[Frame of Reference] with Editor Jack Newman

Jack Newman is from a small seaside town in South Devon. One of those towns with nothing to offer for teenagers. “Fortunately I was given a camera to keep me busy. What kept me more busy though was the edit after each day of filming. I would see how I could make something nice to watch, using the correct timing and effects on the content. And I never stopped”.

What got you interested in editing?
Well, originally it was a necessity. Then I realised just how much opportunity lies within the edit. It’s a very cathartic process to refine something into a final product. It’s a way of making sense of our own thought processes.

How did you get started in editing?
It started when I made (terrible) videos with friends. I would spend a long time cleaning it up, making something to be proud of, but what was the difference between good and bad? The more I studied film the more it made sense. Film conventions had purpose and reason. And now I could articulate this. Then at university the discussions I had with my class mates allowed me to develop my own thoughts on film. All of this is articulated best within the edit suite, so i never left!

What is your preferred NLE(s) of choice? Why?
I primarily use Avid. I’ve had the good fortune to be trained by Avid to use it. The control you have, and have to use, is astounding. The export compression is so efficient that it’s pointless trying to .zip the file. And the colour correction tools provide you with everything you need, aside from secondary colour correction, which is theoretically possible with some good keying. Experimenting with that has taught me a lot about keying. Some one once said to me that if you learn how to use Avid, other editing softwares are second nature.

Give us a run through of your editing process
I use Avid so step one is import and wait. I’ll either choose the shots after or have them selected before import. I then make a rough cut with my preferred shots. I treat it like taking notes so I don’t always assemble the cut chronologically. Once this is done I go into refine mode and watch through the cut, see if the cuts work and if not I adjust or replace shots until I am confident in the sequence VFX. During this process if I have spare time I begin the colour grade to start realising the film world a bit more, it can change your choice of shot. Then if it’s my job I add the SFX at the end or during the cut as needed.

What tips were you given that was really helpful?
My tutor would tell me that working with a director is like being a psychotherapists. To be a good editor you have to be able to pick up on the directors intentions and feelings without them telling you directly. The theories of the psychoanalytic tie in deeply with film.

How organized are you?
I try to keep on top of things, and complete jobs as soon as I can, at least before the next project comes to bite me on the ass! I bought an iPad late last year and to be honest it does most of the organising for me. All my notes, emails, social networks are all in one place that I can carry around. As for my desk. I like to think everything has its own home, but it’s such a small desk, so it clutter very easily.

Can you work without a script, finding the story and building it on your own?
I actually prefer to work without a script. If I’m not in the same room as the director, then I might read the script beforehand. I think it helps build something a new audience can understand. I don’t keep shots in for the sake of the script, or a shot that took a long time to get. And often scripts can be stilted and impossible to comparable to the final performances.

What is your favorite film? Favorite Tv show?
Favourite Tv show has got to be Breaking Bad. Amazing character development, though I watch more cartoons, like the Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, its pure insanity like Ren and Stimpy, they would never use the facial expression twice. Film wise I love Another Year by Mike Leigh, great editing and scripting.

What style of editing have you done? (Narrative/Documentary/News/Corporate/Wedding/Etc)
I have done narrative, corporate videos, music videos and weddings (never again). Obviously more a fan of narrative and music videos. Narrative allows me to discuss the theory of the edit more. Especially when editing animations. Music videos are just pleasing. They’re much more rigid edits, you have to cut to the beat a lot, but colour wise I have a lot more free reign.

If you could meet any editor, who and why?
Roderick Jaynes! Just like to meet the Coens really. Realistically, it would be cool to meet Jeffery Ford, the editor of One Hour Photo, and more recently Avengers Assemble. It was much like Lee Smith’s edit of Inception. Keeping a balance between several layers of dreaming, or in this case several layers of A-listers. The balance they struck was impeccable.

What advice can you offer to get through complex edits?
Keep a cool head and keep notes! I have searched for shots for hours before. And if it feels like you’ve watched it too many times, then step away. Go for a cup of tea, or sleep on it and come back tomorrow. It’s more worth your time. Especially sleeping on it. I swear my head solves half my edit problems when I’m asleep!

Which plug-in(s) do you find most useful? Why?
I mostly use Avid’s native tools, as they work so well! And match Pro Tools’ audio effects, so is best for my workflow. The majority of my downloaded plug-ins are extra QuickTime Codecs!

How does the director-editor relationship work for you?
It’s a different experience every time, but control wise I discuss which takes the director prefers and why (sometimes you have to make sure a director is definitely happy with). Then when it’s in the timeline, it’s my domain and although I experiment with the directors suggestion the final say is mine. I am open-minded with a lot of suggestions but when I know something doesn’t work I have to put my foot down.

How do you deal with problem clients/directors?
If things become confused or if the client is not being clear, I get them to step back for a second and start from the beginning. The key to the edit is communication and if that fails then so does the edit. If the client is unsure I help ‘guide’ them with suggestions on how it should be cut and then I often make it seem like their idea, everybody wins!

What’s your overall philosophy about editing?
Relax. If you make an edit under any other circumstance than this, then it will be compromised by your emotion. It’s the directors job to compromise projects with their emotions. Some drink to feel the emotion of the cut, but there are so many technicalities to be aware of these days!

Name one thing that you would tell an aspiring editor
Learn Avid, it’s scary but you’ll have a new appreciation for editing. And a much more in-depth understanding of how any editing software works.

Catch up with Jack on twitter @jack_editing his website www.jackediting.com and Facebook

Frame of Reference with Editor Jeff Cooney

Jeff Cooney is a life-long Indianapolis resident.  Born and raised in Indy, Jeff has been editing since high school where he fell in love with the art. “I carried that love through college at Ball State University (Go Cards!). Now I’m a full-time editor working on corporate video, network television, commercials, and web series.”

What got you interested in editing?
In college, I began realizing how much editing was my favorite part of the production process.  I liked shooting, I liked doing audio, I was abysmal at lighting, but I realized how much I enjoyed just sitting down in the edit bay and figuring out the story. That was where I found myself most comfortable. I would take the hours I shot for that :30 commercial and sift through it until I found the gold amongst the rocks.

How did you get started in editing?
To be honest, it started as a need to fill my course schedule in high school. I had heard of class where they would produce daily TV news, and being a tech-savvy and TV-watching teenager, it piqued my interest. I realized quickly that, as much as I enjoyed doing the short broadcasts, I loved putting together stories my way. The whole “one take and it’s over” left me wanting more.

What is your preferred NLE(s) of choice? Why?
I’ve been on Final Cut since version 3.0, so that is my comfort zone. But I’m certainly exploring options since the demise of FCP7 as we knew it. I am not one to say that my way is the only way, so bring on more NLE’s and I’ll learn. There are even some days where I would rather just hook up two decks via serial control and get to work.

Give us a run through of your editing process
In most of my client work, there are producers who will put together a paper edit and then I’ll work on bringing that to life. On projects where I’m the producer, the process varies depending on the outcome. When there’s a piece that will have talking heads, I’ll go through and highlight all my favorite parts from the transcript and then shuffle those around until I get the order I like. At times, I’ll even print out the bites and physically arrange and rearrange them on my desk.

With almost all pieces, though, I like to find a piece of music to work from first. I know how much music can change a video. It sets a tone, pace and rhythm right away that I like to work from and against when necessary. I’m a percussionist, so rhythm and pacing is in my head no matter what.
How organized are you?
I’m pretty organized as an editor. I like bins for everything if I can help it (i.e., when the deadline isn’t “yesterday”). A bunch of loose files in a folder makes me cringe. However, if you ventured into my edit bay, you would never imagine that’s the case.

Can you work without a script, finding the story and building it on your own?
I can definitely work without a script. Very little of the work I do is scripted. I like to let people use their own words and then I help tell their story. Even when someone is a little nervous on camera, I’d rather work through that with them than have them read off a piece of paper.

What is your favorite film? Favorite Tv show?
I don’t have a favorite anymore. I probably could have told you a few years ago, but nowadays I just look for good stories and better storytelling. So many TV shows I have sat down to watch in the past year have adapted this mentality of “stick with us for a few episodes or a season and then you’ll get into it.” I completely disagree with that. I want to be hooked from the beginning.  If episode one is boring, I’m not coming back for two.

I love stories that I can’t predict, stories that surprise me repeatedly. Early seasons of Lost and Heroes come to mind. Stories that are smart with deep characters, like The West Wing and Breaking Bad.

What style of editing have you done? (Narrative/Documentary/News/Corporate/Wedding/Etc)
Predominantly corporate videos nowadays. But I still like doing narratives and short documentary (more soft news style) in my free-time. I have always wanted to do something more long-form and scripted, so if anyone is looking for an editor, let me know.

If you could meet any editor, who and why?
All of them. Can we arrange that? Seriously, I enjoy seeing anyone who’s an expert at their craft. To see a painter create great art, or a great business leader run a meeting, or a great driver win an Indy Car race. There is so much to learn from anyone who is good at what they do.

What advice can you offer to get through complex edits?
Take a break. Seriously, get away from your project for a while. As editors, we have to walk this fine balance of watching the same thing over and over, yet having a short enough attention span to look at it fresh each time. Sometimes, we just get stuck and you need fresh air to figure it out.  Plus, it’s better for your health, and your brain so you don’t get burned out on it.

Also, collaborate. If you can, work with others. We’re all being asked to do more and more within the edit bay, or to shoot and edit, or whatever it is. But if you can bring others in, you will always have more creativity and more inspiration in a group. And having fresh eyes look at your project can give you an extra push you need.

Which plug-in(s) do you find most useful? Why?
I use The Foundry’s Keylight, and Magic Bullet Colorista almost daily. Lots of smaller ones I use on occasion like Marvels Moire Filter, Alex 4D Crop, Transitions. If I’m in After Effects, I use Trapcode’s work a lot, as well as Video Copilot’s Optical Flares.

How does the director-editor relationship work for you?
At my company, we always talk about the shoot with one of the editors before doing the shoot. We don’t have the mentality of fix it in post, but rather finish it in post. Each step should help the next step in the process.  So, the editor should always be in sync with the director. I don’t think an editor needs to be on-set every day, but having a concept of what they’re going to be getting and knowing which takes are going to be best ahead of time, or seeing a reaction on-set that he/she knows can be used later adds so much more to the post process. This goes back to my point on collaborating. I think having the right people around you from the beginning only adds to a better story at the end.

How do you deal with problem clients/directors?
Education. The reason someone has hired you is to do something they couldn’t. They’ve come to you to do it better than they would. That probably also means they don’t know what they’re really asking. If a client makes unreasonable demands, many times it’s because they don’t understand what it takes. No one outside of the post production world uses the word “render.” I try to take the time and explain what’s going on, what it will take, and why it’s better that way. You’re the expert, or they wouldn’t have hired you, so act like it.

What’s your overall philosophy about editing?
Figure out what emotion you want to convey with each scene and do whatever it takes to get that across. There’s nothing like the feeling of seeing someone smile at just the right time in your comedy, or see their eyes watering on that emotional moment when you brought up the music just enough, or see goosebumps on their arms because you added that rumble in the LFE channel. If no one gets your story or connects to it, if you feel it’s a story worth telling, keep reworking it until they do.

Name one thing that you would tell an aspiring editor
For me, I think of editors as great translators. Every editor has had to work with a client who supplied video from their clients’ cell phone, or their logo as a. jpg. I think it’s important to know the ins and outs of everything that comes in or goes out of your edit system.  Be able to talk to a print designer about why you need RGB vs CYMK, and to your web developer about why you’re delivering MP4 over FLV, and to a motion graphics artist about why you need an alpha channel.  Not to mention being able to translate the client’s or producer’s story into a compelling video. Because a lot of times, as the industry is changing rapidly, we’ll be asked to do those things on our own. So, learn a little about as much as you can. You don’t have to be fluent in 3D lingo, but at least take a 101 on as many areas as you can.
You can reach Jeff on twitter.

Seasons Greeting to You and Yours.

This Holiday Season, may you have the fulfillment of seeing around you
the people you love the most. May you have the satisfaction
of giving the best gift, special memories that will last forever.
This Holiday Season, may you feel peaceful and contented.

God’s Richest Blessing.

Seasons Greetings from the Frame of Reference Team.

See you in the New Year.

 

Frame of Reference with Editor Todd Gill

 

Todd Gill is a freelance editor and colorist with over 12 years of experience in the post production industry. He has worked on many national, regional, and local TV campaigns, as well as, documentary, and corporate videos. Like most other post professionals, he is a self-proclaimed technology junky.

 

 
What got you interested in editing?

It just kinda fell into place for me. I remember around 2000, I was in college and took a class called Non linear editing fundamentals. They were teaching an early version of Adobe Premiere. It was a slow process, but I think that was when I was hooked. I felt like I had power to tell a story. Or at least put the pieces of the puzzle together to tell a story. Also I remember from there spending countless hours editing tape to tape for other class projects

 
How did you get started in editing?


While studying in college, I interned at a local post production facility, Dempsey Film Group. There I worked the late shift in the duplication department. At that time the editors did the on-lining process in a linear edit suite. There were many a late nights spent waiting for the edits to be completed. So I would sit in the back watching the edit process and the interaction between the editors and the clients. Eventually, I became an assistant editor, still working late and prepping for the next days edit. Then about a year or so later, I became a full-time editor. By this time we were pretty much a non linear facility. So I seemed to excel as fast as the other editors as far as learning the software. I still had a long way to go before I had a decent editing technique.

 
What is your preferred NLE(s) of choice? Why?

Well, I’ve worked with the Big Three. When I started out editing, I cut my teeth editing with Avid Express, Avid Adrenaline, and Avid Symphony. Those were great systems at the time. When we moved toward HD workflow, We slowly moved toward Final Cut Pro. I really enjoyed working with FCP7 and the whole studio. I was always excited to see what it could do. I think it is a very powerful tool and still use it today. And probably will continue to use it. This last May, I jumped ship and now I am working in Premiere Pro. This is also a great app. It really seems to speed my editing process. I recently finished my first big project with it. It was a 20+ minute video, with multi formats. I was really impressed how smooth the process went working natively as well as round tripping to and from Resolve. There was a lot I learned about how Premiere Pro works while editing this project.
After all that, I have to say that at this moment Premiere Pro is my NLE of choice. But I think it is wise to have as many tools in your box as you can.

 

Give us a run through of your editing process.

 
It’s funny. I think my editing process changes from project to project. It never really seems to be the same. It depends on what I am doing. Usually I just segment everything into selects sequences, duplicate and then I begin to start pulling client and director liked takes, then I’ll go back to pull my own. If I am editing a lifestyle spot, I usually edit a story and not worry about timing. I then refine the edit to the music. I think for a spot, you get a better story if it is cut to the music. Then I lay in the VO to get a feel for how the spot is progressing. Then the tough part…what to cut. I keep refining the edit to get it into time. By this point I could have 6, 7 or more versions of the spot. Once I am happy with the edit and think it is working well, I’ll then show it to the director to get their approval then off to the clients. Again, this is only one scenario. I think each project seems to have a life of it’s own. Some are great to work on, and others are like pulling teeth.

 

What tips were you given that was really helpful?


I used to be extremely literal when It came to my edits. If it called for b-roll, I would cut in the b-roll of exactly as it was called for. The directors and editors that I worked with, said don’t be so literal with your edits. Follow the script to a point, but then put the script away and feel your way though it. That is something I am still working with.
Recently I came across this blog by Oliver Peters.I knew most of these tips, but it is nice to read these tips and firm up your skills.

 

How organized are you?

I like to think I am very organized. If you look at my projects in the app, they all look the same other than the project title. I create my projects from a template I created. So I am never having to search for where things are. I know where everything is supposed to go. I think it is very helpful for workflow purposes as well. If I need to come back to a project at a later date, I can backtrack through my previous versions if needed.
 Outside the App, I am just as organized. I have a template project folder, that encompasses the whole project from beginning to end. I think if you are very organized, you spend less time looking and searching for where to put files or where to find them and more time as to what is important…editing.

 

Can you work without a script, finding the story and building it on your own?

Yes, in some cases, I am handed take notes, and am told to get to it. It’s not difficult as long as you understand the scope of the project and understand the clients and directors vision. Actually, It is refreshing to do this, because you are not constrained to the boundaries of the script. You can really put your own signature on the project. Though sometimes that could comeback to bite you. 
I feel I really have a knack of taking doc style interviews and creating the best story as possible. I love to find the story and intertwine all the people through out. It’s kind of like writing a term paper and supporting your main statement, but way more enjoyable.

 
What is your favorite film? Favorite Tv show?


TV Show Guilty Pleasure: Hawaii 50 and Big Bang Theory
 Favorite Film… I’m going to have to say, any of Christopher Nolan’s films

 
What style of editing have you done? (Narrative/Documentary/News/Corporate/Wedding/Etc)


I think I have almost done it all. I mainly work with Spots, Corporate, and Documentaries. When I started freelancing, I was cutting wedding videos day after day. They are good work.

 
If you could meet any editor, who and why?

That is a good one, I’ll come back to this.

 
What advice can you offer to get through complex edits?


What I do to get through complex edits is, I try to create alternate versions to see every possibility there is. Try different takes. Try different editing techniques even though they are not called for in that particular project, then I bring in the director or others who have creative ownership in the project and bounce the alternate versions to see what they think. Getting input from others is always helpful if you are stuck.

 

Which plug-in(s) do you find most useful? Why?


Plural Eyes – I think sound sync will become a lost art due to Plural Eyes.
 Crumple Pop Lumineux – Seems like these days light leaks are the in thing. They work great to help grunge footage or create nice flash frames. Its easy, and my clients seem to like it.
 Resolve – Not sure we can call this a plugin. But I use this to grade all of my projects and really adds value to the final product.

 
How does the director-editor relationship work for you?


I think you must have a good relationship with your director. You have to understand their style and vision. I usually meet at the beginning of the project and sometimes in pre-production to discuss the project. From there, once I have the footage in hand, I am working solo. I will then either have the director come in or I’ll post for feedback. I’ll continue the process until the director is happy with the edit, then we will proceed to client viewing.

 
How do you deal with problem clients/directors?

OH the difficult directors/clients. I have to listen even more carefully and be more sensitive to what their vision is. This is to only avoid any issues down the road.

 
What’s your overall philosophy about editing?


My Philosophy? Tell great stories with what you have. That is your job as an editor. It might not be Grade A material. But you must tell a story in a creative and understandable way and engage with your viewers, whether it is a 90 minute feature-length film or documentary to a :30 second or even a :15 second spot.

 

Name one thing that you would tell an aspiring editor

 
Watch a lot of everything. I was told I should watch a lot of TV when I started editing, to see different styles. I don’t watch a lot of TV. I spend more time on Vimeo or other places on the internet watching and learning and picking up interesting tidbits to add to my skills. Get inspired and just start cutting

 

You can catch up with Todd on twitter @digitalpostink and @Todd_Gill or check out his work Digital Post Ink

Frame of Reference with Editor Linda Ung

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda Ung graduated from university with a Bachelor in Media Arts Communication Production in 2005. Linda’s first job in the media industry was at the Ovation Channel, an arts channel on Foxtel as a presentation officer. From there she started promo producing and editing, and then freelanced for them as a program editor for all their local productions. Now she works in a production house as a full-time editor, producer and occasional shooter, sometimes all three.

Here i get to speak with Linda about her Post Workflow.

What got you interested in editing?

A light bulb went off when I was in my second year of university. It was an elective class I took, and it stuck from there. At the time I didn’t really know what I wanted to do as a career and was testing the waters in as many subjects as possible. It was clear that I wanted to do something creative, but I wasn’t sure specifically what creative field that would be. It was when we were given some footage to edit in class. We were just told to put it together… it was there that I learned how I can manipulate a situation with a sequence of shots to skew the story one way or the other. I was hooked from then on.

How did you get started in editing?

During my second and particularly my third year of university, I volunteered for anything and everything to do with the film and television industry. I took the advice of the lecturers and tutors to approach film sets and production companies in the local area, from there I gained as much experience as possible, assistant editing and spending time on set, observing and absorbing.

What is your preferred NLE(s) of choice? Why?

Final Cut Pro 7 is my preferred tool of choice. I find it intuitive as a system and I’ve used it since being trained, so for me it’s second nature to use. My second choice would be Adobe Premiere, then Avid. But like anything in life, if we use it enough we become proficient. I just happened to attend a university which chose to teach FCP.

Give us a run through of your editing process

The job determines my process in editing. If it’s an interview style edit, I’d watch all the material, start trimming the fat (outtakes, questions, ums and ahs etc) and get an audio base edit down. Then I start overlaying the appropriate parts, then once I’ve got the duration of the piece where I want it, I’ll edit in the music and finesse the edit to fit.
If it’s say a music video. My process would be to watch all the takes, sync all the takes, mark up little off cut moments that I could use later on in the edit. Then do a multi-cam edit. After that, I get into all the edits and finesse it. I find with music video editing, I edit to the feeling of the song. I can’t really describe it… I guess the rhythm of the music dictates where my cuts lie, not necessary the beats.

What tips were you given that was really helpful?

Learn your shortcut keys. It becomes muscle memory after a little while and turns into a great asset. Also watch as much good and bad editing as possible, there is always something you can learn and pick up the more you’re exposed too.

How organized are you?

I’m very organized. Or I like to think I am. I make sure everything is named and put into the appropriate labelled bins. It is especially important to be organized when you are handing it off to another department. Sometimes you are dealing with hundreds or even thousands of clips (especially in this digital age), you want to be organized so that if you (or someone else) comes back to the project for whatever reason, you want them to be able to find what they are looking for.

Can you work without a script, finding the story and building it on your own?

I have worked on a Tv show that was “reality” based, which involved searching for a storyline. I have a love hate relationship with that kind of job because sometimes it’s frustrating; in some respect you are not really sure what you are looking for when watching the rushes, but when you find it, oh it’s quite a feeling! Sculpting a story that may not have initially been obvious and making it coherent… that’s the power of editing and it’s a thrill when you achieve it.

What is your favorite film? Favorite Tv show?

At the moment I would have to say Downton Abbey is my favourite tv show. Favourite film would be Black Swan.

What style of editing have you done? (Narrative/Documentary/News/Corporate/Wedding/Etc)

I have done narrative, documentary, corporate, music video, promo videos.

If you could meet any editor, who and why?

Sally Menke because she has credits as long as my arm and I would learn so much from her.

What advice can you offer to get through complex edits?

A good night sleep. I find that if I’m tackling a edit that doesn’t seem to be working and I’ve been working at it all day, nice fresh eyes in the morning helps.

Which plug-in(s) do you find most useful? Why?

Not really an editing plug-in but I like using Magic Bullet Looks. Easy to slap on and then tweak for colour grading.

How does the director-editor relationship work for you?
It depends on the director. I know some like to sit in on the edit because they know exactly what they want, and I’m fine with that. And then there are some who allow me to get to rough cut stage before wanting to come in and that works fine for me too.

How do you deal with problem clients/directors?

I try to keep a good vibe. It can be a difficult relationship, but communication is key. Keep all parties informed of what is going on; helps clients/directors understand what you are trying to achieve and overall achieve the best result for the job.

What’s your overall philosophy about editing?

Edit with your heart and judge by how it feels.

Name one thing that you would tell an aspiring editor

Volunteer as much as you can. You never know what kind of contacts you will make, or what kind of paid work will come from it.

You can see some of Linda’s work on vimeo or find her on twitter.

Update – Workflow Structure

*Workflow Structure has been updated with a few tweaks.

Here is a Workflow Structure that we use over at PostMasters at the start of every new project. Should get you up and running in no time.

Happy Editing

Workflow Structure