the post production diary

I am Billy, the 1st assistant Editor on ‘The Golden Age,’ and I will be keeping a diary throughout the post production of the film. Our Editor is the amazing Jill Bilcock, some of her past credits include Moulin Rouge, The Libertine, Road to Perdition, Romeo + Juliet and of course the 1st Elizabeth.


We both came over to England from Australia and started work at the beginning of principle photography at Shepperton Film Studio’s, South West of inner London. When the film crew weren’t out on location they were shooting in the film stages that surround our cutting room. Since the end of the shoot we have moved the cutting rooms to Soho (inner London) where we will spend the remainder of our time on the film.
This time will be spent with Jill and Shekhar working together on the Directors cut, at the same time we will be working with our visual effects company (MPC), sound department, Composers and of course our Producers.
I plan to make this diary cover both the creative and technical side of our post production time as well as an incite into our daily going-ons.
Today, Shekhar is with Jill going through the entire Assembly for the first time, until now he has only seen the first 40minutes. I have received and am loading the footage that 2nd Unit shot last week into the lightworks(our editing system), this consists of the background elements(plates) of the ocean that VFX will integrate with the bluescreen footage shot by main unit.
More tomorrow,
Billy

2 thoughts on “the post production diary

  1. hi Bill…
    this blog thing of Mr. Shekhar Kapur is a fantastic thing. and i appreciate and thank you for adding your valuable experiences in the making of ‘The Golden Age’
    i will save these blogs so that when the film comes out i will cross check this process with whatever is there as a final thing. i am also going to request Mr. Shekhar Kapur to put the SCREENPLAY DRAFTS of THE GOLDEN AGE on this blog after the film is released. so that i can cross check how actually a particular scene was visualised on the paper and then what is there on the screen and what must have gone under production and then in the post production. it will be a great learning process for me.
    this whole big set up is a fairy land for me. i can’t imagine that there could be a post like 1st assistant EDITOR!!!!!!!!! GREAT…
    and i dont know whether one can ask questions in this particualr blog or not? but i am asking questions even then…
    my questions –
    Question 1.
    what kind of set up you are using to edit The Golden age?
    i mean whether it is a FCP or AVID or EDIT-6 and whether it is a turn key set up? and which website i can visit to see those editing set ups?
    and you have mentioned about some VFX, is it a special effect software? what kind of special effect software are you using? and whether it is a part of the editing software or it is a differnt software all together?
    just throw a light on these basic things if you can so i can get tuned with the ambience!
    say suppose you are giving a tour of the studio, how will you orient a dumb fellow? like that please orient me about the set up in BRIEF!!!
    (question 1 has so many sub questions….hahahaha)
    Question 2.
    What makes you, personally, a creative editor and not just an operating editor? can you throw light on your own style of editing? this is a very broad question but if you can sense what i am trying to ask please answer!!!
    Questio 3.
    according to you as an EDITOR what do you think about Mr. Shekhar Kapur as a director? if good why? if average why? if bad why? you can throw light on this from EDITOR’s POINT OF VIEW. ( all of us already know that Mr. Kapur is a fantabulous director but please answer this from EDITOR’s point of view…)
    Question 4.
    last but not at all least……………….. as an editor what do you think about The Golden Age? is it WORKING? ( ….this is the most foolish and wicked question but the most relevant for you personally…)
    if this kind of interaction is not allowed on this blog then i will just read the pages of the diary. even then its going to be a great value addition for me!!!
    thank you again…
    best wishes!!!
    take care…
    kedar…
    PS: how are you going to cover the creative side of the post production in this diary? won’t it be GIVING out the secrets of the film?

  2. Hello Billy, and hello’s to Shekhar and Jill!!
    I have NO clue as to how filming is processed; but, of course, love the finished production!!
    So, in this light; I am quite looking forward to reading the ins and outs of post production process’s…thankyou Shekhar, Billy for letting us INto your world!!
    With Loving Kindness,
    North
    http://spiritsinmotion.blogspot.com/

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