An Overview of Desktop Moviemaking

by Michael E. Phillips | Published January 2, 1998

A version of an edited scene. Notice the number of audio tracks that can be assembled and monitored.

Watching computers and digital processes change the way films are made has been a fascinating journey. Today, thanks to budget concerns, the growing demand for the special effects, and shorter times to market, the fundamental way a film is made-from beginning to end-has been radically altered.

Editing on digital nonlinear editing (DNLE) systems did not take off in Hollywood until the summer of 1992 when Avid delivered the first true 24-frame capture, editing, and playback system-the Avid Film Composer. This marked a milestone in the history of feature film post-production, which has continued to mature and evolve over the last five years. Film editing remained relatively unchanged for 95 years, but during the last five, the growth that DNLE systems have experienced has meant that now 80 percent of the films coming out of Hollywood are edited digitally.

One of the biggest advantages of DNLE systems is that many versions of a scene can be made available at any time. These versions can be of a scene, several scenes, the entire reel or movie. The filmmaker can derive the very best edit from the material at hand, when all the angles and versions can be explored. "Digital cuts" or output to tape can be done at any time so the director can take the film home or outside the editing environment. With an integrated process available on systems such as the ones Avid offers, changes are not as difficult and can be made quickly.

Also significant is the availability of these systems at lower prices both for rental and purchase. Lower equipment costs have allowed filmmakers working with modest budgets to enjoy the benefits of digital editing. This year's IFFM in New York showed that 54 percent of all films screened at the market were edited on an Avid. Forty percent of those films were edited on film and six percent used other forms of digital editing equipment. In total, 60 percent were done through digital means. Compared to the top 150 studio-released films of last year, approximately 80 percent were done on DNLE systems, with the remainder done on film.

At the high end, the Film Composer continues to expand to meet the needs of the editor, with additions to bring about a collaborative workspace and process. Usually, the functions that are required in a digital film post environment are appropriate to the scale of the film. For a big budget feature, there may be hundreds of people working together to accomplish a unified and focused vision. Independent films have much smaller crews and it is not uncommon to find that the film is being produced, directed, and edited by the same person.

Typical process of a film during post production. Each of the main areas of post branch out into smaller ones. Using digital processes the arrows can be in the next room or next door or halfway around the world.

So where does it go from here? If we look at developments over the last year or so, the greatest areas of efficiency and cost savings have occurred in the area of sound for both high and low-budget films.

Avid's integrated process spearheaded the notion of using final sound directly from the DNLE system on a 1994 35mm feature we co-edited called Patriots. This was the first film edited digitally at 24 fps which moved original production audio through a digital post-production flow. As soon as the original DAT's were available from the set, they were digitized directly via AES/EBU digital input directly into the Film Composer. Avid had created a post-production audio flow on paper that theoretically worked but had never been successfully accomplished. Since the Film Composer plays at a true 24 fps and is not referenced to video (which turns film into 23.976 fps), production audio could be digitized directly into the system and synched internally. As a result, we digitized original audio, synched it to picture within the Film Composer, and the audio remained in digital form throughout the final mix. Each day, the film dailies were transferred without sound (MOS) which allowed for a much faster and cheaper transfer.

Once picture was locked, the film was broken down into 1,000-foot individual reels and prepared for import into Avid's AudioVision. Since AudioVision uses the same file format for audio, it was just a matter of handing over the hard drives with the already-digitized audio. This meant that there was no need to re-digitize audio and conform to an Edit Decision List (EDL). The sound editors had all the trims and alternate takes available at any time. Through the use of OMF (Open Media Framework) the edited tracks were exported and imported into AudioVision. Literally, within 15 minutes, the sound editors were editing dialogue.

While viewing the answer print, every reel was in perfect sync and the workflow process had been proven. When we began to spread the word about this method, it didn't take long for people working on high-budget features to realize that the savings are potentially enormous. Films such as Nixon, The Fifth Element, and the in-progress Star Wars prequel have adopted this method.

Telecine transfer file as generated by an Aaton Keylinker. This file contains all the Keycode and timecode information needed for list generation and conforming.

The system was also used for Alaska but the concept was taken even further by providing digital audio synchronization for dailies and screenings of edited reels. This was accomplished by using the file compatibility between the Film Composer and DigiDesign Pro Tools. By locking the ProTools station to the bi-phase signal from the film projector, digital audio from the hard drives was in sync with the print at any time. Editor Rob Kobrin claimed a savings of at least $30,000 in mag stock alone, not to mention the savings in time and money not having to digitize audio multiple times throughout post-production.

Another interesting aspect is the creation of very complex "temp" mixes, where dialogue, stereo music, and effects are mixed on the Film ComposerR and then played directly from disk. On the new James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, very full temp mixes are done, resulting in a greater experience for the creative staff. When it comes time for preview screenings, the mixes are played directly from hard disk or a mag is created, resulting in greater savings for the production.

The process of synching audio dailies is still undergoing change. Aaton's "Keylinker" and the "InDaw" system allow synching during transfer on-the-fly with less than a one-eighth of a frame lock-up time. This is achieved by transferring all the audio dailies into the InDaw (a digital audio workstation) for clap and sync verification. These files, once in a digital file format (wav) are stored on an Iomega Jaz drive and delivered to telecine. Since the files are now playing from a hard disk, extremely fast lock-up times can be achieved. Normally, using a DAT to chase timecode takes about two seconds of lock-up time. Another problem eliminated is the amount of pre-roll the on-set sound recorder must create, thus saving time.

The audio files that now exist on the Jaz disc are in digital format and contain all the timecode data from the set. This is the beginning of the digital audio process discussed earlier. These Jaz discs can now be delivered to the edit room and using an Avid utility. "Wav-to-OMF," the digital audio files are converted as OMF files as they are copied to the editing system. The resulting OMF files can then be imported automatically, bringing timecode and shoot date data and automatically synched with the picture dailies.

Many people ask: "Does this technology save money?" Yes, depending upon how the technology is applied, as in the case of audio post, the filmmaker can save time and money. In all cases, "going digital" has the ability to remove the redundancy of the process among different work flows, allowing greater quality and less time to achieve the finished result. Sometimes the savings are marginal but the editor achieves much more freedom and creativity.

Another interesting development is the need for a collaborative multi-system, networked solution. Larger budget films today carry forward both traditional workprint as well as the digital process, more editors and assistants are added to the crew to meet the demands of this dual-process. This is especially true on high-budget films where multiple editors may be working to get the film finished in order to meet the release date. As budgets get lower, there is less need for the multi-system networked solution than for a single multi-function integrated workstation. Today, with high budget films, it is common to see multiple Film Composers and Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) linked together for simultaneous work.

The common ingredient to all processes at any budget level is a need for a common file format that can be used within this process. We should examine more closely the post production process of a high-budget film and then compare that to one of a lower budget.

Large productions often tend to be in many places and move from location to location. The delivery of dailies needs to be tracked on a daily basis and reports are constantly being logged, photocopied, and passed on. These are all done by hand and the paperwork forms large binders that hang on the editorial wall. Assistants are synching workprint with mag and sending the reels out to telecine for transfer. The videotapes are logged and digitized into the DNLE system. The source data increases as each part of the process is completed.

As is evident, the amount of data for any given shot starts to increase rather quickly as the picture and sound move through each of the different processes. For example, any single picture frame can be identified three ways: film timecode, keykode, or acmade code. Although they all reference the same frame, they may point to a different source reel.

This is where electronic and digital media eliminates the time it takes to get from point to point in the post production process. What is really required is something that provides moviemakers with the ability to have an integrated database of all elements that are accessible to all who need to know the status of the film. Databases are very good at keeping versions, and have check-in/check-out functions that only allow the latest version to be manipulated by one person at a time.

The collaborative work environment of a large-budget feature is the most demanding. It has the highest requirements for common formats and interchange. A number of the larger action films now have two or more picture editors working simultaneously from shared storage. In this way, the director can access the entire film from any of the editing stations. The media that exists on the large pool of drives can then be networked to the audio editors doing dialogue and sound effects editing. The composer can start writing immediately after being sent a version of a scene. It could very well be that the special effects artist is working in another state and digital "comps" are sent via modem so that the asset management program contains the latest version.

For example, the director may want to see all of the elements for scene 31. If the criteria for the search was just "31" in the scene field, then everything associated with that scene would be available for viewing. There may be some new background elements created in a paint package that could include some temp sound effects to drop into the track, musical score, all the script pages that cover scene 31, camera reports, sound reports, and so forth.

As post-production schedules get shorter, it is imperative that these tools exist to allow an answer to be given before costly re-dos become necessary.

As the media is exchanged from system to system, the need for a common file format and description of the file becomes important. OMF was developed by Avid and other manufacturers to create a common interchange file format. Not only can the file go from platform to platform, but it also contains data on all the sources that made up that file. To keep it simple, it is the equivalent of the recipe and the ingredients. The recipe will tell the user how he can align and prepare the ingredients to recreate the final product. If the recipe also contains these ingredients, the user can simply use the file in whatever application and platform they are working with.

This is the frame view of the data. Editors can choose how they would like to interact with the source footage.

This type of digital filmmaking has been used to great success on films such as Men in Black and The Fifth Element. On The Fifth Element Avid was able to set up a digital post process that allowed all the sound elements to be converted once to a digital file format and then used throughout post to final mix. During the input of dailies, the assistant digitized directly from the location field DATs via AES/EBU. All timecode information was captured and stored as data. After each day's dailies, the digitized audio from the hard drives was backed up to DLT (Digital Linear Tape), an archiving system. Each backup tape holds 31 hours of stereo 48 kHz audio. These tapes were then sent to the sound editors so they could have access to all the audio. During the editing process, OMF files were generated to describe the latest version of a reel. The files directly link to the audio media on the sound editor's station. There was never a need to go back to the original DATs.

The process described was done amongst many people in many different places. Having the audio media backed up via an archiving solution allowed for a quick and easy way to get material from one editing room to another. If a network has already been established between the locations, the files could have easily been sent in real time or less, depending on the speed of the network.

If we look at a lower budget film, the need for distance connectivity is no longer a need. A unique combination of products can be purchased that allow a complete motion picture to be edited (picture and sound) and mixed to a final master on a single Macintosh platform, by using the same technology that is available in a collaborative workspace. The package includes three main editing pieces: MCXpress, AudioVision, and ProTools. All boards and software can be installed on a single Mac 9600. Although the process flow is the same, all files remain on the system.

Picture and sound are digitized and stored on the drives. With the offline resolution available, the moviemaker would have about 45 minutes of picture and stereo sound for every one gigabyte (GB) of hard drive space. Nine GB drives are very common; on some independent projects, we have been able to edit several low budget features on a total of three 9 GB drives. Since lower budget films tend to have a smaller shooting ratio, the amount of storage needed is usually not a concern.

Once the final cut has been reached, the same OMF file is exported, then imported into AudioVision. The picture editing portion of the process is over, and the sound editing process can begin. It's important to note that each of the software packages addresses the needs for each of the creative processes. Picture editors can edit many versions, pre-visualize any effects that may be required, design a title sequence, and see all these effects in real time.

This also true for the sound editors. Once the OMF file is opened in AudioVision, they can pick up the editing process exactly where the picture editor left off. This only takes minutes for an entire film; in the past this process alone would have taken a week.

Continuing in a totally digital audio environment, AudioVision is a dedicated audio workstation with an integrated digital picture, on which dialogue editing and track lay-up can be completed. It also includes an ADR (automated dialog replacement) tool to fix troublesome dialogue spots or to enhance the story through new dialogue. All music editing and mixing are then completed using ProTools and the final mix is now available as a stereo master. This master mix is saved as an OMF file and the entire mix is brought back into MCXpress.

Since MCXpress is both an offline and an online tool, the sequence of the locked picture can now be redigitized at a much higher resolution. This saves the filmmaker the cost of going to a traditional online room to conform a viewing copy for film festivals or distributors. All the effects and titles are completed with Betacam quality picture. The mix master track is added and a final output to tape is created. A negative cutlist is generated from the Film Matchback tool that creates film negative cutlists so that the original film elements can be conformed. The mix master is sent via DAT to the optical house and an answer print is struck.

All of these capabilities on a single system meet the needs of the professional moviemaker working on either a film or video project. As technology continues to advance and become more cost effective, independent filmmakers will have even more tools available for storytelling. MM

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