Picture before Music – or vice versa

[Grinner Hester]

Promos are often cut to radio spots themselves. They are always done to audio though. Even the ones with massive SOT, a bed is laid in first.

[Chaz Shukat]

For me it depends on whether the spot is going to be “based” on the music or if the music is more or less just “background” music. If the music is what is going to set the “feel” or the style or the pace or the structure, you really have no choice but to edit to the music (and hopefully, the music won’t change). On the other hand, sometimes, like Murch, you can cut without music, get it to do what you need and feel like you want it to feel and then search for music that has that same feel and pace to fit. Sometimes, it will just fall in to place like you edited the picture to the music and it’s just amazing.

Chaz Shukat
Author of “EDITING REALITY”
http://www.chazmoedit.com

[Mark]

If the piece is a dialog based piece, such as an action scene in a commercial, the music is always added after initial rough cut and arranging of the scenes. (usually a 30 second spot begins life at around 50secs and gets chopped down)

If the piece is a promo without dialog (I edit sports promos and commercials for a living) then I will cut to music. I may lay down a few shots while waiting for the music to arrive just to see how the shots work together, but I will make the cut with the music down.

Regards

Mark
PS…sorry for the long absence, it has been a helluva year.

Mark Harvey
Senior Editor
Le R