Post Production

As someone who had no experience with editing prior to attending Full Sail, this month has taught me a lot about the skill of editing. The editor has full control of how viewers see the story, which is something I had no idea about before. The way the cut scenes together controls how the story is told, which is pretty cool.

A lecture that really helped me with my editorial skillset was learning when to make cuts while editing. Until this month, I had no idea that specific reasons are needed when making cuts. The reasons are information, motivation, shot composition, camera angle, continuity, and sound. Before learning this, I didn’t know the types of decisions that went into editing. In the previous course, I had to shoot an edit a short film by myself during quarantine. I had never shot or edited anything on my own. When I showed the film in class, the teacher told me my very first cut was “unmotivated”. I didn’t understand what he meant. However, that lecture taught me that since I only switched the position of the camera while the character was laying down (and left the camera at a MS just at a different angle), that the cut was unmotivated.

Now when I watch films, I think about the cuts the editor made and I try to figure out why they made the decisions they did, which I never did before learning about the editing side of post-production. I also learned about the importance of having an organized workflow. It’s essential for the editing process.

My goal for this month was to be able to be able to edit something completely on my own. I accomplished my goal more than once. I cut an entire trailer by myself, and I also edited a commercial on my own (for an assignment). I’m proud to say I surpassed my goal for the month. I consider myself a better filmmaker after completing this course.