Editing on Set: “Not New, but Nuanced”
Tim Thornton-Allan, editor and partner at Marshall Street Editors entered his niche as a documentary editor before drifting into light entertainment followed by music videos and lastly, commercials. It was around this time that the Avid media composing software hit the editing world - a key detail to his story.
From then on, Tim ended up almost exclusively working for incredibly talented directing duo The Douglas Brothers - photographers turned music-video-directors and, later, ad people. “They quickly became ‘back to back’ busy,” says Tim, “so the only way to handle the workflow was to cut on location with them.” For seven years, the three of them travelled the world, finishing a shoot they just shot, cutting on the one they were on at the time and preparing for the next one. “A crazy time but so much fun,” reflects Tim.
Following the Douglas Brothers’ move to the States, Tim stayed in England as his daughter had just arrived. But, as fate had it, a couple of weeks later he bumped into Fredrik Bond and for the next 22 years, once again, cut on-location all over the world.
Having worked with some incredible names in the industry and Hollywood talent, Tim has gathered an immense amount of experience and has put down his editing-on-set practice to a science. LBB’s Zoe Antonov finds out more.
LBB> When did you decide editing on set is what you want to do over the traditional route? What benefits did you see in it?
Tim> Editing on set is not new, I’ve been doing it for over 25 years. Not new, but nuanced. It’s not what you do but how you do it. If I’m editing on set, I want to work as soon as the camera starts rolling and to do that, I work in real time from the camera feed. I work from that media and my assistant can worry about matching my edit with the transcodes later so there’s no waiting around.
LBB> Why is cutting on set a better method today and does the development of new tech affect how many people edit on set? Have you seen more people do it today?
Tim> As every job is different, I use bespoke hardware and software each time. It’s definitely the Marshall Street way. We all LOVE being on set and being part of the process from the get go.
LBB> Is there any kind of preparation you need to do before getting on set and what does that look like?
Tim> Before going on set I cut a storyboard edit or previz to various lengths. I add music, sound effects, voiceover, titles and pack shots, then on set build the cut live. Of course, live editing does bring its own unique set of pressures, as accurate decisions need to be made. It requires experience, skilled personnel, the right equipment and software to execute effectively. The on-location environment might introduce particular challenges to editors and equipment, but my mobile setup has a small footprint, which makes me very adaptable meaning I can set up almost anywhere.
LBB> And what does the process look like once you are actually on set?
Tim> I don’t want to name drop (!) but I’ve worked with many high profile talents who were only available on set for a limited amount of time and I have had to work quickly and efficiently. Cutting live can ensure we get all we need and often more.
With the Instacart spot with Lizzo for example, Sam Brown built six sets in a studio in Prague and shot and cut the script with a stand-in to get exact timings. Then, he shot the scenes as plates to make a 60-second background cut. We then went to LA and programmed a motion control camera to match and in eight hours we keyed Lizzo into the scenes checking that every shot worked perfectly, live.
For the recent Virgin Media hang gliding goat commercial, we went to South Africa. Sam Brown made a very precise previz. He didn’t want to shoot the background scenes then find out, when he returned to the UK, that the foreground would have to change to fit the background. In this instance, editing on set was a massive bonus, saving time and money.
Whereas, on Money Supermarket ‘Bootylicious’ with Fredrik Bond, there wasn’t any VFX at all. We shot for two days in downtown LA, cutting as we went, then showed the edit at 10 am the following morning!
During covid 19, this way of working was tested to the limits. We were working on a campaign for United Way with Amanda Gorman and we were all in different places around the globe and yet we still managed to cut live. Fredrik was in LA directing, the agency was in NYC, the client in Portland, the crew in New Zealand and I was at home in Oxfordshire! I received a live feed for the camera on set in Auckland via Q take, straight into my Avid so I could cut live with Fredrik, with the agency able to view in real time over Zoom. We could all see the camera feed, my Avid, the playout and everyone’s lovely faces, masks and all!
LBB> Can you tell us a crazy story from the set that has stuck with you? What kind of lessons did you draw from it?
Tim> There have been plenty!
I’ve been booked into a beautiful hotel in Cuba to cut, which turned out to be a brothel. I landed in Japan to find the shoot moved to Brazil while I was in the air. I’ve been on a plane when the airline went bust, it landed in the middle of nowhere in India then couldn’t pay for fuel to take off again.
I’ve put the phone down on a prankster mate who said he was Steven Spielberg and wanted to come in to look at the cut… Only to find out after the third time it was in fact Spielberg. He said it happens all the time.
There is never a dull job and nothing on set ever surprises me now.
LBB> Does the role of editing on set require you to be quite diplomatic and how do you manage to balance the interests of every party?
Tim> There are so many advantages to cutting on set. The most common is to help with the ever increasingly tight schedules.
When we get into an edit suite we’re so far ahead, time wise.
But it could also be down to availability of key clients, ECD, creatives or the talent. Maybe needing client or agency approval of shots cut into sequences so the shoot can move on.
Quite often it comes down to the particular technical demands of the shoot, such as comping effects shots live, lining up plates, sending selected shots and layers to post houses so they can start their work.
For directors, the collaboration with their producer, first AD, the DOP, and editor offers immediate feedback. It’s great for a director to see a sequence, emerge in real-time and view a good first cut on the last day of the shoot.
It always sets up the rest of the project in a positive way.
I find the best thing about editing on set is the collaborative nature of it. The edit develops and takes form but, whilst it’s fresh in everyone’s minds, you see a great first cut on the last day. It sets up the rest of the project in a positive way. I believe cutting live is easily possible and with so many advantages, why wouldn’t you!?
LBB> What's the most fun part of editing on set and why?
Tim> It’s just always purely fun and exciting. I love new experiences, locations, countries, working with different people, solving problems, under pressure with all the highs and lows while watching the commercial come to life on my screen live.
