Chess Film Production: Beginning to Edit

 First Time Editing a Film

After filming multiple shots we planned out, we decided it was best to start editing at this point to see what was missing so that we could film it on the last day. Now as the editor, this all fell on my shoulders.

Going into it at first, I really didn't know how it was going to go. I had played around with the editing software beforehand and got somewhat of a feel for it, but I was overwhelmed by the fact that I had many shots to go through and had to make sure to choose the best one possible to make. The final product, what people were going to actually view, was essentially my responsibility. 

 My initial thought process when it came to editing was to use our best-looking takes for all the shots we filmed and cut them together in the end so that it would all stay consistent. However, starting the editing process now made me realize that that wasn't the best course of action. In total I already had about 7 minutes of footage to go through that I had to try to fit into a minute maximum, keeping in mind we still had more to film. Some shots had several takes to go through and when trying to find the best looking one, it just wasn't happening. They mostly looked the same but with just minor differences that evoke a specific idea or tone.

Editing view of one of the shots of our film. Shows the total footage time after some cutting.

My initial plan would have left me way too little time to cut multiple multiples of film down into one and my idea of simply choosing the best-looking take would have gotten me nowhere. It occurred to me that there was definitely a better way to choose the takes we were going to use. I began trimming all the footage by shot initially to place down a timeline of the film's events. I then trimmed it down further by take. I immediately cut out all the clearly messed up takes and left the contenders and definitive takes side by side. 

Portion of the timeline breakdown of the film.

The takes we had for one of the shots of the film.

It was then when I believed I learned the most efficient approach when it comes to editing. When having the timeline established, I played the shots that we had multiple takes that were in between shots we had our definitive takes for. This let me see the takes that lined up bets with the shot before and after it. It was then I could see which take we would use in the film. It wasn't just a matter of choosing the shot that looked the prettiest or had the most weight, but about choosing the shot that cohesively fits into the story you are trying to tell. If a take looks great but seems disconnected or out of place than from the rest of the shots, then it could ruin the flow and feel of your film, and it would be better to use a take that fits in better. 

I also now understand that it is best to edit in parts and not save it all to the end. It gives you an idea on what you may still have to film later and lets you know if you need to reshoot any of your shots. It also saves time and reduces stress in the end as you don't have to cram it all in order to fit certain specifications you are tasked with.