Feeling The Thrill of the Edit - Day 3 of Antisocial 2

An avalanche of footage landed on my desk in the form of a hard drive containing the last two days of filming. All of that prep work has paid itself off. Immediately I felt the thrill of the edit session as I finally gazed upon what the crew has been capturing so far for Antisocial 2.

First step was transcoding the footage through REDCine-X. As much as I will always have a soft spot for Final Cut, my first editing love, the tedious extra step of transcoding footage before anything will forever leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

Transcoding is an often necessary step at the start of post-production where the raw footage from the cameras is processed into a smaller package. This is done so that the computer doesn't have to work so hard to handle the LARGE video files while editing, therefore allowing the editor to work faster. However it sucks having to wait for it to finish. 

Even with the beastly RED Rocket Card equipped, it took 8 hours to transcode all of the clips to ProRes LT. 

Meanwhile the gents and I took a break and shared some stories from the day. After all, 1am may be the start of my work day but it is the end of theirs. One of the benefits I enjoy most about editing on-site is that I actually feel more like part of the crew. Since I've been away from set this whole time, this is a part of the day I look forward to a lot.

DMT, Producer, Editor and Sound for Antisocial 2.

But there is still MUCH work to be done and it's time to punch it into overdrive to catch up. Start a pot of coffee and slap the headphones on. Before waiting for every clip to finish transcoding, there is still work I can do in the meantime. I take the clips from both cameras and lay them on a timeline labelled SYNC. This is where I sync up the audio. "But Nick, can't you use PluralEyes to sync up the audio automatically?" I hate PluralEyes. Always have. Always will. We've never gotten along, although I understand it works well for some editors out there. All the power to ya!

My days of editing broadcast videos for OMAFRA on an AVID machine has gotten me very comfortable using the keyboard hotkeys to quickly navigate through an NLE. Ever since those days, syncing up audio in FCP has been a breeze. It may sound funny but I kind of enjoy doing it. It's a very satisfying task for me. And with my fingers flying across the keyboard, it's the closest thing to playing piano that I'll ever get.

Plus it forces me to watch a bit of each clip, which is what an editor should do first and foremost anyways. There isn't always a shotlist with notes on each take for the editor to use (there isn't one on this production anyways) so watching through the footage is important to see all that was captured. Get familiar with each take because that's how you sort them into golden takes, scraps and bloopers.

The clock reads 9:30am. Transcoding has finished, all clips have been synced to audio, and the first scene is roughly edited. Time to say good night, high five the crew as they wake up and head to set, and grab some shut-eye. Not a bad start so far.

Day 1 of Editing Antisocial 2...sort of

Production started up yesterday for the sequel to the indie horror hit, Antisocial. Currently I'm set up a short drive away from set where some of the crew are bunking for the week, since some of the locations that are being used lack power for me to access. Generators are brought in for the lights and production equipment, so I've got to setup elsewhere.

Where I'm set up has its perks and its setbacks. It's quiet and has a great, big backyard for me to run around in (I do make sure I get out for some sunshine and exercise often). Also I get this lovable guy as company.

His name is Bronx and he took a day to warm up to me, but now we're getting along great.

So while I am not directly on set this week, I did have a chance to check out the location yesterday. Man, is it creepy! I have some photos I might share but it all depends on if the director gives the okay. He's kind of busy directing a movie to ask right now though. 

One difference between this setup and what we had for The Drownsman last year is the crew is shooting with more than one camera. So DMT had almost double the amount of footage to back up yesterday, therefore I didn't have anything to edit right away. Apparently tonight that will change, as they will be more on top of transferring footage from the cards. It's a possibility that I will have two days worth of footage to edit with tonight, so I've been taking extra steps today to make sure that I'm ready to go as soon as its handed over to me. 

One step I've taken to prep is setup the Final Cut Pro project file with a proper bin structure, as well as file folder structure on the hard drive for all of the project elements. An important responsibility for an editor is to keep all project files and folders organized. When the locked edit gets handed over to other departments (such as sound, colour grading, score and visual effects), being organized is key to making sure that everything trades hands smoothly. 

Another thing I made sure to do is to prepare my body and mind for the work to come. Resting and keeping active is essential for this production, especially with the night hours that will be put in (Sleep during the day; work while the production crew sleeps.). There are a helpful list of exercises that I can do where I am that require no equipment.

While on the topic, there are two pieces of gear that I brought with me that I am TREMENDOUSLY glad for doing so.

The jumprope is the only piece of exercise equipment that I need to take with me. Taking a break to skip for a few minutes outside is a fantastic way to keep the body moving and happy. And the lacrosse ball is something I picked up after trying crossfit for a month this summer. It helps greatly with mobility. You lie down on it and press it into your back against any tight spots, particularly around the shoulder blades (which any editor who sits for hours knows how tight and sore they can get). It loosens up muscles and releases tension so well. Smartest purchase I've EVER made.

So while I wait for the production crew to wrap so that I can get started, there are many things to keep me busy and best prepare for when I'm on deck.  Once footage is in my hands tonight, the real fun will start.

This blog will be the best way to check for updates on Antisocial 2 editing progress. I hope to share some of the experience of editing on-site for a feature. While I am not sure about releasing any stills, there will be glimpses into the editing process and a few teasers along the way.

Till next time!