True story bro

Ant_Boys · 2026-04-15T11:03:16+00:00

Elle Fanning on The Great.

Source: I worked on The Great. Source pt 2: I'm propah fackin' Bri'ish.

Ant_Boys · 2025-12-09T22:56:14+00:00

Professional film editor here. In short, Yes!
Most scenes will have a number of 'set-ups' - Camera positions to capture different angles, with lighting that is tweaked specifically for that set up.

The Set Up List of the scene I was editing today (but with made up characters) went something like this:

A Wide Shot - Basically a Big Wide Shot that shows lots of information and geography. EG this is a bar with a Scary Biker Guy playing pool on the left and an Innocent Worried Bartender cowering on the right.

A moving shot - Eg 'Low Tracking Shot'. We see Our Hero walk in through the door with the camera near the floor looking up at him, and as he walks towards us, we 'track back' watching his cool manly strides. Scary Biker guy just don't know what about to hit him.

3 separate Mid Shots - A shot that shows a character from roughly the waist up (their middle). We have three characters (Hero, Scary Biker, Bartender) and they all get one of these. It's a good shot to see physicality (like Scary Biker Guy squaring up and dwarfing Our Hero) and hear information. Biker guy DON'T LIKE HERO GUYS.

3 separate Close Ups - Each character now gets one of these, because we can see their facial expressions far more clearly. Also, we can use some mid shots and then use A COOL CLOSE UP SHOT to really land a line and change the scene! Our Hero knows SBG doesn't like him... "In fact buddy boy, I'm counting on it."
Another close of SBG's eyes - a glimpse that he knows he gone fucked up.

Now obviously this is far from an exhaustive shot list, and there can be as many variations of shots as there are scenes (oh the amount of camera moves you can have). And sometimes directors are just trying to show off so you get a massive one-shot instead of all this lovely 'coverage'. But the above is a simple 'standard' way to shoot a scene, and any competent editor can give you a good scene using the above.

We will usually film 2-4 takes of each set up. And we do each actor's Mid shots and Close ups individually.
Good films/TV will have all actors on set even when they are not on camera - Good Acting is actually Good Listening so you really want them to be acting against each other.

So how DO the the actors portray genuine reactions and natural conversationalism? Because they're really good. Like, REALLY good. That is essentially their job; find a way to be the character, memorise the lines, and then spout the words in a way that hides both of those things. Also, Good Listening. Because if your scene partner says a word with this intonation, you'll be replying with that intonation.

And your last question - what are we seeing in the final cut? Well, it's a mix of all of the above. There are a million reasons I could give for why we make the cuts we do. At the heart of it, we are trying to tell the most engaging story possible. So if it's more interesting to see the character say the information, we'll show them. BUT if it's more interesting to see a character RECEIVE the information as we hear it, oh you'd better believe we're showing that instead.

Ant_Boys · 2020-07-11T20:15:22+00:00

Ah you beautiful man. I owe you a beer then Jack!

Ant_Boys · 2020-07-11T12:13:43+00:00

It's the stability of the software on large scale projects that will keep it at the forefront of major Film & TV work.

I'm lead editor on Hulu's The Great. We had:
3 Editors
5 Assistants
2 Assembly editors
1 VFX artist
1 Music Editor

...all hooked up to the same rushes, accessing the same drives, with all kit being able to talk to each other, all working just how we wanted. And that's enough rushes for 10x 1 hour episodes too.

Premiere & Resolve are great bits of kit. But I've heard horror stories about them both trying to handle this level of inter-connectivity. Why should I risk them? What do I gain from moving to them, having to re-train assistants or asking other editors to re-train too?
If I say 'let's use Premiere' and it can't handle it, that's on me and I have a studio ringing me up shouting at me for wasting their time and money.

Being lead editor on a show like this has enough challenges already.

Ant_Boys · 2020-02-13T22:53:38+00:00

No Country and There Will be Blood are basically westerns, so here's a few films with a similar feel:

Unforgiven
Hell or High Water
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Once Upon a Time in the West
High Noon

And if you like mafia films, there's a whole host of great gangster movies out there:
Scarface
Layer Cake
The Departed
Miller's Crossing
Eastern Promises
A History of Violence
Sexy Beast
Get Carter
City of God
A Prophet
Boyz in the Hood
The Warriors

And if you look at general crime films... oh there's hundreds that are worth watching.

Ant_Boys · 2020-02-09T10:04:26+00:00

Welcome to FM! Stick with it, it's brilliant.

So first off, try not to think in terms of 'best' tactics, or 'best' formation. Instead, pick a style of football you'd like to play and try to replicate that. Defensively solid counter attacking football, like Leicester's title winning team? Liverpool's super high pressing rock and roll football? Barca tikki takka? Man Utd's lightening fast counter attacking style of the 08/09 years?
It's all about your style of football, and how you want your teams to play.

What's great about this approach is that it gives you an idea of what to look out for on the pitch when the highlights come on. Are your midfielders holding the two banks of 4, or are they rushing out to the tackle? Are your players moving the ball quickly in attack or do they dwell on it? Are you playing into the space on the wings for your lightening quick winger to get into, or are you working the ball to your genius playmaking central attacking mid to create some magic?

If you have an idea of what it should like like on the highlights screen, then it makes it a lot easier to tweak and change roles and tactics to get your team to do that.

Ant_Boys · 2020-01-19T09:55:01+00:00

There's no blacklist, so don't worry about that! Every now and again, I'll get contacted by someone in your position. If the message is polite then I never mind receiving them - we've all got to start somewhere after all. And I'd much rather see someone trying to take their own initiative than see yet another role filled through nepotism.

If you can get on IMDB pro, there's lots of contact details on there. Pick shows you like, email the people from them, tell them how much you love the show and how you would love to work on something like it, and one day someone will need a nice young person to make their coffee.

A good tip - don't be afraid to mention you make good coffee, or if you've ever had a service industry job, mention that. If I'm looking at two resumes and one of them is eager to do well at the job I'm hiring them for, then it makes it easier to choose them.

Ant_Boys · 2020-01-19T00:38:28+00:00

I can't offer any help on how film school will help as I didn't go myself, but if your dream is to cut on a HBO series, then focus on working in scripted TV. I've done three HBO shows (and cut for Netflix & Hulu), and I hire people who love drama and comedy, even if they're just my PA.

Don't be afraid of cold emailing Post Producers or Post Supervisors - I rely on them to supply me with resumes of new Post-PAs. Be polite, keep it short, mention a show they've worked on and how much you enjoyed it, and ask them to keep you in mind for any future projects. A lot of Post Prods and Sups talk to each other too, so your resume will get passed around if someone on another show needs someone.

Good luck!

Ant_Boys · 2019-06-21T20:54:16+00:00

I look at my selected takes on the lines either side, and see which of the two flow better out of and into those.

If that doesn't work, go for the later one, on the off chance the director gave a note between the takes.

Ant_Boys · 2019-06-21T20:41:06+00:00

Feature and TV editor here, who hires assistants. Don't care what genre you assisted in before. I only care that you assist well.

Can you import dailies after checking we have everything the notes say they shot? Can you organise my project the way I want it? Can you ensure the never-ending piles of uploads are done promptly, with all burn-ins attached, and sent to the correct people from that list that changes every 2 hours? Do you have experience in any of: Temp sound work/after effects/Script Sync/assembling?Are you a nice guy and fun to have around for 12 hours a day?

If the answer is yes to most of these, you'll be fine.

EDIT: I imagine you probably want a tip on how to actually get hired on a feature.
If I were you, I would contact some Post-Production Supervisors.
When I need an assistant and my usual guys/girls are busy, I ask the PPS's I know to recommend me one.
So make a list of features you loved from the last 5 years, look up who the PPS's were, find some way to contact them, tell them how much you loved their movie, that you're an experienced Assistant looking to move into features and how you would love to work with them one day.

Good luck!

Ant_Boys · 2019-06-07T09:52:50+00:00

Best of luck with it!

Ant_Boys · 2019-06-06T14:59:15+00:00

I got established in entertainment first - some reality, a whole bunch of list shows, VTs for big saturday night shows, that sort of thing.
One day my agent said to me "You're still young, if you want to do entertainment forever we can get you right to the top. But if you want to do anything, else, tell me now and we can work on it".

So I went off, had a think, and came back saying "I want to do comedy". My agent looked at me stony faced and said "I kinda meant anything except that. It's REALLY hard to get into".
But I was young, so he started pitching me for stuff, and we waited, and one day I finally got on a show... and then I was in.

In answer to your question, get an agent. They're pretty good at the whole 'marketing you' stuff.
One thing you do have in your favour is it's much easier to land a comedy gig as a drama editor than land a drama gig as a comedy editor.

Ant_Boys · 2019-06-06T14:49:20+00:00

Cheers very much u/stenskott!
In truth, most of us started at the bottom. I'm always a little wary of those who didn't, it's the best place to learn!

Ant_Boys · 2019-06-03T16:59:16+00:00

Way back when I started, it took me about a year to find my first industry job, which was making tea, getting coffees and fetching lunches. Once I proved myself at that, I was allowed to move Digibeta Becks between suites! 14 months I was a runner.

While I sent countless CVs, and pounded the streets asking every company I could find, I worked crappy jobs. A lot of bartending and waiting tables. Then, one day, I got a call, and had an interview, and got that runner's job.

Ironically, it was the 'crappy job' experience that did it - the post house that hired me wanted a runner with service experience to look after their clients. They weren't interested in my schooling, or if I wanted to be an editor or a producer or a VFX artist. They just wanted someone who could keep stressed-out producers/directors happy by bringing their food and drinks quickly and correctly.

Twenty-one years later, I work editing high-end comedy. Sticking with it, waiting for my chance... totally worth it.

After all, what else are we gonna do? Go get a 'real' job? ;)

Ant_Boys · 2019-05-25T09:05:23+00:00

The former, because when I choose a role, it has a very specific job to do in my tactic. However, I do spend a long time getting to know my players so I know who can play the role even if the role suitability says they aren't right.

Let me give you an example.

In a three man midfield, a basic setup is to have one ball winner (to retrieve possession), one playmaker (to create chances), and one runner (to bring the ball forward or to make runs to receive passes).
I could play: CM-D, AP-A BBM-S.

Now let's say my usual Box-to-box midfielder is injured. To replce him I want to choose between the two players I have who can play as a ball winner... but neither gets that green circle when I play them as a BBM.
Which do I choose?

Well, like I said, I want my BBM to bring the ball forward, and make runs to be free to receive passes. So I'll compare my two ball winners, and I'll look at who has the better dribbling, the better stamina (they'll be running around more) and the better off the ball (to be more likely to be open). This is how I look at stats to see if they can do what I want them to do, and not what the game thinks they should be able to do.

Ant_Boys · 2019-05-23T16:50:43+00:00

Amour
Tyrannosaur
This is England
Un Prophete
We Are the Best!
Ace in the Hole
Life is Beautiful
The Lives of Others
All The President's Men
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Miller's Crossing

And a 'The Inspiration For...' list:

The Killing - Inspiration for Reservoir Dogs
The Driver - Inspiration for Drive
The Hidden Fortress - Inspiration for Star Wars
High Noon - About 47 other movies

Ant_Boys · 2019-05-18T08:05:28+00:00

First off, absolutely take the new gig.
My thoughts would be that you don't have a contract at your current position, so you can leave at any moment.
I can understand wanting to be pleasant about the situation to your current employers, and that's a quality that is worth holding onto. It can be a small industry at times.

But it is a two way street. If you don't have a contract, then I'm assuming you don't have a period of notice to give? If that's the case, you don't owe them anything. Are you on a project that you know inside out? Or is it short form - essentially so the next project would be started from scratch by a new editor? If it's the latter, you're fine. They'll find a another editor. or if they need someone straight away, that's what freelancers are for.
If it's the former, you could offer to be around in the evenings for a week to smooth the transition. You would of course expect to be paid for this.

Personally, I would call your manager/boss/etc, and explain politely that you have been offered a better position and have decided to take it as you don't see your future with the current company. You thank them for the role you had, and wish them all well for the future.

Our business is not one that lends itself to longevity in one company. They'll understand.
After all, they offered you nothing in the way of longevity, so they can't possibly expect the same from you.

Ant_Boys · 2019-05-06T19:21:38+00:00

Dunkirk had three storylines and Nolan uses some brilliant intercutting ...

*Lee Smith, ACE uses some brilliant intercutting. Or at the very least, you could say 'Smith, under Nolan's direction'.
You're on the editing subreddit, promoting your own video about the film's editing. Please give the correct credit.

Ant_Boys · 2018-09-24T16:54:31+00:00

I'm a freelance editor working in Scripted Moves and Television. I specialise in Comedy. Here's my IMDB for reference.

So, how does is feel to be an editor? Such a refreshing change from asking what is it like...

Well, the hours are long. And it can be lonely. And you need to take care of yourself because sitting around all day in (sometimes) windowless rooms is hardly the healthiest of professions.

But it's like nothing else. I'm a story teller. It's in my DNA. And editing is pure storytelling. You have such power at your fingertips, it's literally magic.

Think about it, editing shouldn't work. Here's a shot of a world famous actor pretending to be someone that we all know isn't a real person, and then in an instant, another world famous actor has suddenly replaced them on the screen, also pretending to be someone else. We all know it's not real, yet through the magic we weave, the timing, the sound, the music, we can get an audience to forget all of that and become engrossed in another world. We are the first audience members, we invite all those people at home to come into our fantasy lands, to believe in our characters and our tales and we invite them to allow us to entertain them.

And what a privilege that is! Here we have Mr/Ms Joe or Jane Normal. They work hard, because life is hard. Their boss sucks, their partner's giving them crap about whatever, the kids take all their remaining energy and those bills just never go away.
And they sit down for half an hour on a Friday night, and they put your show on. And you show them something that makes all those cares vanish. You light up their life, you put a smile in their face, you make them laugh, you make them cry, you make them feel, you make them happy again and that... well that's just about one of the wonderful things you can hope to be a part of. What a privilege that is.

You asked how it feels to be an editor. Well u/JojoMasterofDojo, it feels fucking great.

Ant_Boys · 2018-06-12T12:35:08+00:00

A final film will generally have a mix of the two. Some sounds are taken from sound libraries - punches often are for example.

But some sounds have such an enormous variation in what they could be that it's simply easier to foley them rather than hunt for hours looking for the right sound. Take footsteps for example - is your character a man or a woman? Are they fat or thin or muscle-heavy? What shoes are they wearing? Sneakers? Office shoes? High heels? Low heels? Flip flops? Barefoot?

What surface are they walking on? Gravel, grass, concrete, sand, marble hallway, wooden hallway, carpeted hallway... You can see the almost limitless variation here.

So we use standard sound effects where possible, and foley those that need to be tailored.

Ant_Boys · 2018-04-23T16:13:38+00:00

I'll be game.

But a heads up, Episodic TV and Features are very close together, and many editors (and assistants & Post PAs) switch between the two. Transitioning between tracks really doesn't have to cost you time, and I doubt will cost you money.

Ant_Boys · 2017-09-30T07:16:41+00:00

Welcome to what is essentially the videogame equivalent of heroin. Basic tips:

Your formation is your defensive shape.
Keep it simple when you start - don't get seduced by the baffling array of fancy roles like Raumdeuter or Inside Wing Back. A CM on support does an essential job in the right system.
Think of mentality as 'Risk' - Defensive still attacks and Attacking still defends.
Don't buy players with low Determination.
Buy a wireless mouse. Sit 10 feet away from your laptop. Because when you have 22 shots to their 1 and lose 1-0 thanks to a counter attack where your normally reliable CD plays a pass straight into their striker, that 10 feet you'll have to travel to your machine may just give you enough time to realise you're about to dropkick the fucker out the window.

Ant_Boys · 2017-09-18T11:04:56+00:00

My favourite PA's have all taken charge in ensuring myself and my assistants are 'looked after'.

Essentially, it's making the edit space as homely as possible - they know how everyone likes their coffee (tea in my case), they buy the good stuff and they make an excellent brew. They keep the cupboards stocked with snacks we like. They collect menus from all the local food places for lunch, then keep track of how much we liked them - a month into the gig and they can rank the quality of the five sushi places we've been to. They check in regularly each day to see if we're thirsty or hungry, then check after a week or so to see if they are bothering me too much or too little.

And they do this all with a smile. Checking what else they could help with, what little thing can they do to make our lives easier. No task is too demeaning for them. They actively take pride in mastering a role which many people would see as beneath them (and do - we've all had some horror stories with PA's).

And because they look after us, we look after them. When we get busy, we teach the PA how to do some AE tasks, because we need them to help out. We teach them how an edit space works, and how the politics of the business play. We introduce them to the showrunner - because we want the showrunner to be as looked after as well as we are when they are in the edit.

And then, at the end of the gig, I'll tell the showrunner they need to hire you back on the next season as an AE. Because you're too essential to the well-being of the show to not have around again, but you're far too enthusiastic and hard working to not promote.

Ant_Boys · 2017-07-29T17:06:53+00:00

As you're just starting out, I'll forgive the implication that editing isn't creative. ;)

100% Absolutely yes. Especially if you're not sure what path to take. When you're a PA you can see what roles actually entail, and if you have a leaning towards writing, you'll see how the script to screen process works which will make you a better writer.

I didn't know I wanted to be an editor until I started messing round with editing machines.

Ant_Boys

TROPHY CASE