Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546034
36 C I N E M O N T A G E T E C H By Ivan Victor F or many film and television editors, Avid's ScriptSync is one of those in- dispensable tools they can't imagine working without. For others, it remains something of a mystery: powerful, but in- timidating enough that they've never fully explored what it can do. Veteran television picture editor Ivan Vi c to r, AC E (" P a r k s a n d R e c re a t i o n ," "Stick"), wanted to get answers to the ques- tions many editors have been reluctant to ask: What exactly does ScriptSync do? How does it fit into a real editorial workflow? FOLLOW THE SCRIPT EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SCRIPTSYNC BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK And why do so many editors consider it an essential part of cutting dialogue-driven scenes? The 'Script' part of the workflow has been around a lot longer than ScriptSync. It originally required editors to add script marks manually, which is frequently how it is still done on scripted productions to ensure accuracy. In 2023, Avid's Media Composer updated the backend engine behind ScriptSync to take advantage of AI for transcription versus the original phonetic analysis that was previously being used. Since then, there have been on- going enhancements to this workflow to help editors take better advantage of the AI transcription. But picture editor Lauren Connelly, ACE ("Beef"), has been cutting with Avid's ScriptSync for nearly twenty years, ever since her days as an apprentice editor — and long enough that some of her peers have given her the nickname "queen" of Script- Sync. On shows like "Mo" and "Gaslit," her assistant editor, Andrew "Andy" Elliott, helps prep the scripts, and the duo has used the software tool to help speed up editorial decisions, allowing more time for creativity. SYNC IT UP: "AI tools have improved the last few years," Elliott says.