Renewed Reason

For a few weeks of copying DVDs and putting together spot reels, I've been doubting my interest in editing. I continually thought my job could be done by anyone with half a brain and a little training. I was reminded how wrong I was.

It really varies from project to project, but most editing requires this mix of skills:
50%- Putting up with the clueless director
25%- Talent in film theory and training on the software.
25%- Problem Solving


There are three kinds of projects I hope to get:
nationally broadcast- good for my reel and resume
eye candy/just for fun video- good for my reel and fun to do
important to the agency- it gets my work noticed by the high ups and usually requires some skill.

Even as I scored a video that was important to the agency right before Christmas, I was still not out of my slump about the ease and lack of creative control I had over the work that I was doing. But today I came across a problem. I was finishing up this video and I was getting notes about what needed to be changed. I was getting notes from my least favorite department head, and a good candidate for my least favorite person in the entire agency. This is how the conversation went.

Me: I'll work on the audio so there isn't so much background noise.

DH: I also need you to take out the wide shots at the beginning. Fitz is out of the room and doing other things while the people on the other side of the room are talking.

Me: I can't take those shots out. They cover my cuts.

DH: *Blank Stare*

Me: We cut some of what they said out and I have to hide that with the wide out.

DH: *Blank Stare*

Me: I jump from one point in time to another. I can't do that without cutting.

DH: *Blank Stare*

Me: Are you familiar with the concept of continuity?

DH: *Blank Stare*

Me: Here, look at this. If I take out the wide shot, she jumps from one place to another.

DH: *Blank Stare*

Me: She can't do that.

DH: *Blank Stare*

Me: Really?

DH: Why can't you just stay on the close up?

Me: Wizards.

DH: Oh. OK.

Me: Big ones.

DH: Can you pan over or something?

Me: This has already been shot. Panning is something you do with a camera.

DH: *Blank Stare*

Me: I can expand the image and focus it on the other side of the room, but it will significantly decrease the resolution.

DH: *Blank Stare*



No, that wasn't what made me think I could make it as an editor, though the fact that I have no heads on pikes in my office is a testiment to my patience. But I did try to blow up the video so only one side of the room showed on screen. It looked terrible. I was going to ask the other editor for advice. Regardless, he probably would have told me to do what I strongly felt I should. Go tell the department head to fuck off and leave the beginning the way it was.

But I thought for an alternate solution. It came to me rather quickly. I pulled up another wide shot, one from when Fitz was in the room and put it in the layer above the current shot where he was gone. Then I cropped half of the room out, leaving the people who were talking, talking, and the other side of the room sitting still and listening, pulled from another point in time. The simplicity, cleverness and fantastic result of the split screen effect had me laughing for about 10 minutes. After that, I knew exactly why I made a good editor:

My problem solving skills are unstoppable.
My creative use of softwares' capabilities takes me further in depth every time I do a new project.
My film theory insticts are honed so I can feel things out with better results than using math as a crutch.
My ability to be quietly condesending allows me to keep the clueless people who need the video alive.

It still may not be what I want to do forever, but at least I know that I'm good at it while I do it.