Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1.6
Scene 2 of the continuity script.
Your Role as Editor
Editors often are hired before production and can offer a director valuable input and feedback before and during
the shoot. This could be advice on how to create a specific effect or style, which is often dependent on how the
film is shot, or even suggestions on the appropriate shooting format based on the film's intended distribution.
But primarily, the editor is mainly responsible for crafting the story from the footage he receives and much of
his task involves separating the wheat from the chaff. You'll be surprised by how many shots that may appear
unusable on first impression don't necessarily need to disappear into the trash bin.
Editors continually face scenarios in which they need to cut around problematic footage. This can be caused by
technical problems that inevitably crop up to spoil a shot, or vital scenes from the script that have been left un-
filmed due to time limitations on the set. Your job is to work with the material at hand—sometimes even
piecing together an actor's performance from different takes—while still continuing to make sense of the narrat-
ive.
As you examine the rushes from the DVD, you'll come across the occasional shot that may contain a problem
of some kind. For instance, when Katie kicks the alphabet blocks in Scene 8, Slate 59, Take 1, there is a long
pause before we actually see her kick the bricks. You might remedy this by speeding up the footage slightly dur-
ing the pause (see Chapter 14).
Earlier in the chapter, the continuity shot list alerted us that Scene 1 Slate 1 Take 5—a Steadicam shot recorded
by our camera operator, Iain MacKay—was recorded with the camera mounted upside-down. A Steadicam can
operate either in normal high mode (where the camera is mounted for shots above waist level) or in low mode
