Reviews
I am excited to finally have my 45-hour review for candidacy here in my 85th hour as a student as SCAD. In our two year (90 hours total, 5 hours classes, three classes per quarter, three quarters per year) program grad students are supposed to have a review of their progress halfway through in order to assess their progress and begin to seriously talk about their thesis project goals. Here I am filling out the paperwork for my thesis project without having had that "necessary" feedback. Going to France really threw off my schedule. ( I like to say schedule the British way, "shed-ule" with a superior glace down my knobby nose.) Anyway, it is happening Wednesday and I am getting all my stuff together in a nice presentation. I want the presentation to be flawless so that the only complaints I can get is on the quality of the art.If I weren't so busy with that and other various projects I would be sucking up the excitement of Savannah's very own Film Festival. At least I get some of it by osmosis. The Red Gallery (where I work) hosts some of the panel discussions and I just sat in on Walter Murch talking about re-editing A Touch of Evil. Walter Murch wasn't too much of a talker, but he apparently is a hell of an editor. He just finished cutting up Jarhead. He also edited Cold Mountain, Ghost, Apocalypse Now, etc. etc. and according to a friend "basically invented modern sound design for film."
posted by Stephen "Steve" at 10/31/2005 05:22:00 PM
4 Comments:
Sound design for film is one of my favorite parts of a movie. If I could do one part in making a movie it would be that, then editing.
Editing is so much more important it seems then actually directing a movie.
Posted by courtney
Murch is a total genius. I'm very jealous. Is he actually going to do the re-edit? According to some 35-page memo Welles wrote? I'm surprised he wasn't much of a talker. I've heard he gives amazing talks. Maybe he was drunk.
Posted by Anonyma
Actually the memo was 58 pages (or maybe 57) and yes he and somebody else (I forget the name) re-edited it a little while ago. I believe the DVD is available now. He played old clips and then compared them to the new clips that he redid according to Welles. It was so crowded in the room that I didn't get to see all them, but just the sound difference was huge. He talked a lot about how the Mancini theme music was great in and of itself, but inappropiate for the film. It was really interesting to note that the idea of the music usage throughout the film was actually very similiar to American Graffiti, which Murch did as well. It just goes to show how ahead of his time Welles was.
The reason I said that he wasn't a great speaker was that he was somewhat monotonous and tended to work a tangental metaphor to death. I can't throw stones at that although, as I cross that river on rickety canoe almost everyday.
Posted by Steve
Courtney,
I agree, editing seems like it would be a very interesting job. I was about to say fun, but it seems like being locked in a dark room for days and weeks on end would seem torturous after a while, no matter how fun it was to begin with. Be that as it may, I would still love to do it. I have only done it on short films for class and I loved the creative decision making that I had to do. But you really need a good director to get good shots/acting to work with (and perhaps enough coverage to help you play). The sound editing isn't as interesting to me, but I agree that is very, very , very vital to a production.
Posted by Steve