Making a First Assembly
Start your first assembly with an academy leader. You should join some blank leader on the head of that, to provide additional protection. Mark on the head of the leader the title of the film and the reel number and the words “cutting copy action”. You can make your first assembly on a motorised editing machine if you wish but a picture synchroniser is really just as suitable. Place an empty reel on the rewind arm on the right hand side of the synchroniser, wind your leader into it and then turn to the first scene in your film. You will find it hanging in the trims bin, or if it is a very long take, rolled on its own plastic core.
Backing tape joins
The main objective of the first assembly is to get scenes in script order not to cut them to length or for effect. The first assembly is never a technical masterpiece. So, ensure that you have the right scene to start with, cut off the clapper board identifying the head of the shot and join the head of the shot on to the leader with a tape join. You only need to tape one side of the join. It is sometimes a good idea to back all tape joins, by applying another piece of tape to the opposite side of the film before dubbing, but at first assembly stage it is not necessary to back joins. Indeed it can be a nuisance, because many of the cuts made in the first assembly will be changed when the fine cut is made and you will simply waste time peeling double backed joins. When you reach the end of the first shot, mark the point at which you intend to cut to the second. You can then find the second shot and join it on to the first and continue in the same way until the trims bin is empty and you have a complete roll of assembled shots.
Putting shots in sequence
Take shots out of the trims bin (A). Using either a synchroniser or a viewer check the identity of the shot and pick your cutting point (B). Mark the cutting point and join with tape (C). Wind the assembled shots on reel (D) and return any trims to the trims bin identifying them with a wax pencil first.