Little Frog in High Def

Couldnt agree with this more!
Have to nip this in the bud with junior producers/directors or you might as well be a button monkey whilst they yell out time codes!

I like your approach: forward, honest, and polite. I think those are necessary traits of a great editor. It’s way too easy to get annoyed and frustrated when working in those situations. I’ve met a lot of editors with bad attitudes, and I’ve been one myself. It’s best to take breath and consider a calm request for privacy.

This sometimes happens to me, too. I find that a lot of producers are also writers, so I gently point out the parallels between the writing process and the editing process; giving notes and generally offering feedback on a draft of a writing piece is usually more productive and efficient than commenting on it as it’s being written, key-by-key. It’s a tricky thing to deal with though, and can’t always be helped.

Micro-managing is destructive. It has the long-term effect of dampening creativity and personal investment in work, so the client gets less value for their money. It’s good that you were able to get the producer to leave, and it’s great that you expressed yourself in a way that doesn’t poison the working relationship.

As I was reading this I could perfectly visualize this scenario which has happened to me several times. Very well handled. At least at sounds as if the producer “got it” and left without any issues. Not all producers understand that it’s in their best interest to let go for some time and let the editor do what he/she was hired to do.

welcome to the world of advertising where fear, egos are over thinking are the norm. this is and has been a daily scenario for any editor who makes a living editing spots. feel lucky they were just sitting over your shoulder, I have had ad agency clients put their feet up on my desk. That goes beyond rude and uncalled for. the trick is to ignore them while pretending to listen to what they have to say. it goes without saying that the best work, no matter what you are cutting will always happen when you have the time, freedom and luxury to play with the footage without someone sitting over your shoulder or chiming in with a useless comment before you have even finished trying a out a shot. good agency creatives who not nay trust you but trust themselves will give you the space you need to work. riding you during the edit is a sign of an insecure and not very good creative or producer.

I need to give the folks who work in advertising much credit for dealing with the overdriven executives. I don’t think I would have lasted in the editing biz if I had to deal with that BS.
I’ve asked more people to leave my suite than I can count.
Just last week, at 9pm, I told one “you need to leave me alone so I can get something accomplished.” There’s a reason I don’t have additional seating in my suite. The smart producers get it.

Hi Shane,
Finally had a chance to check out your blog. Thanks for sharing.

It is tricky to figure out when to have the client involved. Too soon and they get in the way of creative experimentation. I liked the way you phrased it about showing the successes and not the failures.

On one project I waited too long to show the client where I was heading, and she didn’t like any of it, so I wasted a lot of time and ultimately ending up losing the project and the paycheck. Since then I’ve tended to err on showing work too soon. It is a tricky balance to get right.

Shane,
I read your post and laughed. I edited that way almost every working day from July of ’86 until 2000. I was normally editing in big switcher, 5 or 6 machine post suites, complete with ADO or whatever, and those clients were usually right there every edit. Now I have a client in the room 2 or 3 times a year. Back then my bosses charged up to $400 and hour (with ADO extra). Now I charge pretty much a negotiated fee per project. I cannot tell you what way I like best. They both have their advantages. We are there to serve them, ultimately the end product is theirs to define. Unless you negotiate ahead of time, I think they have the right to be their.

Agree with Don, having also been an online editor, this is how it works. And in advertising sometimes it’s not one person but a coach load, some eating Sushi, some half interested, some panicked…. all with different opinions. Of course off-line editors did initially get their head a lot more, but when computer gear improved to a point where online editing was possible – two cultures clashed. Now, I’m with Shane, and I can’t stand someone looking over my shoulder during the first cut – making the ‘mistakes’ (alternative choices) you have to do in order too get to the one that works best for the given objective. My solution – move out of London and take your edit suite with you…. much harder to track you down that way! Hmm ‘thinks’ harder too get work too…. Doh.

Hi Shane

Having been on both sides I agree with your way of communicating how you prefer to work.

The sooner this is done the better. The client may want to sit there the entire time with the editor because of the nature of the work, or simply because it is their preference and if they are paying then the have the right to ask for that. As the pro delivering the goods the editor has the right to say “I work this way […]” and if it doesn’t suit the client then they can agree to move on.

What I absolutely don’t agree with is that sometimes professionals (both in film and software businesses) often barge ahead making incorrect assumptions about what the client wants. A bit of fearless questioning and relaxed listening can go a long way to teasing out requirements.

I like your idea of explaining how your experimentation should be private and that there should be clear points at which you want the client to be there to demonstrate your successes.

Brilliant stuff, Shane!