The Technical Journey of the Vacant Mind

As we progress through editing we're also trying to get our effects done and find some solid usable music that will move through the film.

The music part is something we have a handle on. In the 1980s I worked for SST Records. Originally hired as an editor/ proofreader, I became the desktop publishing queen and the music licensing gal, which means I did the contracts for soundtracks and licensing, working with music supervisors in film and TV. In my job, I watched a lot of surf and skate videos and was proud to be a part of the Repo Man team. So we're okay there.

But it's the techies who rule the editing world. And this director ain't no techie. I've played with Avid, Premiere and Final Cut Pro. I can do titles, transitions, cut frames/seconds... but converting, FPS, transcode blah blah blah, sequences, bins... it's all a cloudy, foggy haze.

Editor Scott Daigle sent us an email this weekend. Back and forth it went between me, Scott and our trusty special effects guy Matt. When Scott finally asked me what I thought, I paused, then said, "Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about." It's just .... BLANK. Empty. Vacant.

There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply
Oh just remember I don't decide
I got no reason it's all too much
You'll always find us out to lunch

* From "Pretty Vacant" by The Sex Pistols


Learning is good. Learning is hard. But I know what I like, what looks good, what feels right. So when I'm reviewing edited sequences and special effects, my eye is always on the bigger picture: the flow, the energy, the pace, the "blink." I have great admiration for my post-production team. I'm the snail here, the loose link, the easy rider. They're puttin' down the tracks and I'm just there to make sure the train stays on the straight and narrow. Sometimes when I shake my head you can hear the clink and clank.

Filmmaking is a team sport. We can't do it alone; I don't care what James Cameron thinks. Rebels aren't really loners; they're just non-conformists. And vacant. Sometimes. And that's okay. Rock on people.