Are all filmmakers editors?

[Studio595]

I wouldn't really consider ALL filmmakers to be editors. When a person is starting out making films, then he/she control everything from the actors to the final cut.

I mean, once you get really into filmmaking, then you try and focus on directing the shoot to be as effective as possible and let the editor handle their end of the deal (but always watch each rough edit with a fine-toothed comb). :beer:

 

[Melvin Harris]

Let's be honest, many of us edit our own stuff because we are broke. If I had the budget to work with an editor that I trusted on every project, I probably wouldn't edit as much- that's fact. Also, many of us are not savvy enough directors to hire an editor. There is a lot of talk about directing, but a key component is putting together and managing a great team. Alot of the time I think that in my glorious job as director I am just a 3rd key, 3rd shift assistant manager who is working with a bunch of people that just want to close an hour early to watch the UFC pay-per-view. Team building- nobody ever talks about that. Honestly, I don't have the budget or the time to bring someone else in. Does that hurt my productions? Probably. Will it change anytime soon? Probably not. So I take my negative and make it a positive, I learn how to edit to advance the story. Will that make me a better director? Probably. Does anyone really care? Probably not. If Roderick Jaynes wants to edit my movies for a fee I can afford, then of course I would give up the footage. First of all, they are phenomenal directors, and second of all, there are two of them. I would sit there and ask a million questions and get massive amounts of information. But how many times does that happen to normal people in the normal course of life? Never.
Also, I make movies... not films. I am not working in 35, 16, or 8mm, and I currently have no filmouts planned for anytime soon. I make movies. I work in the digital medium. There are different rules governing digital vs. film. Different workflows, different pipelines. Argue all you want but it's true... none of that matters though. Storytelling is what we do. I've seen fantastically directed movies but there was absoultely no story. Wait, yes there is a distinction and they are mutually exclusive. Our criticism is subjective, but storytelling is pretty straight forward. If you can take a pretty picture, but can't tell a story, or if you edit cleanly from frame to frame, but don't advance a story, and if your educational institution or autodidactal study doesn't teach you about story then there is no amount of money, no school name or teacher, no actress, no camera, no editor, nothing that can change the fact that you suck, period. When you see a movie that is "bad" or any permutation or superlative of that word, ask yourself if you are a better storyteller, or if you can just make prettier pictures because if you fit the latter, quit or learn- either way, there's too many of you out there making movies that you say are horrible.

 

[dougspice]

*golf clap*