2015 Movie Mash-Up: Editing and workflow analysis

- Well, actually that is what I want to look at in the example that we have here. So, yeah, let's take a look at it. For everyone watching, let's look for that. Let's look for where the cuts are and what's happening in a shot and the relationships between the shots to see how you've Monicized this montage. (laughs) - There are no effects in this, by the way. - Which is good to know, which is good to know. - (laughs) Yeah. I am not just a one trick pony. The editing is, or the magic is happening in the editing, not in the sparkles, right? - Yes. It's a different kind of sparkles. - (laughs) Alright, let's take a look at the movie mash up. (dramatic music) - The imitation game, would you like to play? - Who are you? - I'm the new lobby boy. - My name is Stephen Hawking. (dramatic music) - They call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. (A Capella music) - Where's my kiss? (guitar music) - Why are you staring at me? - Because you're beautiful. (guitar music) (laughter) - Welcome to an evening with Annie and Jay. (strange laughter) (dramatic music) - I look like I need a bra. - I think you're going through manopause. (dramatic music) (screaming) - I just don't want you getting hurt. - I'm not gonna get hurt. Oh, I broke my ass. (air letting out) - Ow, get off. (yelling) - Holy sh-- - He got the interview! - High five! (slapping) - Whoa, hey now! - Not quite my tempo. (rap music) - Dance off, bro. - Awesome! (techno music) - What the hell you doing? - It's the mash potato. - That ain't nobody's mashed potato. - Before we get started, does anyone want to get out? (breaking glass) (swoosh) (heavy metal music) (breaking glass) - I'm thinking I'm back. (gunshot) (gunshot) - Eh, eh! (snap) (explosion) (heavy metal music) - This isn't real. (breaking glass) - I'm not gonna make it! - Yes, you are. (dramatic music) - If we burn, then you burn with us! (explosion) (dramatic music) (screams) - Get em! (explosion) (dramatic music) - I'm ready to come home. (fast, dramatic music) - It is unacceptable that they use their power and keep us voiceless! - It's time for me to become my own person. - We have each other. Everything else is background noise. (dramatic music) - Live in the moment. - Where there is life, there is hope. - Write your own stories. - I just want to be able to do anything I want because it makes me feel alive. (dramatic music) Sometimes it's the people who didn't want to imagine anything at all, who do the things that no one can imagine. - Alright. So, how did you do that? (laughs) Was there anything that you did on paper before getting it into the timeline as far as, I mean you definitely have sections, motifs, things that are aligning, and then... I'm just curious about what approach you took. - Well, it was definitely a team effort. There's a producer that I worked with directly. We both worked directly on this, and what she did is, she had an entire list of movies and it was based on the top 100 movies released, and this includes the top 50 box office, domestic box office release. The nominees for best actress, actor, leading and supporting, and best picture nominees. They all needed to be included. My producer, before she even came into the cutting room with me, she had this whole list and she pulled her kind of like a selects. When I say she had a list, like she gave me a packet, like this thick. It took me two and a half days just to string it out, and we were selective going through it. It was really like, oh, this movie, this movie, this movie, this movie. She really didn't put it in any order she just kind of like, sound ups she liked and shot selections she liked, and names of movies, just so we'd remember to look at them. She she came into the bay with this huge stack of paper, gave it to me, and she's like, okay, let's just start stringing it out first. I'm like alright. I just started watching trailers with her. I would pick shots I wanted and we did that for two and a half days. Then we had this nice long string. I think our initial string out had 136 films in it. This one had 102 films in it. Then from there, we just refined. I started grouping things together thematically, like all that action section's very obvious and the punching section. We knew we needed a way-- - It's even as specific as like a face coming towards the camera. It's motions, it's gestures. What you were talking about before, it's shots, shot composition. - There's even relational shots. There's a section that I like to call Pratt on Pratt. It was like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt says "dance off bro." Then it cuts to Chris Pratt in the Lego movie. So I call that Pratt on Pratt. It just, I don't know if anyone noticed it, but it amused the hell out of me. I'm like oh yeah, I'm not moving that. Those are going next to each other. 'Cause that is just too hilarious and I think people watching will get a kick out of it. I always include little details like that for the fans. 'Cause I'm just a huge nerd. Like I'm just a fangirl and I love watching films, and I love all those popcorn movies. And, I love all the fancy pants movies that always get nominated. I like watching those. But I love the popcorn movies as well. I appreciate them all. I love B movies too. Like, I watch them all. - Well, and just a whole lot of creative license within... Definitely they tell you what you want, they tell you the structure that they're after, but down to the very granular of everything that you've put into it, it's your creative decisions, which is so cool.