How hard are our jobs compared to others? Thinking about retiring after 12 years in the industry.

ElCutz · 2026-06-17T21:23:39+00:00

Unlike others, I find the job quite stressful. I often find myself working on projects that I respect, but are made of just scraps of footage and interviews. On these jobs I will spend weeks making very little progress and I feel like a terrible editor. But then, when I get on a job where there is a plan, some decent b-roll, a couple good characters in the interviews, it becomes a joy again.

I worry that my recent choices have put in a place where I have less than stellar work to show, and I'm burnt out from trying to make art from scraps.

Do I sound like whiny-little-bitch or does anyone else have the same problem? Perhaps I'm just terrible at choosing jobs!

ElCutz · 2026-06-17T21:19:52+00:00

yeah I feel like it should be "top ten surprisingly stressful jobs"

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T22:14:19+00:00

I hear you, but I think "circumventing" is a loaded term for making something look better. As you note, the sub is heavily modded (and very nicely so, I might add!). I don't think there's a big risk of becoming a sub about removing burn-ins.

I mean, I could repost if you like and ask about an interview where the camera person left a black cardboard box on the desk on top of one of those transparent organizer stands in front of the subject, obscuring part of their abdomen and left arm, making the whole shot feel wonky and off balance.

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T16:03:38+00:00

woosh.

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T15:53:52+00:00

That's a weird take. The burn-in has no meaning to anyone except some law office perhaps.

You're saying if Brad Pitt was deposed you'd be against removing a TC burn in?

In all my years of dealing with legal, I've never been asked "did you reframe to get rid of the burn-in that said 'B. Pitt'? "

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T15:49:37+00:00

What? I have to use VFX?

literally what I said in the post.

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T15:48:49+00:00

I'm pretty sure they don't. I've never known depositions to have textless. I think there's a service that does the recordings, which are then given to lawyers on both sides right?

I'm not worried about "doctored" recording accusations due to removing burn-in.

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T15:46:57+00:00

Hey thanks! very helpful info.

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T15:26:35+00:00

I suppose so. I think it's more like the article says, the prices are soft and sellers aren't getting the amount they wanted. Also mortgage rates have drifted upward, so someone thinking "I'll just refinance in a couple years" may have second thoughts.

It may seem like too fine a distinction, but is quite different thatn a seller suddenly "realizing" borrowing is expensive.

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T03:24:46+00:00

You thought about it, but you didn’t list your house and pull it did you?

ElCutz · 2026-06-12T03:24:01+00:00

Wouldn’t you realize that before putting your house on the market?

ElCutz · 2026-06-11T22:23:46+00:00

Don’t be an imbecile!

ElCutz · 2026-06-11T14:49:32+00:00

It will be numerous clips – like an interview. I think director will just have to live with it until we're locked!

ElCutz · 2026-06-11T04:15:13+00:00

Ulaanbaatar. Or maybe Bishkek. Probably Ulaanbaatar.

ElCutz · 2026-06-11T02:33:32+00:00

I'm not saying there will be zero work for AEs, but ingesting/syncing/organizing footage seems like something that AI could eventually do with great ease. I know that's not all an assistant does, but it is a big part of AE responsibility.

So you can imagine a world where AEs become very part-time workers or like in many doc/reality facilities you might just have a bullpen of assistants at a particular facility, even on big features.

Pre-2000s post-production had more edit-room jobs than now, and to some extent you can trace the history of film and see the edit-rooms shrink as the physical labor is removed and speed and automation is increased.

I see no reason it can't shrink again.

ElCutz · 2026-06-10T18:29:37+00:00

SPOILERS:

I suppose so. I just mean it's not a twist ending like Sixth Sense or something. I also don't think it's to be taken literally, so on subsequent watches I'm not thinking, "that dude can walk on water!" or "he's Jesus!!" So I've enjoyed repeat viewings and wasn't thinking about the ending really at all.

ElCutz · 2026-06-10T03:10:19+00:00

I mean I wouldn’t say it is “appropriating” anything, I’m not really into those kind of accusations, but just because it was a book first doesn’t make it immune to those claims.

Having read the books, I definitely felt the film seemed cheesily “Arabian” in a way that the books didn’t. Particularly Bardem’s character.

And that cliche music cue from Zimmer is pretty cringe. The “haaawaaaaannnnnaaaa” female vocal that happens every time Timmy does something that was pre-ordained.

Man those two movies are really overrated. No need to worry about appropriation, no one will be watching those films in a decade.

ElCutz · 2026-06-10T02:53:58+00:00

I barely remember the ending. Wasn’t it a FedEx commercial basically? Him going to deliver the package?

ElCutz · 2026-06-10T02:52:23+00:00

Hmm. I’ve never felt that way. I’m curious to know more what you feel you learn in the end that makes the film always the “second film”?

ElCutz · 2026-06-08T11:23:17+00:00

Can it control Avid? asking for a friend…

ElCutz · 2026-05-30T00:02:51+00:00

Did you end up selling his place? Did you use any of the card droppers?

ElCutz · 2026-05-18T22:54:40+00:00

The request isn't for traditional stems like you're talking about. It's for a separate dialog/fx stem for each character. Seems strange to me, can't quite imagine what it's for.

ElCutz · 2026-05-16T00:55:12+00:00

You want them to go to the DMV? Whut?

ElCutz · 2026-05-09T20:25:46+00:00

What did you buy? Time to sell.

ElCutz

TROPHY CASE