To be an Editor

To look at a film and not even think about the editing is typical. The average person does not sit and analyze the film they’re watching based on the cutting technique the editor uses. What is usually misunderstood about editing is that it isn’t just taking clips and slapping them together. It is an art form; one in which the editor themselves are the artists. At the end of a shoot editors can end up with loads and loads of clips to sort through. It’s a tedious process to watch each one through and figure out what works best for a scene. Not only is he editing, but in a way he’s also directing because he is telling the film how to come together. Not only can the clips be thrown together though, but there are rules that must be followed. Rules that apply to the camera directors and director and anyone filming also apply to the editor. For example there is the 180 degree rule during conversations, where the camera shots should be at least on a 180 degrees line around the character. It creates less discomfort as the cutting is occurring and makes the shote seem to follow the people as they speak more so then just jumping around camera angles. So that’s an example of an instance where the editor has to also think about their job as a cameraman, and follow the way the cameras should be placed in the editing. There’s the obvious issue of continuity. If the shots do not make chronological order then you have failed as an editor and quit…make sure as the dialogue is progressing the conversation is matching up. Also movements. If they’re moving one way in one shot and then in the next shot their positon is very different it will suck the watcher out of the illusion of reality in a film, and make them realize they’re in fact watching a movie. One must pay close attention to the details. Not only should movements be fluid, but pay attention to where an object or position of something is in one scene compared to the next. My favorite game to play is “find the continuity error”. Of course not a game friends are a fan of seeing as I always blurt out the flaw amidst watching the film. It’s a good way to practice for editing though, seeing as if you can spot the error while watching the film, it should be easy to spot during the process of editing. Of course errors are a human trait and I am not one to blame continuity errors unless very significant and noticeable. Tangent aside…an editor is the director as I said. The story is being created in their hands. Many occasions the director isn’t there to watch the editing process, so you have to take what you think they saw in their mind through the shots, and combine that with what you feel is right. Editing is my favorite part of film. It’s enjoyable to take these clips that alone seem to make no sense, and put them together into something beautiful. An art form of the mind.