Editing To Directors Brief (Rough Cut)

Finished the rough cut of ‘The Job’ for my Editing to a Directors Brief class.  Here it is below…

A few weeks ago, my class was asked to pick favourite editing moment.  Every time I’m ask a question like this I always draw a blank.  I think to myself ‘I’ve seen loads of films, why can’t I think of any?!’  The problem is that yes, I have seen a lot of films, but I haven’t viewed those films as examples of technical prowess.  I’ve watched them as stories unfolding which is only possible if the edit is fluid and seamless.  So once I’m finished drawing blanks a certain Indonesian action film comes to mind.  Despite the critical darling ‘The Raid’ has become for it’s soundtrack, (by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda of all people), the choreography (more like a beautiful dance than a brawl) and the strong self contained story telling, the film has always been just a visual treat for my eyes.  The following scene in particular is one of my favourites ever committed to film (or SD card!)

I couldn’t get the clip separate but the sequence happens between 23mins to 24mins.  This scene is edited together like a horror film instead of an action film.  I like how all the quick cuts build the tension and communicate how out of their depth the swat team are.  I like the slow reveal of the criminals framed as birds staling the waters for movement.  The highlight is how the light from the shotgun blast casting the shadows of the criminals across the wall like wraiths before all hell breaks loose.

Filming Us Filming

Matt and I were helping my brother Kev out last night with a short documentary piece on the possibility of a studio space opening up in Scotland.  Kev filmed us setting up camera and sound recording equipment and essentially setting up a shot.  Then we were interviewed and I realised that I had no clue what he was asking me so I looked into it:

Hollywood executives excited by Cumbernauld studio plan, producer reveals

Cumbernauld of all places! Who da thunk it!

The Way of the Dodo

The Way of the Dodo is a  2014 short documentary by Liam Saint-Pierre.  The film follows the passion Umit, a film buff shop owner with an obsession with film stock.  The film is an enjoyable little oddity that paints a charming purist of its subject.  Umit discusses his passion for film with a reserved enthusiasm that shifts to uncontrolled glee once he is viewing a reel.  I felt that the director framed Umit well with the cut aways of projector repair and the clutter of his film shop.  Like its title the film treats Umit as a novel lone survivor trying to maintain the good old days in the face of ever changing technological progression.

The Queen of Versailles

The Queen of Versailles is a 2012 documentary directed by acclaimed photographer and film maker Lauren Greenfield following the lives of Jackie Siegel and David Siegel, owners of Westgate Resorts.  The documentary begins with the couple dealing with the building of Versailles, the largest mansion (CASTLE!) in America before the 2008 recession changed everything.  The film starts as you would expect of a film about people obsessed with status, with the ‘happy’ couple posing as a king with his queen on his lap.  The beginning of the film is closer to the stagey (manufactured) reality shows like the orange county trash that it pains me to even dignify.  My empathy, or lack thereof, for our protagonists affected my viewing of how the film was put together.  Greenfield is never invasive simply allowing these horrible people to live their vacuous lives and pat themselves on the back for being white Americans.  The best thing about this film is that this giant house shaped penis compensation was never built, and this is where the film gets interesting.  Suddenly instead of  a few hours watching rich people shopping we’re given the dismal affects of the bank crisis and a story of people from different backgrounds and creeds having to adapt their lives to such an upheaval.  It is with this that the film begins to shine with moving anecdotes and observations coming from the Siegel’s live in staff who do a great deal to keep the narrative grounded and relatable.

I Want To Believe

In preparation for the January 2016 event series I have been re-watching the X Files.  Days have now disappeared as I get reacquainted with the dense mythology and monsters of the week of Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully.

 Of the many pleasures that come to mind watching this show, as I run through it this time around I’m amazed at how well the show is shot.  The camera just tracks all over the place, a highlight would be the opening to the third episode of the first season “Squeeze,” as Tooms takes his first victim.  I’ve started taking notes of good shots (at least the ones I think are good), to try for my show reel.  So far I have some creepy midshots from “Across the Sea,” a dolly zoom from “The Erlenmeyer Flask” and a staircase shot I’m not quite sure how to describe from “Blood.”

Pulling My Socks Up

Procrastination is the enemy!  College deadlines are looming and whether I like it or not, it’s time to get motivated.  The point of the HND coursework is to give the individual the tools to sell themselves and their work, hence this website.  Talking myself up has never been one of my strengths.  I’ve always valued humility to a fault but now it is proving to be my handicap.  There’s also the fact that I still consider myself a novice in the field of film making.  Until a year ago I had never picked up a camera, seen a sound recorder or even thought about what makes a good edit.  It’s a daunting prospect trying to develop a working knowledge of so many different areas.  This is where the procrastination comes into affect.  When I say daunting out loud my brain says difficult.  My point being that the novice in me becomes over whelmed by what I don’t know instead of building on what I do know.  This cycle usually ends the same way.  A mad dash of 12 hour days a week before the deadline.

So to avoid that I’ve decided to create a sort of motivation/inspiration care package for myself.  The requirement for a place on this list is very simple.  The content needs to give me the sense that the work is defining to the artist in terms of their influences, their own creative voice, their work rate and generally how entertaining and thought provoking to me personally.  This list can and should include any creative medium from film to television, to literature, music, video games etc.  Immersing myself in these things always gets the brain going, so without further ado here is a list of ABSOLUTE JOY!

Films

Looper – Rain Johnson

Near Dark -Kathryn Bigelow

Terminator 2: Judgment Day – James Cameron

Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind – Michel Gondry

Donnie Darko – Richard Kelly

Taxi Driver – Martin Scorsese

Grosse Pointe Blank – George Armitage

The Dark Knight – Christopher Nolan

Big Trouble in Little China – John Carpenter

Aliens – James Cameron

Television

Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Joss Whedon

Angel – Joss Whedon

Firefly – Joss Whedon

Hannibal – Bryan Fuller

Sense 8 – Andy and Lana Wachowski

Twin Peaks – David Lynch and Mark Frost

The X Files – Chris Carter

Community – Dan Harmon

Supernatural – Eric Kripke (Kripke years only)

Freaks and Geeks – Paul Feig and Judd Apatow

Music

Art Angels – Grimes

Visions – Grimes

Blink 182 – Blink 182

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Box Car Racer – Box Car Racer

American Idiot – Green Day

Kid A – Radiohead

Dry – PJ Harvey

Comic Books

Preacher – Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon

The Boys – Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson

Scott Pilgrim – Bryan Lee O’Malley

The Dark Knight Returns – Frank Miller

Watchmen – Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Books

Slaughterhouse-5 – Kurt Vonnegut

Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut

Choke – Chuck Palahnuik

Rant – Chuck Palahnuik

The Incredible Adam Spark – Alan Bissett

Let The Right One In – John Ajvide Lindqvist

ASFF 2015

I was in York last weekend for the Aesthetica Short Film Festival where I seen some excellent short documentaries and attended the Warp Films (This is England), and Robbie Gibbon (Doctor Who, The Trip) Master Classes.  Admittedly I didn’t do my research and have never seen This Is England the film or the television series but learning that a certain Joseph Gilgun has a role in the series pretty much guarantees my watching for the simple reason of what I’ll see him in next…[start preacher plug]

If you haven’t read the comics…DO!  [end preacher plug]

Anyway, I watched 5 short documentaries of varying quality so here’s a wee ranked list with links, enjoy!

1. Across the Tracks: Steps towards Clean India – Ruth Grimberg
2. Loss is Eternal – Paul Burrows
3. The Way of the Dodo – Liam Saint-Pierre
4. Making a Child’s Masterpiece – Mike Chaney, Matt Ekberg
5. The Dome: A Secret of World War Two – Clive Dunn