Chapter 2

Before Your First Day on the Job

There are tasks that can be accomplished in advance of your first day on the job. This preparation will benefit both you and the editor.

Though you are not yet on the clock, all of the charts that you create and the lists of supplies you request are essential for your success during the entire production. You will be ahead of the game on your first day.

2.1 Be Prepared

After you have been offered the assistant editor position, you are a bona fide member of the crew. If this is a first-season television show, movie of the week (MOW), or feature, the startup process is far more intensive. If you are joining a show that has been on the air before your arrival, many of the following tasks will have been addressed. If you are the first assistant, the setup tasks will be your responsibility.

As soon as you are hired, you will have access to the production office. Contact the production coordinator, make friends, and ask for the script. It will either be emailed, photocopied, or snail mailed to you. You will eventually want a hard copy to facilitate the next tasks at hand.

Read the script with paper and pen in hand so that you can begin your breakdowns. The first breakdown is a list of sound effects (SFX), music (MX), playback, visual effects (VFX), stock shots, and various elements that are necessary for the edited show. This will become your script elements list. Then you can do a scene breakdown with the act breaks, inherent scene numbers, and the number of pages in each act. When the shooting schedule is distributed, you will notate on which days the crew will be shooting playback (video and/or music) and add these pertinent dates to the schedule for elements. Next, create the continuity, which is a list of the scenes with a brief description. Also create a wall continuity, which differs from the continuity only in that is created with a larger font size and has four additional columns of information for each scene regarding their length. A measurement chart is created and placed on the bulletin board. It reflects the act measurements and total running time of each successive version of the film, from editor’s cut to final locked show. Make a list of office supplies and furniture necessary to fill an empty editing room.

2.2 Script Elements

Think about what you should list in your breakdowns as you read the following scene from a film.

Excerpt from the Show The Competition. Episode 103, “The Surprise Party”

There are several written and implied elements that need to be ordered for the editor before the shoot begins. Even though the production sound mixer is recording the dialog, there will be additional sounds needed to complete the overall ambience of the scene. Though the script might not call for an establishing shot, the editor adds a shot to orient the audience to the location of a scene. The assistant must anticipate these unwritten elements for the editor so that they may be included in the first cut. To prepare in advance, this is what you can add to your breakdown:

You will break down every scene throughout the script, adding the information to your various lists. The production crew will shoot all the coverage and record the dialog, but the illusion of a given location is made in the editing room. We create the ambience with extra sounds to enhance the scene. The assistant editor must be able to envision the scenes and their inherent background sounds (BGs). The ability to anticipate the needs of the editor is a skill that is held in the highest regard.

After you finish reading and breaking the script down, you will have a complete list of all the needle drop MX that you need to order in advance of the shoot.

In some scripts, for example, the writer will specify the needle drop they would like you to use. If it is written in the script that Led Zeppelin kicks in as the choreographed dance begins, chances are you will be looking for a replacement cue. The song might not be one that can be licensed, or it might be too expensive.

It is best to have the original version of the song in the Music bin in advance of the shoot date. This way, the editor will be able to cut it in after he has received the dailies. It is also wise to have alternate songs to replace the drop should it be necessary to change it. This entails calling the MX supervisor to ask for alternative drops (alts) for the scripted needle drop, which he will happily supply to the editorial staff. It is his job to license the music, and he is eager to provide a song that can be licensed and is affordable. The assistant must also create a consummate list of all the playback and VFX that is going to be needed for the show.

2.3 Scene Breakdown

The assistant needs to list which scenes are in which act. It is good to know how many pages there are for each act because this is a way to estimate the length of each scene and act (see Table 2.1).

Table 2.1 Scene breakdown

Episode 103 “The Surprise Party”

Acts	Scenes	Pages	Totals
TEASER	SC. 01–06	PG. 01–07	07
ACT 01	SC. 07–15	PG. 08–17	10
ACT 02	SC. 16–A23	PG. 18–23	06
ACT 03	SC. 23–28	PG. 24–32	09
ACT 04	SC. 30–33	PG. 33–39	07
ACT 05	SC. 34–37	PG. 42–48	07
Totals:		48 pages	47 minutes

The page counts are a bit tricky—make a note that you counted the pages inclusively. Because the rule of thumb is 1 minute per page, the minute count is often different than the page count because some script pages are only 1/8 or 1/2 of a page. In approximating the amount of time a page will be on screen, take into account that action scenes described on two lines can turn into a 3-minute sequence or more, and that a 3-page scene describing a party could turn into a 30-second montage. It is not the job of the assistant editor to give an estimated timing of the script—that responsibility belongs to the script supervisor. But it is a great exercise to do a rough estimate of the length of the film and begin to hone your skills. If the editor is aware that the show that is about to be shot is either too short or too long, he can alert the writers or director in advance of the shoot to this important information.

2.4 Schedule for Elements

The production office will generate many informative breakdowns with useful information that can be used by postproduction. For example, a shooting schedule will be distributed by the production coordinator, which has the dates for when playback, VFX, and green screen will be shot. These special occurrences and dates affect the assistant and editor and should be added to your schedule for elements (see Table 2.2).

Table 2.2 Schedule for elements

The final list will include all of your breakdown work. By creating this list in advance, you will know what needs to be ordered—stock, VFX, playback, MX, and FX—before the editor begins to cut. You will know the dates by which you need to complete preparations for the playback to a computer monitor or TV set, as well as the MX for playback. You will make sure your editor has the necessary elements to cut the scene on the day that dailies are received. Note the added element of the shoot date. This is a projected date that can be altered during the course of the shoot, and the assistant should keep an eye on the shooting schedule updates.

2.5 Continuity

The fourth breakdown that you should have prepared before your first day of dailies is the continuity—a one-line description of each scene.

The first assistant director (1st AD) publishes a one-liner before the shooting starts. It also describes each scene in one line (hence the name). You should ask the production coordinator for this paperwork, but it is best to create your own descriptions; they will help you familiarize yourself with the script. When you create the continuity (see Figure 2.1), it helps you understand the script’s interwoven themes. This is the beginning of the training you need to make the cut and become a great editor!

The continuity should contain the title of the show, episode number, act number, scene number, whether it is Day 1 (D1) or Night 3 (N3), the location of the scene, the gist of the scene, and the timing of the latest cut of that scene (which is updated on each output). Be careful for the gist of the scene; you might be tempted to write clever summations, with a bit of humor. Because the continuity goes to directors, producers, the studio, and network, it is best to get to the heart of it and leave your emotional reactions out of the description.

After you create the continuity, copy and enlarge it so that a wall continuity can be posted on the bulletin board in your editor’s room. It differs in several ways from the continuity that is on 8 1/2 × 11-inch paper for the binder and distribution.

Figure 2.1 Continuity template The Competition. Episode 103, “The Surprise Party”

2.6 Wall Continuity

Your fifth template to create is the wall continuity (see Figure 2.2). It will be printed with a large font that is easily read from a distance and pinned to the bulletin board. A different template must be made for this because it contains additional information.

The additional columns contain the timings of the scenes. There are columns for the following:

1.  The script supervisor’s original pretimings of each scene before principal photography begins

2.  The on-set scene timing of the scene

3.  The scene timing of the edited scene

4.  The differential of the cut and the on-set timing

(One can choose to use the differential of the cut and the pretiming if the script supervisor has provided the timing for the script.)

Number 4 is the most important column for the editor because after a few days of dailies, one is able to extrapolate how long or short the show may be running. It can be a tremendous help to the director and the producer to know that they are going long and need to consider dropping a scene. Conversely, if the show is running short, it needs to be flagged. The writer can then infuse additional dialog or new scenes before the completion of principal photography.

Figure 2.2 Wall continuity template

2.7 Measurement Charts

Another template that you create before your first day is the measurement chart (see Figure 2.3). As the show progresses through editor’s cut (EC), director’s cut (DC), producer’s cut (PC), and studio and/or network’s cut (SC or NC), the total footages of each version should be written on the measurement chart. Some editors refer to their first pass as editor’s cut, first cut, or assembly. Although the term assembly once meant simply cutting off the slates and stringing the dailies together, the process of putting the movie into its’ formative stage has evolved tremendously. Regardless of the nomenclature, the editor’s cut is a meticulous and carefully sculpted study of the story, characters and dailies that includes sound effects and music. Prepare this chart and post it on the bulletin board in the editor’s cutting room so that it is ready to be filled in when the first assembly is complete. This will track the progression of individual acts and overall footage as it compares to the target time on the format sheet. You will know at all times whether the show is over- or underfootage.

Figure 2.3 Measurement chart template

2.8 SFX

As you read the script, you will notate what SFX will be necessary to make the scene fully tracked with BGs (background sounds). It is the assistant editor’s job to make sure that the sound effects department has provided all of the SFX the editor will need to cut in. After the picture is locked, the movie will be given to the various departments (sound and music) to replace all of the temp tracks the editor has laid in. During principal photography, the extras in the gym will be silent; they are not paid to talk. If they do talk, the production will have to pay for an upgrade of the actor from extra to day player—very expensive. It is the editor’s job to fill in all the supplementary sounds of each location by the time they hand over their editor’s cut. If you have a restaurant scene, you will need the sound of the grill, utensils, walla, doors, and cash registers. If you have a stadium scene, you will need the sounds of crowds cheering, clapping, and booing; vendors; planes; helicopters; TV announcers; boom boxes—let your imagination run wild.

You can archive the sound effects from all your past shows and bring them with you because the sound department might not be up and running when you begin a new show. A website from which you can download free sound effects is www.freesound.org. Through the years our collections have grown to include all the necessary sounds for car chases, crime scenes, courtrooms, offices, hospital rooms and surgeries, plus numerous transition sound effects that come in ever so handy—all the toll hits, whooshes, and electronica that can become your emphasis sound in a scene.

When preparing a scene for your editor, pull several choices for each sound from the Internet or your sound effects department. Your editor will have more leeway to create the environment he needs to enrich the scene. You can prepare a list of all the sound effects needed for the entire episode in advance of the first day of shooting. Each production has a sound supervisor to whom you can fax this list, and his department will send what you need. Many times, you will have access to an SFX library from which you can cull the best takes. Through the years, you will build your own library that you can bring with you to each new show. Sometimes your editor will already have his own favorite SFX library on a hard drive. Ask him if you can pick it up so that you might digitize the library on your first day on the job.

Offer to cut in the SFX too! This is a great way to start cutting for your editor. When you edit anything, it will help stretch your skills and build your confidence. Your editor will give you changes, and this will help you understand his taste. You can apply what you learn from each session to your next bit of cutting. One day you will cut in the sound effects, and your editor will have no notes for you! This will be a wonderful feeling.

2.9 MX: Needle Drops and Score

Not all shows have needle drops. There is an entire world associated with buying music for your film. Many shows have music supervisors who help select songs and are responsible for licensing them. Every show has a MX budget, which should not be exceeded. There are whole libraries of drops that are indies (independent, without a label) and therefore more affordable, and it is the editor’s job to stay within the confines of this budget without sacrificing too much quality.

Music is subjective, so many hours are spent selecting the right MX for a scene. You will create an Alt bin where you will keep versions of a scene cut with many different drops. Sometimes the writers and/or producers select a specific drop for a scene, which the MX supervisor will clear (license). When a song title is written into the script, the assistant should download it from iTunes or contact the MX supervisor, who will upload it to his website or send a CD for you to import into your editing system. If production uses a song during shooting, you need to ask for a copy of that playback tape from your post producer as well. Most of the time, you will lay in the highest quality sound possible for the drop. This only differs when you are using a song as playback to which the actor mouths the words. It is essential to get this playback from production for sync in your scene.

Dropping in multiple tunes on different tracks saves your editor so much time, even if he has to slide the music to a different start or end point. This is what the editor will do in preparation for the producer so that he can view and listen to his new choices quickly. Remember that your goal is to make your director’s or producer’s time in the editing room as streamlined as possible.

A template to keep track of the drops that your editor uses is provided in Figure 2.4. The assistant will send the list to the MX supervisor to keep him apprised and to determine the approximate costs.

The assistant will update this template whenever a tune is replaced and create a final list when the show is locked and ready for air.

After you lock, there will be two spotting sessions. One session will be with your supervising sound editor and his staff, where they will determine what lines of dialog need to be replaced and the sound design for various scenes. Another session will be with the composer and his music editor, during which the director and producers will give notes concerning where the music will be placed, where it will start, when it will end, and what the tone should be. The associate producer (A.P.) is present during these spotting sessions because he is in charge of the final mix. The FX and MX that the editor has cut into the show will serve as a template and is often emulated in the final dub.

Figure 2.4 Needle drop template

When you read the script, keep in mind that scenes will need to be scored with music that underlines the emotions of the scene and that the editor cuts a temporary score (temp) into the film. If there is a composer on the show, then it will help to have an eclectic collection of his past scores available for your editor. If there is specific MX referred to in the script, it is the assistant’s job to make sure that the soundtrack from that film is imported into the editing system along with similar soundtracks. Even when there is no mention of music, it is good practice to think about what sort of music might enhance the film—and digitize it!

Figure 2.5 Film scores from personal music library

2.10 Playback: MX and PIX

MX playback is broken down into stages. First, the song is selected by the director, producers, and MX supervisor. It is licensed and cleared for use before any further steps are taken. If the song is to be sung live onstage, a prerecord session is booked, the artist is recorded, and the preferred take is decided upon. The scene is shot using this playback, and the actor can lip sync to it. When dailies arrive the next day, make sure the post facility has telecined the playback tape as well as the production track. When you prepare the Dailies bin (organize it according to the editor’s preferences), include the playback song as written in the script, and label it with the title and name of the artist. For example, in our Scene 04 in “The Surprise Party,” the song “Going for Gold” by the Phantastiks should be included in the Scene bin.

Picture playback is needed when you shoot a scene in which a television or computer monitor has a moving picture on it. It can also be broken down into stages. First the material needs to be selected by the director and approved by the producers. For example, if you are use stock footage of the Los Angeles riots to play on a background television while a scene is being shot, the post producer must first order the stock from a stock house. Next, the material needs to be digitized, edited, and approved by the director and the producer. After the selected footage has been telecined, the associate producer ships the sequence to a 24-frame playback house to be prepared for the set. If this step is skipped, you will see a black line scrolling on the TV screen or computer monitor. If playback uses an LCD or plasma monitor, there is no need for this process. Now the playback is ready for the shoot. Again, the assistant editor must make sure that the playback material accompanies the dailies.

Playback (MX or picture) is serious business; when it goes wrong on the set, it costs time and money. Make careful note of when scenes containing playback will be shot so that all the prep work you are responsible for is done in a timely fashion.

2.11 VFX

The task of temp VFX has fallen largely to the assistant editor. You must be knowledgeable about green screens, 3-D warp, motion effects, titling, and much more. Your VFX skills will save the editor so much time and will be tremendously appreciated. This is one area where you can shine.

2.12 Stock

When you are reading the script, you will also make a list of the stock shots that will be needed for the show. These can be ordered from a stock house, and some stock might exist from a previous season of the show you are on. Sometimes a stock shot is not written in the script, but you will have to decide whether one might be needed. Rather be safe than sorry, so add it to your list. Before Sc. 02 in “The Surprise Party,” there is no mention of a stock shot. But there is a great chance that an establishing stock shot will be requested by the producers to orient the audience. Make sure you have placed in your Stock bin all the stock shots to establish locations that are used in your show. The gym, school, homes, and restaurants will all need stock shots for DX (day exterior) and NX (night exterior) and should be organized in a Stock bin.

You can order these stock shots from a stock house, or the production company will shoot it for you during the course of your show. But you must make a note of this and be prepared to provide these stock shots for your editor before he starts cutting the scene. Put this on your breakdown under stock. You will ask the production office for the shooting schedule before you start work so you will know what day the flagged scenes will be shot. You will also ask to receive the call sheet daily to confirm that the scene has not been rescheduled to another day.

The stock you order has been shot on different formats—16 mm, 35 mm, standard definition (SD), anamorphic, Cinemascope, 16:9, or 4:3. You must import it at its best resolution and alert the post department as soon as the shot has been selected and locked. There has to be adequate time to receive the media and transfer it at the highest resolution in time for the online.

You have just finished your first breakdown of the script! You have created the continuity and various templates for your new show. Well done. The information you have culled from the script is immense. Now what you do with what was not written is what makes this breakdown so special. Read between the lines; try to guess what sounds or visuals will make the scene play better. Understand that what you bring to the editing room—the information you have gathered from this breakdown—is invaluable to the editing process. It will serve you well when you are discussing the script with your editor, director, writer, or producer.

2.13 Order the Supplies

By now, you have spent at least six hours working for free. You will find that this investment of your time will save you countless hours of stressful confusion after you start working. It will also be so appreciated by the editor and coproducer that they will be inclined to hire you again!

It is important to know where the editor would like his editing system to be placed in the room. This might necessitate a visit to the cutting rooms before your first day on the job to evaluate your space. Some editors have a vested interest in how they set up their rooms. For example, some editors dislike having their backs to the door and will specify which wall the Avid or FCP setup should be placed against.

The last chore to accomplish before your first day on the job is to make a list of supplies and furniture needed for the cutting rooms (see Table 2.3). This list should be faxed to the post supervisor, who will decide which items need to be ordered and which need to be permanently borrowed from the production office. If you are setting up a film room, these lists still apply, except the editing machines will include Moviolas or flatbeds and some additional paper supplies. Keep this master list and add to it from job to job.

Table 2.3 Supply list for a digital or film room

Sharpies (red and black)	1 box
Pens (black, blue, red)	3 boxes
Pencils	1 box
Pencil sharpeners	1 for each of you
Highlighters	1 box yellow, 1 box blue
Scissors	1 for each of you
Stapler	1 for each of you
Staples	1 box
Staple remover	1
Tape	1 box
Tape dispenser	1 for each of you
Envelopes	1 box
Rulers	1 for each of you
White out	1 for each of you
Paper clips	1 box for each of you
Pen and pencil holders	1 for each of you
Push pins (multicolored)	1 large container
Push pins (clear)	1 large container
Index cards (multicolored)	1 pack
Index cards (white)	1 pack
Three-hole punch	1 for each of you
Two-hole punch	1 for the assistant
Clipboard for paperwork	1 for each of you
Legal pad (8 1/2×11 inch) (three hole punched)	3 for each of you
Steno pad	2 for each of you
Post-its (2×2 and 1×1 inch) (multicolored)	Large pack of each size
Three-ring notebooks: (3-inch D-ring)	1 for each of you (to start with)
(2 inch)	4 for each assistant (to start with)
Tab dividers (minimum of eight)	10 sets
White paper (three-hole punched and plain)	2 packs each
Bulletin board (8×10 feet)	1 for each of you
Bulletin board (4×6 feet)	1 for each of you
Printer–fax connected to editing machines
Printer ink
DVDs and jackets	1 box

There are few films edited on film these days, but for those of you who might have the opportunity to work in that environment, Table 2.4 is a basic list of supplies you will need to order.

Table 2.4 Supply list for film room (in addition to the digital room supplies)

Trim boxes	6 dozen (to start with)
Trim racks	5
White masking rape (1 inch)	6 rolls
White masking tape (1/2 inch)	3 rolls
Trim tags	2 boxes
Rubber bands	2 boxes
Splicing tape (white)	6 rolls (each person)
Splicing tape (clear)	6 rolls (each person)
Butt splicer	1 each
Butt splicer blades	1 box
Synchronizer with sound heads (6 gang or 4 gang)	1 each
Flanges (keyed and nonkeyed)	1 each
Split reel	1 for each assistant
Cores	1 dozen
Spring clamps	1 each
Sound reader	1 each
Editing bench (American or English)	1 each
Moviola/flatbed	1 each
Moviola bulbs	1 dozen
Light bulbs for Moviola tray	1 dozen
White gloves (large and small)	1 dozen each
Grease pencils	2 dozen
Velvet	1 each
Webril wipes	2 rolls
Acetone	1 bottle
Yard stick	1
Reels (1000 feet)	3 dozen
Yellow leader	3 rolls
Fill leader	3 rolls
Academy leader	1 roll
Sound pops	10 feet
Trim bins (large and small)	3 each
Oversized trim bags	3 each
Electric rewind	1
Coding machine	1
Dolly	1

Table 2.5 is a list of furniture you will need to order for the editing suite.

Table 2.5 Furniture list for a digital or film room

Couch	1 for each room
Editing chair/editing stool	1 for each of you (best you can get)
Guest chair	1 for each of you
Standing lamp	1 for each of you
Desk lamp	1 for each of you
Book shelf	1 for each of you
End table	1 for each of you
Coffee table	1 for each of you

The post producer chooses the rental company for the editing equipment. It is good to know about the equipment, however, so that you can request upgrades (e.g., an oversized screen for viewing cuts).

Along with the script, it is also imperative that you request all the paperwork that the production office generates. Ask them to email these lists to you or to send a hard copy with your script. They should include the cast and crew list, one-liner, production schedule, and shooting schedule. Put these in your newly created three-ring notebook.

Yay! Your advance paperwork is now complete. It’s exhausting, and you haven’t started the film yet (or been paid). But these advance preparations will pay off. Now you are ready to start your first day.