LACPUG – Randy Ubillos

[Andrew Kimery]

[Bill Davis] “Creativity by committee is a kinda difficult bar to clear, IMO.

Sure ASSEMBLY by committee is easy as pie. So if that’s the goal – there should be clear sailing ahead. But that kinda pushes editors into a roles as assembly line players, more than as discrete storytellers.

Which might or might not where a particular editor wants to go.

Interesting discussion, anyway.”

I don’t think creativity by committee is determined by the number of editors working on a project though. It’s determined by the number of people in charge of the direction of the project. For example, six VPs weighing in on a corporate video being cut by one editor is creativity by committee where as six editors collaboratively executing the vision of a single director is not.

IMO editors have never been, nor will they ever be, discrete storytellers because they rely on another people to write, shoot and/or direct in order to create the material before it ever reaches the editor. Collaboration is inherent to the art and the craft.

With regards to assembling vs creativity… I think that depends on the project. I’ve certainly worked solo on projects that were mind numbing, paint-by-numbers gigs that were basically an assembly line of one, and, on the other hand, I’ve been part of creatively challenging and rewarding work on multi-editor projects where five people might have been involved in editing a single episode of a show (six if you count the story producer).

There is certainly something nice about being the solo editor on a project and ‘owning’ the whole thing, but on the other hand being part of a team (especially as a freelancer that will change gigs many times a year) means you are regularly exposed to new people, new points of view, new ways to tackle problems, new styles of editing… it’s a great way to stay fresh and not get trapped in old habits or ruts.