Machines and technology are progressing to the point where they seem to be parts of us as humans rather than discrete, separate constructs. The movie Ex Machina is the latest thought experiment in how few the differences between digital devices and homo sapiens will be in the future, but editor Mark Day brilliantly used currently available software to create the haunting and intense atmosphere of the sci-fi hit. Day, an accomplished film editor who worked on four Potter films and a vast array of other movies and television series, relies on Avid for his award-winning work.
An Avid History
Mark Day has been using the Avid Media Composer Non-Linear Editing (NLE) program since he began working on the Harry Potter series almost a decade ago on Order of the Pheonix. By this point, he was already recognized by BAFTA for his work on two prominent and highly regarded BBC dramas, State of Play and Sex Traffic, so his skill in video editing was already at the level of a master. His newest work is in the upcoming Warner Brothers remake of the classic Tarzanfilm.
What Does Avid Bring to the Table?
The question begged here is "What draws a masterful video editor to one program over the other?". Avid has long been at the forefront of the competition in NLEs against Apple's Final Cut Pro and Adobe's Premiere Pro. All of the programs have similar bin and track based interfaces, but Avid opts for power over ease of use. The shining knight of the Media Composer army is its versatile trimming toolset that allows a level of meticulous editing that the other NLEs simply can't approach. A host of other utilities like group editing, predefined modes for different portions of the editing process, and a focus on end-to-end production from the digital original to the final film have kept Avid the go-to NLE choice for over a decade. With all that said, it was about Avid's ability to work with modern visual effects for Day.
We All Need a Little Editing
Artisans of all stripes go through a process of refining to turn the results of our efforts into the truest representation of the original spark of creativity. For filmmakers and editors, Avid has the digital toolset needed to make the precision slices and rearrangement that allow the surgical skill for piecing together a great film to flourish naturally.
