I want to help sales of the film. If the public finds the plot controversial, all for the better. I was inspired to create a song that makes sense of the plot.
Otherwise, my 30 years in Hollywood as a film editor leads me to certain assumptions about the 'blind spot' that the director suffered. My belief is that a strong and independent editor is the most important aspect of the film production process.
I will demonstrate that the benefits of digital production concentrate the creative decisions in the hands of the director, and remove the oversights of the collaboration team. We might assume that power shifts between the producer and the director. The film editor may know all too well that his paycheck is signed by the producer.The editor toils to intensify the story arc. Entire scenes "should be, could be," or "would be" --eliminated-- on the assumption that every character or event advances the inevitable turning of the plot screw---or it's out! No mercy.
At which time the producer experiences an ulcer in consideration of the potential waste of budget that went for special FX.
Asking an actor to consult his sense memory and ignore the green-screen is questionable---(thinking here of Brando's smelling his mother's handekerchief).
But it is the director who runs the risk of losing the balance of the film to special FX.
One chestnut from the old days was that the story arc was created in three stages.
The page, the stage and the edit. It is said that the editing room is where blood splatters the walls. All the ways a director tries to hide his mistakes from the moneyman are now apparent for everyone to see.
Hopefully a potential disaster would be spotted in the earliest stage, when the screenplay is being thrashed out. As an example, one indication that the writer has worked herself into a fever is asking for too many night shots,
A canny director is prepared for delays, illness, bad haircuts, typhoons; but she must be be ready---and remains optimistic--- in thinking that all hands stand ready to bottle the result--when the stage is set--and lightning flashes between the characters.
The actor certainly lives or dies by magic---timing, or wit---and the chemistry between the protagonists. The camera may not be rolling! The actor may have left his best money shot in the trailer.
Tony Bill claims that modern digital production allows us to forego rehearsals, and that the viewing of midnight rushes is a thing of the past.
The practice and utilization of viewing rushes, of course, has been the historical purview of the producer, who wants to oversee the production with a gimlet eye.
The production may (or may not) have on-location video assist. An editing crew may be waiting in the Airstream trailer to do a rough assemble of the day's rushes. It may be apparent from the beginning that an actor, ( cinematographer or makeup), must be replaced.
| INTRO | PLOT 1 | PLOT 2 | DIRECTOR & ACTOR | ABOUT MY SONG |
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Is the audience beguiled, transfixed, horrified by--or do they fall in love to-- a movie entirely driven by greenscreen?
Someone says---the production crew is all dispensable. Whatever our contribution--lighting, set design, makeup/hair, the greensman or bug wrangles---the film is delivered into the hands of the composite and DaVinci artists.
My concern is if the editor allowed to do his job.
One quick story:
When Katzenberg convened his first story conference at Disney Animation, he roundly criticized the plot, the voicing, the artwork--in short ---(no pun intended)-- everything.
He wanted to throw down artistic chops. Whereupon he demanded to see--
(--insert snare roll--)
The outtakes.