Chapter 5

Edit and Distribute the Cut

After all the dailies have been shot, the editor has a certain amount of time to complete his first cut of the edited scenes and make the necessary changes to complete his editor’s cut. The film will be viewed, and there will be certain changes that need to be made and moments that need to be enhanced. He will add stock shots, alter transitions, recut scenes, and decide where music and sound effects should be added, deleted, or volumes adjusted. When the editor’s cut is complete, it is sent to the director first. The assistant is responsible for taking notes, recording temp ADR, downloading music, preparing QuickTimes for the dub stage or music department, ordering the B negative, preserving copies of each version, updating the continuity with scene timings, denoting lifted scenes, adding act timings together to arrive at the total measurement, and cutting a recap from first cut to a locked cut.

5.1 Editor’s Cut

Viewing the editor’s cut is a very important screening for the editor. It is the time for him to view the film as a fresh audience—letting the scenes wash over him as if he were viewing the movie for the first time. On another level, he must at the same time identify the problem areas. He must decide where to add or delete music, where to start scenes with stock shots, how to transition between scenes better, where to add dissolves, where to jump cut, what to trim or expand, and a multitude of other fixes that occur to him during this virgin viewing.

5.2 Taking Notes

The assistant should be ready with paper, pen, and the continuity to take notes. With the continuity in hand, the assistant will be able to designate the correct scene number to the given note. There is an art to taking good notes. If your handwriting is challenging to read, type your notes afterwards, or bring your laptop to the screening. Remember to get permission for this because the editor might be distracted by the noise of clicking keys and long fingernails. You will learn the shorthand necessary for good note-taking through time and experience.

Because there will be scenes to adjust, SFX and MX to be added or deleted, stock shots to be ordered, and levels of dialog to be fixed, it is a good time to jump in and offer to help cut the SFX and shine.

5.3 Recording Temp ADR

The assistant will record the temp ADR in the cutting room for the editor to place in the cut. Be prepared to set the audio levels, lower the master volume buttons, and configure the machine and microphone for recording added dialog. It sounds easy, but you cannot imagine the horrible, high-pitched feedback the machine emits when the wrong buttons are pushed. It can be quite embarrassing in front of company. Have a checklist prepared, and do a test recording before the first day you are asked to perform this task.

5.4 Preserving Copies

Before you start the next version of the show, the assistant editor must make a copy of the editor’s cut in the project.

When you copy the current cut down to Z1 EC1 (editor’s cut 1), make sure you change the name of each act from A. Workpix to EC1. As discussed earlier, this is important because you do not want to make editorial changes in the wrong sequence! Management of the various cuts is essential during the editing process. The assistant editor must be aware of whatever system the editor would like to use and stay on top of it. In general, whenever there is an output of a cut, it is natural to make a copy of that version and file it away. Sometimes there is no output of a version, but you will still need to make a copy of it in case you need to refer to it later. Consult with your editor about this daily.

5.5 Lifts

If the editor removes a scene (this scene is now called a lift), the assistant needs to denote that on the continuity. Every show has a preference on how lifts are reflected on the continuity (see Figure 5.1).

Some producers and networks like to have the lifts added to the end of the continuity. This is something you will need to discuss with your A.P. in advance of the day that you distribute the cut.

Figure 5.1 Continuity with the lifts highlighted

5.6 Scene Timings and Total Measurements

As mentioned earlier, the topic of measurements is serious. If the assistant miscalculates the running time of the show, it is grounds for being fired. The old axiom “measure twice, cut once” applies in your cutting room and helps avoid the embarrassment and ill will that is caused by a miscalculation. As the film progresses toward lock, it becomes that much more essential to have an exact measurement. A mistake in measurement becomes more expensive as you travel up this ladder from editor’s cut to network cut.

A continuity is included with each output. It is necessary to measure each scene and fill in the column with that information. These columns need to be updated for each output.

As each scene measurement changes, so does the act timing. These need to be carefully changed on the paperwork. You need to give a total measurement of all the acts and compare that footage to the target footage for air. Also denote the amount of time you are over or under footage. This information is contained on the continuity as well as the cover sheet for the continuity. These measurements need to be archived for the editor on the footage chart you have printed out and placed on his bulletin board (see Figure 5.2).

Keeping track of the changes in the duration of each act and each version will be helpful during the post process. It gives an enormous amount of information at a quick glance. One can see which acts have remained the same and which acts need to be rebalanced if they are longer or shorter than the network target footages.

Figure 5.2 Filled-in footage chart template

Networks are concerned with where the act breaks fall and when they are going to commercial break. They do not want to have a commercial break on the half hour because they do not want to lose their audience to another show. These target times change constantly as audience viewing habits change, so it is very important to have the latest published target times. The assistant can get this information from the post supervisor. Make sure to post these times clearly for your editor.

5.7 Building a Cut

When the editor’s cut is completed in television, it is time for the assistant editor to build the show (put all the acts together into one time line sequence). Remember to ask your editor how much black he wants between the acts. Prepare a title card in the title tool for the beginning of the show. It should contain the name of the show, episode number, version (e.g., editor’s cut), total running time, how much time you are over or under the format footage, and the date. Fade in and fade out on this card and place a second or two of black before the body of the film.

In features, the show can be divided into 2000-foot reels, and these are then built to allow for a maximum of 3-hour time lines. If your film is longer than 3 hours, you might consider dividing it into two 2-hour time lines.

Ask the editor and your associate producer if they would like to include the main title, the end credits, and the end logos for each of the cuts that are sent out. This media exists in your Banner bin, which you created on your first day. The main title and the logos are often updated throughout the season. The end credits have not been generated yet, but a space holder—a 20- to 30-second banner that says End Credits—can be attached to the end of the film. The composer’s MT and EC music should be attached to these banners. This enables the editor to cut them in as one piece of media.

Be careful when you add the main title, recap, and logos to your edited show because they change the footage measurement, and this is where mistakes are often made. This is when your cheat sheet that you created with your format sheet at the beginning of the show will come in handy. It includes the various measurements with and without these elements.

Remember to add a few seconds of black to the end of the sequence before you output. The Avid or FCP might mistakenly stop on the last frame of film if there is no digitized black added to the last frame of film even though the soundtrack continues.

5.8 Cutting the Recap

During editor’s cut there is enough time for the assistant editor to start thinking about and assembling the reprise for the episode. It is not always the assistant’s job to create the recap, but when possible, volunteer to do it.

The recap usually runs between 30 and 60 seconds, or sometimes longer. It precedes the show and informs the audience of the events that led to the episode they are about to watch. The writers sometimes provide the salient story points that need to be touched upon. Many times these decisions are left to you, so it is necessary to have an intimate knowledge of previous episodes. You must show your audience the important moments that are germane to the show that is about to be aired.

5.9 Shipping

Create the output of the film by recording it onto a DVD. Because your equipment has been checked and you have done a mini output test prior to the day you need to ship the film to the director, you know that recording is not a problem. You have ordered DVDs in advance, so you have the materials necessary to create this output. The post PA duplicates the assistant’s DVD output of the show and archives one DVD for the post department. The output and duplication process continues throughout the editing process, from the first output of the editor’s cut to the network cut and all the way to the locked cut. You will create labels for the DVD unless you have arranged for the post PA to do this. You have created the cover sheet for the continuity, which has been updated with new scene timings and act timings.

One very important task is that you must know the director’s home address and if he wants his DVD to be sent there or somewhere else. You must find out if he wants it left at the guard gate or front door; if the post PA should ring the bell, knock, or phone in advance; and if there is an hour at which it is too late to deliver. You must always include the continuity with the output. You must know if the DVD is being sent by courier to the director and what the cutoff time is for the courier. This way you can determine at what time the editor needs to stop cutting and when the output must start. You must find out the tracking number and the estimated time of arrival (ETA) so that when the director calls in the morning and complains that the DVD has not arrived, you will be able to troubleshoot. You must know the director’s phone numbers and email address. It is a good idea to email the director as soon as the output has left the studio, what the ETA is on the following day, and the courier’s tracking number. Ask the editor if he would like to include a note with the DVD. These questions need to be answered before the day of the output. Figure 5.3 is a cover sheet for the continuity.

After the editor’s cut has been sent to the director, it is a good idea to confirm with the editor when he and the director will start work in the morning. It is always pleasant to have special edible goodies available in the cutting room to make your guest happy. This also applies to the next round of visitors (the producers). The editing room should be an inviting and creative environment—a place in which the directors and producers are comfortable.

Figure 5.3 An example of a cover sheet for the continuity

5.10 Director’s Cut

During the director’s cut, the chores for the assistant remain substantially the same. You will be responsible for changing the continuity sheet to reflect the newly ordered sequences (scenes may be transposed or moved to different acts). There will be new measurements for many scenes that also affect the overall footage of each act, and therefore the duration of the entire movie. B negative might need to be ordered to find that perfect performance the director is absolutely certain was captured on film and not yet printed. After getting approval from the associate producer (there is sometimes an extra cost involved in ordering a B negative), the assistant will order it, digitize it, and place another Post-it in the editor’s lined script so that he will know that new material has arrived. When using Final Cut Pro, our assistants color code the B negative in the Scene bin so that it is easy to find. On the Avid, the assistant will label it B neg. New music or stock is also frequently ordered, digitized, and similarly denoted for the editor to cut in.

When you ask the MX supervisor to help select alt needle drops, he will need to take a look at the sequence. The assistant will create a QuickTime (QT) and post it on the MX supervisor’s server. The MX supervisor will send his choices via Internet and/or a compilation on a CD that needs to be transported to your cutting rooms. This process changes according to geographic hurdles and the urgency of the request. The assistant will alert the MX supervisor that there is an imminent arrival of a QT and a request for alts. In your informational email, include the name and episode number of the show, the length of the scene, the notes or commentary from the director and the editor, and a short story update about what immediately precedes and follows this scene. Sometimes it is good to send the pages from the script that precede or follow the scene as well.

When there are sound effects that need to be ordered to supplement your library, be very specific when emailing or describing your request to the supervising sound editor. It is also helpful to compile a list of needed sounds throughout the day. Add to the list for a couple of days before disturbing the sound department unless there is an urgent request. Most of the time the SFX editor will upload several choices via the Internet.

It is never too early to search for great stock shots. It is a time-consuming task that initially may take more than a day or two. Ultimately the assistant editor will provide stock choices for the editor to cut in, but the post supervisor can often be a big help in this area.

During the director’s cut, the needed VFX will be discussed at length. Try to include your associate producer and his staff in this process as early as possible. Show them the work you have temped. The assistant editor should create a QuickTime of the shots (with a handle of a few shots on either side of the VFX shot) to be sent to the VFX editor for a cost breakdown. Write down the number of frames, total duration of the shot, timecodes, camera roll number, master tape number, and date shot. Save a copy of this information in your assistant’s notebook, and copy your post supervisor and the VFX editor. Your telecine house needs this information so they can pull the original master tape of this shot for the VFX editor to start work.

The director’s cut lasts for a certain amount of days depending upon the format. According to the Directors Guild of America (DGA) contract, there are 4 days minimum on episodic TV; 20 days for a 2-hour film for TV; 30 days for a two-part, 4-hour miniseries; and 10 weeks for a feature with a budget greater than $3,605,000. These numbers are legal guidelines and are sometimes negotiable.

There should be a distribution list generated by the post producer with the names of people who will receive the director’s cut. Remember to change the labels to say it’s the director’s cut! The post PA receives the assistant editor’s output of the director’s cut and duplicates it for distribution. He should also label each DVD with the appropriate name, date, and footage information provided to him by the assistant editor. Remember to provide a continuity for the post PA to duplicate and attach to each DVD.

The director’s cut goes to the producers, who will make their changes during their allotted time. The assistant will output the producer’s cut and send it to the studio and then the network. Sometimes the producer’s cut goes to the studio and the network at the same time, and both sets of changes are performed simultaneously. Sometimes there is no studio cut, so you send the producer’s cut straight to the network. For all the different versions that follow the director’s cut, all the same steps are repeated. The assistant must ask for the distribution list, know what the cutoff time is for a timely output, know where the DVD will be sent, update and include the continuity, quality check (QC) the master DVD for sound and picture before sending it to duplication, and measure the show accurately. As you deliver the film higher up the ladder, these measurements become more critical. You are reaching a lock on your film and need to be frame accurate. There are assistant editors who have lost their job due to an incorrect measurement. Check, double check, and triple check!

In features, the process is ultimately the same, except there is no network delivery. The total running time (TRT) of the movie is not restricted by format footage timings or a target time. The length of the movie is determined by the overall viewing experience, though the studio will often ask for the film to be cut down from 3 or more hours to 2 or less hours. The process of updating the current timings of all scenes is universal. Categorizing lifts, stock, music, and gags is desirable throughout the industry, regardless of the venue.

At this point of the film, only the editor, the assistant editor, and the director have viewed the film. It is forbidden by the DGA rules to show anyone in production any edited footage without the director’s permission. However, there is a trend in television for producers to ask to see cut scenes during dailies or the editor’s cut. This is a tough position, and as an assistant editor, you must defer to your editor’s decision on how to handle the situation before screening or giving out DVDs. The assistant has access to lots of creative content that only authorized eyes are supposed to see. Part of your job is keeping that content restricted to the editing room.

5.11 Privacy in the Editing Room

A sensitive issue in the cutting room is to understand that it can be a very private and revealing place for a producer or director. In some cases, these executives have been working for many months on their shows, especially in the case of features. This first cut represents years of their creative talents exposed, the battles they have had to fight, the indignities they have had to endure, and the disappointments on the set. This screening in the editing room is the first time they see their movie in its entirety.

When the director sees the editor’s cut, he sees all the directorial mistakes and the bad things that happened along the way—the actors who didn’t show up on time so he couldn’t get the shots he wanted; the weather that did not cooperate and all the production details that hindered the shooting; the blocking of scenes that might seem awkward; the focus that might be soft; or the actors who never got the lines right. That is what a director usually responds to in the first cut of a show, and his emotional reaction can be intense. His disappointments, histrionics, and all your conversations must stay private.

What happens in editing, stays in editing.

5.12 Producer’s Cut

Next comes the producer’s cut. Because the executive producers are inundated with questions and problems that arise in casting, writing, and production, editorial is often put on a back burner during the day. Waiting for their notes is often the hardest part for the editors and their assistants. Maintain a good attitude so that when the producers do arrive, the atmosphere is inviting and energetic. It is always a good idea for the assistant editor to determine the producers’ preferences for food or drinks and make sure the editing rooms are well-stocked. This will help facilitate a smooth transition from director’s cut to producer’s cut.

Table 5.1 Network requirements

Because the producers are busy with all the other details of making a film, their brief time in the cutting room is spent with a special eye on the clock. Whenever you have a moment of their attention, you must make the best use of it! Be organized and prepare lists of questions that need to be addressed (such as the recap, music alts, and added lines of dialog). The assistant will output the show quite often during this phase, and it is important to diligently update the continuity with new scene timings.

Make sure your acts are within the timing requirements of the network format. Even though your continuity has reflected the act timings during each output, the post producer must be made aware of the aberrant act lengths. He will then contact the network and ask for a variance (special permission from the network that allows an act to be longer or shorter than the prescribed format). If the network denies the variance, then scenes have to be moved out of the long acts or into the short acts, and the producers need to be aware of these problems. This is when accurate scene footages reflected on the continuity will be extremely helpful.

Place the network act footage information on the bulletin board next to your continuity and footages chart (see Table 5.1). These lengths vary with different networks.

If one of the acts is under or over these timings, a red flag should be raised. Even though the continuity reflects the act timings, the post producer should be informed. Hopefully these timing issues will be addressed before the picture is locked. The film will have to be restructured by moving scenes into different acts and/or changing the lengths of scenes.

After your producers have completed their cut, an output of the show is made for the studio and network, who will then email or phone in their final notes. Editorial will also hear from Standards and Practices.

Sometimes other represented affiliates attached to your show will be given an advance copy of the film for their notes as well.

After the network notes have been addressed and approved by everyone, the assistant editor does a final check of the total length of the show. Be very accurate. The editor will be asked to get it on format footage or close to it, and every frame is important.

Sometimes locking a show goes like clockwork. Schedules are met; format footages have been satisfied; stock is selected, ordered, and cut in; VFX are approved; and needle drops are all agreed upon, affordable, and licensable. However, there are times when an element is still pending at lock (e.g., a stock shot, insert, or a scene is missing) and will have to be dealt with afterwards. The assistant must keep a vigilant eye on the incomplete tasks. Keeping lists is very important. Making sure all of the details are finalized is ultimately the post producer’s job, but the sign of a great assistant editor is one who follows the film to its completion.

In television, when the lock takes longer than the schedule allows, the assistant editor must multitask and start preparation for his next show. This overlap occurs frequently. Sometimes the assistant will have three shows on his plate, all in different states of completion. This is when your meticulous notes will keep your work life sane.

5.13 The Locked Show

Please be aware that after you have locked the show, done all the preparations for online, and calculated a final measurement, there can be last-minute changes that need to be incorporated. Perhaps one network executive had not seen the show when network notes were delivered, or an executive producer has changed his mind about a scene and wants it shorter or longer. Sometimes an ADR line must take the place of the original dialog, and the scene must be recut to allow for that new line. Sometimes a composer wants to add a second of black to the end of every act for ringout. The assistant must take these changes in stride.

Now you have completed the cycle of changes that will constitute a locked show. Yay! Get ready for your third and most challenging task as an assistant editor—the online.