Advice Offered to Novice Editor
In a recent issue of the Newsletter a picture editor just starting out wanted advice from seasoned editors about how to get time away from the computer when working with the director. Guild Vice President Carol Littleton and Board Members Steven Cohen and Bruce Green replied.
Dear Novice Editor,
Your request for advice concerning the politics of the editing room sounds very familiar. How can we reconcile the demands of the director with our personal needs for quiet reflection? How can we organize our work to accommodate our personal needs? How can we survive these damned schedules? Every editor has to come to terms with the intellectual, physical and emotional demands of our work. During the editing process, the editor and director have a close relationship. The best way to solve problems, whether they be conceptual, analytical or personal is to talk about them. There is no substitute for communication. Remove the personal, emotional charge from your discussions, and simply state your point of view. Let him know how you work best. You and your director have expectations concerning the project and you probably have different ways to fulfill them, so why not talk about it? Two minds are better than one. This takes tact, diplomacy, a good dose of humor and a strong sense of self worth. But hey, you are worth it!
I want to suggest a few things to think about before you start your next job. What is the largest impediment to the enjoyment of your work? What excites you most about editing? If you were a director, what kind of editor would you want to work with? What are your personal ambitions?
When editors get together, we grouse. It is a professional pastime. Over the years I have made a few observations. I have noticed that the editors with the least personal satisfaction in their work, share some basic misconceptions. They confuse control with influence. They confuse power with position. They prefer cynicism over enthusiasm. They see the editor as messiah - he who saves the picture. Don't buy into this nonsense. Conserve your energy and put it into the editing. Just say no to inhuman demands. Take a lunch break. Take a walk outside to rest your eyes. When you feel you do not have the time to think - think out loud. The director will love an open exchange, and you will too. During the shooting, enjoy your private encounter with the film. During the director's cut, learn to enjoy the exhilaration of the exchange of ideas. Editing is always a work in progress, but there are limits. I can't function after 12 hours and I don't know many who can! Know yourself and define your own limits. Love a good healthy argument. Be the director's ally. Fight your battles together and respect each other.
Advice is easy to give and hard to follow - lighten up!
One problem with editing digitally (and working with computers in general) is that we can always do "just one more change". This makes it harder to find a "natural" stopping point and encourages us to keep working even though we're burned out. Though the situation might be worse today, there's nothing really new about this and I don't think there's a magic solution. The only answer is to know your limits, respect them, and take breaks to keep yourself fresh and sane. Hard as it might be, you sometimes have to turn around in your chair and say, "I need to take a break." And of course, it'll probably be helpful to talk about this issue with your director. The best argument for taking regular breaks is that your work will improve - it's in both of your interests to have you functioning with all your faculties.
I believe it's not only acceptable but necessary to your health to get up and take a short walk a few times a day. Some of the best ideas for solving a problem can come during such a walk, and the director should be sympathetic if he or she understands that you're working through these as you stretch your legs. As for the question of not being paid OT, I assume you're working on a non-union show. You could call 1-800-432-Edit, the Guild's hotline, and try to have it organ-ized. You're being exploited and the Guild exists to fight that. Finally, and unfortunately, the rights of editors rise and fall with their credits. Academy Award winners working for first-time directors can get up and take a walk with more authority than a novice editor. Good luck.
Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter
Vol. 18, No. 1 - Jan/Feb 1997
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