Editing Short Films | The Athletic Nerd

17 West Productions UPDATE

Today, Eric and I sat down for a few hours and had a fantastic talk about the state of our company 17 West Productions.

It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’re having fun.

First on the list was to go over the latest cut of The Climb and talk about the direction our newest short film is heading. It was really great to see someone else react to the many changes I’ve made over the last few weeks. The film has a different style than even I expected but it’s coming together nicely and I’m really happy with it.

XTRA: How A Dialogue Heavy Script Became A Quiet Movie

I’m fired up more than ever to get the film done. From here, I plan to finish a viewable cut of the film by the end of May with a trailer online in June. Look for more updates as we inch closer to our planned release this fall.

In other ‘Climb’ related news, I’ve started the sound design process as well as testing various music styles. It’s so much fun to bring a movie together and I’m loving it. This will be the first short film I’ve mixed on my own beyond balancing levels and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Click here for more on The Climb.

Business was next as we talked about all of our projects and the state of our company as a whole. We went through our past projects and planned where to take Playing Through next. The film has completed it’s festival run and is currently being played online (in Canada) as part of the NSI Online Short Film Festival. We talked a lot about what to do with the film next including it’s eventual release online for everyone to see. Stay tuned for more.

Pitching Screenplays

Next up was a discussion about NEW projects! Always the best part of our meetings. I started and pitched him about 3 or 4 ideas. One of which I’m writing now that’s set in 1994 and one of the strangest and unique concepts I’ve come up with lately (I think at least). The other ideas are still in the early stages of development and I’ve learned that I still get nervous when I pitch new ideas.

There was a time when I was too self conscious to talk about any new ideas until they were fully developed. Over the last few years, I’ve grown to love the process. You can’t be afraid. Bouncing ideas of someone is a great way to sort out the ideas with promise and the ones that need more work. Needless to say, I can’t wait to crack open Final Draft and complete the first draft of my new script.

We then moved on to an idea Eric has mentioned several times and really went in depth with the characters and the story. It’s a pretty dark tale and I’m actually pumped to see how it develops in the coming weeks.

Until then, it’s all about writing new screenplays and editing the short film. Lots to look forward to.

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Editing A Short Film: Taking On The BIG SCENE

17 West’s new short film, The Climb, has one huge make or break scene. The script is 16 pages and this particular scene, known as ‘The Bridge’, clocks in at 7 pages.

It’s the scene that carries the weight of the movie and it has to be perfect. These are stressful scenes to take on with so much riding on them. Last week I locked one of the final scenes leading up to The Bridge and now I’m faced with the biggest editing challenge of the whole project.

The Bridge is basically a 7 page emotional conversation between 2 damaged characters. The challenge here is to keep the scene moving for the 8-9 minutes I’ll need to do it justice. 9 minutes of talking in a short film is no easy task. It has to be edited very carefully.

Editing The Big Scene

The trick going into a scene like that is to watch every take you’ve got and come up with a plan. Lines will be cut and angles will be switched often but to me, it all starts with a few key magic moments.

Editing A Short Film: Taking On The BIG SCENE

I’ve come to call them SuperTakes. A shot that has elements that HAVE to be in the final film. It could be a facial expression or a well delivered line of dialogue. Watching the footage led me to create a tiny sequence of SuperTakes that I absolutely adore.

The plan in this case is to build the big scene up around those moments and adjust accordingly. It’s basically like creating a rough outline for a screenplay. You write down the main beats of the film and then work hard to fill in the blanks in between.

It feels easier now that I have a rough road map.

All In

The one issue I’m going to be faced with is time. When we shot this scene, we basically covered about 12-15 angles and had our two actors play the entire scene on each. Both had experience in theater and the more we shot, the more refined the scene became. I found working that way helped me (as director) decide how certain lines needed to be delivered.

We then went back and shot some specific moments to make sure we had the scene covered. You can imagine that some of these takes were 12-13 minutes long once you factor in pauses and such. My estimate of a final 8-9 minutes could be an easy target or it could be extremely hard to cut while still preserving the scene.

Editing The Climb, A short film. The Big Scene

What approach would you take?

I’ve decided to cut the entire scene as is and then trim the crap out of it. It’s a daunting task when you are dealing with a huge scene full of key plot moments. I knew going in that The Bridge was going to be the most challenging scene to edit but I’m looking forward to it.

These are the scenes that every editor wants to cut. It’s too early at this point to truly know if I can pull it off without the film slowing down considerably but that’s the beauty of editing. Don’t be afraid to jump in and see what happens.

You have to try new things and keep pushing yourself until you create something you’re proud of. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters. I’m a big fan of a peaceful night’s rest after a productive day.

It’s just me, the footage and Final Cut Pro now. I’m going to be sleeping well the next few weeks.

XTRA: Take THAT Opening Scene.

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CNN, Movies, Blogging, Donkey Kong & Screenwriting

HOW LOSING SLEEP CAN LEAD TO A
CREATIVE OUTBURST

I fell a sleep the other night around eleven which is seriously early considering most days I’m in bed by 1 or 2am. At 7am, my girlfriend woke up for work and I turned on CNN like I always do.

On a normal day, CNN works like a radio as I close my eyes and fall back a sleep. However, this particular day was different. I had way too much on my mind… I felt like working.

So I got out of bed, got dressed, fired up my Mac and got to work.

SEIZE THE MOMENT

Sometimes, you just can’t help but feel inspired and truly unleash your creativity. Moments like these have to be acted on. I could have stayed in bed and slept until noon but that isn’t getting my movie edited, my blog updated or my screenplay written is it?

36 Websites I Visit Every Day

My first order of business was to eat cereal and catch up on all my blogs, sports updates and movie news. This normally takes a while but it’s important to stay up to date. Most of the time, these sites inspire new blog posts so it’s worth it.

WORDPRESS

For the first time in weeks, my daily post wasn’t ready to go. I had to write something from scratch. So I organized my thoughts and wrote Buried vs 127 Hours. A look at the different editing styles the film’s used to tell their story.

Once I finished the post, I was still feeling energized. It was time for the heavy hitters.

FINAL DRAFT

Launching Final Draft always makes me smile. Two days ago, I finished a new short screenplay called The Guardian and I spent a couple hours rewriting and editing my gritty 9 page superhero drama.

Rewriting is my favorite step. I’m the type of writer that completes the first draft without stopping much. I just want to get the story and the major plot points on to the page.

I usually leave the script for a day or two and then I edit and refine every single word until I’m 100% happy that I’ve told a unique and entertaining story. Sometimes, I finish a short and it doesn’t feel unique at all. These moments are unfortunate but every screenplay you write is an evolution of the writer you wish to become.

Once I finished my first pass at the rewrite I printed it out for my ‘red pen’ stage. I basically leave my office and read the script free from distraction with nothing but my thoughts and a pen. This step is followed up by typing it AGAIN from page one using my rewritten copy and my notes as guides.

It’s going to be a fun week but my day didn’t end there.

FINAL CUT PRO

I’ve been making sure to leave myself at least a few hours every possible day I can to make progress on 17 West’s latest short film The Climb.

It helps that I’ve been writing more and more about the editing process over the last week or so.

XTRA: Click here to check out the editing archives.

I fired up the most recent cut of The Climb and completed a scene from start to finish. In what felt like an instant, I put together a pretty great little 1 minute scene full of dialogue. It helped that I already had a good idea of how I wanted to pace the scene but I was amazed at how easily it came together.

In the end, I edited for a couple hours and even found time to go back and refine a few moments I wasn’t happy with earlier in the film.

It’s really starting to come along!

DONKEY KONG?

Every brain needs a break now and then and my escape when I can’t play sports is video games. Currently, I’m right in the middle of Donkey Kong Country Returns and I just dominated the fifth world.

It’s a really hard game so I’m quite proud to be almost done!

Break over. Still completely inspired to work.

CNN, Movies, Blogging, Donkey Kong & Screenwriting

WORDPRESS RETURNS

I felt fantastic. I had already accomplished so much with my extended morning but I still felt inspired to work. So I continued my quest to go back and update old posts. I literally started with post number 1 and managed to get through about 20 or so before I called it quits.

These old posts are now updated with better SEO keywords, titles and graphics. I also wanted to include relevant links to posts I’ve created since those articles were published. This process is probably going to take months considering I’ve written nearly 600 posts.

Still, it’s important work and I’m happy I was able to get a few done just in time to get ready for work.

CELTX FOR IPHONE

XTRA: Read my review of Celtx here.

It takes about 20 minutes to get to the studio where I work. Still feeling extremely creative, I used that time to start a 1 page screenplay we may shoot for a competition towards the end of March.

It may never get filmed but at least I can create a script and find out if it’s worth it or not. So I fired up my Celtx for iPhone app and nearly got the first draft finished before I got to work.

The script is extremely rough and needs work but the basic outline of the story is out there and I think it may have some use down the road even if we don’t make the quickly approaching deadline.

EDITING PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

From there, I got to work and prepared for a busy night filled with big hockey games and a ton of live shows. 11 hours of editing stood between me and what was definitely a good night sleep!

It was a fantastic day!

SEIZE THE MOMENT!

My shift started at 2:30. I’m really happy I didn’t sleep until 11 and waste what ultimately became an incredibly productive afternoon.

Seizing these moments is crucial if you want to succeed in a creative medium. Even if it’s just a hobby and you aren’t aspiring to be a professional. You have to constantly think about your projects and how you can make them better. You have to dedicate yourself and get the work done. Not because it’s work but because it’s what you love to do.

Yet every so often, something clicks and you end up with mornings like I just had. Moments when you can’t seem to keep up with the ideas bursting from your imagination.

If only every morning was like that.

FIND A JOB YOU LOVE
NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE

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Think About The Edit & Nothing Else

March 3rd, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Editing - (0 Comments)

ONE SHOT AT A TIME

I came across an article on Twitter recently that discussed the myth of the modern editor. In it, the author describes the modern editor as a “self taught, do it yourself, do it all, one stop shop”

It goes on to discuss how that could impact the final cut if you are constantly focused on other things.

One statement in particular kind of hit home a bit.

“Sometimes they jump right to making the cool lower thirds for the edit rather than spending their enthusiasm for the edit on watching the footage they have. If you don’t do this part of the job, you shouldn’t consider yourself an editor.”

At work, I’m an editor. I start my shift and think of nothing except editing for our nightly shows. However, when it comes to 17 West Productions, I do tend to take on multiple roles throughout the post production process. I’m an editor, a colorist, a sound editor (I try at least) and I’m addicted to Photoshop and After Effects. Truthfully, it’s pretty fun to design graphics for various projects I work on but at the end of the day, you have nothing if the edit isn’t perfect.

Do I fit this definition of the modern editor?

Currently, I’m editing a short film we shot last spring and I’ve basically been picking at it here and there. Lately, I’ve been working on the edit more and I’ve found myself ignoring everything except cutting in order to create something worth while. I realized reading that post that I was spending a lot of time wondering about the final mix and the type of fonts I’ll use in the credits. In that sense, the article is right. If you’re an editor, you need to focus on every single shot, cut and transition. You should be thinking about nothing else except the best possible way to convey the story you are trying to tell.

So while I’m definitely looking forward to ‘packaging’ my new movie, I still need to craft a good movie first!

Another Take on The Modern Editor

On the other hand, I also think that the modern editor SHOULD have experience in more aspects of the post production process. At the end of the day, if you’re an editor, then you need focus, evolve and be the best editor you can be.

Still, these days, there are people out there who are multi talented and can easily take on more than one job. When it comes to independent filmmakers, it’s almost a necessity in order to save money. The more jobs you can do (and do well) on your own, the less people you need to hire on to finish your movie.

Also, resumes tend to look a lot better if you’re an editor with experience in other areas. You may not have to build graphics or produce music but if you have a greater understanding of the work needed, it helps inform your decisions as an editor. I suppose the trick is finding a balance and being able to separate yourself from those ‘other’ jobs in order to think of editing and nothing else.

Regardless, editing is editing and you have to stay focused. I’m guilty of losing focus. A computer with Final Cut Studio and Photoshop is an incredibly powerful and addictive tool with limitless possibilities. Learning new software packages is part of the fun in today’s easily accessible post production world.

I love my job and my movies. Editing is such a fantastic way to be creative and truly fine tune something you can be proud of… But graphics are fun too.

Check out Post Fifth Pictures for more and follow the author on Twitter.

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Editing: How A Dialogue Heavy Script Became A Quiet Movie

February 9th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in 17 West | Editing | Filmmaking | The Climb - (0 Comments)

I love editing.

Whether it’s at work or at home with Final Cut Pro I’m hooked.

Currently, I’m completely engrossed in my new short film, The Climb. We shot the film in May but post has been a slow process due to life in general.

Still, I’m not working with a deadline and so it’s nice to be able to work on it when I can. A few weeks ago, I dedicated myself again and really thought about the completed film and what I want it to be.

The result of that thought process surprised me.

The script for The Climb was a finalist in a screenwriting competition way back in the 2007. It ended up being 4th out of about 1200 short scripts.

The script itself was always dialogue heavy and as it evolved, it was even more dependent on dialogue.

XTRA: Tweaking Your Screenplay

When we shot the film, I thought that the actor’s delivery of those lines would make or break the movie. They did a great job but something else about their performances struck me and changed the direction of my edit.

Some of the dialogue wasn’t needed. I’m very happy we were able to capture some of the quieter moments on set when we had the chance. I always intended to shoot beyond the dialogue on the page and it definitely paid off.

Now, I can sit back and watch the first 5 minutes of the film and marvel at the 3 minutes of silence at the beginning. The same information is being conveyed but no one is saying anything.

Quicker cuts. Better pacing.

I’ve definitely learned to step back and really think about each shot and what it means to the story as a whole. It’s an opportunity to be creative and that’s why I love editing so much. So many possibilities. So many things to try and the only limit is your imagination.

I’m having a blast.

It’s a far cry from the screenplay we filmed but that script did it’s job well. Now it’s time to build something original and entertaining.

Editing. I love this stuff.

XTRA: The Climb Update

Check out the film’s official page by clicking the image below.

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