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Michael Kahn  is an American film editor known for his frequent collaboration with Steven Spielberg. His first collaboration with Spielberg was for his 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He has edited all of Spielberg's following films except for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which was edited by Carol Littleton. Michael Kahn has received eight Academy Award nominations for best film editing and has won three times for Raiders of the Lost Ark  1981), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998), which were all films directed by Spielberg.

I decided for this week that I would watch some of the movies that he has edited. I rewatched the movies Ready Player One, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Saving Private Ryan to get a good understanding of the movies he has created. For my current project I have to edit a scene and a trailer so looking at films made by an icon in the industry will help me understand the editing process and theory’s more.

A few quotes from Michael Kahn about editing:

Don’t edit from knowledge, edit from feeling.

If you never make changes to a cut, you will never get to the best cut.

Approach every gig like it’s the first time you have ever edited anything. Don’t bring baggage from previous shows.

His tips for editors:

Michael uses the theory of 3’s for reaction shots. Scenes play best with 3 reaction shots, no more, no less.

To learn about editing, see as many movies as you can, good and bad.

Always duplicate/overlap 2-3 frames on match cuts because of eye sensory lag.

Keep fresh by walking away from your edit. You’ll come back the next day and see a different scene.

These quotes and tips are going to stick with me whilst I edit, and they are all really good advice. All of these apply to the films I watched which is comforting to know that he sticks to his own rules.

In the future I want my career to be video editing in any form, let that be film editing, advertisements or trailers. I plan on researching further into other editors so I can have a wide range of influence and style when it comes to my own work. With the work that i am currently creating i will look at it in a different perspecitve after researching Kahn's work in order to improve it to a better standard.

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ProAv is a sales company that works in the technology of cameras and equipment for TV broadcasts and film. ProAv gave us a talk about what their company is and what they do and what type of things they sell. Carl (the leader of the zoom call) said early on that Mike at ProAv can get discounts on any equipment for filming, good idea for the third year and future projects. I will look into and research cameras to see how each one differs to another. Getting a good idea of what equipment works for different projects is better to understand now rather than later so that I have the knowledge and can pass it on if I am working in a group for a project in the future.

All equipment is made the same way and is setup the same way. If on a job you are expected to know how things work and operate even if you have never used the specific piece of equipment. I was told to embrace the equipment that is given to us at the university and get familiar with it. Getting familiar with equipment is always beneficial because experience goes a long way, especially in the film industry. Learning about cameras and equipment could score me a new job offer or I could be of assistance if something goes wrong on a project. I Need to understand how every job works and along their strengths and struggles.

‘’How are you going to work with a team if you don’t know what your team is doing?’’

Being able to know what the difference is between cheap and expensive equipment is also key because knowing a range of kit can change my mind about a project. For example which lens is good for which shot, or knowing if an expensive lens would look better and perform better than a slightly cheaper option.

Question about a producer who doesn’t know about equipment. Carl explains where to start in getting to know the equipment, YouTube but beware of who is speaking to you. It might not be relevant to you at the moment, but it might do in the future. Why certain things are better than the other. £1300 vs £13,000 equipment.

Insurance and safety. Towergate insurance on the kit and the people using the kit. Hiring out or using it yourself is different. Equipment in a car is not covered by the insurance company. Public liability.

Canon cameras are an ergonomic practical tool. However, Sony cameras cram a lot of technology into the smallest thing they can. I was told to rethink the way equipment is chosen and how it is used in the real world, different cameras do different things for different reasons for projects.

To get in touch with ProAv for any further questions this information was given to us:

Carl Email: Carl@proav.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proavuk

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ProAV (Proactive UK LTD) are an experienced international supplier of professional video equipment. We have been supporting the video industry for over 20 years, with clients spanning from those just starting out in video to major broadcasters.

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Proav.co.uk is an experienced international supplier of broadcasting equipment, professional cameras & broadcast cameras. A Trusted Authorised Supplier of Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, Panasonic, RED and more. Proav also offers training programs for video enthusiasts, professional photographers, videographers, camera operators and filmmakers.

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On Friday 11th I attended a talk about the Poetics and Politics of representation in image making. Gianpaolo Bucci was leading the talk and he started things off by talking about illusions. We tend to see the same imagery between two images, the example that was shown was the illusion of the old and young woman in one photo depending on how it is viewed. Framing and lighting can change a whole perspective. For example, the gold and white dress illusion can be seen in many different ways even though it is just one image. Film scenes can also be deceiving so you have to be open minded about the film and its framing. I am trying to make film into my career so this advice on the topic of perception is very useful to me. In my project at this current time, I have to edit a scene and a trailer for different films and perspective is a key area to work around especially for the trailer. With this understanding of the illusions, It will help me understand how to work around perspective and make my work as clear to an audience the best I can.

As a story teller, we are potentially sharing a cultural space with our audiences through spoken words, body language and facial expressions. Texts can be interpreted in different ways to different people as well. Coloured images can convey messages to people and more cultural knowledge. For example red is stop/bad and green is go/good. I will interpret this into my future work in the film industry as the media and films are very influential. Gianpaolo said we are a product of our own society and not our own thoughts and minds which I thought about. I interpret that statement in a way that will change my thoughts about film and TV, and the world around us can change our influence and choices, especially in film and editing.

‘’Semiotic is the science and how signs and words can create meaning’’

‘’Discursive is the consequences of the signs and words that create the meaning’’

Bucci presented a short clip of poor children on their daily lives. Sad music was put in the video which could lead a a dangerous and misleading message. The communication can be misjudged. Misused characters for the worng reason. Poor children and charity are examples of stereotyping.

These videos are always staged and arent always filmed in the areas in need. This guy was praised for being represented as the white guy who saved the kids. When all he did was document their lives. He filmed the scene and got given a medal. Unbalanced power dynamics. He was representing their images to the west end of the world. So I have taken that and reflected that things can be taken the wrong way and things can be misleading and false praise can be given.

We imagine people who are less fortunate as suffering and make it a lot worse than it is. They are happy there and that’s how they live their lives. Media has a heavy imapact and we edit things to make them seem worse so people donate more money and reel them in for feeling guilty.

the danger of stereotyping in media can be an easy thing to fall into but you have to think about the message you are trying to convey with the film that you are creating. Editing the footage differently can impact a whole scene and can be more impactful and empowering than you once thought.

In a video Gianpaolo made an interviewer wanted to have a voiceover for a project, but it didn’t fit the scene. Only the white people where asked about their experience on the film. This can come across as racist as the white people are talking for the black teens. You have to be very careful to be fair with your projects and edit cuts so that your project doesn’t come out in the wrong way and convey the wrong messages.

As a filmmaker we have a lot of opportunity and should not shy away from our own story. we should be a platform for people to share their stories to an audience for a different perspective on matters. We are all people, and we can show people that things aren’t as scary as you think. Conflict lives in the mind and not in the area.

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Michael Kahn has been Spielberg's editor since Close Encounters of the Third Kind, collaborating together for over thirty years. I can only think of Scorcese and Thelma Schoonmaker as another example of an editor and director having that kind of working history. Last night he was in LA for a showing of Lincoln and stayed on to give a Q+A to an eager audience. Not living in LA myself here's the best of twitter from that night...
On Editing: Don't edit from knowledge, edit from feeling. If you never make changes to a cut you will never get to the best cut.
Approach every gig like it's the first time you have ever edited anything. Don't bring baggage from previous shows.
We put film together, tell the story, give it clarity. T Thought process is what you bring to film. If you see a film that doesn't work, ask yourself what you would have done differently. Only assistants are allowed in his editing room and he allows them to sit with him while he edits. One of Michael's former assistants is William Goldenberg who is now nominated against him at the Oscars for both Argo and Zero Dark Thirty. Tips for Editors: hat's what we do. To learn about editing, see as many movies as you can, good and bad. Always duplicate/overlap 2-3 frames on match cuts because of eye sensory lag. Keep fresh by walking away from your edit. You'll come back the next day and see a different scene. On Lincoln: It took Michael & Stephen Spielberg a while to figure out when not to cut. Just because you have a lot of coverage doesn't mean you have to use it. (With Lincoln) They stuck with master shots because Daniel Day Lewis was so good. The congress voting scene was shot at different times which made it difficult to cut. Stephen Spielberg dressed nicely during production to complement the "president".
Michael uses the theory of 3's for reaction shots. Scenes play best with 3 reaction shots, no more, no less.
Kahn used to select takes himself but on Close Encounters he had Spielberg do it to save a lot of time. In their 37 years together, Steven won't watch a cut without temp music. I don't do what Stephen asks me to do, I do what I think he actually wants.
On Spielberg:

Tweets from Jamie Cobb, Dan Wolfmeyer, Adam Bedford, Monica Daniel,

Michael Kahn in Conversation

If you want more insights from the great man check out this 30 minute interview from the ever entertaining DP/30. For even more DP/30 conversations with legendary film editors check out this previous post.

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Spielberg's Editor - Michael Kahn on Editing

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Michael Kahn has been Spielberg's editor since Close Encounters of the Third Kind, collaborating together for over thirty years. I can only think of Scorcese and Thelma Schoonmaker as another example of an editor and director having that kind of working history.

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Raiders of the Lost Ark (3/10) Movie CLIP - Sword vs. Gun (1981) HD

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Ready Player One (2018) - The Race Scene [4K Ultra HD]

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Saving Private Ryan - Omaha Beach Scene (HDR - 4K - 5.1)

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DP/30 Industry Legends: editor Michael Kahn

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WGSN had a zoom meeting which told us students about what their company is and what they do. WGSN is a trend forecasting company of parent organisation Ascential. WGSN was founded in 1998 in West London by brothers Julian and Marc Worth. This company is all about Consumer insight and competitive edge, Image recognition and retail data which is organised into their database and analysis, Free-lance and negotiation. WGSN helps finds the right trend that a company is looking for, basically predicting the future. This helps the company find more about their consumers and how they use their products and if any changes need to be put in place.

In the talk, members on WGSN spoke about different products that we use in a day and how they help us in different ways. They asked questions such as, How many times do we use those products in a day? And Aesthetics over productivity? These questions make me think about the things we use in a day for example my computer. It has lots of different programs that I use for my work such as premiere pro for my editing project. I asked myself how this could effect my life if things were made different, or what could be changed to make my life easier. Small details like this is a good trait to take away from this talk as things could always make a persons life a little bit easier even if they aren’t obvious. In the future if I have a career that makes an impact, my choices on change could have better quality in my work.

With WGSN Consumers have the power so this company predicts the trends that will happen in order to make things better. Their responses are added to the data base to gain information about the products and brands. This secures there place in the future. This company predicts that by the time of 2030 most of everything will be digital. We are starting to see that trend with currency, music, newspapers, and books. With this thought in mind my career is going to based on something to do with an online space so getting familiar with it now will be a key part of learning for the future.

The Metaverse and digital ai are big topics that brands such as WGSN are discussing at this current time. Brands reach out and secure their place in the metaverse. Shopping will be digital and physical retail will suffer. The pandemic has reinforced this with the use of online delivery on food and clothing essentials. There is also decline in the percentage of people in stores, a key factor of this is from the pandemic. Brands no longer rely on physical retailers, digital is the future.

WGSN makes the brands stand out to all of the others. 60% of people have made ethical purchases since the pandemic started. Buying less but better. Young people want brands to have sustainability so that they can last for longer and the generations that will come can enjoy them. This topic feeds into the future of living, this is helpful to think about as the future could look very different to the trends of today. Makes people rethink about what they are buying and if it is harmful to the earth or if it is sustainable. WGSN are predicting trends 3 or 4 years into the future with Macro and micro reports. With this trend I can base my career choice on what is popular and how it changes in the future. For an example if I was working on an advertisement for a brand and I was the one directing it I could include trends that will appear in the future to form my edit around that information. This company also works with gaming companies which is also a hobby and interest of mine. If I get a job in the gaming industry this talk opens my mind in thinking there is help from companies for the trends of future of gaming. This company is heavily based on the fashion industry. This can be linked to the costumes used in film production if I ever decide that is my pathway.

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A video Explaining what WGSN is and who they have worked with. Also talking though the methodology they use. Asking the Question, why this and not that. A very helpful video which made me understand more about the company.

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Consumer Insight

Know your consumers and stay ahead of lifestyle shifts with unrivalled insight into the way they'll think, feel and behave for years to come.

Through detailed and accurate consumer forecasts and expert consultancy services, we show how consumer behaviours, interests and tastes will shape how they live, work and play. This enables you to anticipate big lifestyle shifts and develop products and services that meet consumer needs.

Explore Consumer Insight

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WGSN | Trend Forecasting & Analytics 2024-2032

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WGSN is the global authority on change, using expert trend forecasting combined with data science to help you get ahead of the right trends.