Editing, Day ??: I've lost

Editing, Day ??: I've lost count. Is it as tedious to read about editing day-to-day as it is to experience editing day-to-day? Since it consumes every one of my 20 waking hours/day, I'm left with little else to write about, though...


Jonah locked almost all the CD (formerly Mini-Disc) audio tracks to the clips used in the rough cut. This, after a long night and early mornings searching for an automatic way to synch up the video and CD audio. Basically, I think it comes down to this: If you have a lot of media, synch AFTER you make a rough cut, and then just synch the clips you use in the cut. If you have a lot of edits in that rough cut, though (and with the kids and the MTV, who doesn't have a lot of quickfire edits these days?), take a pass through your raw material, whittle it down to a small-medium sized batch that you're likely to use, and SYNCH IT BEFORE YOU EDIT.

Some metrics for you schedule-building filmmakers out there:

  • it took about 3 hours to cross-reference and capture 35 CD tracks into Final Cut Pro.
  • we missed another 6 tracks, which we captured ad hoc as we found out we missed them.
  • it took film school grad and intermediate/advanced FCP user Jonah about 5 hours to match up the CD audio to the 12 video clips (which you accomplish by making a new sequence, fyi, which doesn't include ANY of the in/out, subclip, speed, filter, sizing, or other editing data that you may have already spent a couple of weeks putting together).
  • it's taken novice "Can I borrow your user manual?" FCP user Greg 4 hours to re-place the CD-laden clips throughout the intricately woven rough cut. That, for about 25-30 individual cuts and subclips.
  • Even so, it's only about 75-80% done.


    Wednesday is the last 20%, tightening the edit down (gotta get down from 20 min. to 15, remember?), and sound editing/effects (i.e., taking out extraneous sounds, laying down background noise, adding phone rings, Charlie's Angels-style speakerphone effects, etc.)[note: that Angels link is about the movie, not the TV show, and it's slow to download. Oh, and it's in Vietnamese. Hey, Google, recommended it. What can I do?]


    Other: On a positive scheduling note, the Cannes Film Selection Committee said it'll be alright if our tape arrives Tuesday, since Monday is a holiday. No need to bring the tape to the office in person, then (the seemingly excessive backup plan). We now have until Friday, and I save $1700 or 80,000 frequent flyer miles. But I was looking forward to that 6-hour sleep on the plane, though...

  • Since 2001 here at greg.org, I've been blogging about the creative process—my own and those of people who interest me. That mostly involves filmmaking, art, writing, research, and the making thereof.

    Many thanks to the Creative Capital | Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Program for supporting greg.org that time.

    comments? questions? tips? pitches? email
    greg [at] greg [dot ] org

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    first published: March 27, 2002.

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