Prep beats panic
The edit doesn’t start in the edit suite, it starts with the script. The more clarity we have upfront, the smoother the process becomes for everyone. Getting the right eyes on the script early is one of the most valuable things clients can do to streamline the post process. Asking lots of questions at this stage is encouraged (there are no wrong answers), and this will help you communicate the vision to anyone in your company who will be giving final approval.
References are always helpful. Even if you’re not sure why you like something; sharing tone, pacing, or references that have a good “vibe” gives us a shared language before we begin.
Your initial reaction is often the right one
As a comedy specialist, my barometer of a successful project is usually measured in laughter. This rule also applies to testimonial, lifestyle, and even food and beverage projects I’ve directed. I’ll often listen back to the footage to check whether anyone made a noise (a gasp, a stifled giggle) when choosing my preferred takes. I do this because I’ve noticed that the first reaction someone has when watching a take, or a cut, is usually the most honest one.
Paying attention to your initial reactions to an edit, good or bad, can help clients stop overthinking, and second-guessing themselves. If you can communicate how an edit made you feel - happy, teary, tense - it’s useful information we can use to get us on the right track.
Specificity is your superpower
Feedback is always better when you can give specific examples. Vague notes like “it’s not quite landing” are totally valid feelings, but they become much more actionable when paired with detail.
Timecode is your best friend. If something doesn’t feel right, pinpoint the area that’s not working. Tell us how you want it to feel - funnier, faster, warmer, weirder - and we can work backwards to get you there.
You don’t need to have the solution. You just need to help us locate the problem area.
The online is a massage, not a magic wand
I’m here to rail against the old saying “fix it in post”.
Too often, major feedback comes in at the very end of the process, once the picture is locked. At that point, we’re relying too heavily on sound design and colour grade to save a video that needed greater alignment earlier on.
Colour and sound are powerful - and yes, a little bit magical - but they can’t change what’s already been baked into the footage. Once the offline edit is approved, it’s often costly to go back and re-edit. Online editing such as sound design and colour grading relies on having a picture locked off, and is there to elevate the final product.
In closing
If we begin to think about the editing process starting with script approval, and following a clean process of approvals at every stage; the editing process becomes much more manageable. Our goal is always to deliver the script to the best of our ability, and we bring in some of the best possible technicians to help create their specific brand of post-production magic!
