Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Cutting
Editing a film or video can be horrifying. You have to ‘kill your babies.’ This is not a skill that comes naturally (which is a good thing for babies). When you shoot a project, you fall in love with certain scenes, shots or moments. Maybe the actor exceeded your wildest expectations in how they performed a scene, maybe you spent a half a day blocking and rehearsing a scene and only through sheer force of will managed to nail it. The problem is that now you are in love with these moments, these are your ‘babies’ — but they may not be the right ‘babies’ for your film.
I both edit my own work and have worked with an editor. I find both paths very satisfying, but there are some really good reasons to collaborate instead of editing your work.
First off, the editor, most likely, was not on set and so they don’t care about how much of your soul you traded to get a shot. They are only interested in crafting a story, usually in a concise and captivating way. If that shot (or scene) isn’t working, their job is to accept that and make the case for cutting it and/or finding a workaround. If your film is better for the missing footage, then that’s good. (You can set up a little headstone for the cut scene and visit it regularly.)
Another annoying aspect of not letting go is that once you’ve put a lot of work into something, you don’t want to change it. You may have spent hours, or even days, editing a scene. You are invested in that scene! You do not want to throw away all that hard work, but maybe you must. This is where that second sets of eyes comes in handy. Even editors will sometimes be attached to things that they worked hard to craft. So, as a director or producer, you are now that second set of eyes coming in without all the baggage of how hard it was to get to that cut. This works both ways, the editor is not invested in your ‘babies,’ and you are not invested in theirs— and the project wins.
When I work with an editor, my approach is to be open to suggestions (which can be hard) AND to follow your gut. Much of the time, your editor will be right. But there are going to be moments where you had something in mind: performance, pacing, structure, or maybe even a stylistic choice. If your gut says this is important — AND you can make a legitimate case for it, you should at least try it and see if it works. Most of the time, you can tell by watching if something works. And with two set of eyes on something, if you both like it, you know you’re on the right track. If your opinions differ, and if it is an important choice, have an honest discussion about why each of you feel it is, or isn’t working. Remember that you don’t have to make a decision on the spot: hear each other out, sleep on it, and then see how you feel the next day.
The last, and perhaps most important, element is that your project needs to be cut to the bone. Your project should only have the footage needed to feel and understand your story. This is a very difficult practice, and certainly one I have not fully mastered. But in today’s world, our creative work has to compete with the smartphone, popup ads, and your viewer just wanting to go get a snack. If your work is not always pulling them in, you are losing them.
Having done a bit of work in broadcast, I was amazed to discover how the pressure of having, potentially, millions of viewers watching your work makes you respect the audience that much more. You need to keep the attention of a lot of people, and if you lose their interest, you’re hurting the bottom line of the show you’re working for. This pressure makes it easier to recognize it when you are being indulgent or too slow. I have taken this feeling into all my work and let myself feel the audience’s impatience.
I am not saying everything has to be a fast cut, but if you’re going to have a long scene, make sure that the length of the scene is drawing your audience in, and is not just there because you love something about the shot. Ultimately, you are connecting your audience with an experience: feelings and plot. The editing needs to enhance and support that, and you have to clear out the clutter so your story can shine.
Ultimately, collaborating with an editor who is committed to the project is going to give you a creative ally. The best collaborations are a dance, with each person giving and taking. So, whether you work with an editor on not, know that you will have to let go of your ‘babies,’ see your work with a clear set of eyes, and make sure that there is no fat in your project — respect your story and your audience.