Untangling the Digital Spaghetti

It took a bit longer for me to sync the sound than I expected as our soundie hadn't had a chance to organisthe sound files properly, so for the most part they weren't in any discernible order. However, I got there in the end, and synced up all the sound files that I had received. I think a lot of it will end up being replaced anyway, but having it there will hopefully serves as a useful guide track for ADR and foley.

Syncing up audio. 

I've also been working on the edit for the last few days. Like I mentioned when I was editing last year's collaborative project, the most difficult part is editing scenes that take place against the greenscreen. It's a real test of the imagination trying to figure out if the angles and action match from shot to shot without a the full picture for reference. I've been looking for advice online on how experienced editors deal with VFX shots - e.g. do they comp in the VFX first before they cut the scene? Does the VFX supervisor sit in on the editing sessions?. I would be interested to hear if editors have had to radically change their approach to editing because of the increasing amount of CG used in film, and whether this is something they enjoy or endure. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything about it online.  

Another aspect which is troubling me a little at the moment is wondering whether the shots I've used are actually usable. In some cases there is some green spill on the actors faces and on the set (which isn't a reflection [no pun intended] on our DOP. I think the green spill is pretty much unavoidable in most cases. NB: Our DOP wasn't actually there for the greenscreen shoots but did come in to pre-light the scenes when he could). At the end of the day, I had to silence that voice in my mind because the shots I've used are important to the story so I don't have any choice but to use them.

I did think of one possible solution to the green spill problem: for the spaceship scenes we could comp in a physical green light. That way we could potentially disguise the green spill as a natural part of the scene rather than trying to remove it. We could also grade the footage darker and maybe add in some flashing alarms and light effects to help disguise it further (which would also enhance the scene anyway).

Apart from the edit it has been a quiet week for the team. We needed one pick up shot for the edit I am working on at the moment so the camera crew went out and got that. I helped organise the gear for that. I also had a chat to Don about BTS - he will be starting to do some brief interviews with the crew and cast over the next few weeks. I advised him to do a bit of research on interview set ups and appropriate locations before jumping in to it (e.g. to think about varying the backdrop for some of the interviews - using something connected to the film, or it's themes, logos or colour palette). For example, some of the interviews for the BTS on Inception have the maze motif as a back drop. 

Nolan, C. (Director). (2010). Inception [Motion picture]. USA: Warner Bros

Also, it helps to ask interesting questions that add to the understanding of the film, characters and the creative choices that key personnel have made.

Some of the crew will be helping to edit the BTS footage over the next few weeks as things are a little quiet for them at the moment until picture lock when sound, VFX and grading kick into life. As for me, my work on the film will be tailing off a bit more so I can focus on other assignments.
Just under a month to go until delivery, it'll be a busy month ahead but I'm looking forward to seeing how everything looks after the next few phases of the pipeline.