Jarhead cut with Final Cut Pro

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F.Y.I. The new movie Jarhead was cut using Final Cut Pro, there is a short interview with the editor in the Oct. WIRED..
 
Indeed! Walter Murch (editor extraordinaire) rocks and was instrumental in helping pull Final Cut Pro up to the professional level through his experience editing Cold Mountain on FCP. He came to the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users' Group meeting last week to talk about the workflow on Jarhead and share some clips. Saw the flick last Friday night. Pretty cool.
 
Saw the trailer for the movie and have to say not impressed with Roger Deakins look. Way to washed out and looks really harsh, almost like shooting over exposed DV Footage.
 
War is harsh....Iraq looks harsh in my head...harsh seems appropriate. Deakins probably didn't want Iraq to look like Charlie's Chocolate Factory. Or maybe they just ****ed up the film in the lab. Either way...looks/sounds like a solid film.
 
The movie was good overall. Can't say I loved it, but I certainly didn't dislike it. Just a very different story about WAITING. Nothing much happens. The desert look is definitely washed - and not in a very appealing way. I really like that chunky, contrasty desaturated look that some folks achieve, but this ain't it. One thing that amazed me was the quality of the CG. A few shots practically reek of it, but there are several that are really really clean. In showing a few before and after shots, we got to see what ILM is doing these days, without the use of blue/green screen! They are just masking masters and it is truly impressive how they can make California scub hills look like an endless sandy desert with flaming oil rigs... and this is done from handheld footage with several actors in view. I can barely comprehend...
 
"The desert look is definitely washed - and not in a very appealing way."

That's exactly what I meant. I believe he did some partial bleach bypass on the stock but it definitely isn't a look I'd like to emulate. Can't comment on the actual film content as I haven't seen it but the look doesn't float my boat.

It may well be the compression codec used for the quicktime trailer but theres no detail in any of the highlights, its just a horrible horrible look. Enough for me not to pay to go see the movie.
 
Perhaps the stylistic choice was that of what the people see on CNN everynight?

Like rivate Ryanb with it's DOCO vibe going on
 
Evaluating the work of a cinematographer based on a QT trailer on the 'net is a joke. Especially if that cinematographer is Roger Deakins. I remember his masterful use of underexposure in The Shawshank Redemption. The scenes of Morgan Freeman in his dark cell almost made me cry when I saw them in the theatre when I realized just how good Deakins was and that he knew exactly how much light to put on an African American actor to distingush his features and still maintain rich blacks at light levels that had to be in the basement. I have been so disappointed with the video transfers for Shawshank, they are nowhere near good enough to highlight Mr. Deakins' work.

If there is anyone who can go to the edge of overexposure and exploit it for dramatic effect, it is Roger Deakins. Go see the film as a fresh print in the theatre. I guarantee you will learn something.

There are very few things that will get me to cough up the dough to head out to the movies these days (topic for other threads), but one of those things is the title "Director of Photography: Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC.".
 
Filmjunkie677 said:
For another Deakins masterpiece. check out Fargo, or anything by the Coen brothers.
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Well, not everything by the Coens. Deakins did not take over DP chores for the boys until Barton Fink. Blood Simple, Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing was shot by Barry Sonnefield.
 
****, David knows his Roger Deakins!

The cinematography for Jarhead looks great... this is the final cut section isn't it? Cool to see it was cut on Final Cut. I'd laugh though to find out they used Soundtrack Pro in any way.
 
At that FCP meeting I keep yapping about, assistant editor Sean Cullen mentioned that he doesn't think the word "Pro" should be at the end of Soundtrack Pro. I thought that was pretty telling. For my level of 'film making' it's great, but once you're out of DV land, I'm sure Sean's complaint becomes pretty apparent.
 
i'm seeing the film in about an hour, but from what i've seen in the trailers i really like the color look of the desert. It reminds me of what they did for some of the scenes in three kings.
 
Matulis said:
Sean Cullen mentioned that he doesn't think the word "Pro" should be at the end of Soundtrack Pro.
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Very true. The first version of Final Cut Pro wasn't exactally 'Pro' either. It has come a loong way.

-a
 
check out the novermber issue of American Cinematographer, They have a whole interview with Deakins. Really interesting. I saw the movie based mostly on the interview. I personaly like the film a lot. Almost all handheld, but at time you almost couldnt tell. It does have an interesting look probably due to the fact it was all shot on 500asa film stock and processed with bleach bypass.
 
and the only person ever to be nominated for both sound and film editing on the same picture (english patient). and he won for both. also the english patient was the first Best Picture oscar-winner to be cut digitally. since then, every Best Picture winner has been cut digitally with the exception of saving private ryan.
 
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