Evolution in video editing from Author Ben Bryant’s “Waiting for Elizabeth”
- Posted on 2nd June 2015
- in divorce & remarriage, Entertainment, entertainment books, Film Production, Video Editing
- by Ben
My evolution in
video editing
had an unlikely origin in a Montreal concert hall. I had worked with editors as a director on several projects, understood the principals but had never done it hands on. Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 28: Seven Nights (1989–1992).
“Jumping to March 1991: On the 15th EH did another concert in Montreal. This time we were in a different concert hall at Concordia University’s Loyola campus. … The only disappointment was that the university’s audio/visual crew was not available to videotape it.
“I knew this well in advance and did a lot of research into Montreal video companies but they were all way too costly. Here again we have a situation in which what appeared to be a major problem evolved into a major – life changing – boon. [Our producer] Muguette found us a video guy.
“The first day we visited the brand new, spectacular, modernistic auditorium Elizabeth had a flashback to Petra, Cyprus where she had visited an ancient amphitheater. The 570-seat hall was a classic layout with the long, rectangular audience seating rising away from the spacious hardwood stage which is easily seen from anywhere in the room.
“I was wearing my usual “cowboy suit”: beard, boots, Levis, western shirt, leather vest and Stetson. As we were wandering around looking the place over in walks a burly, bearded guy about my age wearing boots, Levis, a western shirt, leather vest and a Stetson.
“My doppelgänger, Denis Robert.
“Denis was a prominent Montreal director/cameraman who was now working with High-8 video. I’d never heard of Hi-8 but he educated me about the format. That was but the beginning of the education I would receive over the next several years from this wonderful and gifted man.
“I won’t go into a technical treatise here about Hi-8 video. It will suffice to say that while only slightly lower in resolution (picture quality) than ¾” tape it was way, way lower in cost. So we made a deal. Denis and another operator would shoot the concert, provide the tape, monitors and communication system then give me both the camera original Hi-8 tapes and VHS dubs for $1,000 Canadian. My disappointment was that I could not do a live switch, nor could I edit the show without dubbing the camera originals to betacam and spending a lot of money on an edit suite. That was about to change.”
—–
We had a good enthusiastic audience, Elizabeth was (as usual) brilliant and funny and the concert went well.
“Elizabeth says that the highlight for her was when she sang the Canadian popular song Comme un Soleil in French and invited the audience to stand and sing with her. … and they did. After the show a local man came up to her and said, “Anyone who can get the English and French standing and singing together is a true healer.”
“For me, personally and professionally, the best thing to come out of this experience was my relationship with Denis. Hi-8 video was a revolutionary revelation.”
What this new information and this relationship led to – my rebirth as a hands-on editor – can be found when you: Buy Waiting for Elizabeth.
PS: Don’t forget, the free Three Stages: Special Selections Edition is still available here.
Tags: Concordia University, Denis Robert, Montreal
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