Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/102700
workflow looking at footage that doesn't have a LUT applied," says Buono. The G-Tech Thunderbolt drives, meanwhile, play a crucial role in combating the show's biggest challenge: turnaround time. "The nature of the show is to always push the envelope, which for us means higher and higher production value on shorter and shorter turnarounds. For a recent show, we were still shooting on a Saturday afternoon for a spot that went on the air that night! Having a drive that can upload and download 12x faster than FireWire800, saving, say, 20 minutes per transfer, adds up to a significant time savings for us on our gonzo timeline." Editor Adam Epstein cutting on Premiere Pro 6. footage," explains Buono. "We drop in our media and download the Log-C files. From there we batch export two matching folders to G-Tech Thunderbolt drives. One folder is the robust Log-C files and another is a matching set of ProRes LT proxies. The Lily Pad also performs an auto checksum to make sure we've got a perfect data transfer The Film Unit uses a Light Iron Lily Pad case on-set. when duplicating these files." The full color space version is sent to colorist Emery Wells at NYC's Katabatic for color correction. The proxies are sent to the edit room at SNL where Film Unit veteran editor Adam Epstein begins to cut. The Lily Pad also adds an Alexa-specific LUT to the proxy files so Epstein isn't forced to use the "super flat Log-C footage and our director/ writers aren't 14 Post•January2013 Post0113_012,14-workflowRAV4FINALREAD.indd 14 THE POST PROCESS Epstein, who Buono calls an "editing and motion graphics savant," will typically begin working Friday afternoon: pre-building graphics, gathering sound effects and finding music options as Buono and Film Unit director/producer Thomas are still shooting. Footage will start shuttling in from the set and then Thomas will arrive after wrap to start editing with Epstein by early evening. Epstein, who had been working in FCP 7, recently switched over to Premiere CS6, along with the rest of Adobe's Creative Suite 6, for this season's workflow. "For a timeline as condensed as at SNL, it made the most sense," explains Epstein. "More than anything, the integration with After Effects via dynamic linking is what put it over the top — not having to export, import, re-export QuickTimes between the NLE and AE is huge." This not only speeds things up but also helps with creativity, allowing director Thomas more flexibility to try alternate versions of graphics and make changes late in the game, since changes to an After Effects project appear seamlessly in the Premiere timeline. Thomas and Epstein keep editing and massaging the footage until around 2am, when they kick out an EDL and a QuickTime reference that is emailed to Wells at Katabatic. On Saturday morning, Wells gets the EDL and reference clip, does a quick conform on the Log-C footage and starts color correcting in Assimilate Scratch. Thomas and Buono then send notes on the grade back and forth with Wells throughout Saturday afternoon, and Wells finishes the grade by around 5pm Saturday evening, kicking out a ProRes HQ that he sends back to the show. While everyone knows that SNL airs live at 11:30pm, there is also a two-hour dress rehearsal at 8pm, after which the show is honed and 30 minutes of material is cut. Explains Thomas, "This means that sometimes I might be restructuring the edit or changing a crucial line of voiceover with less than an hour before the show airs, but that kind of challenge is half the fun of working at a live show!" "There's pretty much always a handful of changes between dress and air," adds Epstein. "We try to anticipate what those may be and have a best guess ready to go. We also keep Emery Wells standing by at Katabatic to color correct and upload any new shots or alternate takes. Then we still have to kick out new picture and OMF files to conform the mix. It's usually a sped up re-conform — though if a piece really kills with the dress audience, there may be no changes at all — which is always very satisfying!" Does working on such a tight turnaround hinder the creative process? "It's a doubleedged sword," says Thomas. "On the one hand, of course, I'd love more time. My mission from Wednesday night onwards is to deliver something you'd never believe was produced, shot and finished in under 72 hours (and sometimes under 24 hours!). This means drawing in as much scale, production value and polish as the script deserves. We'd never dream of using our turnaround as an excuse. On the other hand, the constraint of time forces you to be decisive. There's no time to second-guess. In that regard, it's quite liberating." Epstein concurs, "It's all about finding the balance between delivering our ideal version and delivering on time. There are always things we wish we had more time to smooth out, but the knowledge that there is a definitive drop-dead time forces us to keep moving forward. More than anything, working with a team that's fast, organized and capable of delivering beautiful footage on such a short schedule makes my job that much easier. What Rhys, Alex and production manager Justus Mclarty are able to deliver in the short time they have is amazing." Adds Buono, "One of my favorite Lorne Michaels quotes is, 'We don't go on because we're ready; we go on because it's 11:30.' Working on a show whose creator embraces such an experimental, high-wire act ethos week after week is inspiring, and by far the most satisfying part of my job." www.postmagazine.com 12/21/12 2:45 PM