Preamble to the Rough Cut: Something to See!

Rough cut.  Perhaps you’re familiar with this term.  Certainly my industry colleagues are.  They probably use the term about as freely as a writer would use the term rough draft.

Focal Press‘ ‘The Grammar of the Edit’ defines the rough cut as ‘An initial stage of program editing that usually comes just after the assemble stage. The story is “roughed” out during the construction phase of the edit.’

Or Wikipedia: ‘In filmmaking the rough cut is the second of three stages of offline editing. The rough cut is the first stage in which the film begins to resemble its final product. Rough cuts do not flow well and still undergo many changes before the release of the film’

Rough Cut is also the name of a Don Siegel film from 1980. South Korea released a film under this title in 2008. There was a Canadian television series about documentaries using the moniker, Rough Cuts. And there is also a not very highly acclaimed American heavy metal band named Rough Cutt.

‘Journey to Kathmandu‘ is inching ever closer to officially being called a rough cut.  Or better put, I am closer to having a rough cut of ‘Journey to Kathmandu’.  And I’ve decided to do something that is quite often a big no-no, if not an all-out blasphemous thing for a filmmaker to do.  I’d like to let you in on the process a little bit.  A sneak preview of the rough cut, if you will.

You see, usually, the rough cut is announced when the filmmaker is ready to have their project be seen by a select group of people so as to gather all feedback before moving on to a re-cut of the film.  During the course of the rough cut edit, rarely does the filmmaker show clips or scenes of any kind for fear of his prospective audience not having any context with which to view the scene.  It makes better sense for the filmmaker to wait until he/she is ready for people to provide significant feedback in the context of the film as a whole.

I am doing no such thing.  I am showing a rough cut of a scene.   I have my reasons.  Which I, as the ever self-aware (obnoxious?) filmmaker, will even share with you.  (1) It’s been two years since ‘Journey’ was shot and people need to know that the damn thing still exists.  It exists people.  This is proof! (2) I need to know, for myself, that this film still exists.  It does.  (3) I needed a reason to write a blog entry.  This is that reason.

But seriously.

Check out the proof.  A scene from the film.  From the rough cut of the film.  Keep in mind, it’s, um… rough.  This means that it’s raw editing.  Absolutely no color correction, sound sweetening or even all-together proper usage of Broll has happened.  So please don’t give me your feedback.  (You really don’t have any context from which to give a feedback.  Remember: this is a rough cut of a scene and not the rough cut of the film!)  Just your gentle encouragement.  Your unflinching support, if you will.

One more thing: it should be noted that a rough cut viewing of any kind whatsoever can be a highly nerve-rackingly anxiously exposing process to the artist (which I do not, by the way, claim to be).  So, well, like I said… unflinching support.

Til next time,

Enjoy the Goats,

CG Parkhurst