NOVEL NEXT Exploiting Hollywood 1980.
Chapter 45 The Implications of Intuition
Chapter 45 The Implications of Intuition
Ronald tossed and turned in bed and didn't sleep well all night.
Sometimes, judging whether a person is talented in something is to see whether he can quickly recognize a master.Only by knowing who is good can we talk about learning and improving.
Many people have read books and practiced for many years, and they can't tell who is real kung fu and who is fake, so they can't be said to be talented.
Walter Murch is such an expert, he replied a few times, as if he opened a door in front of Ronald, allowing him to peek into the real secrets of the top directors in the film palace.He slammed the door shut again.
Of course, if you meet an expert, if you are willing to teach you, you have to talk about fate.Walter Murch and Ronald were quite eye-catching. After a few rounds of questions and answers between the two, Walter asked Ronald to be his assistant.
The original plan was to stay in Los Angeles and wait for the fall semester to return to New York for college.But when encountering such a rare opportunity to study side by side with the master, Ronald did not want to let it go.
After thinking about it all night, I made a special trip to consult the former boss Roger Coleman the next day.
Roger Corman, who had heard that Walter Murch had approved him as an editing assistant at Diorama, agreed:
"You may not know that Walter Murch was at USC, and George Lucas, the director of Star Wars, was the two best students at that time. George's film debut, THX1138, was written by Walter.
He later moved into the field of sound editing, Coppola's film "Eavesdropping Conspiracy", for which Walter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects. He also made the 'Godfather' recording, though not signed. "
"Coppola admires him very much. If the diorama company had not had financial difficulties because of this 'Apocalypse Now,' Walter would have had the opportunity to direct last year."
"So you think I should give up college and study editing at Diorama?"
"No, no, Ronald, that's not what I mean, I think you should go to college."
Roger Coleman said solemnly, "Anyone who has the opportunity should try college life, which will change a person's way of thinking and change their destiny.
You go to school first. Anyway, Walter always welcomes you to go. You can go to study with him during your vacation. "
Ronald nodded, he was indeed a little too urgent.
"I heard from Mr. Murzi that he will come to New World Company to give a lecture today. Can I attend?"
Roger Coleman stood up and hugged Ronald, "Son, you are always welcome here."
Walter Murch's lecture was held in the New World Company Screening Room.Ronald arrived early and took a seat by the aisle. This is the place where he watched the sample of "Rock High School". It was a bit kind to return to a place full of memories.
Walter Murch is a multidisciplinary professional who cuts film and does sound editing as well.So the editors and sound mixers in the new world all came to listen to his lectures.
Walter first played a clip, a black-and-white clip from an early Hollywood film, about five minutes long.
"Has anyone noticed anything special about this film?"
"He didn't edit it, it was shot to the end." An editor replied.
"Yes, in fact Hitchcock also made such a movie. His Rope, the whole movie has only 8 shots, each film is connected with a black screen, except for a jump cut in the middle, the whole film Not a single cut."
"My question is, if the film can be shot like this, why do you need to edit it?"
Walter Murch continued to ask and answer for himself.
"There are two reasons. One is the difficulty of filming. This kind of shooting requires a long time of rehearsal, and if a place is not handled well, the long shot will have to be reshot. For cost reasons, Hollywood chose editing instead of long shots."
Walter Murch, went on to play another clip, Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," the opening sequence.
An ape throws a bone into the air, and when it falls it becomes a long spaceship.
"Another reason is that editing can challenge the limits of human imagination. If we all use Hitchcock's methods, then such imaginative narratives cannot be completed.
Millions of years of evolutionary history of human beings are completed in this one drop.You can't find a simpler way to express it than Kubrick. "
"That's what editing is about."
Walter Murch is like an encyclopedic guru, speaking eloquently on film editing, sound recording, sound editing, and more.
Sometimes quotes from Beethoven's symphony, sometimes from Shakespeare's 24-line poem, and sometimes from the ancient Eastern Book of Changes to explain various editing and sound editing methods.
Ronald was enthralled.
For example, when he said that movies are more like Beethoven in classical music.One of the characteristics of Beethoven's music is the introduction of dynamic range.The music can be very loud at one moment and very soft at another.
Just like the close-up and perspective of a movie lens, you can switch at any time.In the older Bach, there is absolutely no comparison of such a difference of hundreds of times loudness.
For another example, when he talked about the use of soundtracks in movies, don't tell the audience in advance where the climax of the plot is.
In order to save trouble, many editors and sound editors will match a piece of weird music when they encounter scary things.When you are happy, have a happy time.
But before the characters discover the danger, you add a dangerous soundtrack, and the audience will not be so afraid when they really see the fright of the danger.Because they have been prompted by the music: danger is coming.
In the movie "The Godfather", the classic Michael Corleone assassination shot.Walter Murch kept quiet, without any background music.
The climax of the opera was not matched until after the assassination was completed.This completes the emotional experience of the audience.
"Ambient music is an amplifier of emotions, not a generator," concluded Walter Murch.
"When it comes to ambient music, I think music should be globalized."
Worldizing does not mean using music from other countries in the world, but that the music in the movie should feel the same as what we hear in the real world, instead of directly using the record track.
Walter Murch goes back to the wedding scene at the beginning of "The Godfather," because most people have seen that movie except poor Ronald.
"In the wedding scene, when we were filming, we played music on the spot, so the live radio would record noises, voices, the sound of the wind blowing through the microphone, and most importantly, we were more than ten meters away from the performance recording. local recording.
Human ears are very sensitive, and we can easily distinguish a sound source if it is placed more than ten meters, a few meters, or 100 meters away.
If we synthesized the music from the godfather's wedding directly from the record track, we'd lose most of the real-world information.
Therefore, I synthesized the soundtrack of the live radio and the soundtrack of the record at the same time. When the scene is outside, I will play a little more live soundtrack, so when you watch the wedding scene, you will have the feeling of being in it. "
No wonder the music of "Rock High School" is a bit weird and lacks a sense of presence.
Ronald thought to himself.After I participated in the filming and post-production of "Rock High School", and then listened to Walter Murch's lectures, I was able to improve some ranks.
"How can we better determine where a certain shot should be cut? Sometimes it feels similar to cut in the first half second or the last half second." An editor asked.
"That's a good question, and my answer is, let our intuition tell us, where should we cut it?"
Ronald pricked up his ears involuntarily when he heard that Walter Murch also raised his intuition.
"If you stay with a movie for a long time, you will form an intuition. The director's guidance, the performance of the actors, the interaction between the actors, a movie will have its own unique rhythm.
As long as we feel this rhythm, we can use our intuition to find the frame.No matter how many times you hit the stop button, the movie will stop at the same frame each time. "
What?The editors below started talking to each other with a coax.
Is this possible?A second movie can play 24 frames of film, and the time of each frame is only 24/[-]th of a second. Play the movie at normal speed, and then press the stop button every time, can it be played on the same frame?
"Actually, if I don't hit the same frame twice, I know I haven't developed an intuition. I'll go back and watch more film until I get those emotions, feelings, performances into my brain, internalized as intuitive Part of it, so I can play on the same grid."
"Then if you want to stop at the same space every time, is there any trick?" Ronald took the opportunity to ask.
“Hi, hello, Ronald. Yes, I have a few tricks that help me do that. The easiest trick is to edit standing up,” Walter said.
Standing clip?Can you still sit?Ronald was a little puzzled.The editor next to him whispered, "Walter and the others are in the diorama, using a West German KEM editing machine, which is horizontal, and needs to be edited while sitting in front of the table."
"Humans evolved from apes, and we are used to standing and walking. When standing, human intuition responds the fastest and most accurately. This is the intuition that humans have evolved over millions of years of hunting, so I am used to editing while standing. "
"The second technique is to imagine yourself watching the film on a big screen. The window of the editing machine is generally very small, and the small picture will create an illusion.
In fact, when playing on the big screen, the picture will have more details, which will cause the editing points that are established on the small screen to be invalid on the big screen. "
Walter Murch added: "I usually stack two little people out of paper, a man and a woman, and put them in front of the screen of the editing machine, so that I can imagine what I would see on the big screen."
It turns out that what Walter Murch meant, intuition is the internalization of various daily feelings. As long as we are immersed in a world for a long time, we will also intuitively make decisions, which often best meet the needs of this world.
Could it be that my intuition came from watching movies in my previous life?That is, how many movies have you watched before you can naturally have all kinds of intuitive premonitions?Could it be that I was a fan in my previous life?
After the lecture was over, Walter Murray called Ronald and handed him a bottle.
Ronald took it and saw that it was a bottle of honey.
"This is the honey made by my wife Angie and my own bees. This is the best honey, for you." Walter Murch said with a smile.
"I'm leaving for Cannes right now, and Coppola will continue to edit the film there. I heard from Roger that you're going to study at New York University in the fall. Next summer, I'll be waiting for you in San Francisco."
Ronald excitedly embraced Merzie, who was born in 1943, exactly the age of Ronald's uncle.
"Remember to watch more good movies, whether they are new movies or old movies, that is the source of inspiration." Walter Murch urged.
The two waved goodbye.
Ronald felt that everything was over in Los Angeles, and there would be no good opportunities for improvement if he stayed any longer. He should go back to Staten Island, New York, and prepare for college life and photography business in New York.
(End of this chapter)
Ronald tossed and turned in bed and didn't sleep well all night.
Sometimes, judging whether a person is talented in something is to see whether he can quickly recognize a master.Only by knowing who is good can we talk about learning and improving.
Many people have read books and practiced for many years, and they can't tell who is real kung fu and who is fake, so they can't be said to be talented.
Walter Murch is such an expert, he replied a few times, as if he opened a door in front of Ronald, allowing him to peek into the real secrets of the top directors in the film palace.He slammed the door shut again.
Of course, if you meet an expert, if you are willing to teach you, you have to talk about fate.Walter Murch and Ronald were quite eye-catching. After a few rounds of questions and answers between the two, Walter asked Ronald to be his assistant.
The original plan was to stay in Los Angeles and wait for the fall semester to return to New York for college.But when encountering such a rare opportunity to study side by side with the master, Ronald did not want to let it go.
After thinking about it all night, I made a special trip to consult the former boss Roger Coleman the next day.
Roger Corman, who had heard that Walter Murch had approved him as an editing assistant at Diorama, agreed:
"You may not know that Walter Murch was at USC, and George Lucas, the director of Star Wars, was the two best students at that time. George's film debut, THX1138, was written by Walter.
He later moved into the field of sound editing, Coppola's film "Eavesdropping Conspiracy", for which Walter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects. He also made the 'Godfather' recording, though not signed. "
"Coppola admires him very much. If the diorama company had not had financial difficulties because of this 'Apocalypse Now,' Walter would have had the opportunity to direct last year."
"So you think I should give up college and study editing at Diorama?"
"No, no, Ronald, that's not what I mean, I think you should go to college."
Roger Coleman said solemnly, "Anyone who has the opportunity should try college life, which will change a person's way of thinking and change their destiny.
You go to school first. Anyway, Walter always welcomes you to go. You can go to study with him during your vacation. "
Ronald nodded, he was indeed a little too urgent.
"I heard from Mr. Murzi that he will come to New World Company to give a lecture today. Can I attend?"
Roger Coleman stood up and hugged Ronald, "Son, you are always welcome here."
Walter Murch's lecture was held in the New World Company Screening Room.Ronald arrived early and took a seat by the aisle. This is the place where he watched the sample of "Rock High School". It was a bit kind to return to a place full of memories.
Walter Murch is a multidisciplinary professional who cuts film and does sound editing as well.So the editors and sound mixers in the new world all came to listen to his lectures.
Walter first played a clip, a black-and-white clip from an early Hollywood film, about five minutes long.
"Has anyone noticed anything special about this film?"
"He didn't edit it, it was shot to the end." An editor replied.
"Yes, in fact Hitchcock also made such a movie. His Rope, the whole movie has only 8 shots, each film is connected with a black screen, except for a jump cut in the middle, the whole film Not a single cut."
"My question is, if the film can be shot like this, why do you need to edit it?"
Walter Murch continued to ask and answer for himself.
"There are two reasons. One is the difficulty of filming. This kind of shooting requires a long time of rehearsal, and if a place is not handled well, the long shot will have to be reshot. For cost reasons, Hollywood chose editing instead of long shots."
Walter Murch, went on to play another clip, Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," the opening sequence.
An ape throws a bone into the air, and when it falls it becomes a long spaceship.
"Another reason is that editing can challenge the limits of human imagination. If we all use Hitchcock's methods, then such imaginative narratives cannot be completed.
Millions of years of evolutionary history of human beings are completed in this one drop.You can't find a simpler way to express it than Kubrick. "
"That's what editing is about."
Walter Murch is like an encyclopedic guru, speaking eloquently on film editing, sound recording, sound editing, and more.
Sometimes quotes from Beethoven's symphony, sometimes from Shakespeare's 24-line poem, and sometimes from the ancient Eastern Book of Changes to explain various editing and sound editing methods.
Ronald was enthralled.
For example, when he said that movies are more like Beethoven in classical music.One of the characteristics of Beethoven's music is the introduction of dynamic range.The music can be very loud at one moment and very soft at another.
Just like the close-up and perspective of a movie lens, you can switch at any time.In the older Bach, there is absolutely no comparison of such a difference of hundreds of times loudness.
For another example, when he talked about the use of soundtracks in movies, don't tell the audience in advance where the climax of the plot is.
In order to save trouble, many editors and sound editors will match a piece of weird music when they encounter scary things.When you are happy, have a happy time.
But before the characters discover the danger, you add a dangerous soundtrack, and the audience will not be so afraid when they really see the fright of the danger.Because they have been prompted by the music: danger is coming.
In the movie "The Godfather", the classic Michael Corleone assassination shot.Walter Murch kept quiet, without any background music.
The climax of the opera was not matched until after the assassination was completed.This completes the emotional experience of the audience.
"Ambient music is an amplifier of emotions, not a generator," concluded Walter Murch.
"When it comes to ambient music, I think music should be globalized."
Worldizing does not mean using music from other countries in the world, but that the music in the movie should feel the same as what we hear in the real world, instead of directly using the record track.
Walter Murch goes back to the wedding scene at the beginning of "The Godfather," because most people have seen that movie except poor Ronald.
"In the wedding scene, when we were filming, we played music on the spot, so the live radio would record noises, voices, the sound of the wind blowing through the microphone, and most importantly, we were more than ten meters away from the performance recording. local recording.
Human ears are very sensitive, and we can easily distinguish a sound source if it is placed more than ten meters, a few meters, or 100 meters away.
If we synthesized the music from the godfather's wedding directly from the record track, we'd lose most of the real-world information.
Therefore, I synthesized the soundtrack of the live radio and the soundtrack of the record at the same time. When the scene is outside, I will play a little more live soundtrack, so when you watch the wedding scene, you will have the feeling of being in it. "
No wonder the music of "Rock High School" is a bit weird and lacks a sense of presence.
Ronald thought to himself.After I participated in the filming and post-production of "Rock High School", and then listened to Walter Murch's lectures, I was able to improve some ranks.
"How can we better determine where a certain shot should be cut? Sometimes it feels similar to cut in the first half second or the last half second." An editor asked.
"That's a good question, and my answer is, let our intuition tell us, where should we cut it?"
Ronald pricked up his ears involuntarily when he heard that Walter Murch also raised his intuition.
"If you stay with a movie for a long time, you will form an intuition. The director's guidance, the performance of the actors, the interaction between the actors, a movie will have its own unique rhythm.
As long as we feel this rhythm, we can use our intuition to find the frame.No matter how many times you hit the stop button, the movie will stop at the same frame each time. "
What?The editors below started talking to each other with a coax.
Is this possible?A second movie can play 24 frames of film, and the time of each frame is only 24/[-]th of a second. Play the movie at normal speed, and then press the stop button every time, can it be played on the same frame?
"Actually, if I don't hit the same frame twice, I know I haven't developed an intuition. I'll go back and watch more film until I get those emotions, feelings, performances into my brain, internalized as intuitive Part of it, so I can play on the same grid."
"Then if you want to stop at the same space every time, is there any trick?" Ronald took the opportunity to ask.
“Hi, hello, Ronald. Yes, I have a few tricks that help me do that. The easiest trick is to edit standing up,” Walter said.
Standing clip?Can you still sit?Ronald was a little puzzled.The editor next to him whispered, "Walter and the others are in the diorama, using a West German KEM editing machine, which is horizontal, and needs to be edited while sitting in front of the table."
"Humans evolved from apes, and we are used to standing and walking. When standing, human intuition responds the fastest and most accurately. This is the intuition that humans have evolved over millions of years of hunting, so I am used to editing while standing. "
"The second technique is to imagine yourself watching the film on a big screen. The window of the editing machine is generally very small, and the small picture will create an illusion.
In fact, when playing on the big screen, the picture will have more details, which will cause the editing points that are established on the small screen to be invalid on the big screen. "
Walter Murch added: "I usually stack two little people out of paper, a man and a woman, and put them in front of the screen of the editing machine, so that I can imagine what I would see on the big screen."
It turns out that what Walter Murch meant, intuition is the internalization of various daily feelings. As long as we are immersed in a world for a long time, we will also intuitively make decisions, which often best meet the needs of this world.
Could it be that my intuition came from watching movies in my previous life?That is, how many movies have you watched before you can naturally have all kinds of intuitive premonitions?Could it be that I was a fan in my previous life?
After the lecture was over, Walter Murray called Ronald and handed him a bottle.
Ronald took it and saw that it was a bottle of honey.
"This is the honey made by my wife Angie and my own bees. This is the best honey, for you." Walter Murch said with a smile.
"I'm leaving for Cannes right now, and Coppola will continue to edit the film there. I heard from Roger that you're going to study at New York University in the fall. Next summer, I'll be waiting for you in San Francisco."
Ronald excitedly embraced Merzie, who was born in 1943, exactly the age of Ronald's uncle.
"Remember to watch more good movies, whether they are new movies or old movies, that is the source of inspiration." Walter Murch urged.
The two waved goodbye.
Ronald felt that everything was over in Los Angeles, and there would be no good opportunities for improvement if he stayed any longer. He should go back to Staten Island, New York, and prepare for college life and photography business in New York.
(End of this chapter)
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.