By William Yeh
The Suspect: Me, a picture editor.
The Room: My editing suite.
The Weapon: Big fat temp cues.
Exhibit 1: The soundtrack to The Thin Red Line, by Hans Zimmer. Specifically, track number three, “Journey to the Line.”
Once upon a time, I made liberal use of this cue. It’s gigantic and rich and lush and amplifies the emotion of any big dramatic scene.
Then a composer I worked with said, “We call that track ‘the cue killer.'” Easy to temp with, he told me, but nearly impossible for another composer to match in intensity.
Guilty as charged. Sorry about that.
Exhibit 2: Anything by the likes of John Williams or Ennio Morricone.
A director once told me he wanted “a real Morricone feel” to his movie. Hey, you know who does a really good Morricone? I thought. Ennio Morricone!
Whoops.
The director loved it. One of the producers, not so much. The eye rolls, sighs and “you can’t use that” lecture were daggers to my ego, but provided a valuable lesson.
There are risks with temping music. You can hamstring your composer by using too big a cue. You can take the audience out of the moment by using music that’s distracting. You can put your producers in a bind by using an unaffordable song.
A wise picture editor once told me, “When I first cut a scene, I cut it like I’ll never get to touch it again,” meaning that he made sure to cut temp sound effects and music. Or, if clichés are your thing: You only get one chance to make a first impression, so put your best foot forward.
But at what cost? Picture editors who cut temp music face the eternal dilemma of best versus affordable. With tightened post schedules and dwindling music budgets now the norm, editors must make quick, smart decisions while holding down the musical fort until the music editor and the music supervisor come onboard.
The toughest temp music decisions usually involve needle drops. Unless the director or script calls for a specific cue, you’re starting every scene with a musical blank slate — including the ever-popular choice of “silence,” which is quite often the best option.
When you decide a scene needs music, what’s the best song to use? Keep in mind best doesn’t necessarily mean well-known. A popular song in the wrong scene can be just as damaging as a crappy song.
Here’s a tip: If you need a background music cue (like something coming from a speaker), get thee to a music library and choose something unobtrusive.
However, sometimes you need a cue that resonates with your audience. At a focus group I recently attended, a young woman specified that the recognizable songs in our movie made it more enjoyable for her. A familiar song is like cinematic comfort food.
Exhibit 3: I’ve cut a few scenes that take place in a strip club (work in the industry long enough and you’ll work on a strip-club scene. Trust me). For one such scene I was considering “Brick House” by the Commodores.
“But it’s such a well-known song,” the responsible side of me said.
“But it’s awesome,” the other side said.
The other side won. I cut in “Brick House” and held my breath as we screened for the producer.
“I love it,” the producer said. “Let’s price it out and see if we can afford it.”
(High-fives the Commodores.)
Don’t hesitate to pick the brains of others. On Ride, the forthcoming feature that both Shie and I worked on, assistant editor Ben Baudhuin suggested “Om Nashi Me” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros for a key scene.
The director, Helen Hunt, loved the song — and that temp track made the final cut.
Limitations in the cutting room don’t have to be a liability. After all, most projects can’t afford that perfect Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin song. My experiences have taught me that putting your best foot forward sometimes means looking past obvious choices. Exercise discretion, then figure out which cues are worth taking a risk for, and you’ll hit the right temp balance.
 William Yeh William Yeh has worked in cutting rooms for over 20 years, having edited studio and independent films across many genres, including action (Punisher: War Zone; the cult favorite Equilibrium), horror (Seconds Apart; Quarantine 2: Terminal) and drama (After the Dark). His latest film, the comedy Ride, opens May 1. |
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