Contents

FILM RUNNING TIMES

INTRODUCTION

THE JOB OF CUTTING

Importance of cutting

What do you cut?

CUTTING WITH SAFETY AND ECONOMY

Matching original to cutting copy

A chance to save money

CUTTING FILMS SHOT WITH SOUND

Cutting programme—synchronised sound

Completing the soundtrack

CUTTING FILMS SHOT WITHOUT SOUND

MOTORISED EDITING MACHINES

Machines for sound and picture

Cutting sound and picture

UPRIGHT AND TABLE EDITING MACHINES

Upright machines: Moviola

Table machines: Steenbeck

MULTI-TRACK EQUIPMENT

SYNCHRONISERS: TYPES AND USES

Gang synchronisers

SYNCHRONISERS: ACCESSORIES

Sound attachments for synchronisers

Picture synchronisers

Synchroniser accessories and attachments

JOINING FILM: TEMPORARY SPLICES

Temporary joins: tape splices

JOINING FILMS: PERMANENT SPLICES

Welded splices

ANIMATED VIEWERS

Function of the viewer in cutting

SUNDRY CUTTING ROOM EQUIPMENT

Wall cuts racks

Rewind arms

Film horse

CUTTING ROOM ACCESSORIES

Split spools and film cores

PLANNING PICTURE SEQUENCES

Definitions

Camera viewpoint

IDENTIFYING AND PRINTING TAKES

Printing selected takes

False economies

IDENTIFYING SOUND TAKES

Using information provided

THE FILM IN THE CAMERA

Processing originals

Reversal and negative films

COPYING THE ORIGINAL

Grading

Cinex strips

CUTTING COPIES

Cutting copies of 16 mm colour films

Copies on panchromatic stock

Black and white 16 mm films

EDGE NUMBERS AND FILM FOOTAGE

Final stage of cutting

Edge numbers

Film footage

LOCATING SCENES AND TAKES

Logging rushes

Minimising paperwork

BREAKING DOWN RUSHES

Separating scenes and takes

Identifying the takes

JOINING WITH TAPE

Making the join

When not to use tape

JOINING WITH CEMENT

Strong splice

FILM LEADER

Academy leaders

MAKING A FIRST ASSEMBLY

Backing tape joins

CONTINUITY CUTTING

Choice of cutting point

Practical advantages of tape joins

CUTTING A SIMPLE SEQUENCE

Matching action cuts

AVOIDING CONTINUITY ERRORS

Cutaways

Jump cuts

OPTICAL EFFECTS : DISSOLVES

Optical overlaps

SINGLE ROLL OPTICAL EFFECTS

Identifying an optical

Quality of duplicate master materials

ORDERING SINGLE ROLL OPTICAL DUPES

Length of dupes

OPTICAL EFFECTS: FADES AND FREEZES

Freeze frames

EXTENDING AND FINE CUTTING THE ACTION

Stretch printing

Recutting the first assembly

CHANGING AND PATCHING CUTTING COPIES

Repairing cutting copy damage

AUGMENTING ORIGINAL FILM

Ordering stock footage

NEGATIVE CUTTING : PRINCIPLE

Cutting by numbers

NEGATIVE CUTTING: CHECKERBOARD

Starting a checkerboard assembly

NEGATIVE CUTTING: WHERE AND WHEN

Matching edge numbers step by step

Joining picture and leader

Checking numbers before making a cut

NEGATIVE CUTTING : OPTICAL EFFECTS

Overlapping checkerboard dissolves

Marking centre points

NEGATIVE CUTTING: A/B ROLLS, CUEING

Optical cue sheets

NEGATIVE CUTTING: COMPLETING

Checking neg cut rolls

Additional C and D rolls

SUPERIMPOSED TITLES

Reversal originals

Negative originals

ORDERING SUPERIMPOSED TITLES

Coloured lettering for titles

SYNCHRONISED SOUND : DOUBLE SYSTEM

Double system shooting

SYNCHRONISED SOUND : SINGLE SYSTEM

Magnetic stripe sound advance

CUTTING WITH WILD SOUND

Cutting with separate tracks

Wild tracks used with synch sound

PLANNING A COMPLETE SOUNDTRACK

Breaking down sound

PREPARING SOUND EFFECTS TRACKS

Matching sound and picture

PREPARING BACKGROUND SOUNDS

Joining spacing and magnetic

SYNC POINTS

Marking sync

“Laying” spot effects

MATCHING SOUND AND PICTURE

Adjusting out of sync sounds

Cutting to music

CUTTING SOUND AND AVOIDING CLICKS

Demagnetising joins and joiners

BACKGROUND SOUND LOOPS

Preparing a sound loop

SYNCHRONISED SOUND AND PICTURE

Synchronising rushes

FINDING AND MAINTAINING SYNCHRONISM

Intercutting sync and mute takes

NARRATION : PRE RECORDING, MATCHING

Pre-recording commentary

NARRATION : RECORDING DURING A DUB

Dubbing procedure

DUBBING: PROCEDURE

Dubbing cue sheets

DUBBING: PRACTICE

M & E premix

COMBINED PRINTS: MAGNETIC OR OPTICAL

Magnetic stripe and optical sound compared

Sound advance

COMBINED PRINTS: OPTICAL SOUND

Comopt copies: advancing sound for printing

PREPARING THE FIRST SHOW COPY

Grading answer prints

Automatic grading

PRINTS OUT OF SYNC

Sound out of sync

Tracing the source of faults

PICTURE FAULTS

Prints from out of synch A & B rolls

Other print faults

FAULTS DIFFICULT TO REMEDY

Edge fogging

Complaining to a laboratory

SAFEGUARDING ORIGINAL: DUPE MASTERS

Making multiple copies

Colour reversal internegative

Advantages and disadvantages of dupe masters

THE ORIGINAL: NEG AND POS DUPES

Dupes from Ektachrome originals

Dupes from black and white originals

MOVING FROM GAUGE TO GAUGE

35 mm reduced to 16 mm

16 mm enlarged to 35 mm

16 mm reduced to super 8 mm

Conclusion

RECORDING FILM ON VIDEO

Videos from 16 mm negatives

ELECTRONIC FILM CONFORMING

FURTHER READING

GLOSSARY