SATURDAY FEATURED SPOTLIGHT

THIS YOUNG MAN WAS THE DP AND EDITOR OF AN AWESOME FILM THAT JUST PREMIERED A MONTH AGO.

INTRODUCING KENNY JOHNSON Kenny Johnson is a film and video enthusiast currently living in Columbia, MD. He enjoys every aspect of filmmaking from writing and directing, to working as a grip and PA, to editing. He enjoys both the technical aspect and the artistic message in film and video.

ACCESS DMV INTERVIEW WITH KENNY JOHNSON ADMV: How long did it take to edit the DMV Truth. K J: It took close to 90 hours to edit The DMV Truth. I'm a perfectionist. I'm also slow. It was a total of 20 interviews at 30 minutes a piece too. So a lot of Raw footage to go through. ADMV: How long have you been a film editor and what was the most difficult film to edit and why? K J: I've been editing stuff since like 2002 or 2003. Lots of little short films with my high school friends on the weekend. And even a public access show. I started off with Adobe premiere, then moved to Final Cut Pro and a little bit of Avid, and now slowly back to Premiere. But to be honest I consider myself more of a video editor. Some day I hope to work more with film on an actual steenbeck. That's kind of a lost art. Everything is digital and done on computers these days. There's this kind of blending of film and video now. It's weird. So I don't know whether to say film or video editor. I just go by editor. But the hardest project (which was also the most fun) was Pro Wrestler. I probably got over 100 hours of footage on this one. Lots of cool stuff. And I put together like 3 different versions. It was also my first documentary. I had no idea what I was doing. It was struggle the entire time and I spent almost 7 months just strictly editing. It took me like 16 months to make. But I had so much fun making it. And I made some incredible friends along the way. ADMV: I loved the lighting setup how did you decide the type of lighting for the DMV Truth? K J: For the lighting I wanted to look kind of low-tech, simple and raw. It was the stripped down style that complimented what the subjects on the screen were saying. This was supposed to be kind of a confessional to the audience. That's why I had a harsh back light, almost like a spot light. It's dark in a confessional and the only light is that harsh light shinning down on your from the ceiling. ADMV: What is your favorite job as a filmmaker The job of a DP , Producer or Editor and why? K J: My favorite job editing. That's what I want to focus on in life. There's so many choices and decisions you have to make as an editor. It's fun and scary at the same time. ADMV: The music on The DMV truth was awesome how did you decide when and where of the segments to place the music tracks? K J: I spent a lot of time with the music. The music was placed at particular points to emphasize a change in the mood. Or to enhance the mood. Music is very powerful and often taken for granted. People try to do too much with it and it takes away from the scene. Sometimes the most powerful kind of music is no music at all. You take that sound away and just listen to the dialogue. ADMV: As a DP what is the most important piece of equipment to have on set other than the camera? K J: In my opinion, a big HD monitor. Something big that I can show the whole crew that's got focus assist and false color. Exposure is everything. I'd rather get it right in production and not use the horrible excuse of "we'll fix it in post." Kind of basic, but it's important to have a good monitor. CHECK OUT SOME OF KENNY'S WORK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyI1NV8J_DE