Editing.tv

Finding Work in LA

Eadmin — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:59:05 +0000

It Takes a Village of Filmmakers

Eadmin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:15:41 +0000

Ray Miller Producer/Partner Archetype Management

Growing up I fell in love with the movies. Of course they are a far cry now from what they used to be. I don’t like to consider myself old, but let’s just say that when I was a kid movies were a big deal. I idolized the larger than life characters and action, just like everyone else, in movies like The Matrix, Titanic and There’s Something About Mary.

One of my first jobs in the industry was as an agent’s assistant. Among my duties was covering writers’ screenplays who were looking for an agent. Reading thousands of scripts at the agency, I was sometimes drowning in a sea of protagonists, car chases and love scenes. They all started to bleed together and it soon became an experience of movies drained of color and motion.

It was a big revelation the first time I read a script that then became a movie. I think it was Independence Day. Just to see everything that the set designer and the costumers and of course the actors brought to the screen was eye-opening. It requires real imagination to read a script and know what it will look like in the end.

I had the same eye-opening experience when I edited my first feature Pastor Jones in 2005. When I first got the dailies I remember wondering how all the shots would fit together. I wasn’t sure if I needed to even use all the shots. It can seem like a big jigsaw puzzle without a picture as a reference, only a 12 point courier script as a guide.

What I eventually learned was that after I read the script for the scene I was cutting, I put it away. There are inevitably shots that don’t exist in the script. Actors ad-lib. The director adds scenes along the way that end up being the best thing about the movie. In Pastor the director Jean-Claude LaMarre improvised a series of scenes in which he plays multiple characters in heavy makeup a la Tyler Perry. I had to literally write the scene using lines made up on the set. The close-ups had different lines than the wides. The cutaways were reactions to other lines. It was the awakening of my inner screenwriter.

The movie always gets rewritten in post. This is the opinion I share with my friend and producer Ray Miller. And he should know. As partner of ARCHETYPE a production and management company in Hollywood, he represents writers directors and actors. Ray makes the point that “The director’s job is to maintain the consistency of the overall product. Very few directors want to micromanage. The best way to look at it is that it gets reinterpreted in post.”

He goes on to say that a good example is Annie Hall which was supposed to be a totally different movie. It was supposed to be linear, but in the edit room it changed. And that may have been possible because it was made in the tradition of the great auteurs where the co-writer was also the director – the great Woody Allen – who was also instrumental in the editing process. But the truth is that once the film is done with editing it will not be what it was on the page.

I’ve spoken with so many people who just aren’t that familiar with what happens in the edit room. Some of them are even in the Film and TV business. Some of them even call themselves editors. They believe that all the creativity resides with the director. And that all decisions extend from him or her. This is only partially true. The more accurate take is that all decisions end with him or her. But many – if not most – of the thousands of decisions that go into making a great movie start with the cast and crew. So the sound editor contributes his genius. The visual effects editor calls upon her experience. And so it is that the picture editor is the setter of the timing and tone – the story’s equivalent to the heart and soul – of many movies and TV shows that you watch.

It may be a cliche to say that movie-making is a collaborative experience. But cliches are born out of truths. And the reason I’m writing this blog is hopefully to give you an insight to what actually happens in my edit room, and the creativity and flexibility and imagination that is required in post-production. Ray said it best that sometimes editors make the best directors. I would also add that a great movie owes a lot to its village of artists who filter their inspired choices through their visionary chief.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: It Takes a Village of Filmmakers – Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com

A Look Back, A Look Forward

Eadmin — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:49:51 +0000

If you’re reading this then we’ve probably been in touch at some point over 2010. And I thank you for your continued support of my work, and my career this year. And what a year it was!

It started off strong with my work on the festival drama A FIRE IN A DOVECOT. Working with Jordan Auten and Nicholas Ozeki‘s powerful 1960′s era screenplay really pushed me to elevate my chops in terms of cutting for performance, beats within a scene, and three act structure. Being mentored by A.C.E. editor Nancy Richardson (Eclipse, Thirteen, Selena) was a rare opportunity to surround myself with the best of the best.

Meanwhile back at my day job, Gametrailers TV with Geoff Keighley continues to rock it strong. We completed 31 episodes this season, a record for us. I continued to take on the duties of sound editing and mixing on top of my regular picture editing. The combined responsibilities on a weekly TV series schedule as been an unparalleled training ground to make me faster and more skilled than ever at all aspects of editing. We’ve been picked up for a new season in 2011 with an updated look and structure. But don’t worry, the same quality that you’ve come to expect from our journalism and production quality will come to you week in and week out only on Spike TV in HD.

In April I worked on the HD NET reality series DRINKING MADE EASY with Zane Lamprey. Eric Grabowski the post-super and editor was a great guy to work with. Plus I got a chance to get in business with my childhood pal Jacques Castro.

In May came the best day of my life. The day my son was born! I tell you, it may be a cliche, but this is the best lookin’ kid I’ve ever seen. What a joy it’s been getting to know this little funny guy.

As if that weren’t enough I started a blog for the Examiner.com on all things post-production. It has really allowed me the luxury of delving into issues about the editing process that I might normally just skim over in the hustle and bustle of simply working non-stop. It’s also been an excellent means to get in touch with old friends like Paul Leonard, and Ray Miller. I’ve also been able to sit down with other insiders like Robin Rowe & Gabrielle Pantera of Screenplay Lab, Woody Woodhall of Allied Post, and soon to be Bobby Burns here at MTV and John Bradley of Collins Avenue. Be on the lookout for these blogs, current and future, on my Examiner page.

And if that weren’t enough to keep me busy, I launched a production company with Kyle Kogan and Ryan Levee. We produced 8 videos in October, an impressive output, and I owe it all to the fact that they are as driven and creative as I am. Together we’ve already landed our next account, and will be producing our first festival bound film in 2011. Needless to say we’re extremely excited about that.

In addition, I have projects with Malek Akkad and Bret McCartney at Trancas International, home of the Halloween franchise. Be looking for a movie from Rawn Hutchinson, as well as a new reality show focusing on a singer and fashion star.

I know I’m leaving out something, but you get the idea. I’ve been busy in 2010 and I could not have done it without you. A big shoutout goes to Marlowe Holt who helped make this website a reality! I hope you’ll stay with me and stay in touch in the new year. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest guy alive that I get to do what I love every single day!

Top Return On Google

Eadmin — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:40:50 +0000

For the first time, when you Google John Stobaugh, I am the first return. In the immortal words of Steve Martin “Things are gonna start happening to me now!”

REWRITING ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

Eadmin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:57:58 +0000

December 4th, 2010 2:29 pm PT
By John Stobaugh, LA Post Production Examiner

In the business of movies and television, just like almost any other business, the big ideas come fast and furious. Almost everyone has what he thinks is a great idea that – if given the chance – they would pitch to Bruckheimer in a stalled elevator somewhere in Beverly Hills. But the devil is in the details, as the saying goes, and it has been my experience that both reside in the edit room.

In this issue of my Examiner.com LA Post Production blog, I spoke with my friend and producer Paul M. Leonard whose credits range from the long running Battlestar Galactica TV series and the subsequent Caprica, to over 15 years in the post production department at several major production companies and studios. Most recently he announced plans to begin developing original material for his own Tooth and Nail Productions.

When we sat down I posed to him the idea that editing is a lot like writing. He completely agreed. In fact, he teaches a course in post production and comes across students all the time who learn just how much of the story is crafted long after the script has been written, the actors have delivered their lines, and the director is already shooting something else on another continent.

He related to me a story of a project that he was working on a few years back. He told me that the script was written with an “A” storyline, or main plot; and a “B” storyline or subplot which ended up getting switched.

By way of illustration, let’s take a well-known example such as Avatar. The A story involves Jake Sully’s deceptive recon mission into the Na’vi’s inner circle which eventually leads to their near destruction. The B story involves a budding love affair between the main character, Jake, and the beautiful and exotic Neytiri.

In Paul’s example, his production featured an A story that was not working. It involved the main character remembering his estranged wife from an unsuccessful marriage. In his mind we see various moments they shared, some happy – most of them not. The trouble was the performance was not working in this situation. When they reviewed it in the edit room, they realized they were in serious trouble. The cut was due in a matter of hours. So he got on the phone with his editor and other trusted creative collaborators and reshaped the B story – which was about several characters getting trapped in a confined space and steadily losing oxygen – into the new A story.

They worked on the new A story until they were happy with the re-edit. They prolonged the suspense and added a few effects to flesh it out and create suspense at the end of each act. The scenes remembering the old relationship were trimmed way back in the new B story. Just to bring it full circle, James Cameron went on the record in a Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross to say that the love story between Jake and Neytiri was not supposed to be so prominent, but it was something that emerged organically during the editing process.

These are great examples of how influential editing and editors are to the final outcome. So the next time you are watching a great scene and are moved to tears or cheers, give a shout for the silent hero in the edit bay.

Audio Work

Eadmin — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:20:16 +0000

Starting audio on GTTV Back to the Future episode with Christopher Lloyd — Geek out city! See reruns http://bit.ly/13E28T

Cowboys and Heroes

Eadmin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 07:04:29 +0000

Just saw Midnight Cowboy last night. Never knew what a funny & sad movie it was. Wasn’t it the only rated X movie to win best picture? As cheesy as old movie making can seem today, it still feels really human.

Will You Amazon Studio?

Eadmin — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:23:03 +0000

everyone is buzzing about the amazon studio. will you give away your scripts? http://bit.ly/cczqhV

The art begins after the actors have gone home

Eadmin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:08:51 +0000

So you’ve just seen a great movie. You say, “that director is a genius.” But how can you be sure what exactly the director did on the movie…Continued

I’ll Soon Be Writing For The Examiner.com

Eadmin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:39:31 +0000

I promised myself some time ago that if an opportunity presented itself that corresponded serendipitously with thoughts that I had been having, I was obligated to follow that opportunity. I read about how the Examiner.com was looking for people in all different fields of life to blog about their areas of expertise or interest. Mine being post-production, I took a chance and proposed myself as a journalist. They liked my writing and welcomed me aboard.

I’ve already written my first piece describing the direction of my blogs on their site. I’m very excited about it and I hope you’ll take the time to read them. Either on their site or this one right here as it will be a fun way for me to get back in touch with old friends, make new ones, and learn more about this field of post which I have such a passion for.