CHANDLER

CUT CUT
Editing Your Film or Video 2ND EDITION

M I C H A E L W I E S E P R O D U C T I O N S

CxC2.indb 3 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 Contents

List of Tables
2nd Edition Foreword
1st Edition Foreword
Preface: The Practical Alchemy of Editing
Acknowledgments
Permissions
Introduction: Stepping Aboard and Navigating the Book

STAGE I
SETTING UP AND ORGANIZING YOUR PROJECT
Introduction

Part One
Starting Your Project
Introduction
1. Decisions, Decisions: Getting Started on the Right Path through
Postproduction
Appendix AProject Checklist
2. Video, Digital, and Film Basics: Terms, Concepts, and Practices

Part Two
Organizing for Editing
Introduction
3. Setting Up the Cutting Room: Workflows, Labeling Shots,
and Other Cutting Room Common Tasks

vii

CxC2.indb 7 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

Appendix BDIY Postproduction Schedule

4. Preparing Dailies
Appendix CStage One: Budget Form for Dailies

STAGE II
EDITING
Introduction

Part One
How to Approach the Footage
Introduction
5. To Cut or Not to Cut: Where to Cut and Why
6. Everyday Editing Challenges
7. From Animation to Reality: Editing Different Genres

Part Two
Getting from First Cut to Final Cut
Introduction
8. Making the Cuts: Editing on a Digital System
9. The Process: Getting from First Cut to Locked Cut
Appendix DTape and Tapeless Show Continuity Form
Appendix E Film Show Continuity Form
Appendix F Stage Two: Budget Form for Editing

STAGE III
COMPLETING YOUR PROJECT
Introduction

Part One
Sound, Music, and the Mix
Introduction
10. Designing Sound and Music
11. Editing and Mixing Sound and Music
Appendix G ADR Cue Sheet
Appendix HStage Three: Budget Form for Sound, Music, and the Mix

viii

CxC2.indb 8 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 C ontents

Part Two
Finishing and Delivering
Introduction
12. Finishing on Tape, File, or the Web
13. Finishing on Film and via DI
Afterword
Appendix I Stage Three: Budget Form for Finishing

How to Find an Editing Job

Resources
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

ix

CxC2.indb 9 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

List Of Tables
1.1. Coding and Measuring
1.2. Determine Your Finishing Format
1.3. Film and Video Formats: How Shows are Shot, Input, and Finished
2.1. Digital vs. Analog Video
2.2. Worldwide Tape and Television Signal Standards
2.3. Drop and Non-Drop Time Code
2.4. NTSC Frame Size, fps, and Scanning Types
2.5. Retrofitting a 16:9 to a 4:3 Aspect Ratio
3.1. Typical Postproduction Schedules
4.1. Reel Labeling Methods
4.2. TV Series and Multi-cam Show Labeling Methods
4.3. Daily Database from Telecine
4.4. Database File for Telecined Negative
4.5. How Data Typically Enters the Editing System
4.6. Telecined Negative Database File Entry
5.1. Smooth Cutting Angles
5.2. Mismatched Shots and How to Fix Them
5.3. Editing Styles: Classic vs. Modern
6.1. Parallel Action and Cross Cutting
6.2. Examples of Montage Types
6.3. Scenarios for Cutting Picture and Music
8.1. Insert and Overwrite Edits
8.2. Types of VFX
9.1. Three Methods to Play Out to Tape
9.2. Sample Change List
10.1. Translating Story to Sound and Music
10.2. Scene Beats, Sound, and the Wizard of Oz
10.3. Types of SFX and Viewer Perception
11.1. ADR Cue Sheet
11.2. Sound Effects Mix Cue Sheet
12.1. Disk Sides and Layers
12.2. EDL vs. Project Files
13.1. Fixes for Cutback Frames and Frame Re-use
13.2. Sample Cutlist with Key Code

CxC2.indb 10 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 Stage I

Setting Up and
Organizing
Your Project
The buck stops in the cutting room.
Dede Allen, A.C.E.1, Bonnie & Clyde, Dog Day Afternoon, and Reds.

Introduction
Stage I lays the foundation for every project. It is the critical stage
where you set up and organize your show so it passes smoothly through
the cutting room and emerges as a well-edited film or video. Part One
informs you about the important editorial decisions you must make at
the start of every project and helps you make them. In Part Two dailies
arrive in the cutting room and you learn how to organize them and the
cutting room for the next stage in the postproduction process: editing.
Stage I, as well as Stages II and III, contains a number of appendices
which consist of charts and forms. You can photocopy them and use
them on your projects or download them from www.joyoffilmediting.
com by clicking on the Free tab.

1. A.C.E., American Cinema Editors, is an honorary society of editors who are voted into membership based
on their professional achievements, dedication to the education of others, and commitment to the craft of
editing. A.C.E. always follows their names on screen. A.C.E. hosts its own editing awards ceremony after every
year for which winners receive a Golden Eddie award. It also runs an editing internship program.

CxC2.indb 1 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 Part One
Starting your Project

Introduction
In Part One you will find out how to make the critical decisions neces-
sary to set up your project properly for editing. Chapter 1 provides you
a thorough overview of the editorial process and supplies you with a
checklist for setting down your decisions and do-it-yourself flowcharts
for plotting your projects path through postproduction. You can also
download the checklist at www.joyoffilmediting.com by clicking on the
Free tab.
Chapter 2 of Part One takes you on an introductory tour of the two
types of cutting rooms digital and film to help you choose which
system youre going to edit on. After Part One youll be ready to step
into the cutting room and learn how to prepare it for the task of editing
in Part Two.

CxC2.indb 2 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CHAPTER 1

Decisions, Decisions
Getting Started on the Right Path
through Postproduction

A film is like a boat; its just waiting to be sunk.

Francois Truffaut, director

Overview

I
n order to stay afloat and on course, you must put your project on a
proper path through postproduction. To do this, you need to make
critical decisions right at the start: Its best to know where youre
going before you set out! Consequently, this chapter begins by sum-
marizing the six phases of film and video projects. Next, a substantial
section advises you on shooting correctly to achieve an efficient post-
production process and create the best footage possible for editing. The
chapter then lays down some key cutting room terms and acquaints you
with how and why shows are measured and coded. This leads to the last
part of the chapter which details the formats that projects shoot, edit
and finish on. Youll then be ready to determine your projects format(s)
in Appendix A, which follows thechapter.
Lets begin!

CxC2.indb 3 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

Be clear on what happens before and after editing

Ten years ago postproduction was at the end of the food chain. Now we are in production
meetings.
Alicia Hirsch, VP of postproduction, Fox Television Studios

There are six phases to any film or video project. Understanding what
goes on before and after editing will give you more insight into the film-
making process and make you a better participant in the process. It will
help you communicate more effectively with those whose work over-
laps yours, primarily the script supervisor and cinematographer (from
the production phase) and promo producer and publicist (from the dis-
tribution phase). More importantly, current workflows are converging
postproduction with production and even preproduction, especially in
animated shows and those with lots of VFX (visual effects). The lines
between filmmaking phases are less distinct today and will get even
fuzzier in the future. The following list describes each phase.

Six Phases of Every Project

1. GREENLIGHT: Project is formally approved and acquires its financing. Once green-
lit, a.k.a. greenlighted, it moves into the development phase.
2. DEVELOPMENT: The script is set and director, producers, casting director, and
principal talent (actors) are hired.
3. PREPRODUCTION: Preparatory phase during which script and money are final-
ized, the rest of talent and crew hired, locations and schedules locked, and sets,
wardrobe, props, etc. created. On animated and VFX-driven films, previsualiza-
tion (previz) takes place in the cutting room or VFX house to plan and prepare for
the shoot.
4. PRODUCTION: Also referred to as the shoot or principal photography, this
phase sees primary filming take place on set and location and VFX created at the
lab or VFX house.
5. POSTPRODUCTION: Also referred to as editorial, editing, or simply, post, its
the final creative phase during which all picture and sound editing takes place,
music is composed and sound mixed, visual effects are finalized, and all other fin-
ishing work completed. It produces the final show for viewing on tape, file, disk,
and/orfilm.
6. DISTRIBUTION: Time when completed project goes to market (with a little or a
lot of marketing!) and its audience sees it.

CxC2.indb 4 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 D ecisions , D ecisions

Shoot Right for Postproduction

Too many projects show up in the cutting room sadly compromised
due to poor audio, lighting, or planning in general. Dont let this hap-
pen to your show. If youre an independent or student filmmaker, youll
probably be participating in all phases of your project and production
will be a most critical phase. So when youre on location or on the set,
remember that after the wrap someone you will have to put the
footage together. You serve the editor/yourself and the show by getting
the critical shots, recording the important sounds, and keeping accurate
logs and records during production. Shooting correctly also saves time,
stress, and money in postproduction. Heres how:

Maintain an Organized Shoot

A well-organized shoot sets the stage for a well organized editing room.
During the shoot be sure to:
Keep accurate records, notes, camera logs, and sound logs.

This gives the editor important information about the shots and
assists the editing crew immensely in keeping track of the footage.
Maintain good communication with the crew.

Good communication, particularly between director, script super-
visor, camera, and sound recordist, means that the right shots are
filmed and printed and editorial does not have to chase down the
crew or the lab to get the anticipated shots.
Stick to the shooting schedule as much as possible.

This makes it easier to coordinate and schedule work in the cutting
room.

Shoot Good Slates on Every Take

Mark the slate clearly with:
ffScene and take
ffDate and location
ffCamera designation (A, B, C, etc.)
ffCamera roll and sound roll
ffDirector and production name
ffMOS (if shot has no recorded sound)
Hold the slate squarely in frame and voice slate the take e.g. "Scene
57, Take 5 on a scripted show or McDonalds farm, 12/15 on a

CxC2.indb 5 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

documentary piece. Then clap it if youre shooting double system (sound

and picture captured on separate mediums) before whisking it out of
frame. Clearly slating each take consumes but a few seconds in the field
and saves valuable time and temperaments in the cutting room.
Voice slating is essential because dialogue editors will need to find
the original takes for the audio tracks used in the show. We cant see
the slate, explains dialogue editor Victoria Rose Sampson. We locate
takes by the voice slate.

Cut in the Camera

NOT! Dont dictate where the editor should cut by ending shots or point-
ing the camera away from the action too early. Always remember: The
camera sets the pace of the shot, the editor sets the pace of the show. An inexperi-
enced camera operator, believing static shots are boring, may push the
zoom button as if playing a trombone. This frustrates the audience and
the editor. The editor can set a fine rhythm with a lovely series of static
shots and should not be limited by a hyperactive camera that zooms
and pans without purpose and gathers no usable shots.

Get Coverage
To cover a scene means to shoot angles in addition to the master
shot such as close-ups and two-shots. Directors usually plan coverage
for every scene. Why? Because most scenes when edited dont
work when played all the way through in a master shot. Coverage adds
needed pace and points of view and gives editors options for how to cut
the show. Additionally, coverage serves as insurance in case the planned
shot doesnt work, e.g., a master shot drags or is repetitive in the mid-
dle. By cutting to coverage, the editor can skip over the slow spot and
cut back at a more vital point. Directors who dont cover themselves
usually regret it.

Hold and Repeat Action at the Start and End of

Takes
When shooting a new take, dont just continue from where the last take
left off; repeat dialogue and actions from take to take. Lets say youve
filmed a master shot of a dining room scene where nutty Uncle Ed sits

CxC2.indb 6 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 D ecisions , D ecisions

down and tells a weird joke. When you film the medium shot of Uncle
Ed, dont start with his joking. Rather, have him sit down and begin jok-
ing, repeating the action of the master. When you repeat action at the
tail (end) of one angle and the head (beginning) of the next angle, the
editor has the latitude to cut to any take at the best possible frame.

Hold the camera

Before starting and after ending every shot, be it a static shot, a zoom,
pan, or dolly, hold the camera still for five seconds. As with repeated
action, these static seconds can make all the difference in the editor
being able to cut to shots at the best moment. Additionally, these action
handles allow for dissolves, wipes, and other effects that an editor may
apply to transition between shots. Occasionally, holding the camera
even solves an editing problem: For example, editors sometimes use the
footage from when the camera was rolling before the director yelled
Action! or after they said Cut!

Shoot Good Continuity

A good script supervisor, who keeps an eagle eye on continuity, is
always an MVP on a film set. Make every effort to match pacing, actions,
lighting, wardrobe, placement of props, hair, makeup, etc., from take to
take. Its a shame to force the editor to cut earlier or later than optimal
due to a lack of continuity. Weve all noticed the laughable mismatch
between an interior and exterior shot of a traveling car moving at dif-
ferent speeds and with different scenery in each shot. This continuity
mismatch underscores why continuity is so important: Mismatches can
take viewers out of your film, risking their distrust and disengagement,
and lead to bad word-of-mouth. Here are four important components of
achieving good continuity:

1) Shoot Cuttable Angles

Shots that are similar in angle and focal length jar the audience when
cut together. If jarring is what you want, shoot this way. Otherwise stick
to the 30 rule: Vary the new camera angle at least 30 from the last
and your angles should cut together like butter. (For more on cuttable
angles, see the sections on smooth cutting angles and mismatches in
Chapter 5.)

CxC2.indb 7 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

2) Match Eyelines
When a scene calls for cutting back and forth
between shots of interacting characters, they
need to be looking at each other, i.e., their
eyelines must match. If shot incorrectly, their
eyelines wont match and the characters will
not be looking in the right direction. This may
confuse the audience and cause them to take
an unintended meaning from the characters
interaction.

POV and eyeline

A common eyeline error occurs when making
1.a Example of an eyeline
the Point of View (POV) shot. Lets say youre
match. Notice that in the boys
close up, he maintains the cor-
rect eyeline. shooting a closeup of someone and their eyes
(and possibly head) move left to right as they
look at something. When you cut to that something, youre cutting to
their POV. To match their eye and head movement, the POV shot must
move the same direction, from left to right.

3) Match Screen Direction

If a character or
object moves left
out of the frame,
they need to enter
the next shot from
the right of the
frame so they look
like theyre mov-
ing normally, from
1.b Follow the floating balloon as it matches screen direction. left to right. If exits
and entrances dont
match, your audience wastes time keeping up with the action instead of
immersing themselves in your movie.

4) Dont Cross the Line: Observe the 180 Rule

Crossing the line (a.k.a. crossing the axis), is an extension of
screen direction.

CxC2.indb 8 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 D ecisions , D ecisions

1.c Crossing the line. Shoot the pawns from the correct cameras or they will appear to jump sides.

Example
A car is going down a street and you shoot two angles, one from each
side of the street. Perfectly valid angles but if cut together, the car
appears to be traveling in the opposite direction.
Reason
There is an invisible line in every camera set up that bisects the scene
horizontally at 180.

The 180 Rule: How to observe it

Scenario
If two people face each other, the 180 line runs across their heads.
When editing, if you cut to the angle behind them, the person on the
left now appears to jump to the right, disorienting your audience. Add
another person and you add another 180 line.
The Rule
When shooting, keep Person A on the left and Person B on the right
by not moving the camera across the 180 line. When editing, dont
cut angles together that cause people to unintentionally jump sides in
a scene.

CxC2.indb 9 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

Example
Cinematographers and their crews
shoot football games from one
side of the field only. This way
there is no chance to cut to the
other side of the field and make
the players appear to be running
toward the wrong goal.
Get the angles you need
without crossing the line
Of course there are many times
when you want to shoot a lot
of angles that cover both sides
of the action. Here are several
observe this rule daily when they
Robert Wise would always plan his axis
changethere was always one key shot.
When you dont get those shots, and you
just have somebody coming in without any
reason, then you have a scene where nobody
relates to anyone. Nobody is looking anybody
else in the eye, and its totally disorienting.
The audience might get thrown out of the
scene because its non-connective. Film is con-
nective; thats what film is.
(Emphasis added.)
Dede Allen

methods:
1. Establish a new 180 line
Have the characters move within the shot or move the camera
within the shot to break the line and create a new one. As Dede
Allen notes, director Robert Wise always anticipated his axis
changes.
2. Shoot cutaways
Cutaways diminish the disorientation, allowing the editor to cut
away before cutting to the line-breaking angle. An overhead angle
keeps the audience oriented and enables the editor to freely cut
to any angle. Jumping the line disturbs the audience, especially in
3-D movies, which, by their nature, immerse viewers more deeply
than 2-D movies.
3. Break the 180 rule deliberately
If you choose to ignore the rule, be aware that you are breaking it
and be smart: Shoot some cutaways for insurance, just in case you
dont like the resulting cut. More frequently, due to the influence
of modern-style cutting, filmmakers ignore the 180 line. (More
about this in Chapter 5 To Cut or Not to Cut: Where to Cut and
Why, during the discussion of traditional editing style vs. modern
style.)

10

CxC2.indb 10 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 D ecisions , D ecisions

Getting the Film Look with a Digital Camera

We want the film look, says the client or producer. Many budget-con-
scious filmmakers, notably students, independents, documentarians,
and television networks, use low cost digital video cameras but desire
the film look. Weve all seen the scratchy, old timey film look applied
after the shoot and many of us have used software to produce a sup-
posed film look. But what exactly is the film look and whats the best
way to get it when you shoot dig-
itally? As an editor, how do you
advise clients and producers?
As production and post over-
lap more and more in the area of
perfecting a shows images, these
questions continue to crop up. The
topic has been coming up in Final
Cut Pro and other digital system
users groups for awhile and heres
1.d Millennium film camera. Photo courtesy of Panavision.
the common wisdom: To get the
film look, shoot for it surprise
during the shoot! Below are a
few tips on how to do this.
Film and digital cameras cap-
ture images in two distinct ways.
Film capture is a photochemical
process which creates the grain
(texture, fullness) and highlights
were accustomed to seeing. Digital 1.e HVX200 digital camera, Photo courtesy of Panasonic.
capture relies on electronic signals
to produce non-grainy images that
are cool, clean, and crisp and often
described as harsh.
Digi-cams ability to cap-
ture film-like shots is continually
improving. So get the best digi-
cam you can afford; either video
camera or the new DSLR still cam-
eras that can shoot videos. As of 1.f EOS 7D HDSLR camera, Photo courtesy of Canon.

11

CxC2.indb 11 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

this writing, however, the best HD camera does not approach the look
of 16mm film, let alone 35mm. So, to achieve a film look, address the
differences between the two mediums using these specific methods:
1. Shoot 24p as this format has the most film-like motion
characteristics.
2. Be conscious of how you block the camera: Leave enough room
for zooming and separate the camera from the set. If space is lack-
ing, direct the talent to move forward; this is preferable to having
them move sideways.
3. Set the proper depth of field (DOF). Since video has an infinite
DOF and film has a shallow DOF, you need to narrow the DOF to
approach film. Do this by using film-style lenses, zooming, adding
a digital adapter, and changing the F-stop to widen the aperture.
4. Light film-style to avoid the cold video look. Go beyond room
lighting and use key, fill, and backlighting in different scenes.
5. Adjust the white balance to mimic films photochemical color
timing.
6. Pay attention to what the audiences focal point will be with
every setup. What will they notice first? Catch in their peripheral
vision? Gravitate to next?
7. Finally, because sound is vital to viewers acceptance of visual
images, record high quality audio to bolster your film-image look.
Which neatly brings us to the last topic in this subject.

Record Location Sound

One misconception that many people in the film business have...is that if you want great
sound in your movie you dont really need to think about sound early on.
Randy Thom, C.A.S.1, sound designer and mixer, How to Train Your Dragon, The
Incredibles, The Right Stuff, and Return of the Jedi.

To create the best-sounding film or video, start during preproduction.

You want to anticipate how your show will sound, budget for sound,
and record your desired audio during the shoot. This way youve got the
sound you want for when your picture comes together audio-wise dur-
ing sound editing in StageIII.

1. Cinema Audio Society, U.S. sound honorary society equivalent to A.C.E. for sound mixers and their associ-
ates: sound editors, recordists, and technicians.

12

CxC2.indb 12 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 D ecisions , D ecisions

Record clean tracks

Be the sound editors best friend.
Record clean tracks: no helicop-
ters whirring overhead, no doors
banging, no dolly squeaking, etc.
Make sure all dialogue is crisp
and clear so your audience wont 1.g Fostex digital sound recorder, Photo courtesy of
American Music & Sound.
miss a word. Poor sound can
only be corrected so much in postproduction and usually at a cost
so do it right during production!

Get RT and WT on every location and set

RT, a.k.a. room tone, ambience, or presence
Record a minute of RT wordless, noise free background sound for
every scene. Sound editors need RT to smooth out scenes, especially
dialogue scenes.
WT, a.k.a. wild track or wild sound
Record WT non-sync, non-dialogue sound on every outdoor loca-
tion. Get the forest sound, the traffic soundall the natural sounds.
Record specific sounds that are crucial to how you want your project to
sound. The sound editor can access thousands of sound effects but wont
have the mating sound of the ring-tailed lemur your shows document-
ing. Picking up such sounds later could be costly. Make a list beforehand
of WT you need to record and add to the list when youre on location.

Create a sound vision

Part of realizing the vision of your film is conceiving what the viewer
will hear. Think about the different scenes or parts of your show and
how you want them to sound: light and sprightly, cheery with a sinister
threat in the air, painful but upbeat, etc. You might start by imagin-
ing each character or subject as an instrument or a theme: What would
they sound like? What tune would they play? Next, envision how scenes
or sections will sound as purely musical themes. The goal is to get an
idea of the subtle and grand tones of your film and consider how sonics
can support them.

13

CxC2.indb 13 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

Last word
Theres a belief in the film industry that you Pay it up front during pro-
duction or pay it downstream during post. So, save yourself time and
money by getting picture and sound right, right from the start. Shoot
your footage correctly so that shots cut together the way you want and
are logged and slated properly for maximum editorial efficiency.

Cutting Room Terms

Overview
Cutty, hissy, tubby; editing has a language of its own. This section lays
down the basic editing, audio, and film terms in this section and add
more as we go along. But first, some background: Its helpful to know
when and how the terms originated in the history of film editing so
they make sense and are easier to remember.

A 10-frame History of Editing Tools

or the Genesis of Cutting Room Terms
In the beginning the 1900s there
was a light well for viewing film frames,
a razor blade for cutting the film, and a
cement splicer for gluing the cut frames
together. Cutters, as editors were promptly
called, propelled the film with their hands
in order to see the footage move. In 1924
Iwan Serrurier invented a mechanical edit-
ing device. The Moviola featured a hand
crank for moving the footage and an elec-
tric light. Before long it ran reels of picture
and sound via electrified foot pedals and a
magnetic sound head picked up the sound
and amplified it through a built-in speaker. 1.h Moviola. Photo courtesy of Chris
Senchack.
Flash forward to the late 1960s and
behold! The upright Moviola, with its two
vertical reels, evolved into the flatbed, a table top machine with three
or four reels running horizontally. And the flatbed became known as the
KEM, the Steenbeck, or the flatbed Moviola according to its brand name.

14

CxC2.indb 14 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 D ecisions , D ecisions

The 1970s begat more for edi-

tors: viable videotape editing
machines. As tape was faster and
cheaper, news shows and docu-
mentary filmmakers jumped to
it. Many independent filmmakers,
corporate, and commercial edi-
tors gravitated to it in the 1980s
as did low budget TV shows. And 1.i Marking the cut point on a KEM. Photo courtesy of
thus was born the term linear. Chris Senchack.

By the end of the 80s a majority

of TV shows cut on tape and the
term nonlinear editor (NLE) arose.
Now all this time feature film
editors, with a few exceptions,
remained on film. They held out
until the digital age dawned,
bringing film and tape together
1.j Ediflex, nonlinear tape editing system, which har-
in one machine in the early nessed 12 VHS decks to view and review cuts. Photo
courtesy of Tony Schmitz.
1990s. By the decades end, news
editors, TV editors, commercial
editors, independent filmmakers,
and feature editors were cutting
on digital editing systems as were
college students, prosumers, and
home moviemakers.
And thus it came to pass
with the millennium that the
computer has made digital tech-
nology available to all editors and
1.k Making the cut on a digital editing system. Photo
almost all use it. Digital systems, courtesy of Les Perkins.
along with the new editing terms
theyve brought forth, are ever changing with each new version, plug-
in, add-on, download, and capability.
Moral: Change will prevail and ever yield to more change. And that
is the state of the firmament in which we all dwelleth until kingdom
come. Or the next evolution.

15

CxC2.indb 15 9/29/11 12:19 PM

 CUT BY CUT CHANDLER

Editors Lingo: How Editors Call It and Do It

The clich about sculpture, that the sculptor finds the statue which is waiting in the stone,
applies equally to editing; the editor finds the film which is waiting hidden in the material.
Tom Priestly, editor and cinematographer, The Thomas Crown Affair, Deliverance,
and Return of the Pink Panther.

General Cutting Room Terms

As editing has moved from being performed on film to being performed
on video tape and then digital editing systems, new terms have been
added and old terms have lived on. For instance, picture and sound
film terms are freely mingled with audio and video tape terms
into todays digital domain. Also, while the days when editors used
scissors to cut film are scores of years behind us, editing is still referred
to as cutting and the editing room is still called the cutting room. As
more and more movies are shot, edited, and projected digitally, perhaps
in the future well go to the theater to see not a film but a digi. But for
now, film, video, and digital terms are freely intermixed in the cutting
room and everywhere else. Here are the current general terms:

Picture editor, a.k.a. the editor

Editor who puts the show together.

Sound editor
Editor who perfects the shows sound. Sound editors finesse the dia-
logue, ambience, wild track, and narration and add sound effects among
other duties.

Dailies
Footage, usually shot the previous day, from the production crew that
arrives daily in the cutting.

Shot
Camera start to camera stop.

Take
A slated shot (which hopefully all shots have).

Edit (noun)
A portion of a take or shot put into a show.

16

CxC2.indb 16 9/29/11 12:19 PM