Here’s how I work with editors –

Typically, I’ll string the time line together in FCP or Avid to get the story down.  Then I’ll turn it over to the editor.  At this point I’m very close to the story.  I’ve written it, I’ve shot it, I’ve screened the material and I’ve created a rough cut.  Time for some fresh, creative, professional eyes to take it to the next level and bring another dimension to the storytelling.

I’ll give the editor the script, my log sheets, notes, and footage that absolutely must be in the segment.  If animation has been created, I’ll supply that as well, unless the editor is going to create them in After Effects.  Once I  hand everything over I walk away.  Yes, walk away.  Let him or her work with it  like a sculptor with clay. Let them put their creative stamp on it, and see where it takes the piece.  You can always pull back.  But it takes longer to get something out of an editor if you’ve shut them down from the beginning by saying this is the way it has to be, no changes, no exceptions.

The other end of the spectrum is the producer who isn’t remotely prepared.  The producer who simply hands over the raw footage and says, “Over to you.”  This is just asking for trouble.  It wastes time, money and will wear on most editor’s nerves.  Why?  Because an editor isn’t a mind reader.  They haven’t been involved in all the discussions with the executives and the network.  They don’t have the time and you don’t have the money for them to shuttle  through all the footage making selects. It’s up to you the producer to screen the material before hand, make the selects, write down the time code that corresponds with the storyline or script and supply the editor with a ‘blueprint’ of what you want the story to say and where you want it to go.

Working with an editor is a fine line between having an opinion about every single cut and letting them spread their creative wings to help you create the best possible show or segment.

Be prepared, have a strong idea of what you want the show to say and then give the editor some space.  Together you’ll create TV magic.

I just completed a shoot where the agency was providing a sign the talent would hold up and after a few lines the talent would toss the sign away.  The sign arrived with three major problems; 1) it had very strange brown spots all over it, 2) it was too big, covering a large portion of the talent’s chest, 3) there was an exclamation point missing from the sign.  While I was out of the studio handling other things it was decided they’d shoot it anyway and then fix it in post production.  Needless to say, I went to the agency and said that was a big mistake.  Trying to fix all these errors would never happen in post production and if it could be fixed the cost would be exorbitant.  I suggested we rush out and get new signs made and shoot a different scene in the meantime.  The cost of getting new signs made on a rush basis was high, but not nearly as high as the cost of trying and potentially failing to fix that mess in post production.

As a producer, I always look for ways to save money and make sure the shot is right.  But I’m keenly aware that the ‘fix it in post’ route will always be the more expensive and painful way to go.   It really is easier to just shoot it right and know you’ve got what you need.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve worked for production companies that do not transcribe tapes they’ve shot.  For me, that’s like throwing your cell phone into a bin with 600 other cell phones and hoping you’ll recover yours just by the ring tone.  Chances are you’re going to waste a lot of valuable time trying to find it and you’ll more than likely get frustrated in the process.

If the budget is tight, then you’ll be doing your own transcriptions.  If you’ve got an intern, get him or her to help.  If you’re lucky to work for a production company that has a Production Assistant assigned to you, get them to do it.  It really doesn’t matter, as long as it gets done.

Why am I so adamant that transcriptions get done immediately?  Oh, let me count the ways.

If you just use the tape logs and not the transcripts you’ll end up stringing together sound bites on a time line and not telling the most compelling story you can.  It will waste hours, you’ll be completely frustrated, and you’ll invariably end up shuttling back and forth through the tape, swearing that so and so said such and such somewhere around here – I think.

With transcriptions you have a basis for organization, and over half of all production is based on organization.   With a transcript you can easily create a paper edit, which is statistically much faster to create, and easier to cut and paste.  And as you begin to cut and paste, the story you want to tell, will begin to take place, and you will have the potential for an incredible segment.