‘Twas the Nightmare Before Editing!

It’s Halloween time and episode 128 is our annual “spooky” take on the unscripted film and television business. This episode’s question was inspired by a Producing Unscripted podcast listener named Justin, who wrote in with a question about editing. We’re just beginning post-production on our brand new TV series (more coming soon!) and facing a TERRIFYING amount of footage. So we decided to focus today’s episode on three spine-tingling things that can haunt you in post-production. Now…curl up under your blanket, embrace the horror, and listen…IF YOU DARE! Post-Production: Full of Terrors… Truth be told, there is so much about post production that can make your hair stand on end. Just some of what we talk about today: * Fighting the “ghost in the machine” * Protecting your work…especially when thing get scary! * Avoiding horrifying mistakes – and fixing them when they inevitably happen * Facing nightmarish deadlines while staying sane and doing good work * The spooky truth about style – what it does for production, and what inspires it * And…the two of us make way too many Halloween puns! So be brave and hit that giant play button at the top of this page! A Spooky Question from Justin… Again, special thanks to Producing Unscripted podcast listener Justin, who wrote in with the question that reminded us just how scary it is to take hundreds – or thousands – of hours of footage, and start to put it together. Justin had this question: Can you talk more about string-out edits? Specifically, I’m wondering where you put B-Roll…if it’s a linear edit… or do you have the B-Roll in parallel video tracks, in the approximate place they are slated to go? How does that work in your production pipeline at the string-out stage? Great question, Justin! We answer that on today’s podcast, too! A Quick Announcement… We told you in our last episode that we’re working on a top-secret new TV series. We STILL can’t tell you what that is, but…thanks to this Deadline Hollywood article, we can tell you about ANOTHER project and that our next major Joke Productions release…is a podcast! A true crime podcast named Unraveled for Investigation Discovery. The podcast is hosted by true crime investigators, producers, and podcasters Billy Jensen and Alexis Linkletter. Alexis, you’ll remember, has worked with us for years and gave GREAT advice about casting true crime series when she was on this podcast. From the Deadline Hollywood article: Unraveled will launch in early 2021 and will be hosted by investigative journalists Billy Jensen (Murder Squad) and Alexis Linkletter (The First Degree). With a series of episodes dedicated to one captivating true crime topic, Unraveled will kick off with a seven-episode arc surrounding the Long Island Serial Killer. Since 2010, this unsolved mystery has become one of the most infamous cold cases in U.S. history, and the podcast takes a deep dive into new evidence and uncovers new revelations, rocking everything true crime aficionados thought they knew.