Premiere Pro, Adobe's powerful video editing software, serves as a key tool for film editors in bringing their creative visions to life. To gain further insights into the experiences and techniques of professional editors, we reached out to Russell Sheaffer, Sarah Taylor, and Kelly Kendrick, who graciously shared their perspectives on various aspects of working with Premiere Pro. Let's delve into their responses to uncover valuable tips and ideas for improving editing workflows.
Question 1: What features of workflows do you want to be better in Premiere Pro?
Russell Sheaffer, Producer and Co-Editor of "Playland," acknowledged the demanding nature of his editing process and how pushing Premiere Pro to its limits resulted in crashes. Despite the challenges faced, he expressed excitement about working in a dynamic environment. Sheaffer emphasized the importance of more consistent renders but acknowledged that their unique demands played a role in the crashes.
Russell Sheaffer: "On early edits of Playland, Georden West and I were nesting shots with effects inside each other, slowly building up layers in a master sequence. That led to us consistently pushing Premiere until it would crash. While I'd love to see more consistency in those renders, I also know that we were demanding that the program work far differently than intended."
Sarah Taylor, Editor for the film "Hey Viktor!," highlighted the desire for a seamless opening of AAF files in ProTools during the finishing workflow. She expressed frustration when things don't go as smoothly as expected.
Sarah Taylor: "I’d love for my AAFs to open seamlessly in ProTools."
Kelly Kendrick, Editor for "Every Body", shared her interest in exploring different workspace layouts within Premiere Pro. She mentioned her inclination towards using multiple timelines but expressed a desire to experiment with features like pancake timelines.
Kelly Kendrick: "I love having multiple timelines open, but I haven't experimented much with the pancake timelines. I also tend to work with the same set-up and would like to expand to using different workspace layouts."
Question 2: Can you share some insights into your editing process in Premiere Pro? What are some key techniques or features you often rely on to achieve your desired results?
Russell Sheaffer discussed their approach to editing "Playland" as treating everything as an archive, reworking and recontextualizing footage. By utilizing keyframing, matte, and time remapping tools extensively, they achieved a fundamentally queer construction of the film.
Russell Sheaffer: "We used Premiere's keyframe, matte, and time remapping tools heavily to (re)imagine how the film moves and weaves in time. To do that, we often combined multiple shots into seamless-looking compositions."
Sarah Taylor highlighted her use of the proxy workflow, multicam sequences for audio and camera syncing, and the time-saving transcription function. These techniques allowed her to streamline her editing process.
Sarah Taylor: "I use the proxy workflow and sync my audio and cameras using Multicam sequences... recently I’ve been loving the transcript function, it’s a major timesaver!"
Kelly Kendrick emphasized her reliance on the 'extend edit' feature and brackets for quick audio mixing. She also emphasized the value of maintaining comprehensive sequences of selects, audio selects, and old scenes for future reference.
Kelly Kendrick: "I use extend edit constantly... I keep comprehensive, dated, organized sequences of selects, audio selects... Things always come back around in some way before you finish a project."
Question 3: How do you approach collaborating with other editors or team members when working on a project in Premiere Pro? Are there any specific tools or workflows you find particularly effective for streamlining the editing process?
Russell Sheaffer and Georden West, the writer/director/co-editor of "Playland," engaged in collaborative editing by sharing the project file, allowing each other to work on the whole film. This holistic approach ensured that both editors had the opportunity to consider the impact of edits on various beats throughout the film.
Russell Sheaffer: "Instead of working on different scenes at the same time, we would hand off the whole film to one another."
Sarah Taylor discussed the use of Premiere Pro's Productions feature, which facilitated seamless collaboration on "Hey Viktor!" with her assistant, Blair Drover. They set up a media project within the production, enabling easy sharing and updating of footage, resulting in a streamlined editing process.
Sarah Taylor: "In the past, we would share cleaned-up project files... we had to relink media which can be time-consuming."
Kelly Kendrick emphasized the simplicity of sharing sequences as projects within Premiere Pro, particularly for scenes that need to be swapped between editors.
Kelly Kendrick: "Premiere makes it really easy to share a sequence as a project with anyone else on the team."
Question 4: In your experience as a Premiere Pro editor, what are some common challenges you face during post-production, and how do you overcome them?
Russell Sheaffer shared the importance of conforming all footage to a single format early on, highlighting the need to avoid the pitfall of incorporating diverse media without proper conforming. By adhering to a standardized format, they successfully avoided complications during the post-production process.
Russell Sheaffer: "Sometimes I catch myself getting too excited and pulling a hodge-podge of archival material into my project without properly conforming first – and it always comes back to bite me."
Kelly Kendrick pointed out the challenges posed by remote work, particularly regarding media sharing and feedback. However, she praised Premiere Pro's ability to facilitate relinking media and project swapping when working on a local drive.
Kelly Kendrick: "Premiere makes it very easy to relink media and swap projects if you’re working on a local drive."
Question 5: As Premiere Pro constantly evolves with new updates and features, how do you stay up to date with the latest advancements and ensure you're making the most of the software's capabilities in your editing work?
Russell Sheaffer revealed that he stays informed about the latest advancements through online resources such as YouTube videos and tutorial sites. He emphasized the flexibility of Premiere Pro's interface, allowing editors to experiment and push the boundaries of their knowledge.
Russell Sheaffer: "There are hundreds of ways to achieve a similar look or effect – and my first step is to experiment and push myself past my own knowledge of the program."
Sarah Taylor highlighted the value of following creative professionals on platforms like Instagram, with Premiere Gal being one of her inspirations. Additionally, The Editor's Cut podcast provides her with continuous learning opportunities from experienced editors.
Sarah Taylor: "I follow a lot of creatives on Instagram like Premiere Gal!... I learn something new from every editor I talk to."
Kelly Kendrick emphasized the importance of engaging in conversations with fellow editors, constantly discovering new possibilities through shared discoveries and insights.
Kelly Kendrick: "To be honest, I talk to other editors, and usually, someone will say, 'Did you know you could do this?'... We’re all learning all the time."
In conclusion, the experiences of Russell Sheaffer, Sarah Taylor, and Kelly Kendrick provide a wealth of valuable insights for enhancing editing workflows in Premiere Pro. From utilizing key features to overcoming common challenges and staying up to date with the software's advancements, their perspectives shed light on the dynamic and ever-evolving world of film editing. As you explore the possibilities within Premiere Pro, remember to experiment, collaborate, and learn from the experiences of fellow editors.
To witness the editors' skills in action, be sure to check out their respective films, "Playland", "Hey Viktor!", and "Every Body".
