#265 - A Completely Different Aspect of Being an Editor
There are a lot of different moving parts to being a successful editor. You have to be creatively talented, technically adept, politically savvy and part-time psychologist.
One aspect of being an editor that doesn't get talked about all that much, is the idea of editor as 'host'.
Creating a safe space for the director to (finally) give birth to their movie and escape from the constant pressures and politics that await outside of the edit suite.
What difference does it make?
Ultimately I think the editing room needs to be a safe space... It’s a place where you spend a lot of time with another person that you maybe didn’t know before, and so you need to develop this relationship where you feel free to say whatever you think...
Because if people don’t feel safe, it’s not useful because then we don’t get their honest opinion and honest discussion. The work doesn’t become as good as it can be.
So to me, all these talks and meetings before shooting starts is all about trying to build this relationship, because ultimately it is one big collaboration.
— Morten Hojbjerg, Editor
To that end, here are three ways to think about taking control of the editorial environment to the benefit of your director, the work and your career...