Shot 1st short film, now I'm shopping for a picture editor. What questions should I be asking? | Movies & Filmmaking | Page 1

clear siren Feb 10, 2023, 2:03 PM

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So I shot a film last year and I'm finally in a position to pay for a picture editor to push this film to a higher quality than I'd otherwise get with unpaid. I'm looking for advice on the kinds of questions I should be asking candidates for the role as this is my first foray into working with an editor (I have a rudimentary background in editing as I take classes at university in it).

The film is a horror film but I feel we missed the mark in making it scary during planning and shooting so I definitely need someone with talent to help accentuate what horror elements we have into an overall visual tone. It's also been shot in S-Log to be colour-graded black and white. I have sync'd all the audio myself and prepped a guide track which comes in at 35 minutes (but that includes entire scenes from multiple angles) and need to have it cut down to below 20 minutes or 15 minutes preferably for festival submissions.

What questions should I be asking candidates for the role?

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Pretty good, thanks.

plucky depot Feb 10, 2023, 2:16 PM

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Are you happy with the edit, or do you just need a colorist?

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Typically those are two separate jobs, nowadays. Either way, you'll want to get reels of their previous work.

clear siren Feb 10, 2023, 2:18 PM

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I only have a guidetrack put together, the edit still has to happen. I'm aware it's often two roles, but I'm looking for someone to perform both in this instance.

plucky depot Feb 10, 2023, 2:18 PM

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Find someone that's done something previously that looks exactly like what you want. These jobs are all about experience. That said, they're not going to be able to break the laws of physics. So it may be that your film was shot in such a way that what you're looking for simply cannot be done. So try to be as specific about the job as possible. "I want this (show picture of your clip) to look like this (show picture of their reel). Can you help me achieve this look?"

clear siren Feb 10, 2023, 2:19 PM

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I have done a mock colour grade for the guide track.

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And I have lots of still screen grabs to share.

plucky depot Feb 10, 2023, 2:21 PM

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Well, the important thing is to ensure you have a clear vision for the look, and be able to explain that to whomever your editor will be.

#Shot 1st short film, now I'm shopping for a picture editor. What questions should I be asking?