Passing the Torch

The path from assistant to editor has never been well-defined, and the road has been muddied in recent years by the many technical changes we've experienced. How this has worked itself out was the focus of a recent Editors Guild seminar about the process of mentoring. Held at the DGA on June 20, it focused on editors and their former assistants -- who have since become editors themselves. It was one of the more successful events the Guild has put together recently, drawing over 150 attendees, many of whom said it was inspirational.

Moderated by Mark Goldblatt, the panel consisted of three former teams: Michael Kahn and Bruce Green, Dann Cahn and Steve Cohen, and Dody Dorn and Matthew Clark. Each team talked about how the mentoring process had worked for them, how it had changed over the years, and what hurdles might lie in store for current assistants trying to move up. There was much talk about editing room relationships -- assistants and editors, editors and directors -- and how the ability to handle those relationships with delicacy and tact could make or break a career. Knowing when to talk and what to say -- how to make your point without embarrassing or weakening other people in the room -- was as important as editorial skill.

Many other issues were discussed, as well. Film editing was destructive. Non-linear systems eliminate that risk, but assistants now have more to do and often don't have their own machine with which to work. They must work crazy hours in order to get time on a machine. Since everyone on the dais was an editor, many basic issues of cutting room protocol and procedure were covered. How does the editor "find" the film? How do editors deal with a difficult director who only wants them to be a pair of hands? Is there still a value in showing an editor's cut or is it preferable to show cut scenes first? How do you teach another person to edit -- should they cut right away, watch the editor cut, or simply discuss the film itself? The panelists seemed genuinely interested in talking about these issues and the teams brought to the discussion a rekindled memory of how they had handled such issues together in the past. The senior editors seemed more than a little interested in how their former protégées were handling the same issues that they themselves had confronted years earlier. There was a palpable sense of camaraderie on each of the teams -- the cutting room fosters long-lasting bonds.

The audience sat in rapt attention throughout. Afterward, a question and answer session went on for the better part of an hour and then spilled over into the DGA's Atrium Room where food was served. One message that came through for many assistants was this: You are not alone. All assistants confront the same challenges, the same unmarked path to the editor's chair. There's no established way to break out of assisting and the urge to cut can grow very strong for someone who has assisted for a long time. But in the long run perseverance is usually successful -- those who hang in there, who both learn the craft and to navigate the delicate and critical relationships of the cutting room, will succeed.

Tapes of the seminar, made by Sam Webb, are available for loan in the Guild office. Contact Caroline Yablans at extension 237. Special thanks to the Trillium Group for providing refreshments.