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Vineet
Hello and welcome back to Photosynthesis, individuals podcast where we talk to some of the best videographers and photographers in India and discuss the art and the culture of creative work in this country. Today we have with us and someone who’s actually specialized a lot in editing for many years now and in many, many different genres, Jasdeep Singh Sidhu who has basically shot Punjabi music videos, he’s done historical non-fiction videos.
historical and geographical documentary type non-fiction videos. Aai Jauzdi!
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Hello, Vinit and thank you to inviting me here
Vineet
Welcome, welcome, welcome. How did you get interested in editing? Let’s start with this.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Okay, so I started editing as a DOP. I shot a lot of weddings and corporate events. When it comes to delivering the client, the problem was that I didn’t have the editing.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Basically I am just a cameraman so the quality that the client expected or I expected that thing was not available anywhere
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
So when it comes to client and delivery project then there were many problems because the editors were very high charged so normally here in North side we didn’t get that much budget so then I started editing that I should do editing myself then slowly I learnt about primer pro and basically the beginning of editing was like this
Clients don’t like work, neither do I So rather than being dependent on someone else I thought it’s better to do it
Vineet
So basically I started from my videography.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Videography is a strange thing, I didn’t start with videography at all.
Vineet
And after that, when you were doing the client weddings, you were doing both, videography and the editing.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Yes, yes. At the age of 16, I had shot a cover song.
Vineet
Hmm, that’s quite amazing.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
At that time, nobody knew about ABCD I shot my first song here on Canon 5D M3 I started it from that time then slowly I started doing weddings Side by side music videos are going on I have worked as an assistant and I have also done a lot of solo videos on YouTube.
Vineet
So basically you went into editing to record your own videos So when you got into it, what did you feel? First, you were looking at other people’s work, what was missing? And secondly, was there anything specific? This style is not coming, this graphics are not coming, this motion graphics are not coming Did you feel that I can do better? How did you get into it specifically?
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Very good, very good.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Absolutely.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Okay.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Okay, so I will give you an example It will be a very simple example to understand Like, everyone thinks that we can learn editing from somewhere Editing can never be learned Editing is basically your mind, your thought process, how you are thinking The time we are shooting, or the time the editor gets some footage
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
after seeing the raw footage, the final result comes in his mind so if I tell you in simple language that there is a mechanic what can we tell him if someone comes to me that I have to learn editing so what happens in editing, basically there are tools so we can tell him a tool like this screwdriver so this will tighten the screw or loose it
Now how tight and loose that screw depends on the mechanic
So editing is also same, you can understand the tools These are the tools
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
the editor’s main and as far as I am concerned that when anything is being shot, any song, any documentary, any movie, anything is being shot So the presence of the editor is very important as far as I am concerned Because until you can see it being shot raw, if I tell you in my own way, it is 80-90% final output
It becomes your onset if you are present If you want to know Yes, what is this thing And second Your director Director, DOP and editor These three should have a very good bond Otherwise your result can’t come at all You can try as much as you want Director will do his work DOP will do his work But the main output that has to be extracted Is only in the hands of an editor And
Vineet
mentally decide how to frame it and how to frame the timeline
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Until these three don’t bond well, the final output can’t be good
Vineet
We have seen this in many shoots that the editor is not there Right, especially on big sets, especially if it’s a different multi-city And yes, it’s very possible to have a gap There is a communication gap that at that time the director is thinking that yes I will do this and that Maybe I should communicate clearly with the videographer, maybe those notes should not reach the editor How did you resolve this? If you are doing it yourself then obviously
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
HMM
Hmm
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Baby.
Hmm.
Hmm hmm hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
No, no, no
Vineet
Hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
This is not a possibility that any mistake is made. The editor has to make sure that no mistake is made from the end. Because the final output is coming from there. So the presence of the director is very important to me. And I have done many projects like this. I have done many free projects like this that I have gone to the set myself. I just understood there and then I had it.
Vineet
So basically you were only there as editor But you were still on set And you were discussing with the director that this should be done like this So now I want to get into actually when you were making these videos When you were there only as editor So firstly when you were making the video yourself, you were the director Right But Firstly what is the difference actually for someone young and trying to get into this What is the difference between
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
I was on the site.
Absolutely.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
G.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Yeah. G. Bill Gould.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm.
Vineet
Then
Vineet
Interesting. So, what you have to combine. So, when you were just an editor, then, but you said you were on the site, you were discussing exactly, what exactly was your role? Because when we were talking earlier, you also said that it expands a bit. It’s not just Premiere Pro or Ta Vinci Resolve, where you get rushes and you have to make a story. And you have to make a film. It expands a lot.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-mm.
G.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
DJ’s a big, big…
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
yes actually the problem is that all the editors that I have worked with they are very much bonded like if an editor is editing on Premiere Pro if I tell them to edit on FCP they will say that we have never done this we don’t know how to run it or we can’t edit on it
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
As I told you before that editing software is just a tool Now in Premiere Pro, if you press C, then it cuts In FCP, its command will be different But it will cut the work, whether it is a big or small scissor It will cut But these days I have noticed this thing a lot
There are many young editors who are connected to me on Insta So when they ask which software you are editing on I said that it doesn’t matter Because you ask how do you edit
Vineet
But I guess it’s a habit, I know the shortcuts and I’m fast on it. If I go on any of the shortcuts…
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
But according to me, no editor should be bound to anything I mean, as far as I have seen, they get so much shock that like, I don’t know how big FCB is But exactly what is editing? Editing is your mind It is your creative mind It is what you have thought in your mind So as I told you, the work that Caesar has to do, Caesar has to do it
Vineet
Hmm, fair enough.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
It’s just that it becomes a difficult zone Like I do it in Premiere Pro, I do editing in Premiere Pro Now that is my zone Second, there is a little issue in FCP We press Ctrl C in this, we have to press C in that So the speed that is made somewhere, that speed definitely lacks I agree on this
Vineet
Yeah, I guess speed is the primary one. Secondary, it would take them like four days to fill out any new software. Otherwise, yeah, the timeline is the same. But for example, I guess fusion in Da Vinci Resolve, the motion graphics style, would be very different from Premiere Pro.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Friendly. Absolutely.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Timeline is the same.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Basically, people use DaVinci Resolve for editing But what was the main work of DaVinci Resolve? No one knows Color grading Their work was basically color grading So all the edits were done on FCP or Premiere Pro After that, they went to final for color grading Now things are getting advanced, so DaVinci has also started But
Vineet
Tell her creating. Shuru.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
where there is no problem. Once you go through it, it’s easy. It’s not that difficult.
Vineet
So how would you define then this expanded role of the editor? What exactly did you have to do? Even when you were just editing on a video, what were your roles beyond just timeline building in FCP or Premiere Pro? What was your role?
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
I started my own projects and videos After that I went to Singapore I joined Alanka Studios I saw a couple there They got married in 2016
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
They were taking a walk And the editor had a song played in the background Dinesh Saganada Chade Aav Sakhiya Wani So it could have been a bit of a struggle Because they were taking a walk Their combined was going on It was a full video So somewhere there was a lot of
Vineet
See you later.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Otherwise, in India we get audio. We have audio in our music videos. We have to edit it according to the audio. But when such situations come, then there are many puzzles. I have some South Indian weddings there.
some corporate events too, which were not understood.
So this is a big problem.
Vineet
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Hmm. Good Amor, thank you.
Vineet
Sound effects, yes. Because we are doing a corporate filmmaking, we haven’t reached the sound effects yet. The role hasn’t come yet.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
ok ok, no sound effects sound effects are very important if i tell you if you search without SFX and with SFX whatever you feel is dumped that maybe this final output is not good but as SFX goes in it will reach some other level
Vineet
Hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Actually I was late on SFX Because it is very difficult to see and use SFX In which zone and in which mode How to use SFX is difficult
Vineet
So sound engineering then becomes a big part. But are there specialized people or editor only plays a role?
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
No sir, like the big movies, the documentary movies, they have different sound engineers, music producers, they watch all of it. But where it comes to normal short films, the editor has to manage it. The editor has to see everything, he has to see sound, he has to see the camera, there are many things.
Vineet
camera
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Camera like camera footage also has to be seen that they are editing in RAW There are many formats in the camera RAW is also there Normal is also there After that, there is a lot of Vivid and all Many colors are already there in the camera So that also has to be seen that it is being shot on SLLog 1 is SLLog 2 You have to be very careful about those things Because then according to that, the color grading is to be seen by the editor
Vineet
So it also happens that the video is shot, you edit it. Or the editor is like you get involved at the start. You talk to the videographer, shoot like this.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Uh.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
I mean, I will tell you that it depends on budget the whole game is budget Now here I have edited some projects in such a way that there is a director and a DOP and I am editor there so on the set neither the director nor the DOP understands anything the director is saying something and the DOP is doing something and there then
I have operated the camera myself.
Vineet
Ciao.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
This is a big problem because nowadays I tell you that I have done many projects which have no name. In that, someone else’s name is there.
Vineet
Hmm. He’s a little bit senior person, but he’s doing his job.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
hmm they put names in which they don’t even know ABCD so that they can get projects in future
like suppose I don’t know how to edit and I make an account on some freelance websites I upload some footage or edited videos on it I got the work, I took money from there and I hired an editor so this works a lot now what is in this, the budget is not available or what will happen if the output is good
Then they will pay me a good amount and tell me that this name will be used.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
and second is that like you take wedding’s budget here in north India I mean Chandigarh here some studios are covering your wedding in 30,000 in today’s time in 30,000 all your functions 3,4,5 functions are there with reception and all some are shooting pre-wedding
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
in 30,000.
Vineet
in 30,000. Hmm. Actually, let’s break down the elements even for an editor. Right. And especially for a wedding, I know it’s a completely separate discussion here but still because it’s the editor’s time.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm.
Hmm
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
No, I will tell you one thing, the lower the budget of anything, the more load is loaded on the editor
Vineet
If the project is done, then the load on the editor keeps increasing To make it look good, because yes, that makes sense That there is not much to be done on the shoot
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
overall project.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Editor
because there will not be good lighting use there will not be good DOP so the lighting, color grading will take more time for the editor and it will take more time to understand it this is a big problem now the better the budget so if a music video of a good budget is also being shot then the production will be good DOP will be good creative director will be there art director will be there director will be there assistant director will be there so it becomes very easy for the editor
And the biggest problem I have seen is that Low budget projects They give us footage as it is That you see this A good budget music video or any project They have given us in a systematic way That first this shot, then this, then this, then this They manage everything systematically So the editor means the load is very less
Vineet
Everything is happening by the direction. Everything is clearly organized.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Hmm. Very good, very good.
Vineet
Because we have also seen that corporate projects also, ad films etc. If it’s a big project, if it’s like a 15-20 lakh plus project, then yes, everything is there as a person for everything. Everyone is talking about it. But if it’s a small project, 2 lakhs, 3 lakhs, quick, then the documentation is not that strong, the processes are not following, who is doing what, there is a little confusion. Which is actually what we are trying to change. So yeah. But yes, I guess.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
easy everything will be systematic
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Bilkul
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Now, let me give you an example. Last Sunday, recently, it was Sunday, I think, so the off that I had just left, there is an artist here who raps. I listened to his music and I liked it a lot. Now, he doesn’t have a budget. He basically has a lot of…
belongs to a middle class family so that guy doesn’t have a high budget at all so I shot everything from iPhone 13 now I have it on time even though I shot it myself it is a headache for me how to arrange the footage it will take a lot of time because we shot it at that time was also a problem so
Vineet
Time will be there. It will be a lot of time.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
You know how it is inside the phone You can’t change the file number and the iPhone just shoots and shoots and shoots Now for me it is very headache This is a big problem
Vineet
Yes, this has become a very good metric that if the budget of the project is less, then the work of the editor is more.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
editor is more important editor is important for everyone if i talk about DOP if there is no budget where he needs power, light, production he doesn’t have production how will he manage
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Almost everyone’s work increases Suppose that like Gimbal has come There is Gimbal, Ronin, etc. Many things have come Steadycam has come, it has made it very easy Otherwise what used to happen before, I have seen it at my time That we have to take a shot on a track We have to take a front shot We have to do it forward, backward, forward, backward In our music video So for that we need a track trolley If it is not budget, then how will we get track trolley
Vineet
Yeah, agreed.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
So in that, the director’s work is also increased, the DOP’s work is also increased, the editor’s work is also increased, so let’s increase it at the end. The editor has no chance.
Vineet
If an editor wants to be more organized, let’s say there is a choice, budget is not this, but it is not this either, right? You are helping out the, let’s say the DOP is a little inorganized, like in hypothetical scenario, and director is inexperienced. So how will you organize the project so that the editor’s work is straight forward, clean, and everyone does their work?
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
We need… It’s… Hmm…
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
I will give you a simple answer of one line If you want to organize it, you have to be on set
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
If you are on set, then 80% of your workload will be reduced.
Vineet
But what do you do on set? On set, it’s like, the creative director doesn’t know his work, so I’m helping him with his work. But as editor, let’s say, now let’s see, you are on set, there is a great editor and DOP who know what they’re doing. What would you tell them to organize like this so that my work remains clean? I just want to do my work.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Hmm. As a- I’m sorry.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
No, the first thing is that, like I am on set, I have my system, my Mac. So whatever they are shooting, as soon as the card is full, I will organize it together if it is a low budget project. They don’t have anyone to manage that. So the biggest problem is the footage. Now there is one song, it has a lot of files. So it can’t be managed.
Now if I am on set, I can manage that with the set Or I can tell the DOP to keep the final shot on one side and the final shot on the other side Now some people get the cut shot in the memory card But the director has called that shot as cut So keeping that shot is not important And that takes the most time
Then the second thing is that now the DOP does not know at what level the editor can edit Now as I tell you, I just got a song So DOP has good knowledge But now what was the situation in it that the whole song is on black and golden theme
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
the entire floor will be golden like gold a thar will be placed on it and the artist will be lying on the thar and a drawn shot will come from above so either you call a creative art director and get it painted golden
Vineet
It sounds like a nail exercise.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
They didn’t have a budget So I gave them a simple idea Which was the cheapest The idea was that Like we are catering people Who put tents in weddings So you saw they put green carpets down So I told them to take an open ground Put green carpets on the ground They will take Rs.200-300 for one shot Put green carpets on the ground And put a tarp on it
Take a shot from above and I’ll make it golden from below.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
so green screen is basically done so here the low budget will have good output but if I was not present as editor then DOP would not know what level of editing I can do and maybe DOP’s mind will also be
Vineet
Amazing. Green screen is basically made.
Vineet
And I have already told you that make sure that no one wears green. Nothing should be green at all.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Hmm, Absolutely So these small things happen, many things are organized On the spot, many things happen Now many times I tell you that we shot a song We shot it in Teerthan Valley Kullu Manali And what happened there, we had reached there earlier All the artists, directors and all had reached there But
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Next day, the camera and production were supposed to arrive just because it was rented If we take it with us, it will already have a shift so it goes out of budget So we gave them a call at 3 am to come at 3 am, so we had to take out a time lapse of sunrise But due to weather condition Land slide happened in the morning and production, camera, everyone’s car was stuck
and the camera and production reached us at 11 am now what we had to do for night shots what we had to shoot in the dark, that could not be done so in that it was the job of the DOP and editor we applied all black, all the black curtains, we told them to make everything black from outside and from inside we used artificial light etc. means we
we shot at 12-1pm
Vineet
I guess you get all the experience.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
All the experience is there Actually, these low budget projects will teach you a lot
I mean, from low budget projects, as far as I know, if there is an editor who has done good projects from the start, like from the start, he has done projects around 20-30 lakhs, then if we give him projects like this, then he will be stuck. For sure he will be stuck. But, you have to play with low budget projects, that is,
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
If you don’t have a budget, you can do that work even if you have a budget The difference is in quality Now as I told you that if the golden is painted real or if the tiles are shiny then the effect will be different and the effect will not be the same in green skin
Vineet
Now reflection is proper, lighting is interplayed Yes, yes agreed And now you are doing something else Now you are doing non-fiction type, historical type documentary
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
I’m going to go to bed.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Yes. We are currently running a series called Civil Staff Himachal. We started a series on that topic called Himachal’s Story. In that series, we explained the 12 districts of Himachal, their history, geography, economy and polity.
Vineet
That’s interesting and this is a major switch.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Now I have set it in the field and now I have come to proper editing In editing also, I have to keep on doing it from time to time Because at one time it will come that you will become perfect in that thing If I keep on doing weddings, I will become perfect in weddings But if I have to do a music video in between, then everything will be affected
Vineet
Growth comes like this.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
I can’t depend on whether I’ll get a music video, wedding, corporate event or an ad. As far as I’m concerned, the editor should be open to any kind of content.
Vineet
That is true. That is true. So how is this experience going? Now is your life more organized? Again, are you now properly an editor? You are getting footage and you are editing.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
yes absolutely now it is very organized earlier it was good I was getting money but the field work was a lot I am going on set, shooting everything is there that thing and other projects are coming or not coming because if you have projects coming I had a time when I think so
6 to 7 months I used to be on daily set. But after that I was at home for 1-1.5 years.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
There is a reason behind this Actually, as I told you about the budget problem I have done a project whose budget is quite good I have clients after seeing that What do clients expect? We expect that we have edited better than what we have just edited And go one step up But after a good project, a low budget project has come Then
downfall. So, that reduces the number of projects. So, this was also a big problem. Now, it is very much organized. Now, it is more in the morning and in the evening. And we know that our fix is a pattern. So, now basically we are working on history. So, now a little bit of search. Ok, the biggest thing for the editor is that research is very important.
Vineet
Paisa lukne hain sath khaan
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
If I don’t have work, my YouTube would be open Everyone thought I was watching movies or listening to songs But they didn’t know that I was learning from them Research is very important Because I did a lot of research for this too After that I started editing Because in this, if I talk about you in my Premier Pro I work on 25-30 layers
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
which is to be seen, I mean, after seeing it many times, like today, as much work as it has been done, if you want to do the editing again the next day, so the next day when we go and open the project, after seeing 20-25-30 layers, once in a while, the heart becomes that, how to do it now?
Vineet
I think I did 20 tracks in Max Garage Band and I couldn’t understand what was happening and where it was going.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
This is what happens in editing, it’s easy to say on time What the audience sees is very simple But there are so many efforts behind it Either the director knows, the DOP or the editor
Vineet
Hmm.
Agreed, agreed, agreed. Any advice people starting out? Last question. People who are starting out, that yes, I want to do edit. Right, one thing is again learning a tool. Right, that is there. But creatively, contribution has been increased from the beginning in the project. And let’s say they end up in a low budget project. Right, where their contribution is expected more than before. They don’t even know it before. What advice would you have? First, be on set, for sure.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Absolutely.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Mm-hmm
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Thank you.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
be on set. Second, research is a must. It’s not necessary that if I have a Punjabi song I’m just watching Punjabi songs. In Punjabi songs you can give a Bollywood touch or a Hollywood touch. So make sure your research is good. And the second thing is that you shouldn’t do like…
editors who are coming now, if they have a project then they are editing, otherwise they have nothing. So rather than you are good, nowadays there is a lot of money behind it, like if we get money then we will work. We should not do this, as I told you that there was a guy who did not have a budget, so we shot him and edited him. He must have benefited from it, but we learned a lot from him.
Vineet
Keep copying your own stuff.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
If you have time, skill and equipment then you can go in a field and do everything. Be an editor, don’t think that you are limited to one system. You should have full knowledge of DOP, director and creative director. And this knowledge will come only when you go in a field. The starting time will be difficult for sure. Like I told you that I had it too.
In the beginning, we used to go to the set with a lot of difficulties The budget was not that much The cost of editing was not that much We are traveling in that Travel is 2 hours or 3 hours Then we are watching the stay in that So don’t run after money in the beginning Improve your skills in the beginning And what they say It is not necessary to watch the channel of any editor You can watch any channel randomly
channel, watch anything, you will definitely learn something from it.
Vineet
Yeah. Perfect. I mean, this is very good advice, I think. And very good actually talking to an experienced editor for the first time. We were talking to a lot of videographers. I had a lot of fun. Actually, I learned a lot today. So thanks, Jassi. Thank you so much for joining. I know it took me a while to coordinate. But thank you for your time. And thanks, everyone, for staying tuned.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
So, my truth is absolutely correct.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, bye bye. We’ll see.
Vineet
You can of course follow us, you can see us on YouTube, you can listen on Spotify, Pocketcast, Apple Podcasts, everywhere. See you next week. Thanks, Uzdeep.
Jasdeep Singh Sidhu
Okay, bye bye. Bye bye.
