Editing as a Filmmaking Education
Of course there are many ways to approach film making and the constant learning involved to be a filmmaker, especially with the new mediums and assorted flavors of video and modern technology, but certainly one of the most immediate has to be editing.
I am amazed when I meet a director or filmmaker who is not conversant about the editing process and wonder about the edge they give up by not being forced to analyze and understand what works and doesn't in all the aspects an editor is forced to go through. Not to say it can't be done any other way or that there are not many fine directors who don't physically edit their own material, but for the discipline and learning the actual craft, it's hard to beat. Here are just a few of the benefits I have found.
One is the sheer discipline and organizational skills of handing the material. Not dissimilar to breaking down a story and creating the shots necessary to tell it.
Of course these days it's almost impossible to edit without being somewhat of a tech geek or IT person just to keep the software and hardware going.
The shots themselves; understanding the compositions and framing that allow the director to control the emotional pace of the story and paint the connections for audience. I can imagine many directors looking at the result of a clever and creative editor putting in major brainpower into solving problems without the director ever realizing or understanding there were problems to begin with. Without recognizing the problems, it becomes hard avoid them in the future, or worse, the denial that there are problems to begin with.
Acting; by having to study and search for the moments that work, and then understanding or intuitively rejecting what doesn't, I think the editor must become a good judge of performance. That judging of course may translate into them understanding the acting process even more than many directors. As an editor working with my own performances as well as others, I know that I have been able to become a much stronger actor.
I also think that in the final 'rewriting' of the material, editing can help teach writing.
The editor is also in a position to understand and converse (or wear those additional hats as well!) with the sound, the CGI artists, the colorist, the musicians, and all the others involved in the delivery of the director's "vision".
I am sure that a case could be made for almost all the disciplines involved to help teach the others; the actor as director, the director as cameraman, the writer as editor. Until I am put in a position where wearing so many hats is taken away, I'll keep my hands in as many aspects of the total craft as possible, with the goal of being a director who understands the various crafts enough to allow and inspire all involved to create their best work.
"Talking people and doing people, for myself, I hope to do"
Kely McClung
http://www.kerberosbites.com
http://www.bloodtiesmovie.com
Posted at 09:06PM Jun 27, 2008 Read More...
by William McClung in General |
