I Need An Editor

I need an editor. I mean, I can do it myself, but something that you need to remove yourself from when you were actually at the shoot. What Walter Murch said, looking beyond the borders of the frame. There is a lot of shit that people never see in movies. The grind it takes to shoot. Or the compromises you make to get a scene done. Most of these experiences creep into the editing bay. You fight for shot because it took you a long time to get, or it costs money, or in some cases, you owe the producer’s girlfriend a shot in your movie for political reasons. A movie I shot actually had a random scene written so a random money man’s girlfriend could be in the movie. It was unnecessary, but ended up in the finish movie. This is what happens.

In my case, I extend scenes fairly long. Because each frame that passes meant money that wasn’t spent. You may’ve remembered a blog entry where I mentioned on my graduate thesis project, I rented a crane, and was determined to have that shot in my movie. It costs me a lot. It slowed the movie down, looking back, but it was a cool fucking shot. So it was going in. This is something an editor may convince you isn’t necessary. Other times, there is also a pacing thing. I did this one movie in Connecticut with a director. He was also editing his own movie. Oh…he was also in it. The entire scene took place in a two-shot. The timing on it was wrong. It was a comedy, so I always encourage this to be a two shot, but the banter just didn’t work. We did coverage, shot-reverse-shot and over the shoulders. We shot the shit out of that scene. So at any point it could’ve been edited for a nice pace. He was also a massive Woody Allen fan, and refused to cut from the two shot. It was an odd scene. It may’ve been something as stupid as vanity, but he just didn’t cut away from the two-shot. The result was what it was. It went nowhere. And, for the most part, he had one screening, and no one responded to the movie. I am convinced you need someone you trust with story telling to do this job. BUT…and this is a big one…finding a good one is difficult. Especially if you’ve done this your entire learning curve. It’s hard to let it go and let others kick around your art. They chisel at it with abandon. Not the care you take with it. It’s brutal to watch. And you get punchy over it sometimes.

I remember putting together a rough cut of a movie that has never seen been completed. Just slugged it together willy nilly. Anyone who’s edited knows you get engaged to your movie. Actually, a more accurate description would be enveloped. So, I handed the project over and was re-edited by someone else. Not my project. I shrugged it off. Until I saw what was the locked agreed-upon cut. Boy, was I steamed. They essentially gutted the project (in my opinion). But it wasn’t mine, so it wasn’t mine. Even something like that draws a sense of combative emotion. The thing most should realize is that everyone tells stories differently. My version will be different than someone else’s. Actually a ton of somebody else’s. The sensibility could be VASTLY different from person to person. The only thread holding it together would be the script. What does the script leave you with a feeling of? That is the key to everything. It goes back to that adage that everyone has to make the same movie. This is no different. An editor has to make the same type of movie. The sensibility needs to be the same. In order for it to work, being on the same page (pun intended) is what makes a strong movie.

I’m in the fine cut now, and I’m smoothing a lot of the edits with reaction and what is referred to as “L” cuts. The feedback so far from the rough cut, is that I’ve got the structure set. As it’s a pretty straight forward story. The next move is trim it to a nice clip. Where we forget the movie is edited and you just go along with the characters. I think that is the greatest feeling…is when you don’t see the cuts. I think that’s why it’s so hard to let it go. It is the best part of the magic.