Last week the excellent Frame of Reference blog posted a fascinating interview with editor and former pro hockey player Vashi Nedomansky. The article is a meditation on the art of visual storytelling, and yet is chock full of practical insights into the editor’s craft. On top of that, Nedomansky's journey from the ice rink to the editor's bay is a great story in its own right.
Originally we just wanted to post a link pointing readers to that blog here, but when I called Vashi to chat about the article, we ended up having our own conversation. Here's some of what we talked about:
What has your experience with Creative Cloud been like so far?
Creative Cloud has been a seamless transition for me because the workflow is the same! The CC software is on your computer and you edit. The only difference is faster performance, a rich new feature set across all the software and a more stable platform. I couldn't be happier!
Why did you originally switch to Adobe Premiere Pro?
Now that the entire filmmaking postproduction pipeline is exclusively digital…I needed an NLE that can could ingest every possible video codec and file type. Premiere Pro allowed me to start cutting instantly with no transcoding. That saved me time, disk space and my sanity. I don't want background rendering eating into my RAM or proxies that need to be relinked later. I basically on-line edit in real-time with the raw source footage. That's why I switched.
The timeline for Vincent Laforet's MOBIUS, first film shot on the Canon C300, edited by Nedomansky.
What are your favorite new features in Premiere Pro CC?
The new timeline layout is efficient, ergonomic and easy to comprehend no matter what you've used in the past. I've cut features on Media Composer and Final Cut Pro, but the customization of Premiere Pro CC is amazing. Once I had configured my panels and keyboard shortcuts, I was flying through my edits.
The Audio Clip meters are a welcome addition as I spend as much time on audio as I do on the picture. A fleshed-out and balanced mix is a prerequisite for me before I turn over even the roughest of cuts.
The Lumetri Looks integration is awesome. I can quickly apply a cinematic preset onto all my footage and all in real-time. This is great when auditioning different looks for directors/clients/producers when time is of an essence.
Nedomansky was DP on Dave Coulier's new Stand Up Special coming out this fall. He's editing in Adobe Premiere Pro CC and doing the audio in Audition CC.
What do you like about Audition CC?
I love the new Sound Remover effect in Audition. Every editor has to go through and remove unwanted noises and this makes that process a breeze. Show Track Colors helps me organize the different elements of my mix in a visually pleasing way. That helps me scan the mix and find what I'm looking for quickly…especially when I'm 40 tracks deep!
What are your favorite new features in After Effects CC?
In After Effects, the Warp Stabilizer VFX is super accurate and assignable to areas of the frame. I'm always stabilizing footage or creating locked off shots from handheld or monopod footage. This update gives complete control to an editor, so they can realistically save bad or unusable footage and keep that great take in the final product.
I also love layer-snapping which makes sure your layer is positioned in the right spot. If you are one frame off with a mask or muzzle flash…it will look horrible. This feature ensures I won't turn out an export with flawed timing.
If you are interested in learning more about Vashi Nedomansky and his work, visit his site. Or read Twain Richardson's in-dpeth interview with him on Frame of Reference.
Learn more about Adobe Creative Cloud and the CC tools for video pros.