Film editing/Analyzing film dailies

Table of Contents

This school is:: Narrative Film Production

The course is:: Basic film editing (editing a dramatic conversation)

This lesson is:: Analyzing film dailies - What can you learn from film dailies?

The pages of this lesson are:

1. Lesson summary - Analyzing & editing film dailies

2. Pop quiz - Trivia from "24 Unedited Scenes"

- 2 points

24 Unedited Scenes Disk

Scene: "Out for a walk" ← Funny, short, needs matte painting

Scene: "The Assignment" ← Long and intense

Scene: "Ice Cream" ← Long but simple

12 scenes from the family reunion

Scene: "Taking Notes" ← A basic scene

Scene: "Morning Coffee" ← A basic scene

Scenes about Amy ← Good practice

Scenes about Jason ← Simple but good practice

Scene: "Morning Surprise" ← Needs 3D animation

Scene: "Doctor, Doctor!" ← Needs sound F/X and music

Scene: "The Girl and the Golden Jewel" ← Needs F/X, voice over, sound

Scene: "Wedding Bells" ← Funny, old, poor color, only 12fps

Scene: "The Big Bad Bell" ← A bit odd

Scene: "Open The Door" ← Totally weird, MOS - even needs dialog!!!

Analyzing and editing "24 Unedited Scenes"

This disk is huge

This disk contains a lot of material. It will take you a while to study and analyze it all.

Have fun!

"24 Unedited Scenes"

The Purpose: The purpose of the disk is to show beginning film students the complete range of scenes that they must edit if they become film editors in Hollywood. This disk will introduce you to all the aspects of narrative filmmaking in Hollywood... far beyond basic cut and paste.

An amazing number of scenes: This is a DVD-Video disk containing film dailies for 24 scenes. This is amazing number of scenes.

The only way that this is possible is to use half size movie clips. You can edit these scenes using any editing program which can edit 320 by 240 QuickTime movies at 24 fps.

A full range of scenes: A few of the scenes on this disk are simple. But for the most part, even the simple looking scenes are actually extremely complex. This disk will open your eyes to what it takes to turn raw footage into a story on the big screen.

By the time you are finished with this disk (about two years later), you will know if you really want to become a film editor in Hollywood.

Other formats: If your editing program cannot edit movies at this frame rate or at this size, simply convert them to whatever format your editing program prefers. You can do this with Movie Player which comes with QuickTime Pro or you can do it with other programs which can cover video from one format to another.

Analyze the dailies: As you look at each scene, you will begin to understand how motion pictures and television dramas are filmed in Hollywood. Look at the instructions for each of the scenes for more details.

Overview vs. dailies

Two different folders

On the disk called "24 Unedited Scenes", there are two folders. Inside both folders are dailies but one is overview movies of the dailies and the other is the actual dailies.

Don't get the two confused.

Watch the overview movies when you want to decide how to edit the scene.

Use the film dailies for editing the scene.

Never edit the overview movies. You will not be able to create "L-Cuts" from the overview movies.

A message to budding directors

Instructions for your actors

Hopefully, the first thing that you notice is the actors have memorized their lines and know their movement before the cameras begin to roll.

When you shoot your own movies, compare your raw footage with the footage from Hollywood. With your movies, are the actors still memorizing their lines when you begin to film. This is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

Why should actors memorize their lines?

The goal is to get a natural performance from the actors. Therefore, most amateur film directors encourage their actors to improvise. This is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Actors cannot relax until they have memorized their lines and can say the lines without thinking. If the actor is still trying to remember all of his lines, he can never feel comfortable.

Loan only

"24 Unedited Scenes"

Ops! Currently, this DVD-Data disk is no longer for sale. The company which sold this disk no longer sells to the public.

I still have a few copies. Therefore, once you have completed the lesson with "Follow Dave" Editing Workshop CD, I will loan you this disk if you promise to return it in one month.

As far as I know, this disk is currently the only one available in the world which has a reasonably good selection of unedited scenes for you to edit with Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere. (You might try Avid Free but some people have had trouble loading this program.)

Until there are scenes available from another vendor, I will loan you this disks... but only after you have completed the previous lessons.