Archive: Avid Editor: David Michael Maurer
Sterlin Harjo‘s Four Sheets to the Wind is David Michael Maurer‘s first feature. Now it‘s in dramatic competition at Sundance. As he sits down in the Park City Marriott to talk about the film and his transition from years of reality TV (The Apprentice, American Idol, Big Brother…) he looks to be in his twenties, but talks with the understated conviction of a veteran editor.
Maurer cut the show on Avid Xpress Pro, finished on Symphony Nitris and went to 35. This was a best of both worlds workflow, Maurer explains, because the team needed portability on four-month location in Oklahoma as well as the ability to see detail, hence the Nitris. “This was just before the software-only Media Composer came out,” Maurer says of his decision to load his laptop with Xpress Pro. (This was also just before SDI Mojo, so Maurer was quick to point out that the workflow was a product of the April 2006 timeframe.)
The team opted for 23.98 (10-bit) rather than 24p. “It was a big decision on the production side, in part to avoid pulldown issues.” After the offline–three days to assemble and do paint and minimal effects at Fortitude, Hollywood; Pac Title did the color correction; back into the Nitris for titling, VFX, a little paint; then to Efilm and Deluxe for the film out. “We pushed the contrast hard,” he says but it was not in a contrived way. “DP Frederick Schroeder just liked that look so we really used the full latitude of the film.”
Maurer says that on reality TV, the editor is essentially the writer. So it was a relief on the feature to not have that level of responsibility (“the script was crystal clear,” he says and “distinctively Sterlin Harjo”). At the same time he says he drew on his background (and his acting experience) to be a collaborator and sounding board for the director. “Sterlin is a great director in post because he understands that you really have to shape the story again in post.”
On a more practical level Maurer says that his experience dealing with 400 hours of coverage on reality shows helped build his chops. “When you have to shape that amount of footage down, you learn how to find solutions in post.”
To learn more about Maurer and to listen to his Filmschool Project podcast go to www.project1982.com. Get storytelling tips from a storyteller.
