The Power of Editing
Anybody can push a few keys on a keyboard and edit footage. Not many can really edit, however. Editing is not simply gluing together shots in sequential order, laying down a music track and calling it finished. Editing is an art form that many take for granted. The edit is the most important part of a film. Sure, you wrote it and shot it and the footage looks wonderful, but that’s all you have — footage. Hours of shots are useless until they are edited together in a meaningful manner that will not only stay true to the original vision, but also affect the audience in a positive way.
There are many ways to edit a movie. Different styles and pacing provide the viewer with different feelings. It is very important that you, the filmmaker, know how you want to affect your audience and that you do so effectively through the pacing of the film. Below are various trailers for popular films that have been recut by fans. You will notice that the films you thought you knew suddenly become something completely different. All this is accomplished in the editing room.
More examples after the break.
Forced Perspective
Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It is used primarily in photography, filmmaking and architecture. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation between them and the vantage point of the spectator or camera.
For a full explanation, read the Wikipedia page. Below are two videos showing forced perspective in the Lord of the Rings films and a music video that uses forced perspective in a very creative way.
Film Festivals for June, 2009
- June 3-18
- Israel Film Festival (Los Angeles, California, USA)
- June 5-7
- Bare Bones Scifi-Fantasy-Horror Film Festival (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA)
- June 5-7
- Texandance International Film Festival (New Braunfels, Texas, USA)
- June 5-12
- PriFilmFest - Prishtina International Film Festival (Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo)
- Continue reading this post »
Writing better scene openings
Screenwriter John August works through a scene to improve its opening.
Writing better action
Screenwriter John August works through a scene to improve the action.
Jim Jarmusch’s “rules” for filmmakers
Below are director Jim Jarmusch’s “rules” for filmmakers:
Rule #1: There are no rules. There are as many ways to make a film as there are potential filmmakers. It’s an open form. Anyway, I would personally never presume to tell anyone else what to do or how to do anything. To me that’s like telling someone else what their religious beliefs should be. Fuck that. That’s against my personal philosophy—more of a code than a set of “rules.” Therefore, disregard the “rules” you are presently reading, and instead consider them to be merely notes to myself. One should make one’s own “notes” because there is no one way to do anything. If anyone tells you there is only one way, their way, get as far away from them as possible, both physically and philosophically.
Rule #2: Don’t let the fuckers get ya. They can either help you, or not help you, but they can’t stop you. People who finance films, distribute films, promote films and exhibit films are not filmmakers. They are not interested in letting filmmakers define and dictate the way they do their business, so filmmakers should have no interest in allowing them to dictate the way a film is made. Carry a gun if necessary.
Also, avoid sycophants at all costs. There are always people around who only want to be involved in filmmaking to get rich, get famous, or get laid. Generally, they know as much about filmmaking as George W. Bush knows about hand-to-hand combat.
Rule #3: The production is there to serve the film. The film is not there to serve the production. Unfortunately, in the world of filmmaking this is almost universally backwards. The film is not being made to serve the budget, the schedule, or the resumes of those involved. Filmmakers who don’t understand this should be hung from their ankles and asked why the sky appears to be upside down.
Read the rest of the rules at MovieMaker.com.
Writing better scene description
Screenwriter John August works through a scene to improve the scene description.
Film Festival for April, 2009
- April 1-5
- Beverly Hills Film Festival (Beverly Hills, California, USA)
- April 1-5
- Reynolda Film Festival (Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA)
- April 1-5
- San Francisco Woman’s Film Festival (San Francisco, California, USA)
- April 1-7
- Gen Art Film Festival (New York City, New York, USA)
- April 2-5
- Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Festival (Providence, Rhode Island, USA)
- Continue reading this post »
Recommended Viewing: PBS’ Independent Lens
Airing weekly on PBS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens is like an independent film festival in your living room. Each episode introduces new documentaries and dramas made by independent thinkers: filmmakers who are taking creative risks, calling their own shots and finding untold stories in unexpected places. Independent Lens programs come in every shape and size, including feature-length documentaries, hour-long dramas, four-minute comic shorts, half-hour experimental pieces and everything in between.
Below is an episode of this excellent PBS series. To view more, head over to PBS or HULU.
1st AD - How to Call the Roll
One of the 1st Assistant Director’s responsibilities is to “call the roll” while on set. This is very important as one of the steps include using a slate to mark a tape, which helps the editor sync the audio to the picture and helps to keep track of all the shots. Below are the steps involved, usually, in calling the roll.
1) “Waiting on…” Though not technically part of calling the roll, 1st ADs may keep the set focused by frequently calling out which department is responsible for a delay in rolling a take. If the lights need to be adjusted, the 1st AD calls out, “Waiting on gaffers”. If the actors are still in their trailer, the 1st AD calls out “Waiting on talent”, etc. However, such calls can be regarded as applying excessive pressure to the department in question, and especially in the case of actors, are often avoided.
