Can you cut it? - Editing - Cover Story

Post, Dec, 2003 by Edmond M. Rosenthal

lower-cost applications and workstations have made video editing for many a reality over the last couple of years. It's easier than ever to get digital video into a PC or Mac, and storage prices have also come down, helping to make the editing of longform programming much more practical in a desktop environment.

PostWorks' Billy Baldwin believes that the nature of HD will help separate studios like his from others that have bought into the Final Cut Pro mentality. And film editor Steve Mirkovich reminds us that while improvements in technology benefit the editor, it's still the creative decision making that makes a production come together.

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BILLY BALDWIN

CEO, PostWorks New York,

(www.pwny.com)

STRENGTHS: Billy Baldwin believes HD post production will redefine the facility model whose doom was mistakenly foretold with the popularity of SD desktop systems such as Final Cut Pro. "Offline and online has blurred in recent years, but HD will divide offline from online again. DV offline systems and HD finishing are a great combination."

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PostWorks has made a substantial HD commitment recently. "Everyone thinks of HD as an acquisition format, but it's a great intermediate format, We're seeing a resurgence in Super 16mm acquisition; transferred to HD, Super 16 looks fantastic."

WEAKNESSES: With the advent of desktop editing systems, "everyone with a G4 in the spare bedroom thinks he's an editing house. But an editing house needs the support and infrastructure of a facility environment. At the end of the day you have to deliver a quality product that's subject to QC standards. You can't disregard age-old rules of timecode and industry standards and practices." He cites some high-profile programs who have selected post tools and vendors strictly by the bottom line. "After they say we've bid too high they'll call back and say they're in trouble. They take access to the technology for granted and don't think things all the way through."

OPPORTUNITIES: He believes the commercial market, "the late adopters of technology," will begin looking at HD post. "The commercial sector is just starting to explore HD--it has to. We have HD programming now; do you want your spot to run in SD between HD programming?"

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THREATS: "The problem with runaway work to Canada has gotten worse and worse. We see it on spot work, TV, features--it's everywhere. People used to argue that flight to Canada was just for economic reasons, that they wouldn't be getting top talent, but how many years of runaway production have we had? Canada's had a lot of practice now. I'm not sure what government or institutions need to do to protect US production but something has to be done."

OUTLOOK 2004: "We're seeing a lot more work already; things are on the rise. Look at the cable outlets acquired by bigger broadcast entities and Cablevision's satellite launch for its HD channels. There are a lot of positive indicators."

STEVEN J. COHEN

A.C.E., Motion Picture Editor, LA

STRENGTHS: Workflow improvements are high on Steven J. Cohen's list. The editor, who is currently cutting the Paramount romance The Prince and Me, says "manufacturers have tended to downplay workflow issues in the past because that almost always meant opening up their proprietary systems to outsiders. But we're now finally seeing many companies concentrate on this issue, and the results should help improve our efficiency and solve some of the most vexing problems that we've faced over the years." Cohen believes, for example, that "we are now much closer to being able to streamline the whole post production audio workflow" thanks to new mixing consoles, digital disk recorders and workflow-enhancing software from some smaller companies such as Nonfiction Software and Gallery Software.

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WEAKNESSES: The changing workflow might also have a negative impact. "When you are syncing dailies on film, cutting with an Avid and conforming film you need a certain complement of assistant editors. In the HD world you don't need to conform film, and those jobs might seem to be threatened. But digital tools have not reduced our workload--there's always more to do. The problem is that we don't have enough machines to keep everyone busy. Avid must make it possible for everyone to work without spending $35,000 per person. With Final Cut Pro you can create a cutting room where everyone, editors and assistants alike, have the equipment they need to be productive. But it's not yet clear how Avid Xpress Pro will integrate with Adrenaline or Meridien. It works well in a video environment, but there are significant limitations for film professionals."

OPPORTUNITIES: Cohen views Avid's coming upgrade of Adrenaline with compressed HD capabilities as a prime opportunity for Hollywood. "As the price of storage continues to drop, we'll start to see editors using HD routinely in their cutting rooms. If we can do basic effects work and simply play out our material at theatrical quality, our workflow will become much simpler. We'll be able to screen and preview with less effort."