The “woes” and “awes” of film editing

My peers will all agree that a film editor is easy to spot: thick glasses, afraid of sunlight, socially awkward. Editors spend long hours tucked into a basement, shades down, maniacally analyzing every frame to ensure their presence is not even noticed. It’s almost as if their whole life is spent preparing for quarantine.

Jokes aside, Homecoming’s post production has completely absorbed me. This process has begun even before production was wrapped, when I was quickly editing dailies to see how the footage was playing together. And now I’m in full on editing mode, spending hours on trying to fix a cut or a transition. This might seem excessive, but this stage is when the film truly comes alive. Editing is an incredibly personal and powerful creative output, and I haven’t felt so much in control of Homecoming since writing the script.

Believe it or not, different edits can transform the same footage into wildly different stories. The tone of the film is determined during this step. While chipping away at it, I can’t help appreciating how much trust actors put in the hands of directors and editors. And my desire to give their amazing performances justice has been fueling me throughout this process.

Everyone who worked on this film did such an amazing job, it’s overwhelming. But as a writer/director, I can’t help but feel a special sense of gratefulness for those who inhabited my characters, gave them shape and voice, brought them to life. Selecting actors is a delicate job, one that can make or break a film, and I’m thrilled that I was able to work with such passionate and talented individual – and humbled that they decided to take these roles.

Today I was able to export my first rough draft, and have a very first virtual screening and some feedback. But most importantly, I was able to sit back and watch this very raw piece of media from start to finish. Rough is the right word. However, it’s important to understand that it’s a necessary and inevitable stage that will eventually evolve into something really good. And even still, I was able to sit back and watch it from start to finish, and take in this strange and wonderful feeling of accomplishments. For the most part, making a film is an exhausting and stressful job. But there are moments that remind you that it’ll all be worth it in the end. Small achievements or milestones that are enough to fuel the next few weeks of hard work. Watching Homecoming’s rough cut today was one of those moments.

Now back in the cutting room, because this journey is far from being over.