On the surface, an editor’s job seems to be simply taking the footage their director’s shot, and arrange it to compose the completed film.
In fact, there’s a whole lot more to it.
The editor is one of the three key creatives responsible for what audiences see in the cinema or in their homes, and it could arguably be said that they hold more power than any other. The writer has developed the story. The director has taken their cast and crew through the process of creating the shots needed to tell this story. Now it’s up to the editor to tie that story together.
However, the editor is not necessarily tied to the script, nor to the director’s vision. Their media server is, essentially, a toy box, from which they can pull and play with elements of the film in ways the writer or director may never have imagined.
Yet the art of the brilliant editor requires that their work remain hidden. A flawed cut has the ability to yank the viewer back into reality, and essentially spoil the film.
With all this responsibility and creative license in mind, you may be wondering just what process a professional editor follows to ensure their cuts are powerful, yet unnoticed.
Enter Tony Zhou, creator of Every Frame a Painting, a Youtube channel dedicated to explaining just that.
In his most recent video, Zhou looks at the most important tool in an editor’s arsenal: the ability to ‘feel’ a film. It may sound like a straightforward concept, but an editor’s feeling of a scene can make all the difference when critics and audiences alike decide whether a film is good or great.
For more of Zhou’s video essays on the craft of the film editor, visit Every Frame a Painting on Youtube.