My first research led me to understand that the edit will probably start earlier than expected. We have already completed some filming and in reality, we should already be editing all of the footage and I realise this has been an error on all of our parts. This research has allowed me to gather information to ensure we go into this edit with the right mindset. After gathering the clips from each scene together, we should go about editing sequences. I know George and the way he works so I think it would be beneficial for us to work together, especially in the assembly otherwise the core values of the film may be missed. "The rough cut can take up to three months to complete. Each editor works differently. Sometimes the editor works alone and shows the day or weeks work to the director and producer, Sometimes the editor and director work together, discussing every nuance. In the rough cut, the scenes are placed in order and checked for continuity. This all-important step in the editing process allows for revisions and new ideas to be tried and tested." (raindance, 2012). My idea is to work on the assembly with George and then allow him to craft the sequence in the way he thinks it works. I will work with him every time he sends a new cut of the sequence and we can discuss options to allow each sequence to follow the story I have set along with maximising usage of the footage we have available to us. Strong teamwork in the editing phase is really going to allow our project to flourish and we need to ensure that is the case. I do not want to stare over George's shoulder when he edits as I know how he works and he would not appreciate that. He works better with a meeting every few hours to discuss changes before he works alone. I am happy to work around him to ensure we work in the best way possible as a team. It will no doubt be a stressful process and we will probably have moments where we disagree, but that is all part of the learning process which I will take in my stride.
One of the hard realities of the edit for me is the fact that I have a lot less control over the end project than I have done in the past. However, it is part of my role to hand over this control in the edit and allow someone who has that skill set to craft my project into a reality. A blog by Dan Selakovich allowed me to understand the reality of being a director in the edit. "If you do have an editor, stay the hell away from the editing room until a first cut is completed. This will give you a little time to forget principle photography, and your eyes will be a little more fresh. Show your first cut to an audience before doing a second pass." (shootingpeople.org, 2014) It seems that as a director I could be detrimental to the process of editing if I am too heavily involved in how it looks. I think this links back to my plan of staying out of George's way while he edits each sequence. It will enable me to have time to think about the scene and what needs changing. If I were to be involved throughout, I may lose sight of what I initially wanted from this documentary. Having these constant breaks from the edit should allow a much clearer perspective on how we overcome any issues. While it will feel odd to work like this, it is part of the learning I need to do as a director and if I fail to learn this then the documentary will be the worse for it. I am working with George on how we maximise our time in the edit, as with these breaks we will have less time to go over important points both in the edit and outside it. As always, it means that time management is very important in allowing this style of editing to take place. I have agreed with George that we both make notes before we complete an "edit day" together to ensure we maximise this time and get through all of our points.
My research then took me to an article by Pixel Productions which allowed me to understand how my relationship with the editor on a personal level is important to a successful edit. Luckily I have one of my best friends as the editor, so we hopefully know the best way of working together. "Editing is an artistic collaboration, the director needs to be able to communicate the vision they want for the overall piece. When the director has a more hands on approach to working alongside the editor, it makes for a stronger collaboration, and sometimes a stronger film." (pixelproductionssd, 2017). While this somewhat contradicts what the last article suggested, I can read a happy medium into both of them. As a director, I need to be able to make clear and rational decisions in the edit and the fact that George and I are good friends should allow this to be an easier process. While doing so, I understand that I need to allow George some time to edit by himself because I know that is when he is most productive. George being the editor also allows us to have the best film possible as he can hopefully be more objective about what we can cut. I will have a lot of personal attachment to some scenes, which means that George should be able to make those decisions for me. "When it comes to working in collaborations, sometimes directors and editors don’t agree on which shots should be cut or not. Usually the editor comes from of a more objective standpoint. They usually don’t go
on set so they won’t be influenced by how much work was put into a particular shot or scene, for an editor if it doesn’t fit, it will be cut." (pixelproductionssd, 2017). Our edit will also be helped by the fact that George hasn't yet involved himself with the motorsport community and because of this, he will be able to understand what clips are relevant and what clips we may possibly cut. It will also allow us to realise if any area need more information, as the general viewer may be slightly confused as to why certain things may be happening. This means we may need some voiceover to help fill in small pieces of information and I hope George will be able to spot these throughout this creative process.
I looked into an article written for editors which speaks about how they best work with a director. This insightful article allowed me to realise how I can work with George in a way where we both get to share our creative vision and express a clear style in our work. The general premise is that as we will be spending a lot of time together we need to know how we overcome issues when they arise. "Filmmaking is collaboration... As an editor, you’ll be showing your cuts to a variety of people. Producers, clients, sometimes even a lead actor; but there is no one you’ll spend time with more than the director." (Yuri Baranovsky, 2017). As we will be spending a lot of time together it is important that the workflow is progressive for us all. As mentioned above we know how we will go about the opening stages of the edit but we need to understand how to progress after that. "After the rough cut is complete, the director will join you and want to watch the footage, take notes and make changes. Generally, the director is going to run this process and her thoughts will overrule yours. This is one very frustrating part of being an editor – while I very much respect my editor’s thoughts, ideas and artistry, at the end of the day, the final decision is my own. That can be a frustrating experience for anyone in post-production." (Yuri Baranovsky, 2017).
Something that both George and I need to learn quickly in the editing phase is to not take decisions personally. As the director, I will have to make some hard decisions about the edit and I know George may take it personally. Likewise, if George is saying a scene is having issues I would probably do the same as we are both passionate about our work. My methodology on how we adapt to this is we go into every day with a fresh perspective and take time to make detailed notes so that when we have difficult conversations, we can see each others viewpoint, which should lead to a decision being made. Along with the help of Cailan, I hope to not have many issues regarding big personal differences about certain scenes. If there is, then we thankfully have the opinion of Simon and Helen to help progress our project. This will enable a smoother edit process and one which should be very enjoyable. The main issue that I know I must improve on is taking feedback as I have not had to take it in such a way from a peer before. This will be a tough progress but will ultimately allow me to be a better director, which leaves me excited about adapting to whatever is ahead of us.
I looked into some professional opinions about the relationship between directors and editors which further allowed me to understand the approach I should be taking when involved in the edit. Chesse of the editor-director union said: "I think it's a trust-based relationship, you see all the warts and all the stuff that nobody gets to see, and you shape it into something that hopefully leaves people without any doubt of the director's vision." (hollywoodreporter, 2008) This tells me that the director and editor both need to believe in each other, otherwise the project will not reach its full potential. I agree that I need to allow George more freedom and, in other projects we have worked on together, working too close has been negative. I trust George to take the material I have directed and written to craft a sequence we both know works. There will always be changes, but making sure the majority of our thoughts are on the same wavelength will be key.
Director Adam Shankman was very precise with editor Michael Tronick about the cut of New Line's "Hairspray. "I gave him very specific notes while I was shooting about what my favorite takes were, so he understood the direction I was going in with the performances,"(hollywoodreporter, 2008) This is certainly an area I can help George with from a directors standpoint. Before he starts editing, Cailan and I will be going through the rushes recorded on each shoot date and reviewing what we think is best for the tone of the project. I will not have as much input in the pieces to camera and speaking segments as it would be easy for me to be biased. My reviewing of footage would primarily be of the b-roll recorded which would allow George to craft an entertaining sequence. Cailan and I will be able to pick out the best shots which will give more time for George to edit. This simple change to our workflow will allow a much more productive phase of this project. This style will be a big benefit to our project and I am very happy that I researched more on this subject. There is a lot to be doing as a director in the edit, but I certainly need to give space to the editor to allow him to make his own creative decisions. I fully believe we have a great few months of editing ahead of us and the lessons learned from this research set us up to be much more productive.
I am looking forward to getting into the editing phase of the project and I am certainly learning how I can be most effective in this stage to make it a success. I realise that this process is going to be really hard and there will be issues that will take weeks to resolve. But, I am willing to rise to this challenge and take a lot of valuable lessons from it. "The relationship between the director and the editor can be tremendously fruitful, but it can also be quite hard. In essence, you have two strong characters dissecting, analyzing, and arguing about the film for days on end. When you agree, it's fine, but when you disagree, the air can get quite hot. Yet, when you finish, you usually have something finer and better than if each had worked separately on the film" (jukolart, 2018). Undoubtedly there will be some tough nights in the edit when we disagree on how a scene will look, but I think, thanks to the research I have conducted, it will be for the greater good. It will be impossible to agree on everything so the way we work together in these situations will be key to the productivity of this project. We all know our individual skillsets and if we ensure they are utilised I am sure the editing phase of this project will be a lot of fun. "As a director, I find that working with a talented editor is one of the most dynamic and stimulating parts of filmmaking, and most films are better for having that person around." (jukolart, 2018). I know the importance of learning from others and it will be a valuable asset to myself when I enter the industry after finishing university, so I expect to learn a lot of lessons about film making over the coming months, ones that will help me when making this a career. I feel this research has allowed me to be realistic and look at myself, accepting what I can do better in the editing phase. I now know what boundaries should be put in place with the editor and how we can overcome issues when they happen. I am very much looking forward to getting stuck into this part of the project in a new role.
REFERENCES
raindance, 2012 - https://www.raindance.org/the-6-stages-of-editing-as-a-film-director/
shootingpeople.org, 2014 https://shootingpeople.org/discuss/view/063fed65c6b98257a0aeb2ac
pixelproductionssd, 2017 https://pixelproductionssd.com/blog/the-director-editor-relationship
Yuri Baranovsky, 2017 https://blog.frame.io/2017/06/28/working-with-a-director/
jukolart, 2018 - https://www.jukolart.us/documentary-films/the-directoreditor-relationship.html#download
hollywoodreporter, 2008 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/relationship-between-director-editor-key-104746
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