It's interesting how much this professional approach to film editing can mirror a professional approach to writing a novel. Most novelists are mostly inspired by other novelists. I've done what I've had to do to become one, but I've always been much more influenced by screenwriters and directors and editors. I guess I'm a bit of an outlier. I never have ever 'read a lot', which is what novelists are generally expected to do. But I spent the first part of my life studying how story works, mostly by deconstructing all of the aspects of how film works. And as a writer now, that's turned out to be perfect prep. I guess it shouldn't be surprising that the artistic sensibilities Lucas brings to his work closely reflect those I bring to mine. But it's actually a little astonishing how similar his approach is. His comments on collaboration are quite similar to how my conscious mind collaborates with my unconscious mind. It's not all that different from a writer-director collaborating with an editor, or with a cinematographer. I do create the story, but then I 'frame every shot' the same way that they do, to structure and tell the story in the best possible way. The focus for both of us? Story. I don't want my readers to have the experience of 'reading a novel'. I want my readers to feel what it feels like when we watch a movie. And that seems to work.
Film Riot is an awesome resource for filmmakers, we agree. Lucas has several videos on Ryan Connolly's channel that are definitely worth checking out. Thanks for watching!
If I'm not editing the movie myself - I usually give the assembly to the editor, ask them to just put everything we shot in script order...then once we have that, I go back over it and figure out where we have to move things around, stretch or shorten...that's the easiest process. As a style or matter of choice, I tend to choose the take that is the most flattering to the actor lighting and composition wise and always avoid cutting into a performance unless we have to...I like to avoid split edits unless the scene needs a faster pace.
One of the biggest weaknesses of a director, is to ignore the story for the sake of a beautiful shot. To create something truly great, we sometimes have to kill our babies. Also, to claim total proprietary of the creative process and to ignore the input of the other creatives, demonstrates a lack of knowledge about the filmmaking process. If for example you are using the DOP as just a camera operator, or the editor as just a button pusher, I'd wager the project is more about your own ego than actually making a good movie.
@spoileralert6360 if u are truly a great director , the beauty of the shot itself tells the story , if you know how to compose the shot for maximum effect
@nihaalsandim9986 I totally agree of course. But only of that shot is motivated by the story. If it's just gratuitous for the sake of having a well composed shot that looks great, but brings nothing to the story, then it needs to be discarded.
When editing I’ve always been allowed to be handed a chunk of footage, the script, an idea, and then go at it hands off. This helped so much so that I can help form the story and then we revise, revise, revise to tell the best story possible
To me, I might've to organise the various takes , shots for a scene thereby the movie in proper folders within the editing software. Then watch & decide about the cuts & stuff. I had a nice time watching this video :) Quite a learning :)
Thankyou I'm watching this tomorrow Is there any chance ya'll could go into the practical effects/props side of things I can do basic effects but some more detailed tutorials would be cool, thanks
Thank you for the suggestion and for watching the videos. Great idea! We'd love to do more on practical effects/props. Here is one excellent example from filmmaker Jeremy Foley and Sara O’Reilly for their short film Faceless Man: buff.ly/3xaPM99 - Cheers!
Great insights! What I struggle with when editing a documentary, is how much time I should invest in watching the footage. Obviously, it depends on the project but still I find it hard to find a balance. Any advice from the community would be helpful ✌🏻 thanks 🙏🏻
I mostly EaT from advertising and if your relatively hard working and don't believe in -PERFECTION- then FAST EDITING is vital. I never edited anything that P.A.I.D for longer than 45mins - Not Literally, made friends by risking on attempts to enter film industry but failed....... but have a home & holiday boat house & typing on 'fan' version of a maddening Samsung. So life is good if u can learn editing and do any job you can. You learn new tricks everyday because u r getting pressure from all sides.. NO friends in advertising & mtv videos but also NO enemies... stay Lucky
I understand his points but the director can’t be controlling in that medium. He DIRECTS the story. Sounds like he wants to be the director and not the editor.
Forgot to say thank you to channel... I kant remember it's name... intoxicated aswell.. everyone goes home P.s.p.s trying to write for THEATRE ... they r fake as advertising but who isn't and they compensate by being FUN FUN FUN
As an aspiring film student with many years of life experience now ready to tell my favorite stories, I'm wondering why editors might not even read the story (script) first to get a feel of the story being told. Also, it is curious to me why a writer/director would allow an editor to take this position when there is other people's money on the line. Would Christopher Nolan agree to this? Probably not. It would be like the 'Editor's Cut' rather than the 'Director's Cut' in my humble opinion.
What's in the script would be in the raw footage already. He is taking on the role of the audience, not the reader of the script, watching the film as it is, not as it is supposed to be.
The editor does get a copy of the script in order to put the scenes in order. Which will be in the rough cut. They pick the best takes or angles. Then, they review them and see how the scenes flow. The director either gives notes on the rough cut or is there beside the editor. On top of literally editing the footage, a professional editor is also quicker and well versed with the software, usually more so than the director. The next cut will determine what to take away or what to change. The studio may also get involved if they feel the cut doesn't meet their standards. Once they've decided what to keep or let go, you have a picture lock. Which means no more edits can be made. The film is ready to be sent to the sound design, and vfx team, and music composers. Usually, the composer has a copy of the screenplay and has already written songs for the film while it was being shot. Not always. It is also sent to the colorist so they can color grade. Once vfx, sound, and color are ready they are included into the final cut and exported. The director still calls the shots, but it's up to other professionals to make the work flow faster.
There are definitely a lot of editors out there that like to think of themselves as co-directors. That's a very dangerous attitude. It happens sometimes depending on how strong or not the director's vision is, or if they're very collaborative. but your role is to make sure the director's vision is coming across coherently, not to make it your vision.
The trouble with movie editing today is they are not cutting out enough junk. Babylon is a bloated mess of a movie - 3 azz numbing hours. But there is 95 minutes of brilliant film making there.
![First Steps To Editing A Movie - Lucas Harger [FULL INTERVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sOhcUphD_5U/mqdefault.jpg)
![First Steps To Editing A Movie - Lucas Harger [FULL INTERVIEW]](/img/tr.png)
Are these the steps you take in your editing process?
The screenwriter, the producers, the director, the actors, and the editor all think it’s their story. It’s amazing it works in the end.
It doesn't. Most of the movies are total 💩.
Yes they are seriously these horror movies are horrible no pun intended @karagumruk7330
@@karagumruk7330 FR like george lucas 100% would have fired this editor
God is the creator ❤
@@tathagatthakur6548 George is indeed the creator
It's interesting how much this professional approach to film editing can mirror a professional approach to writing a novel. Most novelists are mostly inspired by other novelists. I've done what I've had to do to become one, but I've always been much more influenced by screenwriters and directors and editors. I guess I'm a bit of an outlier.
I never have ever 'read a lot', which is what novelists are generally expected to do. But I spent the first part of my life studying how story works, mostly by deconstructing all of the aspects of how film works. And as a writer now, that's turned out to be perfect prep.
I guess it shouldn't be surprising that the artistic sensibilities Lucas brings to his work closely reflect those I bring to mine. But it's actually a little astonishing how similar his approach is. His comments on collaboration are quite similar to how my conscious mind collaborates with my unconscious mind. It's not all that different from a writer-director collaborating with an editor, or with a cinematographer. I do create the story, but then I 'frame every shot' the same way that they do, to structure and tell the story in the best possible way.
The focus for both of us? Story. I don't want my readers to have the experience of 'reading a novel'. I want my readers to feel what it feels like when we watch a movie. And that seems to work.
He’s worked with Ryan Connolly on a number of short films. Super cool! If you are not subbed to Film Riot, you MUST.
Film Riot is an awesome resource for filmmakers, we agree. Lucas has several videos on Ryan Connolly's channel that are definitely worth checking out. Thanks for watching!
I love Film Riot and Ryan’s work. Lucas’s work with Ryan is incredible.
Bad directors hire editors as employees to tell them how to edit the film. Good directors hire editors as collaborators to edit the film together.
great interview!! also a bit of a relief to know my processes and outlooks over 17 years are so aligned with lucas'.
Lucas and his team are a cut above. Collaborative geniuses.
If I'm not editing the movie myself - I usually give the assembly to the editor, ask them to just put everything we shot in script order...then once we have that, I go back over it and figure out where we have to move things around, stretch or shorten...that's the easiest process. As a style or matter of choice, I tend to choose the take that is the most flattering to the actor lighting and composition wise and always avoid cutting into a performance unless we have to...I like to avoid split edits unless the scene needs a faster pace.
One of the biggest weaknesses of a director, is to ignore the story for the sake of a beautiful shot. To create something truly great, we sometimes have to kill our babies. Also, to claim total proprietary of the creative process and to ignore the input of the other creatives, demonstrates a lack of knowledge about the filmmaking process. If for example you are using the DOP as just a camera operator, or the editor as just a button pusher, I'd wager the project is more about your own ego than actually making a good movie.
@spoileralert6360 if u are truly a great director , the beauty of the shot itself tells the story , if you know how to compose the shot for maximum effect
@nihaalsandim9986 I totally agree of course. But only of that shot is motivated by the story. If it's just gratuitous for the sake of having a well composed shot that looks great, but brings nothing to the story, then it needs to be discarded.
When editing I’ve always been allowed to be handed a chunk of footage, the script, an idea, and then go at it hands off. This helped so much so that I can help form the story and then we revise, revise, revise to tell the best story possible
To me, I might've to organise the various takes , shots for a scene thereby the movie in proper folders within the editing software. Then watch & decide about the cuts & stuff. I had a nice time watching this video :) Quite a learning :)
good interview on editing
8:55
Excellent question!
Yo that really is
Thankyou I'm watching this tomorrow
Is there any chance ya'll could go into the practical effects/props side of things
I can do basic effects but some more detailed tutorials would be cool, thanks
Thank you for the suggestion and for watching the videos. Great idea! We'd love to do more on practical effects/props. Here is one excellent example from filmmaker Jeremy Foley and Sara O’Reilly for their short film Faceless Man: buff.ly/3xaPM99 - Cheers!
@@filmcourage cheers
Great insights!
What I struggle with when editing a documentary, is how much time I should invest in watching the footage. Obviously, it depends on the project but still I find it hard to find a balance. Any advice from the community would be helpful ✌🏻 thanks 🙏🏻
such great insight and articulations over the matter
Thanks for watching. We agree. Lucas has a wonderful visual language which helps explain the editing process. More videos coming soon!
It is the organisation of all the footage and audio from a feature I would like to get my head around.
will there ever be a davinci course?
Very Insightful!!
We like this one a lot! Thanks for you comment Noor Ali!
I mostly EaT from advertising and if your relatively hard working and don't believe in -PERFECTION- then FAST EDITING is vital. I never edited anything that P.A.I.D for longer than 45mins - Not Literally, made friends by risking on attempts to enter film industry but failed....... but have a home & holiday boat house & typing on 'fan' version of a maddening Samsung. So life is good if u can learn editing and do any job you can. You learn new tricks everyday because u r getting pressure from all sides.. NO friends in advertising & mtv videos but also NO enemies... stay Lucky
Very smart man Fred is very knowledgeable. I’m sure he’s an excellent editor with the right attitude.r😊
I really like this
I understand his points but the director can’t be controlling in that medium. He DIRECTS the story.
Sounds like he wants to be the director and not the editor.
Forgot to say thank you to channel... I kant remember it's name... intoxicated aswell.. everyone goes home
P.s.p.s trying to write for THEATRE ... they r fake as advertising but who isn't and they compensate by being FUN FUN FUN
As an aspiring film student with many years of life experience now ready to tell my favorite stories, I'm wondering why editors might not even read the story (script) first to get a feel of the story being told. Also, it is curious to me why a writer/director would allow an editor to take this position when there is other people's money on the line. Would Christopher Nolan agree to this? Probably not. It would be like the 'Editor's Cut' rather than the 'Director's Cut' in my humble opinion.
What's in the script would be in the raw footage already. He is taking on the role of the audience, not the reader of the script, watching the film as it is, not as it is supposed to be.
The editor does get a copy of the script in order to put the scenes in order. Which will be in the rough cut. They pick the best takes or angles. Then, they review them and see how the scenes flow. The director either gives notes on the rough cut or is there beside the editor. On top of literally editing the footage, a professional editor is also quicker and well versed with the software, usually more so than the director. The next cut will determine what to take away or what to change. The studio may also get involved if they feel the cut doesn't meet their standards. Once they've decided what to keep or let go, you have a picture lock. Which means no more edits can be made. The film is ready to be sent to the sound design, and vfx team, and music composers. Usually, the composer has a copy of the screenplay and has already written songs for the film while it was being shot. Not always. It is also sent to the colorist so they can color grade. Once vfx, sound, and color are ready they are included into the final cut and exported. The director still calls the shots, but it's up to other professionals to make the work flow faster.
There are definitely a lot of editors out there that like to think of themselves as co-directors. That's a very dangerous attitude. It happens sometimes depending on how strong or not the director's vision is, or if they're very collaborative. but your role is to make sure the director's vision is coming across coherently, not to make it your vision.
@@drkevorkian2508agreed
The trouble with movie editing today is they are not cutting out enough junk. Babylon is a bloated mess of a movie - 3 azz numbing hours. But there is 95 minutes of brilliant film making there.
#1 Read the screenplay ?? :-)
This was wildly unhelpful
‘
This video sucks