Edius Is My Personal Project System, by Alan J. Levi

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User Reports

Edius Is My Personal Project System

by Alan J. Levi, November 27, 2007

Independent Hollywood Director/Producer

SHERMAN OAKS, CALIF.
When I’m not directing a television production on a studio lot, I like to work in my home studio. From here I direct and produce my own independent feature films, documentaries, promotional and travelogue projects, which detail my annual trips around the world.

Grass Valley Edius

Through my production company AJL Productions, Inc., we use the Thomson Grass Valley Edius edit system for a number of professional network and theatrical projects, as well as noncommercial speculative projects. For instance, in scouting a location for a TV or feature project, we’ll capture shots of the locations, then bring the tape into my studio and use Edius to quickly edit the days’ shots down to my first or second location choices. Then a shortened version is transferred to a DVD for the producer.

For such projects, my edit system of choice is Thomson Grass Valley’s Edius.

I’ve been a longtime user of the Grass Valley/Canopus product line, starting with the JustEdit system more than seven years ago. There are other systems out there, but none holds up to the power, stability and flexibility of Edius.

REAL-TIME PROCESSING AND A STABLE PLATFORM

Real-time processing saves an enormous amount of time when compared with other systems. Edius is also very stable and doesn’t crash, which any editor will tell you can be very frustrating. The ability to handle multiple types of formats on the same timeline is invaluable, as I often get footage shot at different times that has to be edited together to look consistent across several scenes. Within the Edius timeline, it’s possible to import and merge different resolutions and make them look as if they were shot with the same camera.

And finally, when shooting multiple cameras, it’s a piece of cake to do the multi-cam edit on Edius. All the cameras are shown simultaneously, making choices fast and easy. Cutting from one camera to another can be done like switching live cameras. It’s that simple.

Frequently, when I’m shooting a TV episode or a movie, I’ll come home to my studio and edit the footage on Edius to give the producers or show’s editors an idea of the style we’re striving for. This often includes a rough cut with transitions and effects. I can now also share these rough EDLs with other colleagues in the crew via the Internet.

EASY TO LEARN

I like the fact that the Edius interface is very easy to learn and understand. If I’m working with assistants, I can bring them up to speed quickly. The interface is completely customizable, so we can set up the most frequently used on-screen commands as a single line of hot keys. This allows us to work really fast. The Edius audio controls also help make my stereo mixes quick and easy.

Edius is the perfect system for the types of projects that are closest to my heart. Those are the ones I enjoy most. Without a doubt, it’s the fastest NLE system on the market, with everything done in real time. It’s also economical to own, fully customizable, very easy to use and allows me to experiment with projects without having to worry about time spent in a post facility. I can do it all right here in my home studio. I wouldn’t have it any other way.