The Layover Crew http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-layover-crew Just another Travelchannel.com Blogs site Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:33:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Gonzo Editing http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-layover-crew/2011/12/27/gonzo-editing/ http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-layover-crew/2011/12/27/gonzo-editing/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:33:48 +0000 anthony bourdain http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-layover-crew/?p=10 by Eric Lasby, Editor 


“Editing is too dangerous, and too sexy,” I warned.

“Write it,” she replied.

“What if I inadvertently sway some vulnerable youth into making the same volatile anti-
establishment career choices that I made? Good god, I can’t be held responsible for the
consequences!”

“Write it Lasby. Write the blog about editing Layover Montreal.”

“See you in Hell,” I smirked.

In the spirit of Hunter Thompson then, I abdicate all responsibility for the effects of this lurid
chronicle of artistic process. I present you with a diary of the edit - my reckless journey of
creative madness - 38 days in total.

Day 1: Start watching footage. There’s a lot of it. Keep watching...
(watch some more)

Day 2: Pick up where left off (watching footage).

Day 3: Depressed by sheer volume of footage, abusively fire three assistants in one day for
making a bad cup of coffee. Give the bird to the big boss. Leave in a huff.

Day 6: Tame the beast - arrange index cards on wall to wrap head around vast amount of
scenes, details, and characters. Drink entire bottle of Single Malt Scotch. Somehow find
desired timeline before passing out...

Day 8: Renowned Montreal chefs Martin Picard, Dave McMillan, Fred Morin, and Normand
Laprise all stop by the office to check on my progress. Offer to personally cook me lunch.
Typical perk. (Note to self: 37 courses a bit heavy mid-week)

Day 9: Surf music library - exhaustively seek and gather all the tracks that have a collective
sound appropriate to the Montreal episode. Sign autographs for editing groupies gathered
outside door.

Day 10: Start day with phone call from Uncle Ned. Rehash same old argument about what it
is I actually do for a living. (“NO, I ALREADY TOLD YOU I DON’T JUST CUT OUT THE BAD
PARTS!”). Put whiskey in morning coffee. Go mentally to the dark place. Throw computer
monitor out 19th floor window...

Day 11: Begin editing - the race to first deadline!
Pontificate to (new) assistant that this phase of editing is like a kind of writing. From all the
available dialogue, footage, narration from Tony, and music, we structure and shape the story.
(80 hours of possible content from 3 cameras are used to make one hour of t.v.). Fire assistant
for nodding off during my lecture.

Day 17: Office Fire! Carry several helpless ZPZ employees down stairwell to safety while still
editing - one handed - on iPhone.

Day 25: First cut submitted. Collapse....await feedback so can re-shape (again!!!).

Day 28: Receive notice I’m to be visited by the Pulitzer committee for my groundbreaking use
of food shots.

Day 30: Submit second cut.

Day 35: Get in a fist fight with Tony about best shot of oysters to use in Act 4. Bloodied, shirt
torn, return heroically to work.

Day 38: PICTURE LOCK! The edit is complete. Inspired by Tony’s travel advice, how
UTTERLY AWESOME the food is in Montreal, and how COOL the chefs are, I immediately
book travel there for my time off (which happens to only be 24 hours)!

Reader’s Note: Editors often enhance where a narrative is felt to be “boring,” or otherwise in
need of some “sweetening” - as they say in the business. Accordingly, some of the events in
this diary may have been exaggerated or added for dramatic effect.

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		Singapore
		http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-layover-crew/2011/11/22/singapore/
		http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-layover-crew/2011/11/22/singapore/#comments
		Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:06:59 +0000
		anthony bourdain
				
		
		
		

		http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-layover-crew/?p=7
		
			by Cherie Silvera, Producer


When I was assigned the Singapore location, my first reaction was a little disappointment. I knew very little about Singapore, but I had heard it was a crime free place full of rigid rules, sparkly new and clean….a shoppers’ paradise. Wha’?! Not my cuppa tea. How are we going to make this interesting? Ajax Cleanser with a twist of JC Penny’s? Would we find any soul or an underbelly to spice up this story? Well….as with many things in life, just look past the obvious, embrace the weirdness, and love it for what it is. 




Turns out that the soulfulness of Singapore isn’t in the churches, temples and mosques, or in its indie music scene, or the brand new sky scrapers that seem to pop up daily. The spirituality of this place is found in the omnipresent religion of food – a super diverse population with origins from the far corners of Asia and beyond, and they are all united by this crazy food obsession. Google ANY tiny 8×10 foot hawker stall, and you’ll find hordes of patrons blog-bickering about the pro’s and cons of the dishes. My impression…Singaporeans = urban yuppie foodies morphed with cyber blogger nerds.  Eh?


As for the more law-straddling element that gives any flourishing society its depth and character… look no further than the pseudo legal prostitution scene.


We were hoping to shoot a scene at Orchard Towers, aka the infamous “Four Floors of Whores”, and off we went to scout it first.  Tom, a Singapore shoot veteran, led the production team into this office-tower-by-day and den-of-weirdness at night.  As darkness falls, each floor of this office/mall structure reinvents itself into a shady ladies-of-the-night club scene, whilst we were led into a fourth-floor bar where the tranny action was in full swing. The dancing and fashion parade were plenty entertaining, even for a Monday night.  Nonetheless, it IS Singapore… and though these establishments are legally tolerated, being allowed to film in them was another can of worms.


Eventually we drove into the lively red light district of Geylang. We had hoped to capture the local street color, showing there is more to Singapore than just shopping malls and eating malls.   It was 1am, hookers and johns checking each other out against a backdrop of brothels lining the lorong streets — indicated by not-so-subtle neon signs such as “Happy Hotel”.  Ironically, when we finally found this darker seedy side of Singapore, lurking beneath its shiny surface, we were unprepared to film it.  Leaving the safety of the production van was a bit creepy… Zach and Shirai claimed the need to protect their pricey camera’s from aggro pimps.   And shooting out of the van windows was forbidden by our driver, who feared his doors would be kicked in if we filmed the wrong dudes.   Nonetheless, we did find that underbelly….  every city has one, even ‘perfect’ Singapore.


Anyhow, I’m glad I was assigned to Singapore.  It was quite delicious AND interesting.



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