The Typewriter (2023)

Runtime: 9 minutes | Language: English and some Malay

Synopsis

When Adam, a struggling young writer, purchases a mysterious antique typewriter from an old store, he believes it might be the spark he needs to pursue his dream ... before it spirals into a terrifying descent. Trapped between guilt, grief, and rage, Adam must confront the horrifying cost of his ambition and the lingering wounds of family trauma.

As the film editor, I assembled all footage and scenes to shape and refine the film, using the editing software Adobe Premiere Pro.

Pre-production

As the editor on The Typewriter, my research in pre-production consisted of watching horror and thriller films. I then collated various clips of unique editing that I felt either served their own narratives well, or that were suitable with our film’s script. Some films did give something helpful to our particular project, others did not, and there were dramas and action films I watched without intending to reference but surprisingly did. I then wrote briefly on each clip, stopping to think and analyse why I picked it in the first place. Assessing the effectiveness of film editing specifically was not something I had consciously done before, and the meaning behind the use of shots and cuts was creatively and pleasantly insightful to me.

A challenge I faced in pre-production was learning to use Adobe After Effects to design visual effects particularly for the stabbing scene. I had been using Premiere Pro for a year and had spent numerous hours editing, but had never before played with After Effects. Trying it out for the first time was sometimes overwhelming, when I didn’t know what the tools in its interface did, and tried to follow YouTube tutorials and had help from a friend.

I also edited our minute-long proof-of-concept video, where we had shot about three minutes worth of scenes which I whittled down to form a teaser, and decided to use quick crosscuts to especially ramp up the horror genre of the film.

Production

We filmed over three days and wrapped at around 3am on our last night. Apart from one location change that was unexpected, the production went relatively smoothly. The weather conditions were good and did not alter the shooting schedule, filming was not asked to stop, and there were little to no technical problems. As my role falls under post-production instead, I spent a lot of my time on the set transferring and organising the footage previously shot, creating a log sheet to match the visuals, audio, and director's notes.

Post-production

Naturally, post-production was when my role fully kicked in. Editing is like a cycle of problem solving and quick-thinking. Watching each take required observing for specific factors – performance, continuity, framing, shot length, and considering the preferred takes marked by the director, cinematographer and sound recordist. I then assembled them and observed each shot’s impact on one another, considering storytelling, pacing, and the choice of shot composition to convey the emotion and substance of the scene. Editing is a silent process of rapid thoughts and mental cues about what can and can’t be done, and this experience was insightful for me in becoming more sensitive to cuts and their impact.