Cutting it up

I’m in post right now on the short film I shot a couple weeks ago and I love the editing process.  It’s like writing without all the pressure of the entirely blank page.

The way I work with my editor is to first give him some time alone with the project.  This allows an entirely new perspective to infuse fresh energy into the project and it gives me a small break after shooting.  Which not only gives me a chance to physically rejuvenate after larger shoots, but also gives me a break from the project mentally so I can come to the cut with some fresh eyes of my own.

Sometimes my editor and I will speak a lot at this point and sometimes just a little.  Almost always in broad terms though.  For example, I might say “This film is about loss,” or “This is really so & so’s film so let’s make sure we’re cutting from her pov” or “I know it looks like we covered this one section a lot but it’s because I really wanted to build out the moments between so & so because that’s the changing point in the film.”  We’ll talk about feel, pace, rough beats.  Music is always a great thing to talk about.  Whatever gets my editor cutting the same film that I’m making, but not so much that he’s creatively shut down.

It’s key that I work with someone who understands story and characters the same way I do, but I also like working with someone who’s a bit more experimental than I am.  Someone that will push me to see new things, surprise me when I’m watching my own film.  Someone that will look for material in the stuff between takes as much as what we meant to shoot.  It’s also key that my editor, like all members of my team, feel ownership over the project.

The one thing I’ve found consistently across all aspects of filmmaking is that if I do a good job hiring creative, hard-working people, the next step is to give them clear expectations and room to shine.  That’s especially true with editors.  It’s the final opportunity to do another draft of the film so the stakes are high and you want to make sure everyone’s bringing their big guns to the table.

Relishing in the Little Things

This week I got invited to screen my commercial, Viesso: Couch Therapy, at The Be Film Festival in New York.  And you know what?  Hell yeah!

Is it the biggest film festival world?  No.  Has anyone ever even heard of it?  Perhaps not.  But you know what?  I don’t care.  It rocks.  It rocks because it’s the world giving me feedback and it’s not a poo sandwich so that is a good thing.

I’ve found that most of the progress to be made in this industry is slow and steady if you’re lucky, slow and jerky if you’re like everyone else.  And, if you’re really fortunate, punctuated by a few grand leaps forward that will someday be neatly edited into a 30 second summary for E! True Hollywood Stories.

So in the meantime, it’s important to find pleasure, gratification and learning experiences wherever you can along the way.  Or you may one day end up a very grumpy monkey indeed.

Have a great week everyone!