Cammon Randle of BluFire Studios shares some lighting technique with us based on his work as a DP on the film, “Orcs.”

www.sneakonthelot.com

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1469874/

Note from Post Fifth Pictures:

I have posted this an admin of SneakOn.com. They have some cool new features on their way up that night as well so it should be a good time. Be sure to be one of the first 100 so you can have a chance to hear what Gerald has to say. Here is his IMDB page.

Have a good read and enjoy. If you have more questions, leave them in the comment section.

“The “Lost” creative process is a collaborative one.  As with most TV shows, each episode goes through the same process.  Once an episode has wrapped shooting, the editor has anywhere between 3-5 days to assemble the 1st editor’s cut, depending on the production schedule.  The editor’s cut is then sent to the episode’s director where he or she will have three days to work on the cut before turning it over to Damon and Carlton.  The amount of time Damon and Carlton spend on an episode depends on the strength of the episode.  Some need more time than others.  After about three passes, they are usually ready to send the episode to the studio/network for their feedback.  After getting the network notes and incorporating them into the episode, Damon and Carlton will have one last look at any lingering notes and will give approval to lock the episode and prep it for broadcast.  One of the funnest parts of the process is sitting in the screening sessions with Damon and Carlton and listening to them restructure the order of scenes.  I would say 4 out of 5 times, the restructuring of the episode makes the show a lot better.  They are truly talented writers and producers and I consider myself lucky to be able to learn from them.  On top of that, they treat all of us with respect.  They’re great human beings and I think their humanity manifests itself in their work.  They listen and welcome comments and feedback from editors and assistant editors alike.  I know I’ve gotten spoiled working in such a positive collaborative effort and will miss this process when the series is over.  It’s hard to believe it’s almost over.  I started working on the show just after the pilot had been picked up by ABC and now here we are, almost at the end of the road.  I appreciate your questions and hope you enjoy the last season of “Lost”.

–
Lance Stubblefield”

Q&A with a “LOST” editor; Lance Stubblefield

View his IMDB profile here.

I have been able to visit Lance a few times in the past couple years and it has been very interesting to hear about the workflow he has been involved in. Now they are all tapeless, but the first time I visited him (during Season 4) they had tons of DVCAM tapes against the back wall for the flashbacks to season 1-3 as they showed up in the new scripts.

Send your questions away to Lance via the comments section of this page and we should have them answered in the next week or so.

Thanks,

Daryl

UPDATE 5MARCH2010: We are doing another Q&A with Lance Stubblefield, editorial crew member on LOST. Please visit this post to ask a question there. Thanks!)

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1.   Was Star Trek shot on Film?  What did you edit on?

Yes, it was always shot on film.  Only the last Trek series went HD.  But all of the editing was done electronically.  We edited the episodes on the MONTAGE.  We were slow to switch to AVID, like most other Hollywood shows, because of costs…the producers did not care what we cut on…as long as we met the schedule.  The editors took an early Final Cut Pro class when that first came out, but FCP could not print out a storyboard for our Viz Fx team.  They were spoiled by the Montage’s storyboards that furnished all the detailed numbers & measurements they needed to composite the FX shots.

2.  How were the FX composited?

I believe that all the FX were done on film in the beginning.  Dan Curry was our FX producer.  He’s a genius and very talented man.  We used EDEN in Hollywood and CIS: Composite Imaging Systems.

3.  Editing Schedules, Rules for Stock Shots, Gag Reels?

It took three to four weeks to make an show.  Every episode took 7-9 days to shoot. So, we had 7-9 days of dailies coming in.  Some scripts were written too long.  The editor had 2 days to assemble the episode and the director had 3-4 days to deliver his cut to the producer. The producer got 3-4 days & them picture was locked.  Then you start on your next episode.  Inserts and 2nd unit footage came in after online most times, so we would stop cutting dailies to get those into the show.

Stock shots were fun to cut in.  We had to know not to cut in a red or brown planet when we’re in orbit and the story called for us to be in a green forest or on a blue beach.   Ship shots was up to us to choose. Warp speed? fast flyby? slow dramatic shot long enough for a Captain’s Log?  The rule was to always show the ship traveling left to right, unless we were heading home to earth or back the other direction if the script calls for it.

I cut the Gag Reel the 1st two seasons. We had a gag reel for every Wrap Party.  The second season’s reel was “copied” by an outsider and started showing up at Star Trek conventions.  Ever since that…the gag reels were coded and guarded.

4.   Do editors share 2-part episodes and were scripts ever in need of editorial help?

Editors did not share shows.  We would ask fellow editors for their opinions on tricky scenes…but that was it.  Who ever was assigned Part 2 of a 2-parter would try and watch a rough cut if possible to get a feel for the episode.  But remember that when dailies start coming in…the last editor is still in assembly mode.  Each of the two parts always had a different director at the helm.  The assistant editor was in charge of cutting the teaser at the head of act.  He or she would work with the editing team of part 1 to see about getting key material for the teaser.  They were normally longer than regular episode teasers.

Yes, some scripts benefited from the extra time we took to rework a scene or story that was not translating well on film. I have saved both stories and acting performances, as well, in post.  But on Star Trek, the writers were amazing and the scripts hardly ever needed to be reworked.  If the episode was long and we had to lose a few scenes…then we may look at moving an act break.  The studios like the shows to be evenly paced and not have a commercial fall on the half hour mark.

5.   Is it possible to re master the series in HD?

All the film was vaulted. Including the dailies, with :10 second handles on them.  I think Paramount is working on getting all the shows no HD.

We want to thank Daryl for taking the time to answer the questions and also thank those who contributed by asking these questions. We hope to do a few more of these in the future so keep an eye out.

Thanks again everyone,

Bryce Randle

Post Fifth Pictures

Check out his IMDB profile to check out his work.

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UPDATE: February 25, 2010

We have conducted the interview and have posted the answers here at http://postfifthpictures.com/2010/02/the-editor-answers-daryl-baskin-star-trek-tng-editor/