ABSTRACT

Whether the director edits the film herself or collaborates with an editor, her vision for the material must now extend itself to the editing room. Much of the editing process is trial and error. Success is usually attributed to 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. It is only through perseverance and patience that the project will come together. Most beginning directors cut their own projects. They feel attached to the footage and want to shape the final product themselves. Equally valuable to the writer–director is how the structure of the script holds up as the first cut comes together. However, the director as editor does present some inherent problems. The mechanics of editing and organization bogs down many first-time directors.