The world film encyclopedia (1933)

454 Film Editing As a rule, however, scenes are rushed over to me very soon after they have been " shot," Contrary to usually-accepted ideas, I don't immediately pick up a pair of scissors and begin snipping away at the film there and then. The film is put through a machine, usually known as the moviola, which is an apparatus for projecting the film on to a small white background under a magnifying glass. It is geared at normal theatre speed but can be slowed down and stopped at will. Every " take," except those definitely negatived, is studied under this machine. I make what is called a rough cut. Certain scenes must obviously come out. For example, the microphone is often visible and these " shots " must be cut Having made the rough cut, the shots that are left are projected on to the screen in the studio private theatre, with one or two officials watching — myself, the director, the cameraman and perhaps the star. It is a strange experience for the outsider. Perhaps the scene is one showing the star sitting down to answer the telephone. The scene is shown once. Then a second time, with such a slight difference that it is difficult to distinguish it from the first one. Then a third time, and so on, almost up to the number of " shots " taken — as I have said, perhaps half-a-dozen, perhaps a dozen, perhaps more. Only one or two will have been omitted at this stage. We have to select from these " shots " the one which we consider the best. The star rarely has a say in the matter and it is left mainly to the film editor and the director to decide. There are numerous things to be taken into consideration. The light ing ; the recording ; the camera angles ; the acting. It is an ironical business. The scene which is recorded best of all may be the one which is badly lighted. The one with the best acting is the one in which the recording has slipped up. The one in which the acting and the recording and the photography all come out perfectly may be ruined by the fact that the powerful arc lights have caught a mirror and have reflected a dazzling ray across the scene right in the middle of the " shot." The only way to get over these difficulties, if the best is wanted, is to do a little bit of juggling with the sound track and try to attach the sound track of one " shot " to the film of another " shot." "Re-takes" Sometimes, however, this cannot be done. It may be that not one of the scenes will be any good after all and the sequence in question will have to be filmed al] over again. " Re-takes " are annoying things. I have often known one of the actors to have left the studio altogether. It may be difficult to get him back. Maurice Chevalier was in New York when it was discovered at the end of one picture that certain scenes would have to be re-made. Engagements made it impossible for him to return for some time. So cameramen, director and other members of the cast who were in those particular sequences had to travel all the way across the continent to New York to re-make the necessary scenes there ! The picture was One Hour With Yon. Once we have selected the best " shot," it is put aside until the other scenes come along. We go through the same process with each sequence, until at last every scene has been filmed and the best " takes " chosen. Don't think, however, that the picture is completed by then. That's where my job really begins, for the real jig-saw work starts now. With the assistance of the script, I know in just what sequence each scene should come. This is where the importance of the number boy becomes so obvious. Without tliat notification at the beginning of each shot," it would be almost impossible to tabulate the scenes. As it is, each one is clearly numbered. On the face of it, all I have got to do is to stick together all the scenes from number i to number 2,000, or whatever it is. But things don't work out quite in this way.