When invited to become a sponsor of the LADV Expo, the members of the Editors Guild Board of Directors wondered what role we could play at such a venue. Trade shows are

Patrick Gregston, Nina Kawasaki, Gary Bourgeois, Michael Benavente and Peter Teschner kept a standing-room-only crowd entertained as they talked about the creative contributions Guild members make to their productions.

almost exclusively technology driven. And this one was designed to appeal to younger filmmakers, who would probably not be union members, and for whom much of the allure of DV is the technology itself. After much thought and planning, the board decided to participate in a variety of events and to distribute our magazine at the show. One key part of our contribution would be a seminar entitled "Skills Beyond Tools," which would focus on the creative contributions Guild members make to their productions every day. Held before a standing-room-only crowd on July 30 at the Burbank Hilton, the panel consisted of picture editor Peter Teschner, re-recording mixer Gary Bourgeois, sound editor Michael Benavente and assistant picture editor Nina Kawasaki. The four became friendly working together on Private Parts and their sense of camaraderie was an appealing part of the seminar. I served as moderator.

Many on the panel felt that we've seen too much emphasis on technology. "More than anything else we have to know how to utilize our tools so efficiently that they disappear," said Bourgeois. "What you bring to the table is how you are going to communicate and how you are going to work with somebody. People walk into my room and there's a console that goes from here to the airport with five million knobs and the immediate thought is that this has got to be technical. When you're sitting in front of this board, you have to make it disappear."

Teschner made a similar point. "In pre-production there is a lot of talk about how we are going to do things technically, and I personally try to stay out of those conversations. I would rather spend my time reading and thinking about the script. In the old days you got a KEM and some benches and you were ready to go. Now I spend a week on the phone talking about how the Avids are going to be set up, how many I'm going to have -- all this negotiating -- and I find it irritating. We're in an era where, as an analogy, people have these big throaty fast cars. There is way too much emphasis on horsepower."

Benavente agreed, "I have sound editors always showing me the latest plug-ins. I'd rather be cutting the dialogue and making it sound really smooth; I'd rather be coming up with some cool sound effects than using some plug-in that I haven't asked for."

The ability to focus on how to tell a story, applying judgment and creativity, was a point made repeatedly. "You have to be able to solve other people's problems," said Bourgeois. "That is where your value lies." "On the job I just finished," added Kawasaki, "I took over from an editor who had his own equipment -- that was how he got the job. But the film wasn't working, and I can't really say it was his fault. I got the job by coming in and saying, 'I know how to fix this. I know how to make this story better.' You're hiring me for my skill, not my equipment."

Bourgeois gave an example of how this affects his choice of tools. "There will be something that's driving me crazy. For example, I have to be able to make a character's voice less sibilant -- to de-"es" it. There are many ways of doing that, with new ones coming all the time. But if the new piece of equipment doesn't do it as easily or quickly as the old one, if I can't just..." he moved his fingers as if pushing a button or turning a knob. "I have only got so much time, and if I can't just take it and go, 'There it is,' smooth as silk, it's out."

The audience, which included some Guild members, seemed to find the panelists both informative and entertaining as they discussed a wide range of issues, including the benefits of Guild membership, the pros and cons of equipment ownership, and interviewing techniques. One Guild member in the audience said "I joined the Guild because I know the computer stuff. This is the kind of talk I need to hear to get beyond that." A young man just out of graduate school added, "Nobody in school talks about this at all." Many were surprised to learn how easy it is to become Guild member. Some didn't realize that they had already met the criteria and could join.

The ability to work with other people and build relationships were the skills that all panel members emphasized. "I think the key is patience," said Teschner. "For the film editor, there is a feel you have to have. You are walking into their room, it is their party, their place. You can't allow technology to get in the way of, dare I say, your art. What you do it on is less important than doing it." "More than anything else," Bourgeois added, "the key is what you bring to the table as a person and how you take that tool and use it to make somebody cry or laugh or whatever it is that a director is trying to say through the story."

"I can still cut on film if I have to," Teschner pointed out. "That's why it doesn't matter what comes next. Whatever it is, I'll learn that too."

After a two-and-a-half-hour session, audience members stood around chatting for another hour until the security staff finally cleared the room. Having participated in many seminars, I was surprised at the number of people who offered enthusiastic thanks. Jokes about booking a six-city tour were met with serious interest.

I came away from the experience excited at how articulate the panelists were, managing to be both honest and humorous on a number of sensitive subjects, and I was encouraged by the turn-out and the quality of the audience. It is my hope that the Guild will continue to produce this type of program for prospective members in a variety of venues. If you would be interested in sitting on such a panel, please contact me. And if you'd like to participate in an online conversation about these issues, join our discussion groups at http://discussion.editorsguild.com. Click "Technology and Aesthetics," and look for the topic "Skills Beyond Tools."