Definition June 2024 - Newsletter

THE LAST OF US POST-PRODUCTION

During our conversation, Bolter drew attention to the quality of Good’s first cuts on The Last of Us . Good modestly assured us this was a product of tech- enabled collaboration: “The reason I’m able to do that is because everyone’s communicating with me using all the different technology available. I don’t put flabby cuts together, that’s for sure. I am able to do that because of the collaboration between us.” Down to talent and tools, Good and Bolter’s close collaboration was powerful. Bolter recalled: “I’ve got quite a few memories of being stood on set, having just watched a scene that Tim had cut a week earlier, from something we’d shot a month earlier. Jeremy [Webb, the director] and I watched the end of episode 5 on set. And both of us had a little cry, just from the assembly. It was amazing to be able to watch The Last of Us in high quality on set. It was surreal.” technology wish lists? Though happy with his current remote working set-up, Good has the following request: “Currently, I see an emulation of a monitor. I don’t see a monitor itself when I’m working. For me, the next step will be to actually see the image versus a compressed stream of a monitor’s image.” Will Newman is the Digital Media WHAT’S NEXT? So, what’s next on editors’ cloud Production Center manager at Sony Media Solutions. Check out episode 3 of Sony’s Cloudsourcing Storytelling podcast to learn more about the editing process on The Last of Us

NEW BEGINNINGS Cloud-based technology has revolutionised the industry, allowing a global community to log in from anywhere

But does it somehow make it harder for editors to get to the heart of a project? If you ask Good, the answer is a resounding ‘no’. Thankfully, unlike series protagonist Joel, he didn’t have to rely on a cryptic radio code to work with distant colleagues! The same cloud-based technology that enabled remote working also enabled seamless communication with the set. This, according to Good, is what mattered most. He explains: “Technology now enables editors and the post-production community to work globally, which is fascinating.” Reflecting on his close working relationship with esteemed director of photography Eben Bolter, Tim adds: “I immediately connected with Eben because he wanted to have a very open line of communication, which is rare. The set worked together very communicatively and collaboratively. I got the sense of being there without actually being on set, which allowed me to do my best work and to bring the best of the set into the edit.”

Bolter echoed a similar sentiment: “It’s easy for DOPs like me and editors to be strangers. I wrap. I go to another job. Then, I see the project in the grade and think, ‘Oh wow, they didn’t use that?’ Sometimes, it’s heartbreaking to learn that a scene you love has been cut. But if you can understand the bigger picture, the reason why, it’s much better to know.”

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