Advice on finding a good editor.

[harmonica44]

For my first short, I will need a good editor. One thing I learned was to make more time for coverage. I didn't have as much time during shooting for coverage, cause of time constraints, and actors availability. Just had to time to get the pre-planned storyboard shots, but not much time for alternate shots afterwords. As a result I screwed up on some of the continuity and there are some missing shots. I wasn't able to go back with the actors and reshoot whole scenes, so I am forced to use some coverage shots to make up for the missing shots.

However, I these shots will have to be tweaked and some After Effects expertise, will be required. I will have to do a lot of rotoscoping for one, and some split screening and cropping, etc. Perhaps I should hire an editor, and a separate guy for the After Effects knowledge? Or when I post an add to hire, should I just request that they are an expert, in all those fields? Some editors have worked wonders, and they were able to take footage that wasn't good and make it good, so I could definitely know how to find one of those. I will of course, ask to see previous short films they've done.

 

[srbclarke]

Sure. Well I won't ask a bunch of questions about After Effects if it cannot be helped. However, is there anything that After Effects can't do, that you must get right on set? For example I had to reshoot a scene, cause part of the original scene shoot got screwed up. But the reshoot screwed up as well, in a different way. So therefore, I have to use AE to rotoscope and retool the first scene, and paste it together with the second scene, to make both half scenes look like they are in the same room. I have to work on that, but is there anything in AE that it cannot fix?

Sounds to me (without seeing the footage) that unless you have a pro AE user, the shot is going to suck anyways. If someone said that to me I'd say it's probably going to suck, and I'm pretty nifty in AE.

That's not me saying that your movie is going to suck, I'm talking about that one shot only.

On one hand, I like it that you're asking so many questions. On the other, I wish you'd just do things yourself. This is your first short film. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying it's a learning experience. Unless you have a friend that genuinely WANTS to be an editor and nothing else in life, you should be editing it yourself. It helps you see what choices you made as a director were wrong.

Sit down with Premiere, cut the scene that's in shambles, and edit it yourself.

 

[finderskeepers]

I was in the same situation. I had two good editors quit my project. (There's something about running out of money that tends to drive people away from you, what is it hummm? ) Now I'm editing myself. The cool thing about editing is you can mess it up and re-edit later. It's not filming where you have to get everyone back to re-shoot.

The thing I learned is every film has TWO writers and one is called "the editor" If you let someone else edit your film, they are more or less re-writing the script for you. They are leaving out and adding things that can change the story. Now that my editors have left me with my footage, Honestly, I can't imagine letting ANYONE else cut my film together! The Director has the vision so he/she needs to be the guardian of that vision from script outline to final cut. Just my thoughts.

Oh I could do that. I'm going to use After Effects and Premiere Pro probably though. I was told by a few people in the business that if you try editing yourself, haven't done any of that before, that you won't do a good job of it, and probably should hire someone to make it good.

 

[PaulGriffith]

I think it would actually be wise to sit with an editor if you can find one. Just like any other job you need, stick an ad on craigslist. Sitting down and watching him you can learn the ropes and what not. If you can't find one for free, it might be worth a couple hundred to hire a decent editor with a lower day rate for one day. Come prepared with all of your footage, have the best takes separated out and labeled and organized so you aren't paying him to dig through your 40 takes (I think you mentioned in another post) and sit down and edit.

If you can't find one, then no sweat! Do it yourself. I wouldn't farm it out to someone out of town either, you need to be there r you won't learn anything.

And don't even attempt crazy After Effects voodoo you're talking about. Most likely, it won't work.. ever... with Andrew Kramer himself doing it. At best, it would take a for real pro way more time than it's worth to do it and cost you a crazy amount and still not be as good as what you want in your head. Just take this hit to your stomach and let it heal, you'll have learned for the next one how to avoid it. Of course, next time you'll get kicked in the shin so the time after than you'll be watching out for both, and probably gat slapped in the face haha. Stuff always goes wrong at this stage of the game, it's ok to let it go and learn from it. In fact, it's probably better to than spending all your time and money trying to polish a turd.

 

[harmonica44]

Okay I'll just accept the missing continuity shots, and forget about After Effects. But that's why I wanted an editor who was good with After Effects as well. One of the actors keeps wanting me to enter the film into a festival she is in, since she likes the script a lot. So she keeps pressuring me, along with the pressure to make a good impression with actors who are 20+ years older than me. I feel I have to make a good impression on them to be taken seriously. But I'll forget the missing shots. My friends say they are not as big of a deal as I am making them, but they are my friends, so who knows.

I think what I'll do is edit it myself and put all the good takes in a folder. Then depending on the final edit, I'll decide if perhaps a more experienced editor is needed.

 

[VIVIIX]

Originally Posted by CamVader
I may get banned for that, but Canada must be stopped!

Originally Posted by CamVader
Tip-toeing away as if nothing happened.

It happened! i saw it! VIVIIX sees ALL ha ha ha!

but seriously harmonica44 , i agree with what EVERYONE has been telling you. do the editing yourself. i cant reemember the exact quote but Stanley Kubrick once said editing is being the only craft exclusive to film and filmmaking, and that all the rest of the stuff involved can be found in still photography, and theater and stuff. so if you wanna be a good filmmaker, its something you should probubly be getting as familiar with as possible.