New technology—including faster processors, more robust capabilities and portability—and the resulting lower costs are contributing to increased flexibility in the editorial process. Perhaps the most dramatic change is the ability to use tools such as Avid Technology’s Xpress and Apple Computer’s Final Cut Pro on a laptop. For editors, this means more freedom and fewer late nights in the cutting room. Editors can take their work home, or on a bus, train or plane. They can even take it onto a set.
Editor Jerry Fried of Red Car, New York (the editorial facility also maintains offices in Santa Monica, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, San Antonio and Buenos Aires) identifies the advantages of editing on his Avid Xpress by describing the post on two spots that he cut for the Publix supermarket chain via WestWayne, Tampa, Fla.; the director was Charlie Cole of New York-based Cohn + Company.
"I had to do the job over the Christmas/New Year’s break because of deadlines and scheduling," Fried says, but during this time he and his family were driving to Canada for a ski trip. "My wife did the driving and I edited in the back of our minivan," he relates. "I plugged into the cigarette lighter, packed some hard drives and noise canceling headphones, and made a wall out of suitcases. We got stuck at the border for about an hour and a half, so I had a good cut by the time we arrived."
Fried adds that he enjoyed full days on the slopes of Mont Tremblant, and finished the second spot in his room at night. "That actually was fun," he laughs. "I enjoyed it, and it was an excuse not to drive."
Convergence, a young New York-based editorial and post boutique, has fewer Avid suites than editors. Editors are encouraged to use Xpress or Final Cut on a laptop when they are alone, and save the suites for client-attended jobs. "We were fortunate to start a company with this wave of technology," says Richard Rosenbaum, partner/editor at Convergence.
He recalls a notable example of how this workflow brought him more flexibility. The job was for "Seven Inches," a Dodge spot for BBDO Detroit, Troy, Mich., directed by Spooner/French—Nick and Andrew, respectively—of bicoastal The Artists Company.
It was the summer of 2003, and Rosenbaum took the work home and soon found that it brought him and his nine-year-old daughter closer together. "It was cool to have my daughter sit in my lap and pick dailies with me and see what I do," he remarks. "She has a good comic eye."
Then the lights went out—it was the day the massive blackout swept through the Northeast. "I live in a rural area that is subject to frequent blackouts, so a few years back I got a generator," Rosenbaum says. "I flipped on my generator and worked till it ran out of gas. I came to work the next day and finished. If I had been in the city, I would not have made my deadline. … I can’t imagine going back to the old way of working."
But there is one drawback. "I feel like I’m always taking my work home," Rosenbaum admits. "That’s not so enjoyable. … It’s important to have downtime and that separation."
New Systems
Emerging technologies are changing the look of an increasing number of editorial shops. Just ask Jonathan Del Gatto, partner/editor of Santa Monica-based Terminal. "It used to be you just needed an Avid Media Composer," comments Del Gatto, "but Terminal is editing on every platform—Final Cut Pro, Media Composer, Xpress. New desktop tools like [Apple’s] Motion and Shake are revolutionary. … It’s hard to predict where everything is going to end up. We are just rolling with the tool best suited for each job."
Today, most editors agree that Apple is making the most inroads in Avid’s commercial niche. As Final Cut Pro gains popularity, Avid is firing back with advanced systems such as Adrenaline and Nitris. "I think [the commercial market] will continue to fragment, at least for a while," offers Del Gatto. "I don’t think either company is really trumping the other.
"Final Cut offers a price advantage, and [advantages] when dealing with new formats, including DVC PRO 50 for independent films," he continues. "For commercials, we are still happy on Media Composers. The Avid program is intrinsically written for editors; Final Cut was made for people who have never touched film."
"Each editorial company has to evaluate for themselves whether Avid or Final Cut [or another option] is most appropriate—you really have to do an in-depth evaluation of your workflow and shared media needs," adds Michael Aaron, supervising editorial producer at The Assembly Line, the in-house editorial arm of Fallon, Minneapolis. "There are pros and cons with each platform. Avid is the king of workflow, and if you have shared media needs, Avid seems to be the most appropriate platform. Final Cut is a great option if cost is a factor and if your shared media needs are not as great. Less maintenance is needed on a Final Cut system because there is less external hardware.
"Cost has been playing such a factor for so many smaller shops," Aaron continues. "[The new tools] allow increased efficiency and decreased cost of entry in the market. Whether you choose Avid or Apple, both are more accessible to companies than they were a few years ago. I think that’s a good thing."
Remote Work
The concept of remote review and approval, as well as collaboration, has finally come of age. This too is bringing new options to the editorial community. "With ever-increasing bandwidth, we are seeing the creation of new technology for remote finishing, remote editing, and digital distribution of completed work," says Aaron. "Each of those make sense and helps the creative process because it brings a greater number of creative outlets and opportunities to each shop."
There are many such systems for these applications. Red Car offers its dedicated AVA service at all Red Car sites, as well as third-party locations (SHOOT, 5/16/03, p. 17).
For other needs, Fried says that something as simple as iChat AV, Apple’s videoconferencing version of its iChat instant messaging system, can be a valuable option.
With iChat, Fried says that his clients only require a small iSight camera and Internet access. "And they can see the feed from my Avid … full screen or resized," he explains. "I can see a director’s face with the camera … in real time. I love working that way. I’ve worked with a few directors that way."
In one instance, Fried cut a spot for outsourcing and software firm Humanic, which was directed by Tom DeNolf of Dallas’ Tom DeNolf Films. The director took his iSight camera to various sites—he lounged in his living room, backyard and a local Starbucks—all the while receiving a full-screen feed off Fried’s Avid using iChat AV.
In another instance, when a client was unable to get to a session, Fried says he sent an iSight camera via messenger to the client’s home, and the two were able to collaborate on the job. "This is really ideal if you really want to work with someone," Fried observes.
The HD Dilemma
It’s impossible to discuss editing trends without examining the progress of HD in the commercial world, which continues at a snail’s pace. "I’m still waiting to see what the purpose of HD is going to be," says Big Sky Editorial, New York, principal/editor Chris Franklin. "We’ve been using HD as an archival tool, and for effects work and cinema advertising, which seems to be taking off like crazy."
Recently, Franklin’s cinema spotwork has included "Caddyshack" for American Express, featuring Tiger Woods. Bryan Buckley of bicoastal/ international Hungry Man directed the spot via Ogilvy & Mather, New York. Franklin also cut a series of theatrical promos for Turner Classic Movies, which were produced for New York-based Nice Big Brain and directed by Jim Jenkins of Hungry Man.
"People have to start paying attention to what is proper creative for the theater, and how to finish in the right way," Franklin advises. "We are finishing in 2k [data] and going directly out to film."
Del Gatto says he has not had HD requests, and high-end commercials for TV remain grounded in 30 fps. Still, he is serious about HD. "I think you have to be," he opines. "The formats that we are finishing on are changing so rapidly; we finish for film, we finish for the Internet. … Our business has become very decentralized, and our end projects are so varied that our equipment has to speak to that."
Rosenbaum agrees, saying that Convergence will be ready for HD, although the demand is not yet there. He concludes, "Now that home HD monitors have dropped under a thousand dollars, I’m sure there’s going to be more demand."
