The Director - Editor Collaboration (Part One)
In this first of two parts, I break down how I go about choosing the right editor for my film projects.
For six years leading up to the pandemic I happily rented office space from Manhattan Edit Workshop, where they give a series of high-level editing trainings that I wholeheartedly recommend. Their core class, a six-week editing intensive, regularly had guest editors come visit to talk about their craft. I liked the folks running the workshop a lot, and early on in my stay suggested it would be helpful for the students to hear about the editing process from the perspective of a director, as well. They responded, hey, sounds splendid, you’ve been around the block. Why don't you, sir, do just that. 1
My talk went over well and I enjoyed interacting with the young wannabe editors immensely, so I've given similar ones with each new class to this day, long after I had to leave that office.
My Substack is still pretty new, and in mulling over topics I might write about those talks came to mind almost immediately. Getting Personal is geared mainly to personal doc filmmakers, ranging from those thinking about dipping their toes in the water to folks who are in it up to their eyeballs. However, I’d like to think sharing my 37 years of experience working with editors can be useful for directors, producers and editors working in any documentary genre.
Working with an editor is my favorite part of the filmmaking process, and I have much to say on the subject. So much so that, even being ruthless with my word count, I can't fit everything into one post. So, here’s Part One, where I'll focus on how I go about finding the best editor possible for a film of mine.
The biggest decision you’ll make.
I'm hardly going out on a limb when I say that the relationship between the director and editor is the most important creative collaboration in documentary filmmaking. Or that picking your editor is the biggest decision you'll make in the course of making your film. It's especially true with a personal doc, where it's hard to remain objective when telling a story so close to you. Happily, there are a lot of highly talented editors out there to choose from, and I go to great lengths to find the right one when the time comes.
Editor extraordinaire Maeve O’Boyle (The Kids Grow Up, 112 Weddings)
If you pick wisely, the editor is your second set of eyes, someone who often understands you better than you understand yourself, and a partner-in-crime who puts the director’s best interests first. She has strong opinions and isn't afraid to express them. She's not a button pusher but rather an essential part of the creative process in figuring out the story, it's structure and its arc. So much so that I always give my editors co-writer credit because we’re essentially “writing” the film together in the edit room.2
Before considering an editor, you need to be able to pay them.
Ideally, before you begin working with an editor you'll want to raise enough money to pay her all the way through the picture lock, color correct and sound mix. The reason is simple. If you run out of money before then (say, at the rough cut stage), she can't afford to wait around while you struggle to raise the finishing money. You often wind up being forced to hire a new editor, who can likely only view a small part of the footage in order to save money, and is thus severely hampered.
My students rarely have any clue what editors get paid for a feature-length doc. So - brace yourself! - let's talk numbers.
The day rate for an experienced and accomplished editor based in NY or LA pretty much starts at $800.
By way of example, let's say you're dealing with 100 hours of material (which is normal for my films, but with other filmmakers it’s often in the hundreds). I find it hard to view and log more than 4 hours per day, but your editor is a speed demon and can get through 5 hours. Even if so, it will take her 20 days to watch it all. Ok… 20 x $800 = $16,000. Just to view it!
My feature docs have taken between 9 to 12 months to edit, in all.3 Again, let's be conservative and say it's 9 months, including the viewing and logging. That adds up to 39 weeks @ $4,000/wk, or $156,000. Yikes!
To raise that much money you'll need, among other things, to create a work-in-progress sample for funders to judge your story. It used to be that 8-12 minutes in length was the sweet spot. In this day and age of limited attention spans, 4-6 minutes seems more like a standard, but there's really no rule. Whatever works.4
112 Weddings: 4-minute work sample
How do I find the right editor?
First, I make a list of documentaries I admire for their storytelling, preferably (though not necessarily) with a similar style or tone to my own. Then I go to their websites or IMDB to see who edited it. There might be multiple editors, and, if so, I make note of that.
I also email directors and producers I know and respect and ask them for recommendations. They're almost always happy to oblige and help editors they've had good experiences with get work.
Once I begin the process, I create a spreadsheet with the editor's names, contact info, film credits, who recommended them and availability. If someone has been recommended more than once they go right to the top of the list.
I prioritize finding someone who's experienced yet hungry. Who's very talented but hasn't worked on a bunch of highly visible, award-winning or Oscar nominated films. Who's grateful for opportunity to work on a story and character-driven film with a lot of humor. And rather than picking someone who’s been to Sundance five times, I prefer someone who wants to go there for first time. That they’ll work for a lesser fee is admittedly a factor, as well.
After I've built up a healthy list (say, 30 or so), I start contacting the leading candidates by email. After praising their work enthusiastically, I describe my film in brief, mention the edit schedule and rate, and express the hope that they're interested and available. Easily half of them won't be because they're in high demand and working (especially in the months leading up to Sundance). If so, I ask them for recommendations, especially for talented up-and-comers. I've found editor recommendations of other editors especially helpful.
In the initial email I'll include a link to my website where they can read about my past films, but I’ll never attach a link to a work sample of the film in question. That's saved for the interview. A trailer could be a different story, but I've never had one made that early in the process.
The interview
I usually interview around 8 to 10 editors, even if I feel pretty sure about someone I've seen towards the beginning. It's super helpful to get reactions to the sample and to talk about the film at length with smart editors. And also good to get a sense of whether I might want to work with them, or recommend them to others, in the future.
My interviews have always been done in-person because, to date, all of my films have been edited at my NY City office. I recently edited a project virtually, which worked out well, but it was with an awesome editing team (Maeve O'Boyle and Jordan Montminy) I've worked with before.
If working with an editor can be equated to a marriage, the interview is like the first date. I want to feel a chemistry. That we have a shared sense of humor and fun, but can pivot effortlessly to being deeply serious. That I feel comfortable sharing personal aspects of my life with her candidly. That she gets me and gets the film. That this is someone I’ll enjoy being with at close quarters for the long haul. Unlike with a date, I don't pry into her personal life. Only for practical matters like children, and how that might impact our work schedule.
(I’ve worked with, and thus first dated, male editors, btw. I’m using “she” for the sake of simplicity.)
In order to get a good feel for the editor’s taste, I’ll ask them to tell me, without any preparation or time to think, what their five favorite movies of all time are (and not just documentaries). If it includes a film by Truffaut, Bergman, Welles, Kubrick or Buster Keaton, it's a very good sign. If they lead with a Marvel movie, sorry, it ain't gonna work out.
I’ll talk loosely about the film, how it came to be, what the story is and what I see as the main themes. Eventually, I show the work sample, sitting to the side so I can see their reactions as they watch. Does their face light up at certain moments? Do they smile or laugh where it's intended? Do they have strong and honest opinions? The last thing I want is a yes person.
If I were to edit virtually with a new editor and the interview was via Zoom, I’d send a link shortly before the interview so that their reactions were as fresh as possible. In that case, I’d also spend a good deal of time going over the process of working from afar. Have they done it before? What platform do they use for sharing scenes in real time? How best to handle director notes? If there’s a time difference (Maeve and Jordan work out of Dublin), when do they like to meet by Zoom or phone?
My interviews usually turn out to last somewhere between 90 minutes and 2 hours, unless I know right away that it won't work out. When I showed one award-winning editor the 9-minute work sample of The Kids Grow Up, which had, I felt, a number of amusing moments, she sat there stone-faced throughout. Afterwards, her first comment was "That was really funny." Our meeting ended politely and shortly thereafter.
To all the editors I don’t wind up hiring, I make sure to email and thank them promptly and appreciatively. It may seem like a small thing, but I think the lion’s share of producing is simply living by the golden rule. And not being a dick.
Ok, that’s it for now. Told you I had a lot to say. In next week’s Part Two I’ll go into detail about my work process once the editor’s job begins.
Made a new best friend the other day on the Long Island Railroad.
The producer in me immediately kicked in. I asked for a slight break in my rent in return for talking to every new intensive class, and peace broke out throughout the land.
I actually believe editors of most personal docs deserve co-director credit, as well. That’s how essential they are to the storytelling. However, I’ve spoken with a few editors about this and none wanted the credit. As one put it: “If people don’t like the film, I’m happy to let the director get all the blame.”
Filmmakers and funders outside the U.S. are gobsmacked at the length of our edit schedules. They generally have half that time, at best, to edit their feature docs. But I’ve found 9 to 12 months is pretty much the norm here.
The work sample of Silverlake Life my friend Peter Friedman showed me was 30 minutes long. It was so extraordinarily moving I asked to come on board as producer almost the minute it ended. But that’s another story.
Wonderful insight and gems of wisdom again Doug. As a doc editor, I really appreciate you writing “Before considering an editor, you need to be able to pay them.” Amen!
I admire you asking editors their favorite films as part of the interview process. It really reveals so much. I wish more directors asked me that. Usually we talk about docs, but it’s often me asking them. Yet narrative features, when well made, can be so moving, and reveal so much about our artistic sensibilities. The films that really touched me in my 20s are still some of my favorites: Bertolucci’s “The Conformist”, Pontecorvo’s “ Battle of Algiers”, Jane Campion’s “The Piano”, and Peter Greenaway’s “The Draughtsman’s Contract”, John Maybury’s “ Love is the Devil”, and many more. But these days, with a glut of franchise films made for teenagers in theatres, I would much rather watch a doc.
Doug, just watched the work sample for 112 Weddings - I wouldn't be able to get to the link to the finished film fast enough! It TOTALLY told me what the story was about and left me hanging. Although I've seen (and loved) the film, I never saw the work sample There's another topic right there!