Timelined: Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead’. Picture: The Rough Cut
Timelined: Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead’. Picture: The Rough Cut

Timelined: Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead’

2021-11-25
4 mins read

‘Timelined’ is a series of articles dedicated to the postproduction storytellers, which are the editors. This time, thanks to The Rough Cut team, we are getting exposed to the timeline of Army of the Dead directed by Zack Snyder. Explore it below.

Army of the Dead timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut
Army of the Dead timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut

Timelined

The editing process is one of the most important parts of postproduction. Editors have a tremendous power to shape, maneuver, build and create the whole film. In reality shows, where there is a vast mass of footage, the editors are the kings, and sometimes they have more impact than the directors. Basically, professional editors use one of three software called NLE (Non-Linear Editor) that are: Avid, Premiere Pro, and FCP (Final Cut Pro). The majority of Hollywood films are cut on Avid. In recent years, Premiere Pro and FCP have joined the blockbuster party as well. In Y.M.Cinema Magazine we understand the importance of the editors in crafting the story, and indeed we have been writing a solid amount of articles in that matter. Now, it’s time to write more about the art of editing. Hence, we preset ‘Timelined’ which is a series of articles dedicated for the movie assemblers (=editors).

Army of the Dead timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut
Army of the Dead timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut

The timeline is the code behind the movie

If lines of code create software then timeline creates movies. The timeline is the movie’s pieces of code, like in software. The timeline contains segments of videos, audio layers, dialog, SFX sequences, and more. The timeline can be built of dozens of layers, that must be synchronized accurately in order to present the film as planned. One of the most satisfying parts of editing is when the timeline is finished. Then the whole film is presented as layers, lines, and stripes, which is a very cool sight. What’s even neater, is to see the timeline of high-budget films. Yeah, that is a pretty unique sight.

Army of the Dead full timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut
Army of the Dead full timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut

There is also a lot of trial and error in the editing room. Even if a director has a clear vision of what he wants, until the images are actually juxtaposed and the rhythm is defined by the editing, you never really know how it will work.

Editor Dody Jane Dorn

Editing Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead

Thanks to the wonderful Youtube channel ‘The Rough Cut’, we can explore the timeline of Army of the Dead directed by Zack Snyder. We wrote a bunch of articles about the making of this film, however, we haven’t written about the editing of it. For those who are curious about the making, head over the referenced articles below:

Army of the Dead full timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut
Army of the Dead full timeline. Picture: The Rough Cut

Army was edited by Dody Jane Dorn

What is interesting about Army (aka ‘Army of the Dead’), is that it was edited by a female editor, Dody Jane Dorn. As similar to cinematographers, female editors are not so common in our industry. In Y.M.Cinema Magazine we try hard to contribute to a change, by writing about female editors that broke the glass ceiling, which is quite rare, yet the progress is well noticed (Read – Women’s Cinema: Meet Editor Joanna Naugle, and Women’s Cinema- Meet Veteran Editor Shirley Thompson). Dody is not a conventional example of that since she is one of the veteran female editors in the industry, who has worked with acclaimed directors. Dody (born April 20, 1955) is an American film and sound editor. She is best known for working with director Christopher Nolan on several films including Memento (2000), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Doby was the additional editor of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and the chief editor of Army of the Dead. In her field, Doby is one of a kind, but hopefully, there will be many more like her in the future.

Editor Dody Jane Dorn. Picture: Picture credit- Unknown (contact us for the credit).
Editor Dody Jane Dorn. Picture: Picture credit- Unknown (contact us for the credit).

It is still a commonly accepted notion that the editor just “cuts out all the bad bits.” I liken editing more to sculpture

Editor Dody Jane Dorn

Timeline Tours of Army of the Dead

In the video below, Dody shares her Avid Media Composer timeline for Army of the Dead while describing how her edit progressed from Zack Snyder’s hand-drawn storyboards to pre-viz and stunt-viz. Dody also discusses what Zack likes to see in the first assembly as well as the other AOTD projects that were in development during the production of the main film. As stated once by Dody: “It is still a commonly accepted notion that the editor just “cuts out all the bad bits.” I liken editing more to sculpture…There is also a lot of trial and error in the editing room. Even if a director has a clear vision of what he wants, until the images are actually juxtaposed and the rhythm is defined by the editing, you never really know how it will work”. Indeed, these are well-said statements. Watch the tour below to reveal the complexity of editing:

Here’s the full interview with editor Dody Dorn ACE and assistant editor Carlos Castillón: 

Closing thoughts

The timeline presents the movie’s guts. It’s like surgery when you are able to dive into the film, explore all its layers, raw footage, sounds, effects, and more. Indeed, when thinking about it, the editor is like the film’s surgeon. All the creative power is in his hands. The editor’s suite is the real world, and the timeline is the Matrix. That’s an intriguing thought. Don’t you think?

Product List

Here’re the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers. 

Yossy is a filmmaker who specializes mainly in action sports cinematography. Yossy also lectures about the art of independent filmmaking in leading educational institutes, academic programs, and festivals, and his independent films have garnered international awards and recognition.
Yossy is the founder of Y.M.Cinema Magazine.

2 Comments

    • Hi Steve,
      A verification:
      All images and credited content are well mentioned – as always in our articles.
      This article is a tribute to the wonderful YT channel: The Rough Cut (find links in the article) which is highly recommended as a valuable piece of education.
      The goal of the article is to present the essential role of film editors and their very complicated and challenging job in the filmmaking process as a whole.
      Thx,
      Yossy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Get the best of filmmaking!

Subscribe to Y.M.Cinema Magazine to get the latest news and insights on cinematography and filmmaking!

Get the best of filmmaking!

Subscribe to Y.M.Cinema Magazine to get the latest news and insights on cinematography and filmmaking!

The cinematic partners: Nolan & Hoyte. Picture: Warner Bros.
Previous Story

Nolan & Hoyte Will Work Together on Nolan’s Next Big Project: “Oppenheimer”, That Will be Shot on 65mm Film (Obviously)

Samyang Announces “Hiigh-End” Full-Frame Lenses: XEEN Anamorphic 2X, and Meister Titanium Primes
Next Story

Samyang Announces “High-End” Full-Frame Lenses: XEEN Anamorphic 2X, and Meister Titanium Primes

Latest from Educate

Go toTop

Don't Miss

Apple Announces M4 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces M4 MacBook Pro

A few hours after the introduction of the M4 Mac mini, Apple announced the new MacBook Pro armed with the powerful M4 chips.…
Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro: Which Should You Choose?

Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro: Which Should You Choose?

In the world of video editing, the choice of software can make or break a project. Adobe Premiere Pro, Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, and…