Eric Tom & Bruce head of post, Jack Ralph, on bringing the rushes together, balancing the emotion-brain and the logic-brain, and how to get your head around the craft.
As head of post production, Jack boasts a technical expertise and creative eye that puts the finishing touches on many of ETB’s powerful campaigns.
Jack is highly proficient in a number of industry standard software platforms, including DaVinci Resolve 17, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Adobe Photoshop. His collaboration skills with creatives and understanding of workflow systems makes him a strong contributor to the final delivery of client campaigns.
LBB> What is your niche craft obsession?
Editing is where it’s at. But more specifically, if we’re searching for a niche here, I find my skill lies in speed and that initial burst of inspiration or enthusiasm for an edit. Often this will happen when looking at the rushes for the first time and you’re selecting out the best takes and moments - you start picturing this timeline ahead of what your technical abilities can achieve. The brain starts its own edit and then the fingers follow.
LBB> How did you first come across editing?
It isn’t something I can pin down - I guess though when I started studying at Swinburne I came to this realisation that I’d been editing for so long and never realised it was a real role. Up until then it had just been a means to an end for getting our latest mini-DV fantasy film ready to screen via the living room TV. Then, you suddenly see it is actually the place where it all comes together and the film cannot become without an editor.
LBB> Was it an obsession straight away or something that has evolved over the years?
Definitely not, editing in general for me has taken moments of learning (especially from other skilled people out there) about what makes for great success. Like clean projects. Clean projects means you’re not spending that precious burst of speed and enthusiasm locating footage or b-roll and instead can let the creativity flow.
This is something that takes time to develop your own way of sorting and categorising that your brain just clicks with.
LBB> What are the most interesting debates or conversations you are having around this obsession?
In a broader sense, harnessing the creative burst has been a pretty hot topic when I speak to other filmmakers and editors. I really like delving into the idea of spontaneous filmmaking - where you’re less relying on logic and more centred on ‘playtime’ (please read John Cleese’s ‘Creativity: A Short & Cheerful Guide). This allows for your video to be not so bound initially by script or form and hopefully more on emotion and feeling. Then you come back and apply logic-brain to actually check it makes sense.
LBB> How widespread do you think this obsession is with your peers?
Unsure! I know everyone works differently but I also know the creative burst of enthusiasm spans across so many jobs and professions. Editors in particular seem to have it and I think it also comes down to if you’ve seen the footage before or not. If it’s fresh and exciting, this will help.
LBB> Can you share any examples of work where that obsession really came to the fore and elevated the final production?
Most recently I can think of a Wahl job with did that featured Olympic swimmer Kaylee McKeown. Director Colin Skyba had given me some great direction to follow, along with scripts and all that jazz. But there comes a point when you still have to take the initiative to look beyond the set sequence and find something else.
On a more practical note, a lot of advertising work doesn’t often allow for much wiggle room - as everything is so scripted, boarded and most likely pre-visualised. This is when you have to look, in the quick piecing together of an assembly edit, moments that allows for alternate takes or variance in the sequence. Maybe the kettle does need to be poured before we see the tea? Maybe it’s just the steam as it boils, then a close up of that hot cup of Nerada tea? We don’t know until we try it.
LBB> For anyone just getting into your field, what advice would you share to help them get their head around this particular thing?
I think this is a funny niche that is more intuition and a natural human reaction rather than a specialty. You can, though, learn to hone these until it is almost guarantee you can find it.
Honestly it is really about knowing your own mood and ebb of juices. If your brain starts clicking the edit together, you better have that timeline ready to rock, because you are in the zone.
And just to throw it in here, please use DaVinci Resolve. Big tip, very excellent editing software. You will not regret it and neither will your own niche.