Why is it so hard to find a good editor?

I've had some bad experiences working with video editors over the years, should that stop me from collaborating?

Host and Creator - Simon Cade


@Dropbox

[muhammadzain]

This yt channel used to be my fav filmaking yt channel back in 2016/17 and I just cameback today to check and bro u still making videos is so nice to see. More power to you.

[MichaelOrtega]

No one will ever do as good as you when it comes to editing any of your own work. (You have personal preferences that make your work uniquely yours). However, it is important to know that in order for you to improve, you have to also utilize help from others. Yes, we’re not meant to know it all we’re meant to grow as a community.

[MaisonKharl]

What I often see is directors who think they are editors because they have the vision, but just because you get an editor doesnt mean you are sacrificing your vision. I feel like it comes from a place of insecurity. Getting an editor can be hard, but so is getting a good actor, DP, sound designer, and they all can cost money, I care about my film more than being a one man show. And in an industry where collaboration is the key, why would I not work with someone else who's more skilled than I at that particular part? I could learn so much, they might add to my vision, enhance things, hell even be a new connection that will help each other for yrs as we grow. This is not directed at your video, but so many times I see a project suffer because the director has too much ego to get an editor, or they just see it as not a priority and end up wasting some of their budget. Working with an editor is still directing, you are not less than just because you are collaborating.

[AlamPowerPoint]

I was religiously watching your videos back in 2015-2018. Sometimes I would check this channel just to see if you were still making videos. It's nice to see you again!

[RandomRouletteFun]

Simon, love the evolution of your channel. Don’t even care that every video is an ad. You put so much effort into these and they are always thought provoking.

Thanks and keep them coming!

[HeroesFanProductions]

Loved this Simon.

Sometimes as a creator, one really thinks they have it all figured out when it comes to their own skillset. But that's quickly challenged when you start collaborating with different artists. When working with other creators in the past, I quickly learned how different their perspectives & workflows turned out to be and how challenging it was to adapt to these processes. This humbled me rather quickly and lead me to realize I have so much more to learn.

This is why gathering more experience through collaboration with others has become a bigger priority than just a monetary exchange. I could learn so much more and develop an even greater skill, interdependence. A skill that requires trust and the willingness to take the risk in sharing that vision with someone else. Through this, a tool like dropbox replay could come extremely handy! Thanks for much for sharing this.

[PranavBhasin]

This is lovely. Thanks for sharing your process! I've struggled with letting go of control when working with editors, and it eases me out to watch you taking a step back and approaching it objectively. I also don't think I've ever found a cinematographer or editor I entirely trust - but am now beginning to wonder if that's to do with how much freedom I give them. Thanks, and I hope you reach 1M on your channel soon!

[deonardolicaprio]

This channel could've been something.
But if you are getting real work now, then it's all good.

[uniworkhorse]

Hey Simon, this comes at a great time for me. Been really struggling at uni with all group projects this semester... Collaboration doesn't come easy to me and I'm very much prone to micromanaging which I hate - it ends up making me do all the work because I can't hand it off, so to speak. What suck is I know my teams are capable but I kill the fun of it.

Your reflections on why you might be adverse to getting help really resonated with me. Have no clue how I'm going to"fix" myself, but here's to more collaboration! 🙌

[DANAMIONLINE]

I appreciate the honesty and critical thinking you’re doing around this topic.

[jo.__]

The editor is the protector of the viewer and the protector of the story. And sometimes - the protector of the director. Directors get so deeply involved and emotional connected with the process of the project and the things that happened on set that they sometimes lose the grip on what really lies in the footage - whether it's overestimating the emotional value of a shot or underestimating the potential of another shot. So the more objective and "outside" kind of view of an editor can really elivate the storytelling.

Another importend point: Try to meet the editor in person and work together in one room, screen together the footage & discuss it, play around in the edit. Director and editor sitting together in the edit room working it out can be even more creatively productive than just online feedbacking.

[jameshope]

Awesome explanation of the value editors bring to a project! Since the tools editors use are so accessible, some producers forget a good editor isn't someone that just knows how to use the software. A good editor is someone who has a strong understanding of story structure and how to convey emotion through the assembly of images and sound.

[jippalippa]

Interesting to see you switched from Final Cut to Davinci, Simon.
What are your thoughts?

[Musalam]

I found it easy to leave all the jobs for the other team members except for Editing, where it is hard to find someone who can understand what you are thinking.

[xavierablack]

you raised me and my friend fancies you from danny

oooh that is a diffcult topic for me :D I love getting feedback on my edit, but completely giving the footage away to another editor was always a bit like giving my baby to somebody else :D idk and i had to do that often same with grading, sometimes i was surprised and sometimes i was shocked.

[LegendaryLife]

I think you and I are more interested in seeing what WE can do if WE had the tool. My OWN creation. Editors can be more efficient but not exactly more creative. I even want to see what other editors would do to my footage and create a new thing.

[colingerard]

Hi Simon.

Working with a good editor is like working with a good art director. Their knowledge improves your knowledge.

Have a good weekend.

[ggdfggdfgdffgfddg]

Friend, any ideas on how to stabilize a camera with giraflow?

[ArvinCastro]

I'm not a filmmaker, but yet, here I am. Still, the idea of delagating work, and trusting others resonates in me.