The Producer Report: On Set Edit

helmetcam recording to HD hard disc in a backpack with the signal wirelessly relayed to a back up hard disc. “The advantage of having Leo on set meant we could go directly into an editing tent to review what we’d shot and discuss whether elements were missing or see if something was working because the singular perspective made this unconventional filming approach tricky,” says Golley. “It was vital to ensure we got the cut since we were in the desert for two weeks, 300 miles from the nearest town, so a reshoot was impossible.” King worked from a low resolution version of

the day’s rushes, with timecode, downloaded straight from hard disc into a laptop loaded with Avid Media Composer. He compiled a rough cut then pasted over the playback version with the full resolution rushes. “On location, I pull together rough cuts so that

everyone has an idea of how the story is coming together,” says King. “It will very rarely become the final cut, although I have done a job for American Express where the client wanted a finished version to premiere online within a day or so of the shoot.”

King performed a similar role for Golley on a

previous Army spot shot in Belize, and on another Spank Film commercial, this time for LG Steam washing machines, the centrepiece of which was a giant cloud of liquid nitrogen ballooning through the streets of San Francisco. “We had a tight post schedule but editing on set

allowed us to deliver a working cut to The Mill on arrival in the UK,” says Golley.

SHORT–FORM WORK

Location edits have been adopted more readily for commercials than other genres in part because of stringent turnaround times and the ability to show work in progress to anxious agencies and clients. “I try and avoid showing the client on set, although it’s something you have to handle diplomatically,” says Golley. “Experienced agencies understand that the editor is there for a purely technical reason and not to present work.” However, on-set editing is not always applicable. Music video shoots don’t lend themselves to editing on the fly since most promos are comprised of multiple shots of the band’s song. “There are so

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