Editing: When things get REAL

I have a confession. I actually finished editing the scene with Caleum and Abby a while ago. I was going to put a post about it, but life got in the way.

This is when shit got real.

When I went to give a copy of the scene to Darcee, who plays Abby, I logged onto the computer I was using. I searched and that is when my heart sank. I could not find it. Turns out, the computer ate it. It was gone. Nothing hurts more than when you lose a scene that you have spent HOURS on. Perhaps days. I wanted to cry. Once I went through the 5-Stages of Grief, I put on my big boy pants and get back to editing. I started editing again.

And not because someone littered.

To add to the pressure, Darcee needed the scene for her senior show case project. If shit wasn't real before, it was now.

Honestly, this edit went by pretty quickly. I do have to be honest. I have a real love/hate relationship with editing. A part of me loves seeing a project slowly come together. It can be such an invigorating process. From going over each clip and finding that one piece that just works. Almost like digging for gold. Once you find the take that is perfect and drop it into the timeline. It is such an amazing feeling. Also, when finding the right sound effects and music which can really pump up the scene. It seriously feels like magic.

Magic. Brought to you by Apple.

Now, I may sound like a magical pan-sexual editing elf who prances about singing the praises of editing, you are mistaken. As great as those few examples are there are literally MILLIONS of things that can go wrong. As evidence of what happened above. Editing, like the sea, can be a harsh mistress. Sitting at a computer staring at the screen for hours at a time is not my idea of a fun afternoon. It is also very tedious. You spend hours watching the same clip. Over and over and over again. There comes a point when you actually become sick of your own project. You drown in it. Knowing every minutia. Every second is forever burned in your brain. This is what drives me nuts about the editing process.

Hail Marys are the only thing getting me through this.

After about a solid days worth of work, I got a rough cut done. I was not happy with it. No film maker ever is I'm told. I did not get to do all the things I wanted to in the short time. Color correction. Sweeten the audio. Proper credits. Blah blah blah. I may put the rough cut up to show the scene. It is definitely a work in progress and it will continued to be worked on in the next couple weeks. Who knows. I may re-shoot the whole thing as there are so many mistakes I made. Another problem of being in charge. I can see everything that I did wrong.

Every mistake.

Unlike this picture. Which is PERFECT.

After this, we have a fight scene to shoot. That will be or next shot. I am both super excited and nervous as hell. I want it done right and I want it to be something that me and, more importantly, my crew can be proud of. This is an exciting time. Embarking on this journey to make a movie. Then I can go back to editing. Like an abused dog.

Ballin.