Is a film editor invisible? Shooting a feature film with smartphones is the new sensation in filmmaking. But it’s only a part of the process. Episode 67 is a discussion with the editor of the viral mobile film, Blue Moon. Judd Resnick discusses his experience editing iPhone footage.

When you are looking online for smartphone mobile filmmaking the chatter is mostly about the phone as a camera. It is easy to assume that editing works just as with any camera but the reality for most filmmakers, is that even without smartphone cameras, different cameras can create issues for an editor. A long time ago, editors had to deal with mixed formats with different aspect ratios. Judd speaks about the codec with Apple versus the PC and the software. Judd Resnick shares some of the nuances he experienced, but you would not realize it by watching the film. Editors are a bit invisible and undervalued by the general public.

Judd is a professional editor. He moved to New Zealand from San Diego, California and now lives in Christchurch. While he lived in Timaru, he met Ryan O’Rourke who shot Blue Moon, who introduced him to Stef Harris, the writer and director of the film.

Blue Moon was shot in Montueka, New Zealand during six nights in thirty hours in and around a gas station. The film has a cinematic look and sound that is inspiring more people to begin their filmmaking career with smartphone cameras. What is cinematic? Judd explains the qualities of cinematic footage during the podcast.

The actors, Jed Brophy and Mark Hadlow, made the editing easier for Judd. He explains why he could hold on a shot for a long time without the need to cut to anything without a negative impact to the viewer.

The film was pretty much shot with single takes and that helped Judd with the editing process. He shares advice to filmmakers the perspective of the editor. He also gives credit to Jack Bayliss, who did the color correction for Blue Moon.

The trailer for Blue Moon is one of the main reasons Blue Moon has gone viral on social media. The film has only been seen, currently, at film festivals. Judd shared how he edited the trailer and the importance of good audio to create the intensity he created in the opening of the trailer.

“I think the best directors know the teams to surround themselves with and know when to ask what’s working in this—what isn’t and understand, ‘Okay.’ And that’s why so many films end up on the cutting room floor.”

His advice for editors, as a professional, is invaluable. He speaks directly to our listeners about what to consider when editing films regardless of the camera that is used. His advice to filmmakers includes how valuable good audio is to the outcome of a film. The collaboration between people working on a crew is highly important to the ultimate quality of the film and the result of how your films are perceived.

Judd also worked as an editor in a film you may have heard of, YellowBrickRoad in 2010, edited by Judd Resnick with Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton. You can watch the trailers for Blue Moon and YellowBrickRoad, below.

SBP Podcast: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones.

Watch the trailer of Blue Moon edited by Judd Resnick: https://youtu.be/DJV_vtIg-BM

Watch the trailer for YellowBrickRoad edited by J.D. Funari: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1398428/videoplayer/vi2970000921

Follow Jud Resnick:

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0720318/

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/juddresnick

Article on a film he edited YellowBrickRoad: https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/yellowbrickroad-1117942044/

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