Navigating the Room
How to navigate your way through the editing room is a skill that should be part of the assistant editor’s job description. It will serve you well when you learn to read the room’s atmosphere and figure out when to keep your head down.
Working in close quarters creates the need for a social dance. When choreographed well, the editing room functions smoothly. It takes just one participant to tip the scales away from an amiable atmosphere. Figuring out the politics of seating arrangements, how to enter the cutting room, how long you should stay, when to give an opinion, and when to answer the telephone, are decisions that need to be made in a split second. The editing room is filled with egos, including your own. Through time, you will navigate these deep waters without a ripple. For now, we can offer up a few guidelines to help you avoid some of the pitfalls.
Be aware of your editor’s preference on how you should enter his room. Some editors like their assistant to knock and then enter without pausing for a verbal invitation. This helps warn him that someone is coming in without having to stop cutting. When the editor is cutting a scene, he is zoned into another world, and for him to stop and say “come in” might cause him to lose his creative flow. Always ask your editor what works best for him. You cannot assume that what worked for your last editor will work for the next one. Remember that when you enter the room, you enter someone’s private domain. Use common courtesy.
12.2 Know When to Leave the Room
Recognize the physical cues that tell you the conversation is over. Some of these are averted eyes, multiple sighs, shifting in the chair, and moving toward the door. These are clues you must pick up and then find a way to gracefully exit the cutting room. When an assistant editor cannot sense something as simple as when to leave an editing room, it is an indication that some other personality attributes might also be lacking. Editors look for these signs and make decisions about hiring based on these subtle nonverbal communications.
When the editor engages in polite conversation, remember to keep your answers brief. If he asks, “How are you?” do not give the full 10-minute answer. Long, involved stories are not okay. Remember, the editor has dailies to cut, a schedule to keep, and all he really wants to do is start editing.
You are representing the editor, the cutting room, and the production when you answer the phone. It is polite to identify the name of the show and your name. One preference is, “Editing, this is Mary,” or perhaps, “The Competition, Mary speaking.” Again, you can ask your editor how he would you like you to answer the phone.
Whether speaking to the PA or the executive producer, we expect you to speak in a respectful manner. Treat everyone with an equal amount of kindness and consideration. If someone has made a mistake, there is no excuse for you to raise your voice. Be positive, courteous, and helpful. It is always a pleasure when we talk to the crew or production and they say, “Oh, we love your assistant.” That is the sort of feedback we like and expect.
If your editor walks into your room and you are on the phone, ask that person, “Can you hold on a second?” Put your hand over your mouthpiece and say, “I’m talking to the executive producer about the output; do you need me right now or should I finish up?” This gives your editor the chance to prioritize for you. No matter how important the other person on the phone is, the assistant editor should always consider the needs of the editor first. If you are on a personal call, it is prudent to end the phone conversation and give the editor your undivided attention. Hold your personal calls to a minimum and take care of private matters during your lunch break.
The assistant is often asked to do many things by many people at the same time. Prioritizing these requests is learned with experience, but if you find yourself caught in the middle, ask your editor to help prioritize for you.
The editor has the enormous responsibility of weaving the best possible story from the material that has been shot. In scenes that have little or no dialog, the story is told with the use of the characters’ facial expressions and body language. Their feelings, thoughts, and intentions come to life with the use of images only. Just as an editor plays the emotions of the scene by reading their faces, the assistant must do the same reading of faces in the editing room. You have to know when your director is displeased or when your editor is grumpy or when to order lunch because someone is having a blood sugar problem. You have to know when to be quiet and when to speak, how to modulate your voice, and when to offer refreshment. You have to know your place, when to be there, and when to leave.
Remain quiet and attentive until you are asked to join in. When you do speak, what you say will be evaluated carefully, so choose your words well. The stakes will be higher as your career progresses, and if you have not learned from some of these guidelines, being replaced (fired) or not hired can be the result.
Be sensitive to all the nuances of protocol and behavior in the cutting room. It is a special skill to be able to maintain this delicate balance, and this skill will help when you become an editor. As the editor, you handle the personalities of your executive producer, director, line producer, and coproducer, sometimes all at the same time. As the assistant editor, you will often take notes for your editor and be in the room with the producers. You will witness these social politics firsthand; this producer wants to trim four frames, the other producer wants to add four frames, the writer wants to lift the entire scene. It can become a bit harried. The requests, ideas, and notes will come flying at the editor quickly; pay attention to how he handles all these instructions and makes the changes at the same time.
As editors, we try to balance these highly charged sessions by doing all the notes as quickly as possible. If there are conflicting notes, a copy of the scene is made so that each person can look at his requested change. Through the course of your career, you will be dealing with the psychology of people and their relationships in the room. The assistant needs to learn how to show respect for the other person’s space, develop an understanding of the pecking order, and learn to read nuances.
One great asset for an assistant to cultivate is to be a great note taker. Sometimes notes are flying at you so fast it is hard to keep up. Producers don’t want to take the time to reiterate their thoughts. If you miss a note, you must have the courage to speak up and ask for clarification. This might annoy some people, but your editor will be supportive and appreciate your efforts when it comes time to execute the changes. Take this chore very seriously. Write notes with concise language and legible handwriting. There is nothing worse than having an assistant hand you notes you cannot read, are incomplete, or are inaccurate. An assistant is worth his weight in gold when his notes are great. Sometimes an editor will take notes along with the assistant and compare them, making sure nothing has been overlooked.
If your handwriting is challenging to read, offer to type the notes after the screening, or use a laptop. This way, you can type the notes as you go onto the continuity on your laptop, thereby preempting the need to write down the scene numbers. Then all the assistant needs to do is print it out. There is a great responsibility attached to this task, whichever system you choose.
Practice writing numbers clearly. Some numbers are especially easy to mix up; 1 and 7, 3 and 8, and 4 and 9 are clearly red flag numbers. This will apply to scene numbers, key code, and telephone numbers. My numbering was atrocious when I began assisting, and after botching an optical count sheet that had lengthy key numbers, I learned the hard way that I had to perfect the way I wrote numbers.
– ljc
If the assistant does not take good notes, the editor will most likely opt to exclude him from this intimate process. However, if you do take good notes, your editor will want you to be in the room during a screening, which is a great learning experience. It helps you understand how different creative input contributes to the evolution of the film. It keeps you abreast of the changes that affect your work. For example, if a scene is lifted, you will need to denote that on the continuity.
One valuable lesson you will take from this experience is that you will see how editors must always respond with a positive attitude toward the requested change, regardless of whether he agrees or disagrees. You, the assistant, must be equally open to every note given to you by everyone you work with. It is an invaluable experience for your future as an editor.
12.6 Giving Your Opinion on a Scene
It is very exciting to be called into your editor’s cutting room to give your opinion on a scene. Initially, you might think this is your opportunity to show how smart you are and how your knowledge of editing can help. Beware! Think before you speak.
Confident editors want to know what did or did not work in the scene, but there are some editors who do not react well to a negative critique. An editor may want to hear how much you liked the scene and that you are impressed with what he has done with the dailies. It will be up to you to evaluate both the situation and the temperament of the individual editor. This will determine how safe you are.
There is a protocol on how you should respond in this situation. We suggest you start with an overview of the positive elements of the scenes. For example, “I liked the part where they first embraced,” or “The ending made me cry,” or “The gymnastics scene was seamless. I couldn’t tell the stunt doubles from the actors.” This affirms the editor’s hard work and sets the tone. There is always something positive to say—“I was so engaged,” “That was a compelling moment,” or “It works for me.” If you are hard pressed to find something nice to say, at least begin your comments with some sort of validation, such as “I watched the dailies on this scene and I am amazed at what you have done!” Remember that the editor would not be showing you the scene if he thought it was in bad shape.
Be diplomatic at all times. Remember when giving notes to the editor one-on-one that he wants responses to these kinds of questions: “Did this work for you? Did that seem slow? Was that funny? What bumped you? Do you think there were too many cuts? Do you think the close-up reaction should be earlier?” He does not want to be told how to fix it, but rather what needs fixing.
We are not suggesting that you lie. The editor will see through that, and it will be an awkward moment for both of you. You need to be tactful. Find the language that will gently present your thoughts. For example, if you feel there is a squeaky part in the scene, you can ask to see the sequence again. This will buy you the time to collect your thoughts, identify where the problem is, and make a suggestion that will not be insulting or offensive to the editor. Saying cutty is a no-no. Instead, say, “This part was a bit fast for me.” If there are awkward moments in the scene, you can say, “Something bumped me here…not sure what.” The editor will know by this statement that the problematic parts of the scene have been identified and are probably in line with his own assessment. One way to approach how you give notes is to phrase your response as a question. Sometimes a simple “hmmm…” is enough for the editor to know that something needs work. On the other hand, be careful when you give a note that the editor deems inappropriate or uneducated or lacking in depth. He might not ask for your notes again. Know your editor well before you give a negative opinion, and you will avoid getting burned.
Of course, if you truly love the scene and have no notes, say it! Eventually, when the editor trusts your opinions, your judgment, and your loyalty, you will be able to give more in-depth notes. Quite frankly, your input will become invaluable.
TIP
When the editor, director, and producer call you in to the cutting room to give an opinion, you will know by your editor’s physical cues (widened or averted eyes, angry stare, tilt of the head, etc.) whether he even wants you to answer the question. Discuss with your editor, in advance of this situation, what he feels would be appropriate to say. Prearrange nonverbal signs so that you will know exactly when to speak and when to avoid giving an unwanted opinion. Politically you could affect your editor’s job if you walk into that room and make a comment that offends the director, producer, or editor. You want to be very, very careful not to get embroiled in discussions or arguments that take place in the editing room.
During the director’s and producer’s cuts, the assistant editor is sometimes called in to give an opinion on a sequence. In this situation, be very careful. You are entering shark-infested waters. There are egos in the room that need to be protected, preserved, and pampered. First, your allegiance is to your editor. If you know how your editor likes the scene cut, and now you see that it is cut the way the director prefers it, and you are asked which way you like it more, you are in a no-win situation called triangulation.
If you get the nod from the editor allowing you to answer, think twice. Ask to see the way it was or to see it again. This will buy you time to collect your thoughts. Or dive right in and say you loved the way the editor had it the first time (know that this director might not hire you, but your editor will!). If you do like the new version, you can say there were wonderful parts to both versions.
The assistant editor must never side with the person opposed to the editor. It is the editor who hired you, to whom you owe your job, and hopefully who will take you on to the next project. Do not make the mistake of furthering your career by aligning with a director and placing a knife in your editor’s back. That is not the way to move up, and the director will see right through it and think less of you. If he does not think less of you, is this really the type of person with whom you want to work?
If you are caught in the crossfire of triangulation, Chris Cooke, A.C.E. suggests the following technique. You state what you see are the differences. You might say, “The new cutaways to the CU of John as he drives are effective and beautifully shot even though the performance is a bit broad. In the earlier version without the CUs, I missed seeing John during the chase. So, the question is: is his bad performance hurting it enough to make that shift? I don’t know.” Basically what you do is throw it up in the air. What you are really doing is mediating. You’re taking two different points of view and you are restating them in a calm and controlled manner and then these people can say, “Well you didn’t do us any good. Get out!” At least you’re safe because you didn’t take sides. Or maybe they will say, “Well yeah, that’s really an interesting point of view. Maybe we can just use the CU once or twice in that scene.”
You have provided exactly what was needed in that room. You have pointed out what bumped you without choosing sides. It is important to realize the value of your virgin eyes in that room. They need a response from an objective viewer who has not labored for hours on the scene. Remember, identify the problem, but do not provide the solution. That is their job.
I had an assistant once who was called in by the director to see the chase scene. My assistant watched me edit and refine this scene for weeks. When the director and I finished adding his touches, he asked my assistant to come view the scene and afterwards asked, “What do you think?” He said, “Oh I like it! It is so much better!” He innocently meant to be encouraging and helpful. I felt it was tantamount to saying, “The editor’s version was bad, and the director’s version is good.” The irony was that the director and I had only added a couple of CU shots of the actor’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and the rest of the car chase was virtually the same. If my assistant had said, “Looks good!” or “The scene is riveting,” there would have been no hurt feelings. The point is, avoid making comparisons of versions when possible. It is a common pitfall and serves to make the editor feel betrayed.
I talked with my assistant about this incident a few weeks later, after I had cooled off, and expressed my feelings. He apologized profusely. His intent was never to devalue my work but to simply be supportive. I cared deeply for this young assistant editor, and I would work with him again in a heartbeat, but we had to learn this lesson together the hard way.
–ljc
The editor does not really want the assistant to be the deciding vote in the cutting room. Unless you are there to say how brilliant he is, your best choice is to leave the room as quickly as possible.
Emails can be a bit tricky. To begin with, there is a hierarchy to which you must be sensitive. Always list the names in the cc bar according to their titles and in descending order. The executive producer should be before the line producer, the head of the department should precede his staff, etc. This is a subtle yet necessary nod to their hard-earned positions.
When an email is sent to ask for SFX, MX, spec sheets, or stock, it is not necessary to cc the post supervisor. The response is more likely to be positive and informal because your colleague knows that no one is listening. This will keep the communication friendly. It leads to more productive interchanges and better relationships. When and if you do not receive positive responses, that is the time to start cc’ing the head of your department. A paper trail is a good way to cover your ass (CYA) when problems arise.
There will always be politics in your cutting room. Trying to remain uninvolved is tricky but a good survival technique to master. If you find yourself in a contentious situation, remember to take the higher road. Be kind, and know that the patience and forgiveness you practice today will serve you well in the future.