Editing for Directors: A Guide for Creative Collaboration

by Gael Chandler

Editing for Directors guides directors through postproduction, starting with planning for editing during the shoot and ending with the completion of their film. This thorough, well-illustrated Describes the artistic, organizational, and technical skills editors bring to the party; Tells directors what to look for when hiring an editor and the best ways to work with an editor; Explains how and why directors should plan for editing before they shoot a frame; Devotes a full chapter to relating the history of editing and cutting tools and how they have affected the language of cinema and present-day editing; Defines and discusses cutting-room terms, practices, and workflows; Reveals how editors approach footage and put shows together; Details the postproduction process from dailies to director’s cut to locked cut; Covers creating and overseeing VFX (video effects); Demystifies spotting the show with the sound and music crew and creating, editing, and mixing sound and music; Describes titling, color grading, the DI (digital intermediate) process, and producing your show’s final deliverables; and Spells out ways to archive your show and why doing so matters.

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2021

About the author

I spent 30 years in Los Angeles working as a film editor in Hollywood, teaching editing software, history, and theory, and creating eLearning and classroom training as instructional designer. My latest book, Chronicles of Old San Francisco, personifies history in 28 chapters - each centering on a colorful character who shaped the city - and provides eight walking tours for readers to roam and discover SF on their own. Currently I am creating book trailers for authors via my company, PictureYourBook, and contemplating my next book. I also wrote three books on editing: Film Editing: Great Cuts Every Filmmaker and Movie Lover Must Know and two editions of Cut by Cut: Editing Your Film or Video. For more information visit Joy of Film Editing.