"Editor" Means A Lot More Now

TV Academy Holds Seminar On Editing

The changing role of the editor in today's television was the subject of a seminar at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on October 16th. Entitled "We'll Fix It In Post," the event was produced by Michael A. Hoey, A.C.E. and moderated by Guild president Donn Cambern, A.C.E. The in-depth discussion was greatly aided by Avid-to-big-screen viewing of first cuts followed by final cuts of scenes, clearly demonstrating the editor's contribution to episodic TV shows. Illustrating the huge technological leap of the last few years, the evening began with a 39-year-old ACE film featuring Fred Berger working on a Moviola. Then the spotlight fell briefly on the Avid before the discussion moved to the expanding art of editing.

'JAG' editor Jon Koslowsky, A.C.E. demonstrated and Don Bellisario, executive producer/creator /director, talked about the many kinds of optical tricks and motion effects they utilize to make action sequences work - all of which were a very expensive and unlikely proposition before computerized editing. David Bellisario, associate producer/second unit director, talked about developing sequences around stock footage. Shooting to match the library shots and artfully editing to incorporate the various sources seamlessly requires great planning and skill.

Janet Ashikaga, A.C.E., editor of 'Men Behaving Badly', talked about the need for an assistant on sitcoms, a requirement that some post production executives refuse to provide. An editor needs someone to manage the cutting room, said Janet, describing the process by which she edits 95,000 feet of dailies a week for a half-hour show. Yes, you read that correctly, the show is taped twice with four cameras before an audience, plus pre-recorded inserts are added. Janet also talked about the "personality" of the audience laugh track, which has to be worked and tweaked for the show's timing. Harvey Myman, executive producer/writer, talked about all the work involved in compressing shows to fit the timeslot.

What came across clearly over the course of the evening was how much more the editor provides a show these days. Digital equipment has made editing more efficient but the editor still requires a good amount of time to cut a show because much more elaborate temp. work on sound, music and visual effects is now expected. Don Bellisario corroborated Janet's assertion that assistants are still needed, explaining how 'JAG' has three editors and three assistants.