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Authors: David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson
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The same scene with computer animation partially added over his figure.
The Assembly Phase
Filmmakers call the assembly phase post-production. (If something goes wrong, someone may promise to “fix it in post.”) Yet this phase does not begin after the shooting is finished. Rather, post-production staff members work behind the scenes throughout shooting.
Before the shooting begins, the director or producer probably hires an
editor
(also known as the
supervising editor
). This person catalogues and assembles the takes produced during shooting. The editor also works with the director to make creative decisions about how the footage can best be cut together.
Because each shot usually exists in several takes, because the film is shot out of story order, and because the master-shot/coverage approach yields so much footage, the editor’s job can be a huge one. A 100-minute feature, which amounts to about 9000 feet of 35mm film, may have been carved out of 500,000 feet of film. For this reason, postproduction on major Hollywood pictures often takes up to seven months. Sometimes several editors and assistants are brought in.
“A couple of guys in a coffee shop set out to write a gag; a couple of guys with a camera set out to film a gag; a couple of guys in an editing room set out to make sense of the trash that’s been dumped on their desks.”
— David Mamet, director,
The Spanish Prisoner
and
Redbelt
Typically, the editor receives the processed footage from the laboratory as quickly as possible. This footage is known as the
dailies
or the
rushes.
The editor inspects the dailies, leaving it to the
assistant editor
to synchronize image and sound and to sort the takes by scene. The editor meets with the director to examine the dailies, or if the production is filming far away, the editor informs the director of how the footage looks. Since retaking shots is costly and troublesome, constant checking of the dailies is important for spotting any problems with focus, exposure, framing, or other visual factors. From the dailies, the director selects the best takes, and the editor records the choices. To save money, “digital dailies” are often shown to the producer and director, but since video can conceal defects in the original footage, editors check the original shots before cutting the film.
A CLOSER LOOK
SOME TERMS AND ROLES IN FILM PRODUCTION
The rise of packaged productions, pressures from unionized workers, and other factors have led producers to credit everyone who worked on a film. Mean-while, the specialization of large-scale filmmaking has created its own jargon. Some of the most colorful terms are explained in the text. Here are some other terms that you may see in a film’s credits.
ACE: After the name of the editor; abbreviation for the American Cinema Editors, a professional association.
ASC: After the name of the director of photography; abbreviation for the American Society of Cinematographers, a professional association. The British equivalent is the BSC.
Additional photography: Crew shooting footage apart from the
principal photography,
supervised by the director of photography.
Best boy: Term from the classic studio years, originally applied to the gaffer’s assistant. Today film credits may list both a
best boy electric
and a
best boy grip
, the assistant to the key grip.
Casting director: Member who searches for and auditions performers for the film, and suggests actors for
leading roles
(principal characters) and
character parts
(fairly standardized or stereotyped roles). She or he may also cast
extras
(background or nonspeaking roles).
Clapper boy: Crew member who operates the clapboard (slate) that identifies each take.
Concept artist: Designer who creates illustrations of the settings and costumes that the director has in mind for the film.
Dialogue editor: Sound editor specializing in making sure recorded speech is audible.
Dolly grip: Crew member who
The Assembly Phase
Filmmakers call the assembly phase post-production. (If something goes wrong, someone may promise to “fix it in post.”) Yet this phase does not begin after the shooting is finished. Rather, post-production staff members work behind the scenes throughout shooting.
Before the shooting begins, the director or producer probably hires an
editor
(also known as the
supervising editor
). This person catalogues and assembles the takes produced during shooting. The editor also works with the director to make creative decisions about how the footage can best be cut together.
Because each shot usually exists in several takes, because the film is shot out of story order, and because the master-shot/coverage approach yields so much footage, the editor’s job can be a huge one. A 100-minute feature, which amounts to about 9000 feet of 35mm film, may have been carved out of 500,000 feet of film. For this reason, postproduction on major Hollywood pictures often takes up to seven months. Sometimes several editors and assistants are brought in.
“A couple of guys in a coffee shop set out to write a gag; a couple of guys with a camera set out to film a gag; a couple of guys in an editing room set out to make sense of the trash that’s been dumped on their desks.”
— David Mamet, director,
The Spanish Prisoner
and
Redbelt
Typically, the editor receives the processed footage from the laboratory as quickly as possible. This footage is known as the
dailies
or the
rushes.
The editor inspects the dailies, leaving it to the
assistant editor
to synchronize image and sound and to sort the takes by scene. The editor meets with the director to examine the dailies, or if the production is filming far away, the editor informs the director of how the footage looks. Since retaking shots is costly and troublesome, constant checking of the dailies is important for spotting any problems with focus, exposure, framing, or other visual factors. From the dailies, the director selects the best takes, and the editor records the choices. To save money, “digital dailies” are often shown to the producer and director, but since video can conceal defects in the original footage, editors check the original shots before cutting the film.
A CLOSER LOOK
SOME TERMS AND ROLES IN FILM PRODUCTION
The rise of packaged productions, pressures from unionized workers, and other factors have led producers to credit everyone who worked on a film. Mean-while, the specialization of large-scale filmmaking has created its own jargon. Some of the most colorful terms are explained in the text. Here are some other terms that you may see in a film’s credits.
ACE: After the name of the editor; abbreviation for the American Cinema Editors, a professional association.
ASC: After the name of the director of photography; abbreviation for the American Society of Cinematographers, a professional association. The British equivalent is the BSC.
Additional photography: Crew shooting footage apart from the
principal photography,
supervised by the director of photography.
Best boy: Term from the classic studio years, originally applied to the gaffer’s assistant. Today film credits may list both a
best boy electric
and a
best boy grip
, the assistant to the key grip.
Casting director: Member who searches for and auditions performers for the film, and suggests actors for
leading roles
(principal characters) and
character parts
(fairly standardized or stereotyped roles). She or he may also cast
extras
(background or nonspeaking roles).
Clapper boy: Crew member who operates the clapboard (slate) that identifies each take.
Concept artist: Designer who creates illustrations of the settings and costumes that the director has in mind for the film.
Dialogue editor: Sound editor specializing in making sure recorded speech is audible.
Dolly grip: Crew member who
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