 9 second Facebook ad I cut.
It was a singular, non-ironic, serious note...
“Feels long”
Round 2 of Network notes. I’m gonna need a Sherpa to help me scale Bu****it Mountain.
The Network Exec knows the terms L Cut, verite, and sign post…
From the way she’s used them pervasively in 2 pages of notes… I can tell she must have really been listening closely in Network Exec Class in college 🙄
VO after VO with no BRoll suggestions and no logical BRoll to temp in…
Sorry I’ve been absent for awhile.
Trying to mount a fb comeback.
Thank you for your patience.
Note from the Network Exec-
“I don’t know what i want but it’s not this.”
NEW RULE [Same as the old rule] - NEVER read network notes before you go to bed. Just. Don’t.
Possibly Related - I’m exhausted from not having slept well last night.
Hey Avid “3 crashes in 15min” Media Composer - it’s Friday. Cut me a damn break.
Friday Funday...
These are fictitious network notes... or are they...
NOTE: The following contains spoilers for one of the most beloved musicals of all-time. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please climb every mountain you can to avoid one of the highest grossing films ever. THE SOUND OF...
Watching the head writer literally tell a female editor that "there was nothing to do at the party on Friday. There was no one of note to schmooze and no reason to have a conversation with any of the women since [he's] in a relationship."
Later the Head Writer asks me why I think that particular female editor is cold to him. "Maybe she just hates men?" he asks.
..and scene
I'm at the "what the hell was I thinking" phase of listening to music cue selects.
Incredibly well written article on the current state of NLEs.
I admit to not having watched the video... but the article itself is a great read.
Thinking about editing film and TV in Hollywood? Here are the popular software packages you need to know - and why. 1. Avid Media Composer 2. Apple Final Cut Pro X 3. Adobe Premiere Pro 4. Everything Else 5. The Future
TFW your client who is not at all video savvy sends you notes that make literally no sense. ?
Producer who feels the need to constantly comment on every part of the editing process was sitting next to me thru the entire edit.
As I put a slow push in on a still picture she badgered me endlessly.
Producer - what are you doing?
The Cranky Cutter - Pushing in on this picture so it grows slowly.
Producer - you're making the numbers too small.
TCC - Huh?
Producer - you need to make the 2nd number higher.
TCC - this is a small file so even a very small push in from 100 to 104 will produce a big visual move.
Producer - make the 2nd number higher. Don't be ridiculous.
TCC - *glaring* what number would you suggest?
Producer - 100 to 120
TCC - fine
Renders the effect and plays it back. The move is way too fast.
Producer - you did that on purpose. Don't be insulting.
TCC - *showing the effect parameters* this is what you asked for
Producer - just make it work. Don't be difficult.
Sets keyframes from 100 to 104
Producer - that's better.
…and scene
Cleaning out the ol' edit suite and we find a relic of the olden times…
1" master FTW
Exec Producer took exception to my calling him out for "mansplaining" an editing 101 concept to me. (When speeding up audio don't make it too fast or it will sound weird 🙄)
He then proceeded to tell me that what I called "mansplaining" is him just trying to communicate with me… so… essentially mansplaining the word "mansplaining."
Well played EP. Well played.
I think I'm gonna like this new gig.
Producer - Talk about a Frankenbite. Sheesh. We're Gods. We create something out of nothing.
The Cranky Cutter - What's this "we" s**t?
Producer - We've got a long day ahead of us. Are you ready?
The Cranky Cutter - I can promise you 75% of the f***s I have left to give.
How could I stab that cute Otter Director in the eye?
The Cranky Cutter - I don't understand what's going on in these grfx
Head Grfx Guru - We've actually put no thought into what we're doing.
…and scene
Evelyn... The Cranky Cutter feels your pain.
Cranky Cutter: When reviewing rough cuts with client I'm sick and tired of the question: "Can you Photoshop it?" when they see an image or photo in the scene they want to change it/flip/erase/fx/what have you. IT'S VIDEO, PEOPLE. MOVING VIDEO PICTURE. NOT STILL.
Not sure what area of "the biz" they were working in but this could easily describe the treatment of female editors.
Time well wasted
Producer - Here's the info for the fixes
TCC - Ok [begins to read top overview notes]
Producer - Don't read the top just go down to the individual fixes.
TCC - *continues to read the top*
Producer - DON'T read the top. Skip down
TCC - *skips down and begins to do notes*
-20min later-
Producer - You didn't do the fixes mentioned at the top?
..and scene
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