ABSTRACT
Long before you’ve started shooting, you should pick your editor. The editor is as much a creative partner as your screenwriter, actors or cinematographer. Good editors will save your film, and bad editors will tank it. Take your time in picking one. Watch reels, watch whole films they’ve done, talk to other directors they’ve worked with. Make sure they’re good at both “micro-editing” (cutting within a scene) and “macro” (the overall rhythms of a full feature). It’s like finding the perfect bass player for your emo-grunge-funk band: Find out who their influences are, what their training is, what their editing philosophy is, and most importantly, figure out if you’re going to get along with them. And like some of the best bass players, good editors are a little antisocial, have a strong sense of rhythm, work well under pressure, and if you’re lucky, have anal-retentive work habits.
