Editors are a species unto themselves, of the class Editorius and family Nochangestodayus. Imagine sitting in a dark cave with the glow from a video screen as your only companion — sometimes for 14, 15, 20 hours a day. After a while you might view the world differently. And editors do. That's why we love them, hate them, and keep inviting them back to the party. It's also the reason that taking your raw footage to an editor can be a frightening and traumatic event. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to help the editor, the edit, the budget, and your psyche.
The author works with an editor on a recent project. A good working relationship with the editor is critical to a successful production.
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First, and this is an oft-repeated refrain, the editor should be involved in the project long before the first scene is shot. In the eyes of veteran editor Michael Rothenberg of Peak Productions, Boston, editing is part of the writing process. The script is never finished until the edit is complete and the master delivered. “I rarely hesitate to suggest revisions to the script at any point,” he says. To many, this is a frightening statement, especially young and inexperienced producer/directors (and I lump them together for expediency of words), who often have a fear of giving up control and thus resist involving the editor early in the process. This is a mistake. Videomaking is a collaborative process and the ideas of others will likely only enhance the project. Don't be afraid to ask for suggestions from the editor (and others) before heading out on location.
One of the best times to ask for suggestions is at a preproduction meeting of all the key players. This meeting is a good time to share visions, plan coverage, design shooting techniques, graphics, and ultimately editing style. It's also a good time to come up with a complete and realistic post schedule. Build in contingency time for the edit and to review the project, keeping in mind that it may have to pass a review board, which always seems to take more time than expected. By including the editor in this meeting, you'll give him a chance to cover your backside before it's even exposed, by suggesting alternative shots, and coverage, or maybe just to spark a creative firecracker in your head.
If your scenes will require a lot of postproduction compositing, blue-screen, motion tracking, or other visual tricks, it's imperative that someone from post is on the set to make sure that what's going onto tape will come together seamlessly in the edit suite. If the editor isn't on the set, it's a good idea to send tapes back for review, especially during longer shoots. That way, the editor will know what to expect during the edit and can suggest areas that may need immediate attention.
After the Shoot
Now the shoot is complete, you've had the wrap party, and everyone is in a great mood because it was the best shoot ever. What now? Do you rush right into the edit room and start cutting? Not if you can help it.
Budget permitting, the producer/director should take the time to review the tapes, make notes, pick shots, and do either a paper edit or come up with an editing plan to take to the editor. If there are a number of talking heads (interviews), a complete transcript is encouraged. This should be done before sitting down to do a paper edit so the producer/director can read the words and see the pictures before making decisions. Under no circumstances should a paper edit be attempted without watching the footage. It's not only a sin; it can be a waste of time. What looks good on paper doesn't always translate to the screen because hems and haws and nose-picking don't show up on transcripts.
"I rarely hesitate to suggest revisions to the script at any point [in the production process]."
Michael Rothenberg
Peak Productions, Boston
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Mark Herd, owner and principal editor at MontaraPost in Needham, Mass., loves the producer/director who prepares for the edit by using a medium-management tool like Avid's Medialog. This allows producers to log tapes using a PC or Mac and then give the files directly to the editor, who will use them to expedite digitizing scenes. Avid even offers a cable that allows your computer to control offline video decks. “It allows the producer to bring in well-organized media logs on the first day of the edit and can save hours of time on a large project,” Herd says.
Now you've done your homework: the tapes are logged, the scripts are well-documented, and you have a paper edit in hand. What next? Now the fun begins. The raw footage needs to get from the format in which it was shot, either digital or analog, into the editing computer. To save money, some producer/directors will hire the edit room at off hours and have an assistant digitize the media. This is a big no-no. Even top-shelf editors like to do their own digitizing. Tim Frost, a freelance editor/producer who edits movie trailers for Miramax in New York, says: “Know thy footage. It is key as an editor. I load and break down the footage myself. For me, this is when the seeds for creative ideas get planted.”
One of the key drawbacks to editing on nonlinear systems is having all the footage hidden away inside the machine as ones and zeros. While it's easy to retrieve, it stays hidden even as you search for other scenes. In the old days of film editing, the editor had to physically roll back and forth from one end of the reel to the other. While it was time-consuming, it gave the editor a chance to review the footage each time the film was wound. Now a click of the mouse skips all the scenes in-between, keeping them hidden from review. It's a good idea, therefore, to give yourself and the editor time to review and re-review the footage as much as possible. I even schedule set times within the edit, usually after the first rough cut, to systematically look at all the footage again.
"[Media-management software] allows the producer to bring in well-organized media logs on the first day of the edit and can save hours of time on a large project."
Mark Herd
MontaraPost, Needham, Mass.
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This brings up an important question: How much of the footage do you digitize? It takes time and uses up memory space to digitize an entire shoot, which could have 100 or more rolls of tape. But in the long run, it may save you time and money if everything is in the computer before you start. This is really a judgment call to make with your editor.
David Tarleton, who's been at the edit controls for the last 11 years at Popular Cinema in Los Angeles, says, “You may very well end up with the best result from digitizing all the material and making selects in the computer, because you get the flexibility to have everything you shot at your fingertips.” The downside, of course, is time and money. And the system you're using may not have the available memory space.
The Edit
Finally you're ready for the edit. You've watched the tapes, logged the scenes, and you've won the battle of SMPTE timecode. You're pumped, the adrenaline is running, and you're ready to edit. You show up at the editor's doorstep with bags and boxes and good intentions. He takes them from you, thanks you, and then asks you to leave. Whoa! That's not what you had in mind. But some editors like to work that way so be prepared.
Rothenberg, for one, likes to do “a first cut on my own.” It's a good way to operate, especially if you consider your editor an integral part of the process, an essential collaborator. If this is the case, and you trust the person at the controls, walk away. You'll have plenty of time later to adjust or modify your creation, but for now let the editor have a stab at it. You may be surprised at the editor's new way of piecing together the material.
On the other hand, if the project is extremely technical in nature, like the brain surgery video that Herd cut for me last year, it's essential to involve the producer/director early on in the edit. But for creative ventures, Herd wants a shot at the first pass, like most editors today.
"Know thy footage. It is key as an editor. I load and break down the footage myself. For me, this is when the seeds for creative ideas get planted."
Tim Frost
Freelance editor, New York
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Tarleton observes that the degree of input from the producer/director is proportional to that individual's editing experience. Some clients insist on telling the editor how to make each cut and on what frame to cut. He likes the producer/director to be with him from the start so that he can make immediate changes.
Personally, I can go either way, although I favor being left alone for the first pass. But when I get into the “editing zone,” there could be a four-alarm fire raging behind me and I probably wouldn't notice. So having other people sitting behind me doesn't bother me at all. In fact, they can answer the phone and get my coffee.
What you want to avoid is just using the editor as a button-pusher. Don't view your editor as a mere technician. Listen to them. Savor their ideas, but remember you have the final say. Don't let the editor bully you around. Some editors I work with don't have to say a word when I make a suggestion they don't favor — it's written all over their faces. And that can be more intimidating than words.
Most editors will agree on one thing. Time. As the old saying goes, there's never enough time to do it right, but there's always time to do it again. Nonlinear editing has added lightning speed to the editing process, but as with all creative endeavors, one still needs time to think, to mull it over, to look at shots differently, to sleep on it, and to try new ideas. In the old days when I was cutting my editing teeth on Moviolas (flat-bed film editing devices), the editor and the client had time to think while the film was rewinding, while the glue was drying. And even with linear video editing, there is think time while the video machines are pre-rolling or searching for the next scene. Now the editor pushes the button and the edit is there. Budget for think time, revisions, and a moment to step back and contemplate the footage, some of which you may have even forgotten.
Tarleton notes that inexperienced producer/directors underestimate the amount of time an edit is going to take or even how long it takes to digitize the material. If there are eight hours of dailies, and each scene is to be digitized, it's going to take more than eight hours to accomplish this task. In the budgeting stage, the editor should be consulted to help establish realistic time requirements.
If you're well-organized, have copious notes, have all your elements together, and have a plan of attack, you will have more time to edit and think and edit and think and edit, instead of wasting precious minutes running around looking for a lost timecode or misplaced tape. While it's not always achievable, having all the elements ready at the beginning of the edit session is a benefit. This way the editor can get a complete picture from the start.
Too many people leave music, narrative, graphics, and effects to the last minute, while some of these elements can be produced during pre-production and production. In lieu of this, a detailed script, storyboard, and visual samples of your goals will help sync the editor's head with your vision. Music, scenes from other projects, TV shows, or movies can help share your vision. It will also give the editor a chance to tell you whether you're within budget.
And be prepared to let go of some of your ideas that looked good on paper but aren't making it on the tube. Frost calls this “elevation. Let the cream rise. Sometimes you have to let go of ideas that can't be saved in the edit. Elevating the piece means cutting out the weak stuff even if that means letting go of the idea you love,” he says.
Bravo, Tim. I know I've been guilty of holding on too long once or twice in my career. It's not always easy to give up your ideas. It takes discipline, courage, and trust in your editor. Because the editor is your friend, provide them with coffee, chocolates, and an occasional pat on the back and they'll help you keep your sanity throughout the postproduction process. And remember, you're only as good as your editor lets you be.
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