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Film editing flows a series of stages similar to digital editing: form rough-cutting to conforming, the equivalent of online editing. The first stage includes viewing a copy of the originally recorded images called the work print, rushes, or dailies; selecting and ordering specific shots and scenes; and continuing to the final stage, which involves conforming the original film to the edited work print. Unlike digital editing, however, traditional film editing usually involves mechanical processes, such as physically cutting and splicing the film. Also like digital editing, conventional film editing is essentially a nonlinear process, because changes can be made in the overall length and order of the sounds and images at any time up to the completion of the rough cut.
Synchronizing the dailies
The recording and editing of film sound is usually kept physically separate from the recording of film images. Film sound is normally recorded on digital audiotape (DAT), which can be synchronized with the film recorded in a camera. One of the first tasks of film editing is to sync up the film visuals with their corresponding sounds. This is accomplished by finding a common starting point, such as the visual and audio market at the beginning of each shot provided by a clapstick.
Digital film editing
If the final distribution medium for a film project is videotape or digital format, original film recordings are often immediately transferred to a digitized format for electronic editing. When film, videotape, and digital final copies are needed for different distribution and exhibition outlets, there are several options in terms of postproduction editing.
Conforming
Confirming is a professional skill that is often performed by a person called a conformer, particularly when a negative original must be cut together without error or getting the film dirty. All of the shots from the original recorded film are permanently spliced into two or more rolls, called A and B (and C, and so on) rolls, using a cement splicer that physically welds two overlapping pieces of film together. During confirming, the individual shots must be divided into two rolls of alternating shots. One difference between 16 mm and 35 mm conforming is that there is sufficient space between frames in 35 mm to be able to make overlapping cement splices ion a single roll, although a B roll is required for dissolves, fades and superimpositions.
A conformer prepares the original for splicing by pulling all the shots from the camera original and placing them on individual plastic cores, which are labeled and arranged in sequential order.
Combining the A and B Rolls
Once the A and B rolls are conformed to the workprint, they are sent to the laboratory so that they can each be printed in succession to a single roll of film, called an answer print. The answer print is a test printing of the A and B rolls, after they have been properly timed-that is, after the colour and density of each shot has been adjusted by a laboratory professional, called a color timer.
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