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Screen Editors
eNEWS #72  - JUNE 2016
 

In This Issue

Welcome from the ASE
State Updates
Industry News
Meet the ASE Community
• Feature of the Month
Upcoming Events
• Sponsor Updates
Education and Training
Workspace of the month
Sponsors

Find an Editor
Place a Job Ad
Forum

Join the ASE
Facebook
Twitter
 
 
                                             
Housemates - edited by Aleck Morton and Matt Porter airing now on ABC iView

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Dear Members,

Again things have been busy for the ASE with great things happening to keep you engaged in discussion and mingling with your fellow editors.
 
We know you are all waiting with bated breath to see our final rate card. It has been a fairly large undertaking for the committee and we still have some work and consultation to be done before we are able to present it to you. We are finalising details and will keep you updated regarding progress with the view to releasing it as soon as we can.
 
However, in the meantime we have some very exciting news.
 
The ASE has developed a partnership with Sydney TAFE in order to provide our members with a short course in Freelance Business Skills Training for Editors. Funds have been made available through TAFE in order to upskill existing editors in areas they might find useful. As a direct result of members asking for help in negotiating their wages and conditions, we have designed a course which we hope will be of direct benefit to you.
 
The course will be run by Monica Davidson who has an excellent reputation for educating creatives in the art of business. The course will cover many areas from building networks and relationships to enhance your work prospects, how to negotiate and arrange contracts, understanding legal obligations, setting career objectives and most importantly, maintain a work life balance.
 
This course will be free for members and if successful we can explore running further courses and possibly take the course out to members beyond Sydney. Details will be made available very soon.
 
In May, Videocraft held a very successful event to explain the new features of Avid Media Composer and the new Avid Nexus shared storage system. It was a great catch up for editors and assistants with plenty of time at the start for a chat over a drink and pizza. We thank Videocraft for live-streaming the event for our members outside Sydney and Melbourne. Members will be able to access the video soon (watch out for the people ducking back & forth for another slice of pizza). Stay posted for a link.
 
Last week Audio Network travelled to Brisbane to meet with Screen Queensland, producers and editors at the very cool Super Whatnot in Brisbane’s CBD.  They put on an evening of fresh and exciting music, fully catered, so it was a great night to network and be entertained by the great team from Audio Network.
 
Coming up in Sydney on 23rd June we will be hosting a joint guild event with the Writers Guild, exploring the process of writing and editing of the series ‘Rake’. The very entertaining Peter Duncan, Writer and Director will join Editors’ Henry Dangar ASE and Mark Perry, to discuss who gets the final cut…
 
Sundowners is on the following week. We will be wearing our favourite T-shirts (with suitable warm jacket..) that we got from a film we worked on, or just one that kept us comfy while working those long hours. And you stand a chance of getting a great Aussie DVD classic to give you something else to chat about.
 
I look forward to meeting our Queensland members shortly, as I will be heading up to Brisbane to present a discussion on the non-traditional editing style of films edited by Valérie Loiseleux for director Eugene Greene.
 
South Australia are cooking up Adelaide events for  ASE members in July, and generally I encourage you to stay in touch with the ASE, give us feedback about what you enjoy and events you might think are relevant in your state.


Fiona Strain ASE
ASE President 
 

State Updates

VICTORIA

The ASE Victorian Branch had a great time at this year’s St Kilda Film Festival, presenting a seminar 'Post like a Pro', on applying professional post production methodology to short film making, and the ever popular ‘Focus on Editing’ forum, as well as having a stall at the market day. ASE Victoria committee member Chris Hocking hosted another panel with Michael Shanks on their recent comedy series “The Wizards of Aus”.

The ‘Focus on Editing’ forum was a terrific success, with the editors of the short films “Slingshot”  (Director & Editor: David Hansen), “Vampir”  (Editor: Katerina Borys), and The Aquarium (Editor: Danielle Boesenberg) all screening their films, and then talking through the back room stories of how they overcame various obstacles to cut their films.

In the “VFX with the makers of The Wizards of Aus” session, Chris Hocking (Series Producer, Editor & VFX) and Michael Shanks (Writer, Director, Lead Actor, Editor, VFX & Composer) of LateNite Films, explained to a jam packed room how they tackled the huge quantity of complex visual effects within the extremely tight thirty seven week post period, working within After Effects in Michael’s Mum’s basement. Chris & Michael also spoke on the “Get it Out There” Forum, along with Jonathan Marlow (Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer at Fandor), Kristian Connelly (General Manager at Cinema Nova), Kylie Eddy (LEAN Filmmaking), about how best to distribute and market content both locally and internationally. "The Wizards of Aus” screened as part of the Web Series session at St Kilda, and was followed by a Q&A with several of the creators.
 
Andrew Brinsmead from the Victorian ASE committee hosted the “Post like a Pro” seminar with Sean Meltzer from Roar Digital, where they gave an outline of all the post production procedures that need to be thought about when making a short film, so that that you can get the most creative return out of your budget by being as efficient as possible.
  
                                                                                    Photo credit: Cloakroom Media

We were thrilled to finish the ASE’s involvement with this year’s St Kilda Film Festival by awarding the prize for Best Achievement In Editing to Adam Wills for “Death in Bloom”.

You can watch The Wizards of Aus for free on YouTube: http://twoa.tv

You can also watch a presentation Michael & Chris did for Adobe at NAB 2016 discussing the post production workflow on Wizards here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsdDEbwXes0

Andrew Brinsmead & Chris Hocking, Victoria Committee
 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

On the 30th May the Film & Television Institute (FTI) in Perth announced the nominees for the 28th Annual West Australian Screen Awards (the WASAs) – the nominees for editing were:
 
BEST EDITING - SHORT FORM
Sol Bunker - Merlin Eden
Outline - David Ellis
Flushed - Richard Eames
Reflection - Cris Broadhurst
 
BEST EDITING - LONG FORM
The Pineville Heist - Regg Skwarko
Who Do You Think You Are, Series 7 (5) – Teresa Ashton-Graham
Candidate Games - Nick Dunlop
Hotel Coolgardie - Pete Gleeson and Lawrie Silvestrin
 
The WASAs are an FTI initiative held to enhance the vibrancy of the Western Australian screen sector through increasing awareness and connecting screen practitioners of all disciplines and career stages.
 
The  awards ceremony will be held in the State Theatre Centre of WA in the stunning Heath Ledger Theatre as an opening event to the Revelation Perth International Film Festival on Monday 4 July 2016.
 
The ASE (WA) congratulates all the nominees and wishes them luck on the big night.
 
On a very sad and solemn note Perth-based producer Brian Beaton died suddenly in his sleep on 1st June. Many ASE members in Perth have had the privilege of working with Brian through his production company Artemis International  which was responsible for numerous award winning documentaries and documentary series. Brian was a great supporter of the Perth editing community and his laconic and easy-going manner will be greatly missed.

David Fosdick ASE, Chair - WA Committee


SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Embrace the premiere! That’s what Taryn Brumfit and the crew of ‘Embrace’ have been doing at the Sydney Film Festival this last week as this South Australian produced documentary made its premiere. This documentary was edited by ASE members Bryan Mason and Lindi Harrison ASE, and explores the issues of body image while following a global journey to change the way we feel about our bodies. ‘Embrace’ opens nationwide in cinemas August 4th, so gather your friends and join the body image movement!
 
On May 13th, the 17th annual South Australian Screen Awards  highlighted the talents of local filmmakers with documentary ‘Michelle’s Story’ leading the pack to take out three awards. The story of Australian dancer Michelle Ryan won Best Composition, Best Documentary and Best Short Film, while acclaimed ‘Girl Asleep’ was recognised with the title of Best Feature.
 
South Australia is gearing up for a busy few months. Zombie thriller ‘Cargo’ will begin its six-week shoot in late August, staring the Hobbit himself, Martin Freeman.  Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) stars in the upcoming production, ‘Hotel Mumbai’ as it begins its Adelaide shoot in early August. The story is based on the real life Taj Mahal Palace Hotel attack by armed Pakistani militants in 2008.
 
In mid Mid-July the South Australian ASE will host a social gathering - keep an eye on email for details. 

Karen McKay, Chair - SA Committee


QUEENSLAND

Greetings fellow editors!
 
At the recent Gold Coast Film Festival, ASE QLD banded together with Cutting Edge to present a well-attended session on the craft of editing. This event saw local editors Geoff Lamb, Ahmad Halimi, Axel Grigor and Tony McGrath discuss their recent work and industry trends.
 

 












From L-R: Geoff Lamb, Ahmad Halimi, Tony McGrath, Axel Grigor and Elle Croxford

On Saturday 16 July, ASE heads to New Farm Cinemas to present a session the 2nd Queensland Film Festival. This year we will explore the art and craft of editing in Eugene Green’s films La Sapienza and The Son of Joseph. We will announce more details about this event in coming weeks, but please mark your calendars now!
 
More event info:
http://qldff.com/events/
 
We are also busy plotting another instalment in our popular series of POSTINSIDERS events. Next in line: the vibrant Brisbane post-production house CHOP SHOP. More details to follow soon.
 
 Until next time,
 
Axel Grigor, Chair - Queensland Committee

 
 
INDUSTRY NEWS
 


NATIONAL ARTS ELECTION DEBATE

Arts and culture are in the spotlight at the National Arts Election Debate; a three cornered contest with Minister Mitch Fifield, The Greens Arts spokesperson Adam Bandt and Shadow Arts Minister Mark Dreyfus.

https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pgwEGPwyM7?play=true
 
NEW FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Screen NSW and ABC TV Arts have announced a new three-year joint initiative to fund one feature length documentary on the arts each year:
Full story here.
 
The NSW Government has launched a bold new push to steal Hollywood blockbusters and cult television series from interstate and overseas, backed by a new $20 million fund to boost entertainment jobs and the state’s economy.​ Full story here.

 
IS A QUOTA THE KEY TO MORE AUSTRALIAN CONTENT ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS?

Full story on the Artshub website.

ASE as part of ASIG have called on all political parties to support the introduction of quotas on the new digital platforms now broadcasting in Australia. These include Netflix, Presto and Stan.  See the ASIG press release here.
 


 
 
 

Meet the ASE COMMUNITY

 

Meet The Committee: DAN RICE (QLD)


My high school film and television teacher once told me not to pursue film, as it was a dead industry. Fortunately for me, I'm pretty stubborn.
I'm a Griffith Film School graduate, who spent most of his Uni time editing, shooting and directing various film projects.
Since then I've edited numerous short films, documentaries, commercials, and corporates.
I also did a stint working as a motion graphics designer for one of the lead broadcasters.
I've spent the last couple of years working full-time for a boutique production house and am about to return to the world of freelance to focus on long-form projects.
 
When I start a project...

I brew some coffee, read through all notes from production and start getting to know the footage.
 
When I finish a project...

I party. After that I stare at my phone and hope for someone to call...
 
It makes my day when...
No one uses the term "we" when they really mean "you" 
 
I hide under my desk when...

I've been locked away editing alone in a dark room all day,  and I emerge to see fresh notes.
 
I was inspired to join the ASE committee because...
I know so many directors, DoPs, soundies, etc. but I found that I didn't really know all that many editors. I really do feel like we have such a talent pool here in QLD, but we spend so much time locked away in our dark suites, that we forget to socialise with other people from the post-world.
 
I love the editing in...
Recently Drive. Such a wonderful piece of cinema.
 
The ASE has...
Has a very supportive and friendly community. It's great to sit and talk shop with fellow posties.
 
 

If you would like to be featured on Meet The Member, please email newsletter@screeneditors.com.au
 

feature of the month


INTERVIEW WITH ASSOCIATE EDITOR: JOHN LEE


This month NSW member Bin Li speaks to John Lee, who is Associate Editor for Lee Smith on Christopher Nolan's new film, Dunkirk. John started his career in Australia, and is now based in LA.



Dunkirk, was it a strategic withdrawal or a military blunder? 
I think you could safely say that the might of the German military was severely underestimated by the allies who were suddenly pushed back to the sea. From there an evacuation plan was put in place that basically rescued the bulk of the British Army so that they could go on to fight another day and ultimately go on to win the war.
 
What are you shooting on? 
We are shooting on 65mm IMAX (15 perf) with an aspect ratio of 1.43:1 as well as 65mm 5 perf with an aspect ratio of 2.2:1. (Note: The negative is 65mm. The print is 70mm.)
 
What challenges do you have working on a movie shot entirely on film? 
This is my seventh film for Chris Nolan and each time it gets more difficult to find qualified people and equipment. Film labs close around us and we make do however we can. Just finding decent splicing tape and ACMADE coding tape is a challenge. Then when we get into post we do a lot of optical finishing which is a dying art. This one is more complication in that there is no 35mm. We are completely large format. Generally we feel okay if we are working with people who have grey hair.
 
How do you have dailies screenings? 
These days people don’t seem to have dailies screenings anymore. They watch them on their iPhones or something. We always screen film dailies and we sit and watch them together at wrap. In this case we screen a 35mm reduction print of our IMAX footage on an ARRI LocPro which is a projector we love. We are also screening 70mm 5 perf dailies in a screening room that we custom built on location. Both systems have sync sound using a Fostex DV40.
 
How are you finishing the film, in what format? 
 We will finish the film with a 65mm IMAX negative cut and a 65mm 5 perf negative cut. We will go up and down optically between formats to finish each version. Then we will also have various digital versions and a 35mm film version. Negative cutters are hard to find these days too.
 
How are the locals treating you? 
The locals are great and very supportive. We are filming in Dunkirk where it all happened in May/June 1940. It’s a very small place and thousands come out to the beach to watch the shoot. One of the locals told a crew member - “Dunkirk is the biggest thing to happen in Dunkirk since Dunkirk.”
 
Tell us about the food in that part of France. 
If you don’t like bread and cheese you shouldn’t come to France.
 
 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 





 
 

 

 
 

SPONSOR UPDATES

               
  AVID MEDIA COMPOSER INFO NIGHT  

Video Craft is Sydney’s premier Avid supplier and a loyal sponsor of the Australian Screen Editors Guild. This year they have very generously sponsored two events for us, one in Melbourne on the 31st of May and one in Sydney at their head quarters in Artarmon on the 24th of May.

A group of nearly twenty editors attended. I was lucky enough to be one of them. We were welcomed with a selection of beer, red and white wines, and excellent pizzas. After a noisy catch up and much chewing and gulping, we eagerly took up our seats and listened 'avidly' to sales director and certified Avid instructor James Taylor as he outlined the new innovations Avid has incorporated. He is also one of the owners of Videocraft.

He began by outlining the new menu locations of various functions. They are now more simplified and logical, for example the bin, clip and timeline menu items are now grouped together. There is even a better way to auto-detect files to volumes in a larger number of codec’s. James managed to make this all very simple and straight forward, it probably is.
James Taylor - Videocraft

On the timeline you can create new tracks by simply dragging your shot down to it, it will remain semi-transparent until you let go of it!  You can also create up to 64 tracks of audio, if you wanted to.

 








Allocating the amount of memory you want to use for AVID is also possible. This is especially useful if you are using the newer high dynamic color range codec’s such as DNxHD444 in 10 or 12-bit resolutions.

The effects pallet is also divided up in to more useful groups such as Filters and Transitions. There is also a clever way to identify rendered effects to clear up space - by separating titles and matte keys effects from pre-compute clips. There is also a frame flex rotation feature so you can rotate images on an angle, like when the horizon is wonky as well as helping to reframe images.

James also spent some time on a discussion about the Nexis storage system. Their hard drives are called Media Packs. They can run at up to 400Mbytes/sec and have from 20 to 60TB of storage capacity.  Every home should have one! Then there is the Avid Nexis Pro which seems to be for the new 2 & 4K and Ultra HD workflows, a lot of grunt. This scales up to 80TB & at 1.2 GB/sec.












By the end my head was reeling from so much technical talk but I felt more prepared to understand the ongoing changes that are always heading our way. Keeping up to date with all the new innovations in media is always a challenge. Some take to it like a duck to water but I find that I need swimming lessons every now and then. It was a great talk and I’m really glad I made the time to attend.

Thanks to James and the very friendly and approachable team at Videocraft.

Jane St Vincent Welsh ASE - NSW Committee
 

 

EDUCATION AND TRAINING


AFTRS OPEN: 

 AFTRS 2016 MID-YEAR INTAKE

Don't wait until 2017 to jump start your screen and broadcast skills. AFTRS 2016 mid-year intake opens April 22 through to June 27. Part-time courses, all delivered by highly credentialed and respected industry practitioners in Camera, Art Direction, Editing, Directing, Documentary, Sound Radio, and VFX are on offer.


MORE: www.aftrs.edu.au/midyear        
GOT A QUESTION: 
study@aftrs.edu.au
 
AFTRS OPEN - EDITING & VFX SHORT COURSES
AFTRS Open has a range of short courses year-round, all taught by industry experts in AFTRS state-of-the-art facilities. Here are some highlights:
 
After Effects for Broadcast Graphics 

This weekend intensive provides a detailed introduction to desktop compositing for broadcast using Adobe After Effects CC - the most commonly used graphics program in Australia for the preparation of broadcast design/graphics in TV. (6 - 7 August)
 
TV Editing Intensive: Avid 101 & 110 
This 10-day Intensive course delivers technical training in the use of the non-linear film/video editing application Avid Media Composer and will prepare you for Avid’s User Level certification in Media Composer 8. (8 - 19 August)
 
Avid 101: Editing Essentials 
This three day Avid-accredited course with Rebecca Edwards is the first step in achieving confidence, creativity, and efficiency with Avid Media Composer 8, the non-linear film/video editing application used in most television productions. (22 - 24 August)
 
Get Cutting with Avid - 1 day intensive 
This highly practical course will introduce you to the fundamentals of using Avid Media Composer, getting you up and running quickly in one day. It is most suitable for Post Producers or Production personnel who already work in the industry but are new to Avid. (25 August)
 
TV Assistant Editor 
The Australian TV industry is crying out for more trained and effective Assistant Editors. This 3-day, intensely practical course gives students a fast, but thorough, hands-on experience in the duties, technical skills and responsibilities of the Assistant Editor. No prior editing experience is required. 29 - 31 August

To view all upcoming courses visit the AFTRS Open website .


 





 
Digistor has a range of trainers available for specialist tools such as Premiere Pro CC, Avid Media Composer, Autodesk 3ds Max, MAYA, Cinema 4D and DaVinci Resolve & Fusion plus The Foundry Nuke.  We specialise in short notice customised training to suit your requirements so if you have any specific training requests please let me know and we can organise a trainer to suit.
 
NEW – Don’t forget Blackmagic Design Fusion training Thursday 7th July. For further information training@digistor.com.au or http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/blackmagic-fusion-training-registration-22721852673

We can also offer 1 on 1 or small group training for your entire team on demand. For further information or to make a booking: http://www.digistor.com.au/Training.aspx
 
MAXON Cinema 4D Express – Monday 27th June
Learn how you can create 3D images quickly using Cinema 4D’s intuitive design and logical workflow. In this introductory course, you’ll learn about using Cinema 4D for animation, lighting plus camera techniques, typography and objects. 1 Day Intensive. Learn with Maxon Certified Trainer – Annette Rays

 MAXON Cinema 4D Extension – Tuesday 28th June
1 day Class designed for those who have experience in 3D or have completed the Cinema 4D Express course at Digistor and would like to learn more on how to become skilled in this area of production. Learn how to incorporate and create three-dimensional (3D) graphics as a form of animated or still digital media. Learn with Maxon Certified Trainer – Annette Rays

Adobe After Effects CC Training Thursday 30th June & Friday 1st July
Adobe After Effects CC for Compositing. Our instructors are experienced in editing and post-production pipelines and real-world use of the tools they teach. You and your team will receive the benefit of practical guidance from specialists who understand deadlines and workflow and are committed to staying up-to-date with developments and passing this information onto customers.

Blackmagic Fusion Training Thursday 7th July
Blackmagic Fusion training will provide a broad understanding of compositing in Fusion’s node based environment. Training will look at working with the interface to compositing in multi-planed 3D environments, working with particle effects, and Fusion’s integration with Resolve.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC – 2 day course 21st & 22nd July
Learn how to navigate Adobe Premiere Pro while utilising Adobe Premiere Pro within the Creative Cloud workflow. This 2 day class is specially designed for editor’s who wish to increase their skill set and come up to speed on Premiere Pro. We also offer Premiere Pro customised training to suit your requirements. Let us know what you want to achieve and we will design the course content to suit your individual requirements.

We also supply custom training for many different applications including Cinema 4d, MAYA, 3ds Max and much more. If you would like to discuss your specific requirements please contact us. Digistor offers training discounts for members of industry organisations. For a discount code please contact training@digistor.com.au
 
 

WORKSPACE OF THE MONTH



Send us a picture of your workspace and win an Australian classic DVD.

Tell us what you love (or hate) about your workspace. 









SALLY FRYER ASE & HILARY BALMOND (NSW)

EDITING BY NUMBERS...When Sally Fryer ASE and Hilary Balmond embarked on co-editing Suzy and the Simple Man (which has just had it's first run at the Sydney Film Festival), little did they know it would turn into a game of numbers: ONE FILM, EIGHT YEARS, TWO EDITORS, TWO CUTTING ROOMS, HUNDREDS OF INDEX CARDS AND TWO PHOTO BOOKS.   Keep an eye out for next month's ASE Newsletter - where we feature an interview with Sally and Hilary on how they successfully co-edited their feature over eight years.

















The edit suite at Shark Island Institute in Sydney

















The edit suite at Hilary's home in The Southern Highlands

Sally Fryer ASE writes: Hilary prepped these 2 brilliant portfolios in picture form which summarised all the shots on big old fashioned flippable paper pages. Yes, you can set Premiere or FCP up in picture view rather than list view. But, the beauty of the book is that you can incredibly quickly flip through the pages to find stuff that you know is there but can’t quite remember which tape it is on. A genius idea. And you can get your Director to do more of the work looking for lost shots too.

 









 
 

Our Sponsors

 
Avid Blue Post Two Dogs
 
Video Craft Audio Network The Editors
 
Roar Digital Spectrum Films
 
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