We polled a few familiar faces on what they'd like to ask JC Bond, one of the additional editors on Alice in Wonderland, if they had the chance. JC agreed to answer them directly so we're posting the full Q&A below-which covers the film's Avid workflow, editing in 2D vs. 3D, and much more. (Alice in Wonderland hits theaters today, so go check it out!)
Thanks to those who submitted questions, including:
- Scott Simmons, The Editblog
- David Michael Maurer, FlickGym
- Matthew Jeppsen, FreshDV
- John Moran, The Hollywood Edge
Scott Simmons, Pro Video Coalition's The Editblog --
What's the single biggest technical issue you have to do/watch out for when editing for 3D vs. 2D?
JC: From a technical stand point, the main issue is that you are dealing with two or three times more footage than a regular 2D project. You need to be more organized and careful with how that material is classified in Media Composer.
How has the relationship with the director changed between working on a 3D story vs. a 2D story?
JC: I don't believe that the relationship with the director is affected in any way other than maybe if the project is made longer because of the additional 3D deliverable. This was not the case with Alice in Wonderland, so the same collaboration occurred as if we were telling the story in 2D.
David Michael Maurer, FlickGym --
What was the shooting ratio and what was your approach to breaking down dailies for the edit?
JC: Our project was unique in the sense that our main shoot was actually an ‘element shot.' By that, I mean we shot elements (characters in front of green screen) more than full scenes. With that in mind, we had a "low" shooting ratio in comparison to other productions of the same size. Dailies were broken down in a very traditional way... by scene number, and then by setup. For the Underland, or Wonderland, scenes-shot digitally-we were connected directly to the shooting stage. Right after they wrapped a particular set-up, we would load it into Media Composer and start cutting. We assembled the dailies as they came in and would have a version of the scene for Tim Burton ready to look at.
What do you look for in performances?
JC: This is a question I would have to consider after knowing what the scene is about. But generally speaking, whatever complements the scene the most.
As someone who often speaks at universities with students, a common question I've heard that comes up in almost every editing class from students is: "What do you most hope a director brings back to you?"
JC: I would have to say: powerful performances, followed very closely by options.
Matthew Jeppsen, FreshDV --
Have the technical challenges of editing the film with a 3D release in mind changed the pacing and shot choices you might make on a standard film edit? If so, what adjustments did you have to make to your editing style?
JC: In general, the fact that the project was 3D did not have a huge effect on how we would edit the material. But one thing that we did consider when looking at the 3D shots is that we wanted to stay on the master shot a bit longer to savor the beauty of the environment.
What tools and techniques make collaborating with the director easier for today's editor through the post production process?
JC: I would have to say that quicker turnaround of "dailies" is the one main area where collaboration has changed recently. In our project we were loading "dailies" into the Media Composer on average only about 20 minutes behind camera. This allowed the director to review rough assemblies of the scenes shot in the morning by the lunch break and scenes shot in the afternoon the next morning before the start of the day.
John Moran, The Hollywood Edge --
Since Avatar, how has the post production workflow for 3D improved? At what point does an editor begin cutting a film in 3D, versus working with 2D images?
JC: In our project, we always cut in 2D and then reviewed the cut in 3D using the DNxHD 145 codec. We found that, in general, the creative and performance issues that are important for the edit are not affected by the fact that the project is 2D or 3D.
Do your sound designers work from 2D, or from 3D renders? Does a 3D image provide any additional creative sound potential?
JC: We made different MIX passes for 2D, 3D and even IMAX 3D deliverables. Each of the formats required, and benefited, from its own separate approach.
Is the final film colored in 3D, and if so, do both data streams have the same color settings applied at once?
JC: The film was color corrected in 2D and 3D separately - the same color settings are applied to both "eyes" at the same time.
Have feedback on this post? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.