Why does any of this matter? For one, it matters because the entire day's and a week's worth of effort was contained on that drive. A whole episode could be corrupted or erased! And, as I mentioned in the last entry, this was a guest start episode so repeating it would not be so easy. Throw in the "Thanksgiving leftovers" theme and it's virtually unshootable a second time around.
Needless to say, all these thoughts ran through my mind on the long train ride home. You always hear of those unfortunate interns who trip on the wrong cord and the whole lighting rig collapses to the ground, the one who shredded the contract that took three weeks to process, the one who held a camera in the same hand as a bottle of Arnold Palmer Green Tea Lemonade that was open just enough. (No, scratch that last one. That actually did happen to me once.) Dropping that HD made me realize how fragile this industry is, especially this early in the going. People make mistakes, but when the magnitude of them reaches critical mass, that said person becomes expendable. A multitude of kids would kill to have my "job" who may even perform it better than I. For two seconds, I wasn't thinking, but that's really all it takes for a mistake like that. The rush of going home probably helped a little in my flurried behavior; I need to relax a tad. There is a deeper meaning to this somewhere. I'm groping for it, but the words won't coagulate. Just be more careful, be more aware of the situation I am in, be aware that it doesn't take much for them to pass over you.
Seconds prior to the event, Rebecca Lando and I were Google chatting and she told me, yet again, how great of a job I did. How ironic is it that I dropped the drive seconds later?! Maybe it's a sign from God, a sign that I should not get too cocky with myself, should not feel so laid back and secure. I'm still an intern. I'm still in college. I'm still nowhere in the industry, despite how well I may edit. A million other people out there edit too, better than I do. "Don't get ahead of yourself, kid." God whispered in my ear as the HD plummeted to the carpeted floor. Looking back on the happening, it's easy to make these associations. Perhaps I should take it as a warning, a crystallized moment when my entire time at Next New Networks could have been soiled. Lord, I hope Lando emails me back soon so I know it's okay...
"But Brittany! What about the other seven hours and 59 minutes of your day?" After completing the logging process, I began the rough cut for WCF 113. Staying conscious of the Theo Peck episode, I tried to edit more creatively, rather than simply lay down the process of the meal. I did that too, but sprinkled in interview segments and "witty banter" along the way. What I learned from this is that I should stick to the process first. After three hours, only 2/3 of the episode was dropped to the timeline and some portions were heavily flawed in their flow. Ambition overcame me. Overall, it was yet another good learning experience. I tried a different formula, experimented with it, and discovered that staying with what I know may have been the better option. As much as this industry is about huge mistakes that could ruin your career, the little ones that help it hold just as much authority.
Beyond The Trailer shoot went splendidly. Some good jokes were told by all and some major bashing of films and stars always makes things interesting. Below are links to the episodes from last week that I shot. Remember, I do the white background stuff, not the on-location shooting.
