Punch and Judy
- louiseanastasia123
- Oct 20, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 23, 2025
Files and updates - https://padlet.com/40530120/punch-and-judy-u2dj1zjg8bh6tpm2
Feedback on the project's greenlit status;
Overall quality, proposal, scale and ambition.
Clear and engaging story- partial yes. Less so clear, e.g. how the sock puppet works within the domestic environment to a theatre, is it required.
Yes, clear themes and consideration to audience engagement.
Partial, yes, team actively engage to develop the heart of the story- more development.
Sufficient HODs - lack of producers was the big issue, but still time to resolve.
Not appropriate for 10 mins, yes, particularly yes, but still some refinement as the world is quite big.
Overall, it can be made, but the order still needs to be filled.
Sizzle Reel I edited for the presentation: https://youtu.be/I1bix1Ghae4
Test Shoot Preparation:
As the editor, again, my input was less important in pre-production, as it was focused on the camera and art department, and any questions or comments I had were raised in earlier in-person meetings. As AD for the project, I prepared the shooting schedule and ran it by David, the DoP, a few days before the shoot. Here was the original schedule:
The night before the big day, our actor for Pete had missed rehearsals and wasn't very good at replying to our director's messages. This raised some alarm bells, and Annie began reaching out for last-minute backups as we were worried about his reliability. Eventually, that evening, he responded that he didn't have the proper costume. Unsurprisingly, on the morning of the shoot day, he cancelled with a new excuse, offering to reschedule for another day, which we couldn't afford. Luckily, we did have someone respond the night before who was happy to take the part that day as long as it could fit around their class at Merchiston. With this new information, I rearranged the shooting schedule upon arrival on set that morning, optimising the schedule.
Here is the redraft:
Test shoot edit process:
Once we wrapped filming, I began my edit in Avid on my personal laptop because I was travelling back home for a few days after the shoot. Upon returning to Edinburgh, I transferred the project and its files to the Nexus in Screen Academy Scotland and finished my rough cut before asking Annie to come in the following day for some feedback. We sat for a few hours going through the shots and making amendments while realising a few frustrating issues, such as not having enough coverage of some action, continuity issues, especially with the letters, despite attempts to keep track on set. By the end, we were happy with what we had done, and I exported to sound and grade.
I didn't see the finished scene till the night before the pitch, watching the resynced grade on my laptop, it felt like something might be out of sync. Not having the time or files to check, I assumed it was an issue with my laptop's playback, which has happened before. When watching on the projector before presenting, I noticed it right away and turned to my team, who seemed oblivious. Luckily, I wasn't the only one confused by this, as the panel seemed to also notice something was slightly off...
Slightly out of sync relay of grade and sound design- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioapHrIxY-M
Following the pitch, I made time to go in and try to fix the issue that had started sometime during the sound mix setup. I ended up syncing it by eye, moving the audio down the sequence by 4 frames until it looked correct.
Final Test Shoot- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZbwZIW4Q2M
Final Pitch Reflection:
I believe our presentation skills still need some development, as most of us spoke very quickly. The questions afterwards also did not feel like they were answered to the best standard under the pressure, but the preparation for this pitch helped align the team on the next steps for our project.
What I read out with my slide:
In the edit, I'm intending to focus on shaping Amanda’s emotional arc, following her journey from passive complacency to the moment she finally reclaims control. Our test shoot centred around Act 2 of the script, so we could understand how the transition from the real world to the theatrical puppet world would work. It was important to experiment with pacing and explore the best approach to Puppet- Pete speaking. As tensions rise, the cuts become shorter and more frequent, with the framing tightening to mirror Amanda’s growing panic. In the test shoot, we also chose to have Pete speak for the puppet, which emphasised how pathetic and controlling he really is.
This tone completely contrasts with the film's opening, where we want the audience to share Amanda’s false sense of security - keeping the edit calm, tidy, and rhythmic until the puppet appears and the atmosphere shifts. Walter Murch’s writing inspired me to lean into the subtleties of emotion and performance, which guide my more stylised editorial choices.
Overall, my role is to ensure the tension grows naturally and stays aligned with Amanda’s perspective, guiding the audience through her experience in a way that feels intentional and emotionally truthful.
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