WARREN:
Don't be modest. What singular role/activity would you
like to focus on, right now, as a movie maker?
ALAN:
The role where I make enough money to actually
continue working on the projects we have going?
Seriously, though... Are you asking which aspect I
want to focus on, or which one do I think needs the
most work?
WARREN:
THE FIRST.
ALAN:
As always, I'm looking to expand my editing horizons -
trying out some new systems, finally getting a hold of
a copy of aftereffects, new and interesting ways of
cutting stuff together. The usual.
WARREN:
Alright. Let's focus on what you want to be.
How does one improve themself as an editor?
ALAN:
Hm. Well. As a PROFESSIONAL VIDEOGRAPHY INSTRUCTOR
(heh), here's a few things that, in my experience, are
beneficial in learning to edit:
The cliche'd answer - practice. Most effective
thing. Edit anything you can get your hands on. Try
different editing styles and different types of
editing programs. The more you do, the better off you
get... In theory.
Start small - a bit of an old-school notion, but
still valid, I think. If you haven't, try editing a
movie in-camera, or on 2 VCRs. You really have to
plan out your edits ahead of time, and live with
whatever cuts you make. It kind of forces you to
develop a personal style. A lot of beginners who jump
in with non-linear can get really dependent on fading
every shot together instead of working to find the
best place to make an edit. A very common habit
that's good to avoid.
Music & rhythm - practice editing along to a piece
of music. Do a montage video and develop your sense
of rhythm in the process. That way, when you're
editing without it, it'll be easier to find your own
sense of timing. And hopefully it'll make things
easier for a composer to write music for you...
someday down the road.
Learn the basics - any basic shot theory book will
do. The sooner you read up on vectors, sight lines,
and pacing, the sooner you learn to break those rules
effectively.
Try editing someone else's footage - most amateurs
have to do it all themselves, and you can sometimes
get swayed (subconciously or not) by the fact that
it's *your* footage. Trying to piece together
something that someone else envisioned can be an
interesting (and usually frustrating) experience, but
a valuable one as well. Hopefully it will assist in
developing a more critical eye towards your own
footage.
Most importanly.... forget all that stuff I just
said and just go edit something. You learn by doing,
right? So, go out there, edit things, and figure out
what works and what doesn't.
WARREN:
Cool. Good lord this is going to be a long interview.
ALAN:
...
WARREN:
Is "editing" why you got into movie making in the first place?
ALAN:
Actually, not at all. I got into movie making based
mostly on a general interest. Just wanted to tell
some funny stories, really, and find a way to make
book reports less boring. If you watch our old high
school stuff (and if you haven't by now, too bad - far
too embarrassing to show), you'll see that there was
no editing at all - we did the whole scene in one long
take, faded out, and faded in on the next. All edited
in-camera or VCR to VCR. More like theater, really.
It wasn't until I got to KBVR that the concept of
editing had even crossed my mind. The editing teacher
kinda pointed out where the editor was, showed me the
basics, and cut me loose. I was kind of surprised at
how quickly I picked up on it. I had always
maintained that any success I had in movie making was
due to the fact that I worked so hard at it, but this
was the first time that I thought that I might
actually have a bit of talent. Anyway, long long long
story short, within nine months, I was teaching the
class. So, no, it wasn't why I got into it initially,
but it's why I got into it to the point I am now.
WARREN:
If editing was a first major breakthrough for your videos,
many years ago when you hit college, then what was/is
the last/latest breakthrough?
ALAN:
Naturally, there's been lots of advancements over the
years, but most recently, we've stepped up the
production value significantly. Costumes created,
sets designed and built, every remote location
imaginable, better fight choreography, and so on and
so on. Hopefully vastly improved special effects will
be the next breakthrough. When Jedi6 hits...
WARREN:
This strikes me as an excellent place to stop for now.
NEXT WEEK: The Jedi part 6 : Queens of the Sith
PART 2: WHAT DOES WINSTON WORK ON?
WARREN:
THE FIRST.
ALAN:
Hm. Well. As a PROFESSIONAL VIDEOGRAPHY INSTRUCTOR
(heh), here's a few things that, in my experience, are
beneficial in learning to edit:
Start small - a bit of an old-school notion, but
still valid, I think. If you haven't, try editing a
movie in-camera, or on 2 VCRs. You really have to
plan out your edits ahead of time, and live with
whatever cuts you make. It kind of forces you to
develop a personal style. A lot of beginners who jump
in with non-linear can get really dependent on fading
every shot together instead of working to find the
best place to make an edit. A very common habit
that's good to avoid.
Music & rhythm - practice editing along to a piece
of music. Do a montage video and develop your sense
of rhythm in the process. That way, when you're
editing without it, it'll be easier to find your own
sense of timing. And hopefully it'll make things
easier for a composer to write music for you...
someday down the road.
Try editing someone else's footage - most amateurs
have to do it all themselves, and you can sometimes
get swayed (subconciously or not) by the fact that
it's *your* footage. Trying to piece together
something that someone else envisioned can be an
interesting (and usually frustrating) experience, but
a valuable one as well. Hopefully it will assist in
developing a more critical eye towards your own
footage.
Most importanly.... forget all that stuff I just
said and just go edit something. You learn by doing,
right? So, go out there, edit things, and figure out
what works and what doesn't.
It wasn't until I got to KBVR that the concept of
editing had even crossed my mind. The editing teacher
kinda pointed out where the editor was, showed me the
basics, and cut me loose. I was kind of surprised at
how quickly I picked up on it. I had always
maintained that any success I had in movie making was
due to the fact that I worked so hard at it, but this
was the first time that I thought that I might
actually have a bit of talent. Anyway, long long long
story short, within nine months, I was teaching the
class. So, no, it wasn't why I got into it initially,
but it's why I got into it to the point I am now.
