Saturday, August 2, 2008Faith?
As I complete my third or forth (I honestly cannot remember which) week of editing, I have come to determine that my station must have incredible faith in me.
A lot of people assume that since I was a photographer who edited my own work, I would be able to slip into an editors position quite well. But there are differences between editing a package and editing 263 VO/SOTs.
First, when it comes to editing your own work, you already have an advantage as you know exactly what you shot. You already have stuff in mind to use and you can already picture what most of your pack is going to look like. Of course this is all blown to hell when your reporter hands you a script that was not even closely written to the video. In fact the script has several specific references to things that you did not shoot. But you can still make it work by just saying 'fuck it' and using your cool, irrelevant shots anyway.
Second, you have track to work with. When you edit a VO for an anchor to read, you need to go over the script several times - and try to remember how the anchor reads despite it being over a year since you watched a newscast - to try and make sure all the video and cuts match what the anchor will be saying. With track, you just listen and make the cut when necessary!
Of course you can always say 'fuck it' and just put whatever video where ever, but then you have anchors and producers yelling at you and news directors jabbing you with sharp sticks.
Thirdly, if you don't like something, or you think something needs to be added, with a pack you can go to your reporter and demand they add it. Reporters are afraid of photographers since we have both the raw tapes and access to YouTube. Producers do not fear editors. If I were to go to a producer and tell them I didn't like something, they would laugh loudly at me, then burn me with their cigarette or maul me with their dog. Neither of those are very pleasant.
In this case the best option is to say 'fuck it' and remain in your editing stall.
Anyway, the faith my station has in me is astronomical. My very first day of editing, I was put on the noon show.
Alone.
Just me.
No one else.
Only Erin.
In fact, throughout my week, I edit four shows by myself. To be fair, the noon show does have a number of re racks from the morning show, but there is still a LOT of shit for me to cut. I arrive at 10, do a few of the things that are ready, then wait till 11:30 when I get 374,098,312 scripts.
Somehow I have managed to pull it off. Except one day that was fraught with breaking news and video that was sent to me unedited... I missed two teases that day. It broke my heart to fail, but I quickly remembered the two words that make everything better.
'Fuck it.'
I mean what can you do?
I tend to surprise myself with my own inability to really do this job well. Let me further qualify that by being a little self righteous and say that I have not had one other job - ever - that I did not do adequately or better. But to be quit honest, I suck at this!
The show today was written quickly and well by the producer and the anchor helping out. Scripts were coming off the printer early and I got the incredibly complicated open to edit in record time.
Yet I still found myself racing to get stuff sent to the server before it aired. I completed the 9PM show around 9:30, which quite frankly is asinine. I attribute some of that to the fact the show was very VO heavy, some had to be edited from raw tapes, some from archive, and some were national stories that had to be re-edited. (On a related note, fuck you Fox News Edge Affiliates and your VO/SOT/VO/SOT/VO/SOT format. Bastards. Send all the VO first, then all the SOTs!!!!!)
Regardless, It still sticks in my craw that it took me so goddamned long to finish.
So to remedy this, I think I am going to take more of a 'zen' approach to editing. Find a 'zone' and see if I can get myself in it. I will no longer edit the stories. I will be the stories. I will not allow the faith management has placed in me to be in error.
In fact, I will become the best editor ever.
Either that or I will just say 'fuck it.' Haven't decided which yet.
A lot of people assume that since I was a photographer who edited my own work, I would be able to slip into an editors position quite well. But there are differences between editing a package and editing 263 VO/SOTs.
First, when it comes to editing your own work, you already have an advantage as you know exactly what you shot. You already have stuff in mind to use and you can already picture what most of your pack is going to look like. Of course this is all blown to hell when your reporter hands you a script that was not even closely written to the video. In fact the script has several specific references to things that you did not shoot. But you can still make it work by just saying 'fuck it' and using your cool, irrelevant shots anyway.
Second, you have track to work with. When you edit a VO for an anchor to read, you need to go over the script several times - and try to remember how the anchor reads despite it being over a year since you watched a newscast - to try and make sure all the video and cuts match what the anchor will be saying. With track, you just listen and make the cut when necessary!
Of course you can always say 'fuck it' and just put whatever video where ever, but then you have anchors and producers yelling at you and news directors jabbing you with sharp sticks.
Thirdly, if you don't like something, or you think something needs to be added, with a pack you can go to your reporter and demand they add it. Reporters are afraid of photographers since we have both the raw tapes and access to YouTube. Producers do not fear editors. If I were to go to a producer and tell them I didn't like something, they would laugh loudly at me, then burn me with their cigarette or maul me with their dog. Neither of those are very pleasant.
In this case the best option is to say 'fuck it' and remain in your editing stall.
Anyway, the faith my station has in me is astronomical. My very first day of editing, I was put on the noon show.
Alone.
Just me.
No one else.
Only Erin.
In fact, throughout my week, I edit four shows by myself. To be fair, the noon show does have a number of re racks from the morning show, but there is still a LOT of shit for me to cut. I arrive at 10, do a few of the things that are ready, then wait till 11:30 when I get 374,098,312 scripts.
Somehow I have managed to pull it off. Except one day that was fraught with breaking news and video that was sent to me unedited... I missed two teases that day. It broke my heart to fail, but I quickly remembered the two words that make everything better.
'Fuck it.'
I mean what can you do?
I tend to surprise myself with my own inability to really do this job well. Let me further qualify that by being a little self righteous and say that I have not had one other job - ever - that I did not do adequately or better. But to be quit honest, I suck at this!
The show today was written quickly and well by the producer and the anchor helping out. Scripts were coming off the printer early and I got the incredibly complicated open to edit in record time.
Yet I still found myself racing to get stuff sent to the server before it aired. I completed the 9PM show around 9:30, which quite frankly is asinine. I attribute some of that to the fact the show was very VO heavy, some had to be edited from raw tapes, some from archive, and some were national stories that had to be re-edited. (On a related note, fuck you Fox News Edge Affiliates and your VO/SOT/VO/SOT/VO/SOT format. Bastards. Send all the VO first, then all the SOTs!!!!!)
Regardless, It still sticks in my craw that it took me so goddamned long to finish.
So to remedy this, I think I am going to take more of a 'zen' approach to editing. Find a 'zone' and see if I can get myself in it. I will no longer edit the stories. I will be the stories. I will not allow the faith management has placed in me to be in error.
In fact, I will become the best editor ever.
Either that or I will just say 'fuck it.' Haven't decided which yet.
posted by ewink at 11:45 PM
ewink's FUNKDAFIED Ranma 1/2 Site
1 Comments:
Yeah edit that shit!
Gor~
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