ROLE 1- EDITOR

In charge of cutting, deleting, and assembling the raw footage of the film to create the final product. Also responsible for enhancing important narrative aspects through when shots and scenes are cut. It is an important role as, if done wrong, the audience can easily become bored. I want to take inspiration from unique and creative editors, who preferably have connections to animation as that is something I am very interested in. Because of all of these factors, I chose to look at the work of Andrew Weisblum, an American film and visual effects editor, who has often worked alongside Wes Anderson in his live action and animated films. Andrew Weisblum himself is credited for editing a total of nineteen films, with two more in development, including Fantastic Mr. Fox, Black Swan (which he won an academy award for), and Isle of Dogs. He describes his and Anderson’s editing style as “precise and detailed”, and uses storyboards and animatics to plan certain parts of the film. He also has a background in visual effects, as well as traditional film, and uses these skills often, like editing backgrounds and certain details while cutting and assembling the film, making his process more organised and fitting into his creative vision better and elevate the story.

ROLE 2- ANIMATOR

Responsible for adding in moving images either alongside or instead of live action footage. I am leaning more towards 2D animation, meaning the majority of my work will be hand drawn. It is a rather slow and tedious process but worth it for the unique visuals. Because I am most interested in 2D animation, and I am mostly taking inspiration from other 2D animators. Most specifically the work of Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation film studio whose work includes, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo. All of these films took a lot of time and people to make but I am hoping of creating some animated shorts inspired by their art style as well as the types of stories they tell. Their style is described as “whimsical and joyful” as many of their films are suited for children, and they use a variety of animation methods to create beautiful and memorable scenes, including watercolour and acrylic paintings for backgrounds. Storyboards are also used to plan out ideas and scenes and to make actually animating the project significantly easier. Ghibli’s style is very fluid and loose allowing big action filled scenes to feel dynamic and visually appealing, and smaller quiet scenes to be calm and natural looking. 

Sources-

https://www.postmagazine.com/Publications/Post-Magazine/2021/September-October-2021/-I-The-French-Dispatch-I-Editor-Andrew-Weisblum-.aspx

https://bigthink.com/high-culture/studio-ghibli/

A film editor is responsible for turning uncut footage from a film shoot into a finished, cohesive final project. Their duties include studying film scripts and using them to guide scene development, determining which camera angles to use and coordinating sound and visual effects in post-production. Film editors are a crucial part in forming meaning in the film. I will be taking inspiration from Sally Menke, who was a film editor that worked very closely with Quentin Tarantino, editing all his films until her death in 2010. She received a call saying she could edit ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and this is where their relationship began. Menke’s ‘style is to mimic, not homage, but it’s all about re-contextualising the film language to make it fresh within the new genre.’ Menke’s editing style is almost cartoonish. For example, in Kill Bill (2003/Volume 2, 2004) there is a lack of verisimilitude which creates a willing suspension of disbelief for the audience. Through the use of editing, Menke has been able to make sense of all the plots and sub plots in Tarantino’s work, they ‘developed a style of dialogue-driven, roving camera, slow-cut scenes interwoven with-fast cut action scenes’ this suggests the importance of teamwork, and how closely each specialist needs to work together.

source

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sally-menke-film-editor-whose-cutting-style-was-a-crucial-element-in-the-work-of-quentin-tarantino-2100864.html

editor:

Their job is to take scenes in non-story order and edit them bit-by-bit into a whole as films tend not to be shot in the order in which the story unfolds, so editors might be working on scenes from the end of the film before the beginning. During post-production, the editor and director will work closely to refine the assembly edit into a director’s cut, after that, the music and sound are added to the mix, a process that editors will oversee. Once filming starts, they look at the rushes each day, checking technical standards and the emerging sense of story and performance and editing it into a series of scenes. By the time the film wraps editors will have spent hours reworking scenes and cutting them together to create a rough assembly.

some needed editor skills:

1. Knowledge of the film industry and movie production
2. Knowledge of editing equipment and a willingness to keep up with changes in that technology
3. A good photographic eye for camera angles and special effects, as well as knowledge of audio effects
4. Ability to work alone on detailed and sometimes tedious work
5. Problem-solving skills to make film sequences work well or to work with the available footage

I am most interested in 2D animation and I am mostly taking inspiration from other 2D animators. Most specifically the work of Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation film studio whose work includes, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo. All of these films took a lot of time and people to make but I am hoping of creating some animated shorts inspired by their art style as well as the types of stories they tell. Their style is described as “whimsical and childlike” as many of their films are suited for children, and they use a variety of animation methods to create beautiful and memorable scenes.

Job description – A Film Director, or Movie Director, manages and directs all the creative elements and components of a film. Their main duties include reading and adding edits to scripts, setting the blocking for Actors and collaborating with Editors during post-production to create a visually appealing and captivating final product.- www.Indeed.com

Inspirational professional- David Fincher

The imagery in a Fincher film is grounded in realism, but it’s a dark, stylized realism. This is most notable in the director’s use of colours. Fincher is famous for his use of low-key lighting and heavy use of shadows. This combination of lighting and shadows works together nicely with his use of restricted narration. The darkness of the lighting and the cloak provided by the shadows help create the surprise that is achieved through restricted narration. Fincher focuses on the darker side of the world which carry deep themes and messages.

‘Some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies.’-David Fincher

‘Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and distinctive visual and narrative styles. Cited by some critics as a modern-day example of the work of an auteur, three of Anderson’s films – The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel– appeared in BBC Culture’s 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000.^[2]‘

(source – wikipedia)

‘There’s no story if there isn’t some conflict. The memorable things are usually not how pulled together everybody is. I think everybody feels lonely and trapped sometimes. I would think it’s more or less the norm.‘

(source – inspiringquotes.us)

‘The tension between mood and image in an Anderson film is a kind of treatise on outsider-ism. His perfectly arranged rooms and accoutrements always counter some sort of internal chaos. Suicide, or at the very least a resignedness to death, emerges as a major theme in nearly all of his films, including The French Dispatch.’

(source – vanityfair.com)

EXAMPLES:

Job description:

A cinematographer, also known as a Director of Photography, is in charge of the camera and the lighting crew. They’re the person responsible for creating the look, colour, lighting, and for framing of every single shot in a film. The cinematographer may also act as the camera operator on more low-budget productions.

Inspiration: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Working on the lush Italian-set love story Call Me by Your Name in his second collaboration with director Luca Guadagnino, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom was met with an unusual request- to shoot the entire film with one lens.

In point of fact, Guadagnino’s ask was in keeping with Mukdeeprom’s own aesthetic interests, though he had never met a director with whom he could explore this visual idea. Taken from the filming practices of David Cronenberg, the idea was to craft a “neutral perspective,” supporting a sense of intimacy and realism while intruding as little as possible on the reality the actors were living.

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom quotes, “The producer asked me, should there be some other, wider lens? Just in case? I said ‘No, no. I want to tie my hand to this approach, because this is how I work,” the DP says. “I think if you want to limit yourself to something, you struggle inside your idea.”

Sayombhu claims that he had previously shot one movie in Italy so he knew what he would encounter in the film. He tried to figure out, technically, what were the most important things, which was that it needed a very good exposure point. He says, “When I called for a test, what I needed to do was find the right exposure for the very wide dynamic range of the scene. I had to put myself in extreme conditions to try to find the sweet spot, and that gave me confidence about everything.”

Why it inspired me:

My inspiration for my cinematography role is Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, his use simplistic cinematography. The use of shot sizes (extreme long shots, long shots and medium long shots etc) show off the beautiful scenery and transitions. The still scenes of one object or location tie in to the realistic and visual beauty to the film.

Examples:

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom manages to skilfully soften the artificial light within the frame in a way that is both mesmerizing and realistic to watch. Its filled with lucid shots of characters, that portray vulnerability and emotion.

A film director manages the creative aspects of the production. They direct the making of a film by visualizing the script while guiding the actors and technical crew to capture the vision for the screen. They control the film’s dramatic and artistic aspects.  

https://www.studiobinder.com

Directors start with a script, and work with a screenwriter and sometimes a script editing team. It’s not uncommon for the director to be the screenwriter as well. It is the job of a director to imagine the script in a visual form.

https://www.screenskills.com

Directors are the creative leads of the film. They hold the creative vision throughout the whole process, from pre-production through to the final edit. They are employed by the executive producer or producer, who is ultimately in charge of a production.

https://www.screenskills.com

Sofia Coppola 

Sofia Coppola is famous for being the daughter of renowned director Francis ford Coppola she is a director and an actress with her first role being in one of her dads films; the godfather.

Coppola has a command of film form that lends itself to recreating interior experience, to conjuring a tangible and affecting sense of mood and emotion through the everyday. Long takes, close-ups and languorous camera movements involve us in the moments of her characters’ lives, while still keeping some distance.

https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/where-begin-sofia-coppola#:~:text=Coppola%20has%20a%20command%20of,while%20still%20keeping%20some%20distance.

Orson Welles

A style closely associated with gritty mystery and crime drama films produced from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Along with contrasting light and dark for dramatic effect, Welles pioneered the use of deep-focus cinematography—presenting all objects in a shot in sharp detail.

https://flashpoint.columbiacollege.edu

Orson Welles began his career as a stage actor before going on to radio, creating his unforgettable version of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. In Hollywood, he left his artistically indelible mark with such works as Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons.

https://www.biography.com

A Film Editor, or Video Editor, is responsible for turning uncut footage from a film shoot into a finished, cohesive final project. Their duties include studying film scripts and using them to guide scene development, determining which camera angles to use and coordinating sound and visual effects in post-production.  
Film Editor Job Description [Updated for 2021] – Indeedhttps://www.indeed.com › … › Film Editor

Film editors collaborate with other film professionals, including directors, sound editors, and cinematographers. Their work makes sure that films represent their director’s vision and tell their stories in the most engaging and effective ways.

Film Editor: Everything You Need to Know – NFIhttps://www.nfi.edu › film-editor

As a film/video editor, you’ll manage material such as camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects to produce a final film or video product. This is a key role in the post-production process and your skills can determine the quality and delivery of the finished result.

https://www.prospects.ac.uk

Lee smith

Lee Smith, ACE, (born June 10, 1960) is an Australian film editor who has worked in the film industry since the 1980s. He began his film career as a sound editor before establishing himself as an editor. His breakthrough came when he began collaborating with director Peter Weir. Smith is best known for his work on several of Christopher Nolan’s films, including Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Interstellar (2014) and Dunkirk (2017), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Smith_(film_editor)

James Haygood   

James Haygood is a film editor who has worked in the film industry since the late 1990s. He first began editing in the mid-1980s when he partnered with David Fincher, who was a music video director then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Haygood

 

	role 1		role 2		role 3
role	editor	editor	director	director	cinematographer
genre	action sci fi	psychological thriller	romance drama	noir mystery
film influence	inception (2010, Nolan)	fight club (1999, Fincher)	the virgin suicides (1999, Coppola)	citizen kane (1941, Welles)	once upon a time in hollywood (2019, Tarantino)
movement influences				german expressionism
practitioner influences	lee smith	James Haygood	Sofia Coppola	Orson Welles	Robert Richardson
key techinques	elliptical editing, crosscutting, parallel editing	montage, jump cuts	alter egos, poetic dialogue, colour pallettes, playlist/score good	deep focus cinematogrpahy, multiple pov, low angle	tungsten-balanced Kodak film(or mixed media), contrast, halo lighting, veriety of camera shots and movement
target audience
production scale
key themes/issues	dreams vs reality	consumerism, repression and rebellion, the unconscious mind and pain	growing up, suffering and isolation	power, vanity, corruption	film industry, Charles Mansons gang of hippies, creative non fiction