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Until
now the production has progressed according to a plan that is
measured in days or hours. Now the production will be assembled,
piece by piece, according to a plan which is measured in twenty-fifths
of a second.
All recordings are first viewed and logged - clip for clip. This is
undertaken using the same computer software that will be used to
edit the production. When everything has been logged, all the
material is easily accessible for the subsequent post-production
processes.
If the production involves longer dialogue or interview scenes,
these will be transcripted word for word, to make the editorial
process of selecting sequences easier. |
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video and audio recordings from tape will be digitised - played on to the
hard drives on our media server, which has capacity for several hundred
hours of material. For a short production with a limited amount of raw
material - such as a commercial spot or news segment - the raw material
will be digitised in a high resolution, and the final quality will be
visible throughout the editing process. Material for longer productions,
or productions with a large amount of raw material, will usually be
digitised at a lower resolution - allowing all the material to be
accessible at once. After the first cut is completed, the material which
has been chosen for the production will be re-digitised at the final -
high resolution. |
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When
the material has been digitised, editing can begin. We call this process
the first cut - though there can be several versions and stages of the
first cut, before we reach the final cut.
The first cut is the most important editorial process. The scenes, takes
and sequences that will be used in the production are selected and edited
in the correct script order, so that the running time of the production
and the structure of the story may be evaluated and adjusted as we
work.
Scenes will often be condensed during editing - by cutting between
different takes and camera angles, the content is reduced to the
essential, and the scene usually becomes shorter in duration. |
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During
the first cut process, the editing script is gradually built up - staring
with the shooting script - the dialogue and interview from the transcripts
are added for each scene, and the narration script is also written. At the
same time the need for music, graphics and other elements which must be
added can be quantified and their content defined.
As we progress, the editing script gradually becomes the final script for
the production, it is no longer a plan for what we will do, but rather a
record of what we have done. |
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timeline on the editor's workstation (Avid/Pinnacle Liquid) |
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editing process is undertaken on a PC workstation with access to the raw
material and house archive footage via the media network. Throughout the
process the editor and director have a graphic overview of the production
as it exists so far, as a clip by clip display on a virtual timeline. Both
video and audio clips can be viewed in this way, and it is easy to see
where one clip begins and ends, and where other clips overlap. |
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The
first cut gives the production staff and client a clear indication of how
the finished product will be, how the different takes and scenes work
together, how the structure of the story progresses and how the message
will be delivered.
The running time of the finished film is also evident, and it is easy to
make any adjustments to the content and flow at this stage. Moving or
rebuilding scenes is a relatively simple "cut and paste"
process, so it is also easy to experiment with alternative solutions. |
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The first cut is usually
the first result that the client sees. At this stage the production may
lack graphics, captions and effects, though narration and music will
usually be laid - albeit in a "guide-track" version, as these
elements are important for determining the tempo and duration of each
scene. It is still a simple matter to make changes to the overall
structure before time-consuming effects and graphics work is undertaken. |
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| In
the days of analogue videotape editing, the first cut was often edited on
cheap "off-line" VHS decks with limited editing capability. Then
the process would be repeated using expensive "on-line" editing
facilities - working quickly to save cost. The physical separation of the
off-line and on-line processes meant that there was a clear division
between the first cut and the second cut processes. |
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| Today,
with digital non-linear editing, there is not always the same clear
division between the two processes - in fact these processes are usually
undertaken using the same facilities and staff. |
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most important difference between the first and final cut processes is
that during the first cut, the accent is on the editorial process of
selecting the raw material and determining the dramatic structure of the
production - whilst the during the final cut the focus is on finishing the
production, paying attention to details such as narration, music, dubbing,
graphics and visual effects. |
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Because
these processes - at Channel 6 Television - are usually undertaken in the
same editing suite by the same staff, the progression from first to final
cut is more gradual, and when the client sees the production for the first
time it may be less clear where we are in the process. Each production has
its own requirements and rhythm, which will dictate the order in which
each element of the production is added.
Generally speaking, the art of editing is to build the production in
chronological order, adding only those components which are necessary to
determine structure, duration, content and dramatic flow.
This approach results in the producer and editor - and where relevant, the
client - being able to evaluate the production before all the expensive
work on details is added. Any changes made during this part of
the process are simple and inexpensive. |
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| For
some productions - particularly industrial films with a high degree of
technical content - it is often necessary for the client to approve the
narration text before it is recorded and edited. The same can apply to
other elements such as graphics and captions. |
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every production, the particular elements which must be approved by the
client, and the plan for such approval in relation to the production
schedule are defined in the production contract and subsequent production
plan. |
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The
reason for a well defined approval schedule is simple - the production
elements to be approved are usually those that involve many hours work -
often with the involvement of freelance artists. Such elements must be
right first time if a fixed-price agreement shall apply.
So for example - the narration text will be subject to approval before the
recording session - any subsequent alterations to the text that
necessitate re-recording would not usually be covered by a fixed-price
agreement, and would be billed separately. |
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The
screening of the first and final cuts for the client usually take place at
Channel 6 Television's studios, where any simple requests for alterations
may be tried immediately, whilst the client is present.
In the event of a screening at Channel 6 Television not being possible,
such screening can sometimes be arranged at the customer's premises, or by
forwarding a tape or disc copy. In some - less critical - situations, a
low-bandwidth approval copy may also be made available via the internet. |
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