Your post-production knowledge resource, the stuff nobody teaches indie filmmakers until after the fact. Subscribe to skip the expensive lessons. <br/><br/><a href="https://notesfrompost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">notesfrompost.substack.com</a>
Notes From Post: Your behind the scenes guide to film and television post production
Claim This Podcastby Shawna Carroll
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10 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Your post-production knowledge resource, the stuff nobody teaches indie filmmakers until after the fact. Subscribe to skip the expensive lessons. <br/><br/><a href="https://notesfrompost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">notesfrompost.substack.com</a>
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4/4/2024
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Recent Episodes
October 12, 2024
Editing is an Art Form
<p>HAPPY NEW YEAR - I’m re-releasing this post with audio for those were weren’t able to read it last year.</p><p>Editing is an art form a technical art form, yeah you can tell AI to mimic a famous movie’s edit style but it will be like that gymnastics AI video where AI tries to recreate tru gymnasts, it’s all gibberish. As an editor we’re reacting and having emotional responses to the material and I don’t care how much someone studies human emotion that’s not something anyone, especially AI, can predict precisely.</p><p>Most of the time when I tell people “I’m an editor” they stare at me with a polite face but I know, deep down, they have no clue what I do or what it takes to do what I do. It might be because even those who are in the industry don’t know what we do. I was just watching a The Duffer brothers Master class…where they not once mention Post Production or Editing… but that’s another post.</p><p><p>Thanks for reading Notes From Post! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and learn more each week about what it takes to work in post.</p></p><p></p><p>Editing IS a modern art form. It is one of the most modern art forms I can think of. Our “paintbrush” is constantly changing, we depend on technology, which we constantly have to learn new versions or techniques for. Being technical is only part of it though, I know some editors who don’t do the technical side instead they have an AE do that while they focus on the emotional side of the cut. But still, being able to be both technical and artistic is a talent. It’s not something that everyone is born with. For many of us, we can’t do anything else, and be as fulfilled as we are when we edit.</p><p>I came across a clip that someone had generated using AI to try and mimic gymnastics and it just struck me, AI cannot feel. Something that will always and uniquely be our own thing is emotion. Something that can’t be programmed into AI. You can watch how horribly AI fails to try and mimic human movement in the video below.</p><p>I’m not saying that eventually it won’t be able to mimic human movement but I do not think that it will not be able to emote. It can process, it can be fed data sets and extrapolate data at incredible rates of accuracy however when it comes to things like art, it can only mimic, not innovate. That comes from truly feeling what it is like to be alive and human.</p><p>Editing is this unique ability to both be technical AND artful. To be able to extrapolate what the story is that you’re telling and FEEL each and every emotion artfully. Editing is putting images together in such a way that an entire group of people (the audience) watching it will feel those same things and walk away different or changed in some way. </p><p>Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that every thing that is edited is artful, there are a lot of editors out there who don’t excel with this aspect of the art form instead they know the technical side of things but cannot understand emotional pace.</p><p>What I am saying, is that we the Editors, who choose this art form, dedicate our lives to knowing and understanding our craft. Down to the frames. Every frame counts. I got the opportunity to attend a live lecture from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622">Walter Murch</a> back in 2018 and watching him cut live on stage, as he was explaining his method was like watching Jackson Pollack put paint to canvas in person.</p><p>There was a charisma and energy about him, he has gotten so good in knowing when to cut, he doesn’t use music to cut to, it’s like watching a composer, but of pictures. He would watch the clip and pause on the same frame every time, this is how he knows it’s the right place to cut. He FEELS the cut but it’s seamless.</p><p>Thelma Schoonmaker another incredible editor, talks about sometimes <a target="_blank" href="https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/visible-editing-thelma-schoonmaker/">wanting the audience to feel the cuts</a>. How editing doesn’t always have to be invisible, sometimes you need to use jarring cuts or jump cuts to make the audience feel uncomfortable. In an interview with BAFTA talking about her editing with Martin Scorsese she said she will often edit multiple versions of a scene to show him, and then they together will decide which version of the scene fits best emotionally within the larger picture of the tapestry of the film. This is something I do as well because there are so many possibilities when handed raw footage you can take a performance in so many different ways it’s important to understand what serves the overall story the most.</p><p>This is something so many people don’t understand, for an editor, a film is never finished, we hold this material in our heads and our hearts for decades. Every feature I have ever edited I hold in my mind, I can remember the cuts, the decisions behind each one. Editing adds meaning to otherwise an infinite amount of possibility. Not everyone is able or capable of creating that. Which is why a truly gifted editor will be able to step in, collaborate closely with the entire creative team, and carry the project to the finish line. </p><p>Everyone focuses on the director, but let me tell you, the editor is who makes the director what they are.</p><p></p><p>Until next time,</p><p>Shawna Carroll</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://notesfrompost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">notesfrompost.substack.com</a>
June 27, 2024
Why the New Sora/AI Toys "R" Us Ad Doesn't Have Me Scared
<p><p><em>Hi there, I'm Shawna! For more than a decade, I've been leading teams of Post Professionals through the wild ride of showbiz. Through the successful delivery of over 300 hours of television and numerous feature films, I've honed my craft. My goal is to share helpful insights that might make someone else's journey just bit smoother.</em></p></p><p>First of all this whole ad wouldn’t have been possible without humans producing it…and fixing it.</p><p>AI is not even close to perfect. It can’t predict nuance or understand, why something that looks like a human can immediately be tagged as ‘off’ or ‘weird’ to the viewer. After reading Fast Company’s article, linked <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91146911/you-cant-only-blame-ai-for-that-creepy-toys-r-us-ad">here</a>, I was very happy to see their take on this ad.</p><p>There were indeed humans who worked on the ad, but let’s talk about who all might have lost work from it.</p><p></p><p><p>Thanks for reading Notes From Post! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and learn more each week about what it takes to work in post.</p></p><p>Actors, crew members of all kinds, and some post crew. They didn’t need actors, set designers, costume designers, camera crew, lighting, crafty, and everyone else who works on set. They didn’t need a line producer or someone to schedule the shoot and prep everyone. To get this level of ad would have cost millions. Instead Kim Miller Olko who is current CMP of Toys “R” Us (<em>TRU</em>) and President of the newly established Toys “R” Us Studios decided to be the first to launch a highly controversial ad and pounce on all the media it would garner. Olko’s bio reads “she is a four-time Emmy Award winner with 20+ years as a transformational media leader and brand storyteller.” From what I can tell these Emmy’s were garnered while working on shows with Martha Stewart.</p><p>Olko served as executive producer on the ad while it was directed by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nativeforeign.tv">Native Foreign</a>’s CCO Nik Kleverov. Whose bio reads “Emmy Recognized” in a thinly veiled way to say he didn’t win the Emmy he was nominated for in contributing to the Narcos series title. That’s not a knock, it’s just a wink, I see what you did there 😉.</p><p>All this to say the ad was helmed by some pretty big creative hitters in the AI industry. </p><p>Kleverov spoke with <a target="_blank" href="https://creativitysquared.com/podcast/ep48-nik-kleverov-openais-sora-text-to-video-model/">Creativity Squared</a> about his experience getting to work with Sora on the <em>TRU</em> Ad. He feels Sora is a way to get out all the creative things he has in his head but without having to go through raising funds and pitching in order to get it created. Also allowing him to create things that seem like it would NEVER get funded. I think it can be used for story boarding or getting difficult sequences choreographed before shooting. I think there are lots of great creative ways to use the technology responsibly.</p><p>It is this exact thinking that has me excited about AI and Sora and what they can do for the film and TV industry. It will help those of us who would never get a chance to get some of our creative dreams actually out of our heads. That said, we do need to talk about how far and how fast this technology will go and what impact it will have on real humans who will lose work from this technology. </p><p>Kleverov says he doesn’t need it to be 100% done out of the engine, they’ll fix it in post. So who all did work on the project? Well a whole ton of Post Production Professionals! There were VFX artists who had to correct issues in the Sora generated imagery, colorists to get the color completely seamless among all the different generated images (which if you’ve spent any time at all generating with AI you’ll know is a very interesting quirk.) Editors, Assisted Editors, and Audio mixing, I know I’m missing some but that’s the overall gist. AI is far from perfect and it still takes real people to even get it to a semblance of “good.”</p><p>Now I’ll delve into the ad itself, which was flat out creepy. The music was awful, the VO was eery, and the ‘human’ like figures represented in the ad, as well as the toys, were all just <em>off. </em>Kleverov mentions being criticized for these imperfections and says that life isn’t perfect, “there’s a smudge on the wall, a hair on the couch” so no matter what clean up work has to be done. I think the issue is that we’re learning about how humans process imagery in a way we’ve never explored before. We’ve taken for granted what is “real” and if there are enough real imagery in huge CGI films we believe it. Not to mention that a lot of large scale films actually take real life imagery of things then super impose it in post. With this ad though, 100% of it is fake, and that messes with our minds. </p><p>He says in the future AI tools will be a tool in our tool chest. Just like non-linear editing programs were such a huge shift in the industry in the early 90’s AI is absolutely changing the way we do work. It’s all about how we ETHICALLY implement these tools. We all want to spend more time doing creative tasks vs menial tasks. No one wants to spend hours rotoscoping out in-ear monitors on actors. So how do we hold each other accountable, help those who are currently in the industry worried about losing work to see the benefit of these tools amongst all of the scary talk that is being pushed around this technology.</p><p>Start with transparency, in that sense I’m glad TRU was honest with how the ad was created. The more we’re up front and honest with how we use tech the less taboo it will become. </p><p>FUN FACT: The very first Adobe Premiere Pro I worked on looked like this 😂</p><p></p><p>Until next time,</p><p>Shawna Carroll</p><p><p>Thank you for reading Notes From Post. This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://notesfrompost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">notesfrompost.substack.com</a>
May 29, 2024
Notes From Post Mini: I've seen things you wouldn't believe... in the raw footage.
<p>Today, I'd like to share a story about one of the most unforgettable on-set moments I experienced from the comfort of the edit bay.</p><p>In post-production, we watch every single frame. At least two or three people scrutinize every shot. This process is incredibly tedious and mind-numbing. The editor relies heavily on the Assistant Editor (AE) as a second set of eyes to ensure nothing is overlooked. The AE meticulously categorizes and adds metadata to everything. Each editor has their own unique organizational style, which can become challenging when working on a series with multiple editors sharing the same AE’s. To maintain consistency, I always create a post handbook for each show I work on. I meet with the entire editing team, discuss their preferences, and we collectively decide on a central organization method that works for everyone.</p><p><p>Thanks for reading Notes From Post! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></p><p>Once the footage is all organized, the editing work begins. By this point, the AE has already watched everything once, setting aside any potential outtakes in a separate bin. This is where the fun starts.</p><p>The type of project often dictates how amusing or awkward these outtakes can be. In the middle of a really intense scene, any mistake can elicit palpable emotional reactions from the crew on set. In post, often while waiting for renders, we gather to watch these entertaining outtakes together, however funny or awkward.</p><p>Which brings me to the story I’m sharing today. One memorable instance occurred while I was working on a feature film. During a particularly intense scene, a crew member's phone went off. </p><p>The PHONE started to RING.</p><p>Imagine, on an otherwise silent set, this was like the moment in <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> when Frodo and the hobbits are hiding from a Ringwraith under a tree root, waiting in suspense to find out if they’re about to be dead. Now, imagine one of the hobbits’ having a phone that suddenly starts to ring.</p><p>To say the tension was palpable is an understatement.</p><p>The scene involved a highly emotional conversation between two characters, one of whom was played by the director. When the phone went off, the director’s irritation was immediately apparent all over his face. The pause, the waiting… the agonizing waiting…</p><p>No one wanted to admit it was their phone. No one reached for it. The ringing continued for what felt like an eternity but was in actuality only a minute. When it did finally stop, the director took a deep breath, stood up, and yelled. He needed to release his initial frustration. The entire set fell silent, uncertain about what would happen next. Were we about to witness a meltdown reminiscent of Tom Cruise’s famous outburst?</p><p>Fortunately, the director was adept at handling the situation and quickly turned it around. He asked whose phone it was and then requested that the crew member come sit in the scene and say the lines in front of the camera. The crew member didn’t know what to do at first, so the director started to chuckle, repeated the request, and stepped aside to make room for the crew member to walk into the scene. Luckily, the director had built enough rapport with the crew at this point, to instantly break the tension. The crew member came forward, said the line, and the director started laughing, signaling to the rest of the crew that it was okay to laugh. The tension had been broken and it turned out fine. They took a pause made sure all phones were on silent and then restarted the scene and got a fantastic take.</p><p>New phone rules were implemented on set after this 🤪.</p><p>There are hundreds, if not thousands, of stories like this. Things go wrong on set all the time. The camera crew might think they’re just talking crap amongst themselves, not realizing the audio is rolling, and WE CAN HEAR EVERYTHING. Needless to say, be nice to your post-production team. We keep all the secrets you didn’t know needed keeping.</p><p>Due to NDAs, I can’t reveal which film this was or any further detail, but we sure talked about this incident a lot in post. So, just remember, like Roz from Monsters, Inc., we’re always watching 👀.</p><p>Until next time,</p><p>Shawna Carroll</p><p><p>Thank you for reading Notes From Post. This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://notesfrompost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">notesfrompost.substack.com</a>
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