When Screen Africa approached deepend post production for an editorial piece for the May issue, I took a moment to think about just what it is that I would want to say about deepend post production – or just editing / the editors/ the producers I work with and just generally what a privilege it is to work in post-production.
I didn’t want to say the usual promotional stuff about deepend’s facilities: the edit suites, the services, the capuccinos! I think it was the word ‘our’ and then ‘industry’ that struck me and reminded me of the fact that Yes! deepend is a company that continues to uphold the craft of editing to the best of our abilities – the mystery and intrigue, the hard work, great relationships, moving with the technology!
But hold on, stop! Wake up call: don’t all the editors I have ever worked with actually deserve to be paid homage? The craftsmen and craftswomen with whom deepend has had the privilege of working over the years? Of late I must say I have become a little despondent at how these amazing people have been treated, and have grown tired of hearing producers complain about money issues. We are all too aware of the fact that economic times, digital and changing platforms have all had an effect on the entire industry.
Enough of that now! I still believe that editing is one of the most amazing crafts in the world. These people – the editors – are the wizards behind the stories and a very important part of the puzzle.
“Good editing makes a director look good; great editing makes the film look like it wasn’t directed at all.” – Victor Fleming.
The editor is always in conversation with the audience; it’s personal and it’s often one-on-one, the audience either buying into a product, the person or the story. The editor recreates the framing and dialogue and gives you – yes, you, the audience – the mystery, intrigue or the answers you are looking for. Together they work alongside their accomplices the directors and cinematographers, who work their own brand of magic.
We are in an extremely privileged industry, for which we sometimes forget to be grateful and while we all need to eat, pay bills, etc. Let’s not forget who we are and what we do. We make dreams come true and we allow people to dream. Editors form part collectively of our everyday lives, talking to us via television, internet, movies – you name it. We sit in front of them daily.
With technology changing and deadlines and budgets ever tighter, the editors no longer have the time to craft the visual or have rushes meetings pre-editing. The mileage of footage is far more than what the editor would have received in the day of 35mm/16mm film. They are pressured with time and delivery.
The above is nothing new, but perhaps we could all take the time to remember it, to revisit those pre-edit rushes meetings and have a little more respect for our work and the people that ultimately pull it all together for us – THE EDITORS.
To all the editors in our industry, THANK YOU!
Deepend post production proudly represents THE EDITORS:
Marcelle Mouton, Melanie Jankes Golden, Nicholas Gishen, Caroline Anthony, William Kalmer, Jade Bowyer, Mmapula Letsoalo and Mzwaki Dhlamini
On the tech side:
- Offline on FCP/ Premier / Avid
- Grade on Da Vinci
- Online on Smoke & Afterfx
By Paulene Abrey, deepend post production
