Locking the Final Edit

Whew, well we did it! We finally put the finishing touches on the Death Grip edit, so the picture is now officially locked!

Now all we need to do is send the last bit of footage off to our very accomplished composer Brett Cameron Perry, sound editor & mixer Matteo Grilli, colorist Drew Daniels, and visual effects artist Shaun Finney… and wait for the remaining pieces to fall into place!

While we wait, this becomes a good time for some reflection. And since our director Eric Jacobus also happens to be the editor as well, he had some interesting insights into that experience and why it might have actually been better to have someone else do the editing.

As directors we’ve all heard it: you shouldn’t edit your film because you become attached to it. But being married to footage is only half of the problem, and it’s not impossible to overcome that… The real issue, however, is that as directors we’re married to “directing”. Directors tell people what to do, while editors help viewers understand what the hell the director was thinking. A director in the editor’s seat will glue shots together to tell the audience what to think, forcing his vision across even if there’s not enough information to really make the idea work. Editors glue shots to make use of the target viewers’ average mental faculties, producing the intended effect.

To read Eric’s full post on the subject, check out his blog The Actionist.

The Value of Visual Fx

Our last post emphasized the value of having a really good, compelling musical score for your film. But what other elements are essential to a truly quality final picture?

Well if we’re talking about picture quality, then possibly the most important element to the audience’s suspension of disbelief is the visual effects.

Take this exclusive sneak peek into one of the key climax scenes in Death Grip (complete with freshly composed music):

Pretty gripping, huh?

Well without the visual effects added to that gun shot, you might not have been able to tell where Kenny was shot, or have missed the shot altogether – completely ruining that moment. But with the extra blood and dust effects, you can plainly see where our hero has been injured, and what wound he will have to overcome, as he faces the film’s ultimate villain (played by Johnny Yong Bosch).

Thanks to our visual effects artist, Shaun Finney, we have created a most suspenseful and captivating scene for our film – and one that I’m sure has you itching to see more!

What will happen to our hero Kenny? And can the villain Torch be stopped?

Find out soon, and stay tuned to see more exclusive sneak peeks into the deadly world of Death Grip!