[Rocco Rocco]

Just throwing it out there, but an alternative option is to lay out all your prints on the floor and shoot them in HD. You can zoom in, pan, twist and do all kinds of creative things and discover results you wouldn’t have had if you scanned them. Only if it’s appropriate of course. And be careful about glare in glossy prints…

Good luck.

[Rocco Rocco]

That Sopranos cut.

[Rocco Rocco]

Yes! B-Roll is ever evolving. We’re shooting 16mm footage and converting it to DVCPROHD for our abstract notions of society and to indicate people and such. for more specific B, we’re shooting with the HVX to match the interviews… So far so good… Vimeo is a good source of temp B-Roll I’m discovering.

[Rocco Rocco]

Great feedback, thank you everyone for taking the time to write helpful and inspiring advice.

Very much appreciated.

Now back to editing…….

[Rocco Rocco]

It’s tough because what you might interpret as bad editing could be a number of things like bad framing, bad sound, bad lighting etc. It’s also noteworthy that “bad editing” doesn’t necessarily mean bad editor. The Producers and Director can all have heavy influence in an edit suite.

Having said that, one thing to look for is bad rhythm. Or no rhythm. I thought Transformers 2 was horribly edited. Seemingly no lulls; all fast WHAM BAM in yer face. In contrast, The Terminator is made with impeccable rhythm; there are as many slower scenes as frenetic, high energy scenes which overall means a more emotionally involved (tense) film. I felt almost no tension in Transformers 2 despite the fact that the protagonist has more robots or whatever to fend off. That’s not a rule of course, but rhythm is something that only the editor has control of.

[Rocco Rocco]

I’m not certified. But it sounds to me like if it’s not too much trouble or cost, then it might be worth it. We can all bark back and talk about how pointless it is (maybe it is) but if employers are asking for it, then why not add it to your arsenal. Hell, you might even learn something. If it literally comes down to “At this point in time for this specific job I won’t be able to work with out it” then do it.

[Rocco Rocco]

Flashes can work. Two frames of white. Or flash whatever color the background is. Could also throw in a subtle sound effect like a pop, fizz or deep-whoosh to give it a bit more oomph on the edit.

If it’s HD, cut in to a close up of their eyes/mouth on specific words to add emphasis. To disguise the change in video quality, color=correct the zoom in; either b&w or some kind of blown out effect.

[Rocco Rocco]

All these films came after Lock, Stock so they could be said to have “imitated” his style.

Sexy Beast
Gangster No. 1
Played

You can also see stylistic similarities in many movies and TV; Oceans, The Dark Knight, 24…

But what is a style anyway? Separate elements that make up a whole? A genre? Could he be said to have started a movement like French New Wave? I doubt it; on the surface, he’s obviously influenced by Scorsese and Tarantino so can he really lay claim to a style or genre himself?

What if it there were a romantic comedy done in his style? Would you be able to say it looks like a Guy Ritchie movie? Maybe, maybe not.

It’s difficult because we recognize his style on the surface but when you begin to analyze and quantify the elements that make up his movies what do you actually get? Not much that’s new.

[Rocco Rocco]

You should check out the films of Tony Scott. He’s the master of this fancy stuff. Domino and Man on Fire are like watching a thunderstorm of cuts and SFX. Great fun for the popcorn crowd, usually looked down upon by the film snobs.

It’s all related to the cinematography, of course. A high shutter speed, hand held shooting style showing an action-packed scene lends itself to more stylized cuts. Check out Hot Fuzz and BBC’s Top Gear for ultimate whiz-bang pazazz.

People often say “great editing” when I incorporate these things, but that’s usually because it’s the only time you can “see” the editing. No one ever says “great editing” when they laugh or feel anxious. Not fair!!

[Rocco Rocco]

Great post. Twittered.

My personal face-slapper: The time to show you the cut does not always coincide with the exact moment you walk into the room unannounced!!

And Mark; I want your Rule 8 tattooed somewhere. I had one guy who seemed oblivious to that part of the process between putting the footage on the timeline and having a finished product: “Uh, that’s a weird jump cut there” I KNOW, I KNOW!!!