By mid-June, earlier than planned, the crew transitioned to the post-production stage, and the editor Jessica Felton followed the crew to Warner Bros. Studios' post-production studio.
Starting post-production ahead of schedule would certainly incur additional costs, but in the face of the time saved, Ruo Nan was generous for once.
He wasn't stingy by nature, fully aware of the huge motivating power of money, but at this stage, funds were limited, and every penny had to be spent where it mattered most.
"I've roughly reviewed about two-thirds of the shots."
In the editing room, Jessica Felton swiftly tied her long hair back and sat in front of her workstation. "I'll spend the next week carefully studying all the shots taken by the director and then formulate an editing plan."
Ruo Nan nodded lightly. Subconsciously, he glanced at Jessica Felton. Whether it was because she was sitting too close to the workstation or not, the editor's ample bosom seemed to be resting on the table.
Perhaps it was to alleviate the physical burden? After all, the weight was not to be ignored.
"Alright!" Ruo Nan pulled over a chair and sat down at the nearby workstation. "I'll try to find time to review them again."
With James Huang's filming, he had already seen all the shots.
Jessica Felton adjusted the backrest of her chair, finding the most comfortable position. Even though her figure was covered by a tight T-shirt, those two large masses still appeared to be sprawled across the table.
"Don't you trust me?" She asked.
Ruo Nan shrugged. "Not at all. I need to learn."
"Hmm?" Jessica Felton was puzzled. "Why?"
Ruo Nan said directly, "Inadequate ability."
Jessica Felton nodded and said, "Not many men are as frank as you."
Ruo Nan smiled. "Admitting one's shortcomings is not embarrassing."
There was a knock on the door of the editing room. Jessica Felton called out for them to enter, and immediately two people entered carrying several large packages, many of which were household items, including the essential sanitary pads for women.
Jessica Felton pointed to an empty space by the door. "Put them here for now. I'll tidy up later."
Then, another man came in dragging a huge box, which seemed to contain bedding or something similar from the outer packaging.
Jessica Felton directed him to place it behind the door.
After these people left, Ruo Nan curiously asked, "What are you doing? Moving?"
"Something like that," Jessica Felton said directly. "Isn't this editing room equipped with a rest area? I'll be living here for the next two months."
Ruo Nan was quite surprised. "We have plenty of time."
Jessica Felton raised a finger and shook it. "You don't understand. Editing requires one hundred and twenty percent of my effort. I can't be distracted. So, you need to find someone specifically to bring me food and make sure no one else disturbs me."
She took out her phone and handed it to Ruo Nan. "Hold onto my phone. If someone contacts me, push it away if possible. If not, handle it yourself. Don't tell me anything except what the professor says."
Ruo Nan looked at the phone and asked, "What about your family?"
"I told my family yesterday." Jessica Felton seemed to have made preparations. "They won't disturb me during this time."
Encountering such a conscientious and dedicated person, Ruo Nan couldn't say much, just nodded. "Okay! No problem!"
Indeed, she was a super tech geek.
If every employee could be as dedicated as Jessica Felton, how much worry could be saved?
Unfortunately, not everyone could combine their interests with work.
"Let's start working." Jessica Felton stopped talking and began playing the shot footage.
Ruo Nan sat in front of the assistant's desk, also watching attentively.
Beside him, Jessica Felton was fully focused, as if there was nothing else in the editing room except for the footage on the monitor, with only her right hand occasionally writing and drawing in her notebook.
Sometimes, after watching all the shots of a scene, she would go back and watch them again, as if searching for every editing point in the shots.
Editing is the process of selecting, arranging, and connecting a large amount of material shot for a film to create a coherent, smooth, emotionally engaging work with clear meaning. It is a major component of film artistry and an indispensable part of film production, a process of re-creation from shooting to completion.
Originally, editing was part of the director's job and a very important part at that.
With the continuous development of science and technology, films have evolved from the early silent era to the sound era. The craft of editing has become increasingly complex, coupled with the constant innovation of filmmaking techniques. The director's creative tasks have also become increasingly demanding, leaving no time to operate editing equipment or edit films personally. Thus, editing professionals gradually emerged: editors and editing assistants.
In the past two or three decades, with Hollywood firmly establishing a producer-centered model, directing and editing have become completely different professions.
In some cases, under the control of producers, editing can deviate significantly from the director's intended meaning.
From raw footage to a complete film, the editing process often involves several steps such as screening, rough cut, fine cut, precise cut, and comprehensive editing.
Jessica Felton had no assistant, so everything had to be done by herself, and she was exceptionally dedicated.
After concentrating for two and a half hours, Ronan's eyes were a bit tired. He rubbed his eyes and looked to the side, where Jessica Felton still maintained the same posture as at the beginning, staring closely at the monitor screen, with her right hand occasionally jotting down notes or sketches in her notebook.
No wonder she put those two large masses on the workbench.
Maintaining a posture for a long time with heavy masses can indeed become burdensome.
Ronan silently praised her in his heart. She was truly a professional and experienced tech enthusiast. Not only was her technical expertise impeccable, but she even considered posture issues.
She was diligent, highly skilled, not overly expensive, extremely attractive, and even brought her own bedding.
Where else could you find an editor like her?
If the final cut of "The Human Purge" turns out to be good, it might be worth considering establishing a long-term cooperation with this seasoned tech enthusiast.
After his eyes felt a little better, Ronan went to fetch two glasses of water. He placed one within Jessica Felton's reach, then was about to sit back down to continue watching the footage when his phone suddenly rang.
The classic Nokia ringtone sounded unusually piercing in the relatively quiet editing room. Before Ronan could even take out his phone, Jessica Felton turned her head sharply, her bright blue eyes sharp as if she were about to devour someone.
It was clear that the female editor was very displeased with the interruption to her work.
"Sorry," Ronan quickly took out his phone, silenced the call, and added, "I won't bring my phone in next time."
He hurriedly left the editing room, feeling like a student caught making a mistake by the teacher.
It wasn't until he was far from the editing room's door that Ronan picked up his phone, ready to call back the missed call. But when he looked down, the phone he held wasn't his own!
It was clearly the phone Jessica Felton had given him earlier!
Damn Nokia ringtone.
Ronan couldn't help shaking his head. Remembering his earlier words, he dialed the number that had just called.
The call was immediately answered, and a sweet female voice came through the receiver, "Hello, this is Green Real Estate Company. We've just launched seaside apartments, facing the ocean..."
Ronan promptly hung up. Was phone solicitation already so rampant in the late 90s?
He set both phones to silent mode and quietly returned to the editing room.
In the following days, Ronan spent several hours in the editing room every day, watching footage. Occasionally, when Jessica Felton took breaks, they would discuss editing styles.
After July arrived, other post-production staff gradually joined the work.
During this period, due to his company's work, Ronan hadn't been to the editing room for a while. When he finally returned, the scene there was simply unbearable.