The whole process of creating and filming was really fun but the process of editing and showing was what really taught me something (because it was all new). I've never edited a movie before and it was definitely an interesting experience. It's a love - hate relationship. It was torture but I enjoyed it. Editing a 5 minute movie took probably about 15 hours. I think this was partly because of my lack of skill and partly because editing is really hard. I learned a lot editing this movie and my skills definitely improved. But the most important thing I learned is how hard it is (which I already knew but I had know idea just how hard). Who knew that editing 30 seconds could take 2 hours? Who knew that by either including or cutting .5 seconds of the shot could totally change the flow of the sequence? Who knew that the music can either make or break the whole movie? Who knew just how many decisions you have to make? This experience totally revolutionized the way I think of movie making. Before, when thinking about how a movie is made the first words that come to mind are directors and actors. Then writers, producers, costume and set designers, camera men, composers, advertising committees... but way way way down the list was editors. Now I know that these people belong at the very top. Yes the story is the story and the shots are the shots but how a movie is edited can totally transform it. The editors are perhaps the most powerful and influential people working on a film. As I edited the movie, I shaped it, and that was a really cool experience. I knew that if any other person in my group were to edit the same shots it would look totally different. Not better or worse, just different. And that fascinates me. It's amazing how 5 people, who all took part in creating it, and know the movie like the back of their hands could have such different views on how it should look. I knew that with every cut I was making a decision that the members of my group perhaps would not agree with. But this made it exciting. And then when I showed the final cut to my group and they liked it, this made it very rewarding. All those 15 hours really paid off. At this point, the movie looked like a brand new beautiful baby.
Then when it was time to show the movie to the class, something happened. Our happy little beautiful baby lost an arm, grew a sixth finger, and got all pale. Our baby had become deformed. As I was watching I became so critical of everything. Nothing looked as good as it did before and the mistakes might as well have been paused, rewinded, and played over and over again. I found myself wanting to speak up and make excuses for the class. I cringed at each awkward cut and fidgeted when the music didn't match the shot. I just didn't like it as much as I had before. Then something surprising happened: everyone else did. Don't get me wrong they had their critiques (as I suddenly saw their were several plot holes that need to be addressed), but for the most part it was a positive review. However it didn't take away all the things that I now knew needed to be fixed. I learned a very important lesson from this. The importance of an outsiders eye can never be overlooked. Just like you should always have your mom edit your research papers and have your friend approve your outfits, you should always show your community your work. There is only so much you are capable of seeing with your own eyes (after all you are a little biased), so at a certain point the only way anything can get better is from the help of others (whether that other is your friend who plays soccer or is a fellow artist in your community - everybody's opinion is valid). So although I'm usually not afraid to ask for help, this taught me just how important it is. Actually it's not just important, it's essential.
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