The Rules of Editing

1) If something bugs you, then chop it.

Bad lighting? Wooden acting? Incoherent dialogue? Just chop it out.


2) The bigger the problem, the slicker the cut.

Let us say, that no matter how many takes, you have not got the sequence of events that you need. Well, slick cuts suddenly drop in, and make the picture look fine. Trust me.


3) Encourage your supporting actors.

Often on a film set, you concentrate on the main cast. However, this focus often makes them spoilt and inept. However, the supporting actors, often having no focus on them during the shoot will often outshine the main cast in order to garner the attention of the audience. In the editing, it is these players that come into their own and save a director's blushes.

(Remember that in Jay and Kay Save the World my supporting parts are played by a couple of inanimate milk bottles...)


4) Get music.

Music makes the edit better. Honest.


5) Chuck away the script.

The most important rule of editing. The script is a fluid concept. What looks good on paper and may have even entertained while on set, sometimes does not make it past the chopping room. The pace and rhythm of the piece is far more important than churning out dialogue.