Walter Murch and Slut Promo 2011

In my quest for editing genius it came to my attention that a true master of the art of editing and sound design was speaking in Boston, Walter Murch. He edited such films as Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, The Conversation and was going to be speaking about his craft, process and final cut X.

Walter Murch with a clip of himself covered in film from Apocalypse Now

His lecture in a nutshell had some inspiring thoughts....number one being Fungibility. He defined the word fungible: "being of such nature as to be freely exchangeable or replaceable, in whole or in part, for another of like nature or kind". He described the amount of footage he had to manage when cutting "Apocalypse Now" - 7 Tons - (This was not fungible). What is fungible is this new era of digital video and many exchangeable hard drives, of course personally I am finding my constant need for more hard drives a little overwhelming.

He is a huge proponent of standing when you edit, something I am happy to say I agree with. My editing station is up on a workbench, 2 monitors and a stool in case I need to sit or rest my foot on something. He reflected on his thoughts about standing to edit and how it's like being a Chef or a Conductor...they stand.

Final Cut X - He didn't say to much about because he hasn't worked with it yet...just that he was hurt and disappointed when he looked at the program. He loves Final Cut 7 which is what he did his last film on.

The search for what to do about Final Cut X has lead me to sign up for a class...maybe if I learn it from a pro they will know where all the hidden bells and whistles are and how to get out of all those "user friendly" settings.

Julia Van Daam with Andrew Weisblum 

I met the "Black Swan" editor Andrew Weisblum very briefly after his lecture - long enough for a photo:) It was fascinating to hear him talk about his process working with the director and dissecting and translating the script for Black Swan into the visual landscape that they choose. All in all it was an inspiring evening just what I needed to get back to my work bench and edit this years Slutcracker Promo.

In going through footage for the piece I found some beautiful footage that I have shot in slow motion last year. I had met with Vanessa and we decided to use some new music for this years piece. Last years Russian works so perfectly that it was hard to imagine using anything else but luckily Vanessa suggested the last minute of the sugar plum fairy - I love it. It gave me a little more time to linger on some clips but still had a crescendo to bring me to a sturdy finish. Please take a look - comment if you like it:)

2011 Slutcracker Promo!

In all my searching I also found some nice clips of Amanda Palmer, Jo Weldon and Johnny Porkpie! So it looks like I'll be creating another piece maybe more like last years "Inner Slutcracker"...coming soon!