The Process
Thank you "six pound, eight ounce, sweet baby Jesus" for my new iMac Pro. This week I met with a colleague who referred to my old iMac as a computer that "came over on the Oregon Trail." Where are the crying, laughing emojis when I need them? Sometimes you just have to laugh at the absurdity of life and our decisions. I don't know why it takes me so long sometimes to make changes that will actually make my life easier. I'm beginning to think that I like a hard life. Hopefully this realization will assist with charting a new course.
In case you were wondering how I am managing to editor show, Fastlife on Amazon Prime, I've taken some photos of my process so you can see. It's not very sophisticated but it works really well for me. After all, at this point I'm a one woman show and my process needs to be uncomplicated and efficient.
Before a season starts I review footage and put together a map/plan of how the season will lay out. It's a map with squares, one for each episode with basic notes about the story for each one. Then I review footage and take notes so I know the main story lines that will be in each episode. I usually sit with that for a little while before I lay out each individual episode.
When it's time to get specific about each one, I lay out the story on a story map/arc. It looks like this...
Once I have all of the footage in Final Cut Pro that I need, I review it and start sectioning it out into 5 minute segments. Each episode is 22 minutes in length so I know that I have an Intro, a body (2 sections), and a resolution or closing. In the middle section there is a steady build up of moments that create some tension or a problem that usually is resolved at the end. However, our story seems to have a never-ending flow of those moments so it doesn't always work out completely which leaves a nice little cliff hanger at the end for the next episode tease!
After I have the main story points in, I then begin to add music and I edit a bit to that. I love music and feel that music adds a lot of feeling to a story so this helps refine the story and make it come alive. At the end, I add graphics, subtitles, and voice over to carry the story. I really enjoy the creative process but I'm ready to share Season 2 with you. There is A LOT of sitting with editing and I'm ready to run a race, ride a horse, go on a hike. It's sunny out, I'm feeling the itch to get outside.
As for the racing, Derek is on his way to LeMans next week to have some very important meetings! Wish us luck! We'll report when we have more news.
Wisdom for the week: Stay in your own lane! Don't worry about others and what they are doing. It's enough to be putting energy into our purpose. You don't want to squander that energy on things you can't control! -Me :) aka Brooke DeBoer
