Film Courage: What are the biggest mistakes beginning editors make? Lawrence Jordan, Editor: So many. I I think that
you know the big was some of the biggest mistakes that beginning editors make is
to be fearful to make a cut you know be fearful to just dive in and start and
start experimenting and and and playing with the material and looking at ad it
is something that that you can play with and and have fun with I think a lot of
people are afraid to jump in and make that cut on another level I think for
myself maybe you know I I think that it was ego
issues kind of thinking because I had come from these legendary editors who
you know had such a incredible body of work that I thought that you know as an
editor you have to like stand by your cut and you know and maybe not be so
flexible and stuff like that and you know that's sort of like the antithesis
of what I believe in editor is now I think that you have to be incredibly
flexible and you know I think the more flexible you are the more you're going
to be able to get your ideas across so I think I think that's sort of a a big
mistake and then you know I think that a lot of us as editors although I don't
really consider myself an introvert I think a lot of editors are introverted
and maybe younger editors don't understand the importance of getting out
there and meeting other people and networking and putting yourself out
there those are a few of kind of I think the mistakes that people make um even
maybe one more would be like young editors you know maybe not young editors
but young people starting out maybe they've come out of film school maybe
they've made a few films on their own but they're just getting into the
business and they're just sort of like maybe trying to break in or
their foot in the door and they talk about like their films and things like
that I think that a lot of people don't want to hear about that kind of stuff
they they want you to do what you need to do like go get office supplies and
get the lunch order correct they don't want to hear about your screenplays at
that time you know there's a time and place for everything of course but
that's sort of a general thing for people just sort of breaking into
editing do you think the prior school of thought was to stand by just as a writer
is going to defend the notes that they're given and and want to do the
scene their way it was that sort of the prior school of thought of defend your
cut I want to do it here when he comes in the door this way and the producer
saying no do it after you know it was that sort of the yeah I do think that
that is sort of like you know a throwback from a from an earlier time
you know when the auteur theory may be sort of you know prevailed stronger and
people were able to kind of or people you know or we're able to stand by their
artistic vision I think the business has become much more of a commercial
endeavor for the most part I think that if you get involved in a film with that
sort of artistic vision these days that I think you know maybe like the people
who hire you and everything they everybody's cards are on the table so
it's not but again I you know as editors we're we're service people we're there
to help the director have his or her vision you know realized so you know
there's plenty of times where I don't think that maybe a scene works is good
after doing the directors notes
but it's it's their baby you know and we're there to help them out I've
learned as I've gotten older that you get a lot more bees with honey than
vinegar and there's different ways to present your ideas other than drawing a
line in the sand and you know that's usually through dialogue or conversation
or example maybe integrating some of the ideas from you know your instincts into
theirs and maybe showing that to them as an alternative I think you want a lot of
like little battles that way and and you know I think that a lot of directors are
also reasonable the good ones that when you say you know that you know that's
kind of a inelegant cut was the way Lindsey klingmann used to put it and I
think that's a tasteful way to put it across you know it's not a bad cut it's
just not pretty I think that you know good filmmakers are open to that you're
always gonna get people who will you know just not want to you know hear your
opinion even if you're right and you know I think that it's like a marriage
you know it's like you're not going to be able to be married to everyone and
you got to find the right you know set of people that you're gonna be able to
work with that you get along with that you have some chemistry with it's a real
sort of you know marriage like relationship because you're locked in a
room with that director for for months on end so you better have some chemistry
together you better like each other are you gonna be miserable
you