Editing Myths & Rants From a Seasoned Vet

Jonathan Moser is an editor/producer out of NYC. He's also a Videoguys' customer. I've worked with him on some of his reviews for Post Magazine and other websites. In this article for PostPerspective he does a great job tellling it like it is. PostPerspective by Jonathan Moser We Can Fix it in Post We CAN’T fix bad shooting, bad directing, bad acting, bad lighting, bad planning, bad screen direction, bad conception, bad continuity, bad sound. Not totally. What we can sometimes do is to distract the viewer and draw attention away from these mistakes and flubs that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. On even rarer occasions (see article on Annie Hall) we can completely overhaul a badly conceived project, but it’s painful. If you’re doing a project, don’t rely on the editor to save your ass… do it as right as possible while filming. Editors Make Final Decisions
 If only! Early on, editing was usually a collaboration of an editor and a director or producer. In today’s oversaturated, over-suited TV landscape, there seems to be dozens of levels of approval. First the producer/director, then the production company, then the network. It seems almost anyone can put in their two cents… in some cases, family members of the producers can provide input that can create hours or reworking for an already overburdened editor. And in many cases, after all these changes, things can revert back to the editor’s first cut. It has happened to me. read more...