Making it look better...

[Matt Gerard]

This is more of a theory question, so will see where it goes. It seems I get to the point in some of my work that I look at what I have, and I'm not really sure how to take it to the next level. A little background might be useful...

I'm mainly an editor, mostly industrials, some scenic. I am a jack of all trades. In order of expirence, I edit/graphics (AE and a little 3D), tech support our post facility, tech support our fleet of gear including our EPIC, af100, HPX2000 and a slew of prompters computers, servers an such. I also DIT/Camera tech our shoots, and am the default ProTools audio guy in the office. So, I tend to wear a lot of hats. Not by choice,but by necessity.

When I edit or am creating/designing my graphics for use in my edits, I sometimes run into a wall.
I look at what I have and think it looks pretty good, but I've got another 2-3 hours in the budget to do some more, but I'm not sure how. I have a project right now that is a bunch of short videos for a client. They are really happy with them, the producer loves it, but I look at them all and think it could go another step to make them more polished, more cohesive as a group. But I'm at a loss as to what to work on. Obviously I don't expect answers from people without looking at them, which I can't do at the moment.

So, my question is, what do you guys and gals do when you are having a mental block, or can't see past your own work to the next best thing? I guess I'm talking more generally in ones work, not really technically. Do you have a trusted friend or colleague you call to critique your work? Do you disconnect totally and do something else for a bit? Do you troll the interwebs looking for ideas?

A couple of the things I've tried is to watch more media around me. Not to steal ideas, but to see great things and pull that into my own work. Since trying my hand at 3d work, I'm noticing light and color more, and how it interacts with objects. I've been doing a quick draw on my phone to whip it out and take a picture of a cool looking poster or graphic on a video screen so I can look at it later.

What else is out there? Am I too diversified in what I do that I can't sharpen my skills on any one thing? Do I need to diversify more?

Any discussion is welcome!

[Alex Kornreich]

I like to look at other people's work who are much better than I am. I don't necessarily pull directly from them, but more use what they've done as a foundation and try to change or build on top of it.

[Thomas Koba]

For the small things:

Sometimes I step away from the computer, just for 15 min. Come back, and look at the whole cut and write exactly what falls into my mind. Scribble notes. Sometimes it's cuts that don't fall at the right spot, sometimes it's background elements that need to be toned down in grading, sometimes it's a small stutter in the voice of the speaker etc., sometimes it's big things that need to be trashed. I write fast and I can easily fill 20 notes on a 5 min. piece. The trick is to not over-think it, just be instant and quick. Brainstorm-style. Then I spend 3 more hours fixing these small things.

As I said, these are for the small things...not the overall idea of the piece. Great thread!

[Mark Toia]

I find that if you have shot average material... you are generally screwed during the edit. When the fundmental flaw is actually the cinematography... No editing can save that. no mater how hard you try... Unless you turn the end result into a stylized edit piece.

[Marc Wielage]

Siggraph is often an interesting place for stunning demos and visuals. It's a great convention to attend if you're looking for new takes on old ideas, new trends, or stimulating entirely different ideas. So are the Clio Awards, and there are almost always neat presentations at NAB and SMPTE shows.

Taking advanced classes on all the different software out there is also a good idea. There's software I've used for several years where I finally broke down and took an official class, only to discover I had been doing things "wrong" all this time and gotten away with it. In some cases, my way was better; in others, the official way took 1/3 less time. Taking some traditional drawing and graphics classes might also expose you to international and alternate-market styles that you might otherwise never see.

Getting clean graphics and a direct look that grabs the audience's attention takes incredible skill and attention to detail. I'm always impressed with the work of experienced Smoke, Flame, and Inferno artists, and what they can do to make a spot or a title sequence really come alive, especially from raw materials.

[Joe Mannion]

To get a different perspective on an edit I will sometimes watch it with music on, maybe even with a couple of different tracks. Seems to help re-contextualization it so that when I go back to actually working on it I see things in it that I didn't before.

[Luis de la Cerda]

In my experience, sometimes instead of trying to add things to make your work better you should try making it simpler instead. Most of the time less really is more :-)

[Gavin Greenwalt]

I find that if you have shot average material... you are generally screwed during the edit. When the fundmental flaw is actually the cinematography... No editing can save that. no mater how hard you try... Unless you turn the end result into a stylized edit piece.

I agree, but I'm going to offer the exact opposite approach haha. Going from "ok" to "great" often means recognizing what you did wrong. Something I challenged myself for years to do (and still challenge myself) is to force myself to find something good in every shot. Move mountains to make it work--and then you'll keenly remember what you could have done better next time you're behind the camera. "If only I had been tighter it would have worked." "If only I had the key brighter it would have popped much better." "If only I had an eye light I wouldn't have to use as many power windows."

Punish yourself by fixing all of your mediocre work--and your laziness if nothing else will compel you to succeed haha.

I also encourage you in your off-time to 'study the masters'. Artists used to copy copy copy copy copy copy copy until they could reproduce a master's work. Once you understand the masters then you've internally felt what it's like to create something great. Then you're free to break all the rules. I would try and perfectly copy something great. Don't show it to anyone, just do it so that you can see something that works perfectly and try to understand why it works so well.

[PatrickFaith]

On the corporate work side (this is mainly from me not doing it, but me reviewing material), I really appreciate it if the sound is mixed by headphones and also with room speakers. So after you mix on headphones, re-mix on speakers(it's kind of hard to do if your working with other people in corp. environments). Some time i get sound that is only mixed by headphones, and it is a touch off when it is played in normal environments. On the editing side, I like studying films I like cut by cut - understanding the beat and movement of the scene - then apply what I have learned to corporate edits to give them that extra "boost".

[Marc Wielage]

I also encourage you in your off-time to 'study the masters'. Artists used to copy copy copy copy copy copy copy until they could reproduce a master's work. Once you understand the masters then you've internally felt what it's like to create something great. Then you're free to break all the rules.

An old buddy of mine who is a top LA graphics/effects guy tells me that he was in awe with Entertainment Tonight for years and years, because their graphics, bumpers, title sequences, and overall "look" was so slick, fast-paced, and good looking. Shows like that make it look easy. When you watch the low-rent cable channels, you realize they're just limping along with the bare minimum of cheeseball graphics.

Typeface selection, editing, graphic layers, rendering... all of this stuff requires a lot of skill. (Or as a pal of mine likes to say, "it takes years of experience to get years of experience.") I've seen people struggle with something as simple as a credit crawl at the end of a feature, and you realize how many factors go into making the titles look sharp, readable, unjaggy, and also legal for broadcast.

And by the way, it also helps if the pictures underneath the graphics are well-lit, have the right look, and are color-corrected prior to graphics work. It's amazing the difference before-and-after color correction -- that makes or breaks a lot of projects, since that's often the final chance for the director or editor to manipulate the image before delivery.