2014 has finally kicked off for me; editing on the first big project of the year has begun!
That big project is the second season of our “Information security awareness campaign in a box”, Restricted Intelligence, and this year we’ve gone global. The shoot is split between the US and the UK, and this week I’ve been cutting the US half of the project.
Nothing beats the excitement of having new footage, and turning it into a film. So far it’s been huge fun. I’m fortunate enough to have the freedom to create a first cut relatively independently, and being able to go into the edit cave for a couple of weeks and emerging with a watchable series of films is thrilling.
I don’t use that word lightly, I really have had the most fun this week. It’s been an affirmation that this is the part of the process I was made to be in. Shoots are fun, but post is where the power is. You get to take all the cast and crew’s efforts in the form of footage, and push and pull them around to hopefully create something that is beyond the sum of those parts. And when you play the rough cut for people for the first time, and you see them react in just the way you’ve designed, it’s exhilarating.
There’ll be much more to say about the project over the coming weeks as we start releasing teasers and finishing the films, but immediately three things became quickly obvious;
- Having a great cast makes editing a lot more fun.
- Organisation will save your ass later.
- Always keep a keyword collection (or bin or whatever, I’m an FCPX man) of Outtakes. The cast & crew will appreciate it.
Post sometimes gets the raw end of the deal when it comes to credit, but when it’s this much fun, who cares?