Editing “Rule 2″ December 23, 2007
Posted by joost in : LFA, directing, editing , comments closedI know that the posting frequency has been a bit low. Part of the reason is that I was really caught up in the editing process, and also was trying to spend as much time as possible with my fellow classmates, some of whom have left or will leave really soon.
In the last two weeks we have been editing “Rule 2″. After syncing up the rushes (linking the sound to the picture) we started with a rough assembly of the film, ordering the shots and scenes in the right order. This assembly is used to get to the first cut, where the overall structure is in place and where the preferred shots and sequences are used. As this process of stepwise refinement occurs, everyday the edit is trimmed and tightened, sometimes only by a few frames (1/25 of a second) at a time. Also bigger issues are addressed as the pacing, the “shape” and necessity of certain shots.
Every day there is at least one person apart from me and the editor who will see the film and comment on it. Sometimes this is very specific feedback from a fellow filmmaker or editing tutor, sometimes it is generic feedback from someone who does not know the script and sees the film for the first time. Both are very valuable, although a bit scary at first. After a while I got used to having people comment on the film and I actually started enjoying the process of involving people to see the edit and to hear their opinions.
On Friday the 21st of December we had several screenings of our latest cut in the LFA theatre, for ourselves and for some other people. The experience of seeing your film on a big screen compared to a computer screen is quite different, that is why we chose to give that a go on the last day before we would break for the holidays. It was a very rewarding day, because we saw that the film on a whole seems to work. Of course we – and some other people who gave us feedback – identified some issues as well, but none of those were a surprise. We were already aware of them, and got confirmation that they were not only obvious to us but also to others.
Apart from that it was very nice to receive genuine compliments on the film and on the work that we have done in the past weeks. Although we know that we still have to work on certain elements, I think about 90% of the film is “done”, and I don’t expect any major changes in the structure, shape and pacing of the film itself.
This makes it a good time for a (christmas/newyears) break, to let the film rest for two weeks or so.
I will be back in The Netherlands from December 22nd to January 6th, to celebrate x-mas and newyears and to enjoy some time off. In the mean time I hope to show the current edit of “Rule 2″ to anyone who is interested. Quite exciting because this will be the first time I will show the film to “non filmmakers” but at the same time to people that I know and who know me. Kind of like a second layer of opinions, very useful in the overall process of trying to make sense of the film.
I am quite proud of the film. I know that it still needs some work, but I feel that what I set out to do is actually there on screen and that is a great feeling!