TALK TO THE SPROCKET
by Jane Sprocket
(Editor’s Note: This is the debut entry of our new post-production advice column. Let us know what you think.)
Dear Jane Sprocket,
I’m an assistant editor. Some days I am done with my work at 3:00 in
the afternoon but my editor insists that I stay until 7:00. I have a cell
phone in case I’m needed. Is it wrong to leave?
Fast Worker
Dear Fast Worker,
It could be very wrong to leave––but only your editor has the
answer to that. Most of the editors I know want and need their assistants
in the cutting room. You are being very well paid to be at your editor’s
beck and call. One of the biggest parts of your job is to just be available,
and how you’re available is up to your editor. We’ve all had days
when the assistant left early and some emergency has come up. Just remember,
your editor probably wants to go home too. Don’t be too fast for your
own good.
Dear Jane Sprocket,
I’m an editor working on a feature film. The post-production supervisor
has scheduled the director to come in the day after principal photography
wraps to see my cut. I won’t even have the last day of dailies in my
Avid! What should I say so I can keep everyone happy?
Hassled
Dear Hassled,
It sounds like you have the post-production supervisor from hell who’s
trying to score points with the producer and director. On your next show,
you must ask the post super for an advanced schedule. If they’ve scheduled
the director to come in the day after shooting wraps, then you must say to
them––in your nice voice––that it is technically impossible
to cut something that you don’t have. Or explain to your director that
it is to her or his advantage to take a week off to be with his family, or
just to rest, because she or he is probably exhausted and won’t be thinking
with a clear mind when coming into your cutting room anyway. You are your
director’s greatest ally and she or he should know that you are looking
out for her/his best interest. If that doesn’t work, well…it wouldn’t
hurt to have another gig lined up.
Dear Jane Sprocket,
I am an assistant just starting out and I am working with an editor who is
very condescending. Because I am the only female, I’m expected to make
the coffee and take lunch orders. I find this to be very sexist and it really
gets my panties in a bunch. What do I do?
Wedgie
Dear Wedgie,
Adjust your undies, take a deep breath, and just make the coffee. If you are
the newbie, you will probably have to do quite a few things you feel are beneath
you; you’re at the bottom of the food chain. Don’t take it personally––we’ve
all had to make coffee, fetch lunch and run out to get a producer’s
favorite ice cream in the middle of an all-nighter. On a future project, someone
else will be just starting out and she or he will get the honors. Just keep
in mind how all of this has made you feel, and treat your newbie the way you
would like to be treated now.
Guild members are encouraged to e-mail (anonymously; choose a pseudonym) their work questions to Jane Sprocket (an anonymous Guild member) at jane.sprocket2@yahoo.com. Editors Guild Magazine reserves the right to edit questions for clarity and content. Submission of a question does not guarantee that it will be printed.
(Editor's Note: This is the debut entry of our new post-production advice column. Let us know what you think.)