The Unwritten Rules of the Editing Room
Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them.
The Golden Rule, adapted from Matthew 7:12
Talent is cheaper than table salt.
What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
Stephen King
Now that you have learned about your assisting duties, there are certain social skills you must develop for use in the cutting room. These skills involve common-sense rules about manners and protocol. They are as important to your career as your technical skill level and should be honed with equal vigor.
How to anticipate needs, read peoples’ emotional states, and contribute an energetic, positive ambience to the editing room are skills that will be learned with time. But there are several social skills that can be accomplished immediately. Your technical skills coupled with a finely tuned personality will be the formula for success in the film industry. Here are a few guidelines.
10.1 Be on Time (15 Minutes Early)
One of the first rules of etiquette in the film industry is that you are never late for your call time. This applies to the editing room as well. It is a sign of respect when you arrive on time. Plan your day so that you arrive 15 minutes before you are expected. Before your first day on the job, do a dry run to time how long it takes to arrive at your destination during rush hour traffic. Know how to get to the studio, where to park, and how long it takes to get from the parking lot to the cutting rooms. This is important for interviews as well. Being on time will be important throughout your career. You should try not to keep anyone waiting, let alone your boss. So get in the habit of arriving early.
Make the coffee in the morning when you arrive, even if you do not drink it. If you do not know how to brew it, learn. The editors had to make the coffee when they were assistants, and now it is your turn. Take this opportunity to please your editor and postproduction visitors. Think of it as solicitous rather than a servile act.
Make sure you open all the doors to each cutting. It is more pleasant for the editor to find his door open and the lights on when he arrives in the morning. Make note of the lights that the editor prefers to have turned on to start the day. Check all voice mails. Check all emails. Make sure your flex file (the ALE is embedded in the flex file) has arrived if you are in dailies. Respond to important messages left by the production and postproduction departments. Check the call sheet to make sure all of the newly scheduled meetings that might include your editor are flagged. Sometimes there are changes made to the time and place of the tone meeting, SFX–MX spottings, or lock dates. Inform your editor with a brief note regarding any changes in the days’ activities.
Boot up all the computers and editing systems upon arrival. Take the time to straighten up if there is debris left over from the previous day’s activities. This process takes only five minutes or so and will start your editor’s day off on a pleasant note.
Make sure the machine settings are in the editor’s preferred mode—his personal settings are up, the monitors are in the correct aspect ratio, the soundboard is back to the proper levels, and the room is good to go!
The assistant often has work to do on the editor’s system. When your tasks are complete, make sure to put the pens you have used back in the holder, place the wrist support back in its normal position, adjust the chair to its regular height, remove your coffee cup or can of soda, and leave the room tidy, if not tidier, than when you entered it.
Be aware of any scheduled events for the day (e.g., if there is to be an output that day, make sure you have blank DVDs, labels, a current continuity, and the delivery addresses and instructions). If a sound effects spotting is to take place in your cutting room at 9:00 a.m., arrive at 8:30 a.m. As discussed earlier, you will need to get the coffee brewing, provide the right amount of chairs, present copies of the necessary paperwork for distribution, open and display the timecode window, and cue up the spotting version of the show before everyone enters your cutting room. Now everyone will arrive to the quiet ambience of a smooth-running editing room. The assistant editor has created this inviting atmosphere and will be appreciated. That is how you shine.
10.6 Informative Messages and Post-it Notes
Editors appreciate it when assistants leave notes about the work they finished the previous night. It is also good to set up a system whereby the editor is informed about how many hours of dailies to expect for that day. Between these brief notes and Post-it messages, the assistant can inform the editor about everything that affects the cutting rooms.
This seems obvious, but there are actually people who come to work in dire need of a shower. Wearing stained, wrinkled clothing sends a bad message; high heels and strong perfume is inappropriate. Tight, revealing clothing is the wrong way to bring attention to yourself. Save the cleavage, ladies, for the wrap party!
Learn how to transfer and receive conference calls correctly. It is one of the assistant editor’s tasks to set up the phones, the answering machine, and voice mail passwords. Think of the phone as one more piece of machinery for which you are responsible.
Make a list of postproduction numbers and extensions to place next to your editor’s phone so that he does not have to waste time searching through the production crew list for contact information. All the editor really wants to think about is story telling, and, “How am I going to make this scene work?”
If you have questions about a task or need technical assistance, always ask laterally or down. Ask another assistant editor, the tech assigned to your show, Google and troubleshoot on the Internet, or refer to your editing system manual. Try not to ask up. However, if the question pertains to your editor’s personal preferences or prioritizing of the workday, you should ask the editor for clarification. Do not be afraid to ask questions to which only your editor will have the answer.
• When would the editor like to do an output?
• Would he like the dialog brought in on two tracks?
• When would he like to send a copy of the show to the composer?
• What scene would he like to start editing first?
• Does he want the main title to be attached to the cut for output?
• Does he want visible timecode on the output?
These are the kind of questions you have to ask your editor. Other questions about distribution lists, formats, addresses, phone numbers, duplication, auxiliary timecodes, and specs should be posed to your post producer, post supervisor, or fellow assistant editors before you trouble your film editor.
Only after all avenues have led to a dead end should you seek counsel from your editor. Let the editor know you’ve called these many people, talked to these many techs, and that you have run out of ideas. Your editor will appreciate that you’ve done due diligence. When you do choose to ask the editor, wait for a break in his schedule. If he is in the middle of cutting a scene, do not disturb him. If your editor does not take breaks, jot a note on a Post-it and ask for a moment of his time. Quietly leave it on his desk without causing him to stop working. It is also good to compile your list of questions and cause as few interruptions as possible.
If there is a technical difficulty (e.g., the Unity or SAN needs to be maintained) that requires all editing machines to be shut down, do your homework and be prepared with a solution before presenting it to your editor. Know the hours that the tech is available, and ask your editor which night he would prefer to leave early.
Think before you ask questions. So many questions can be answered with just a little forethought. If you are in doubt about certain chores and whether they need to be done, it is sometimes easier to just do them. It might takes less time and cause less aggravation than figuring out whom to ask.
Remember to carry a notebook and pen with you at all times. When you ask your editor a question, you can write the answer down and not have to ask a second time. People say there are no stupid questions, but questions asked twice are a dangerous negation of that philosophy.
These chores are all a part of being a successful assistant editor. When you do these tasks efficiently and cheerfully, you will shine and be a cut above all the other assistant editors who are competing for the same position. You will also evolve into an editor who knows how to please the next level of colleagues—directors and producers.