An Editor’s Blind Spot

News flash: we have a highly credentialed editor available shortly. And we’ve dropped our editing rates significantly due to the writer’s strike. If you’re interested in editing with us, take the following anecdote into account!

Recently New Doc Editing was in the running to edit an independent documentary. The first-time director ended up choosing another editor over ours. Why? The other editor was less expensive and a huge fan of the film’s topic.

But then I got to thinking about a significant drawback that first-time filmmakers often don’t see when choosing to collaborate with fans.

Editors who are devotees of a film’s subject matter may unconsciously share the same blind spots as the director. Especially for a documentary that is truly innovative or edgy, editors who are “of one mind” with the director often don’t see where jargon, memes, and even concepts need translation for a broader, secondary audience–such as PBS viewers.

Case in point. When I began post-production on my film American Visionary, my dispassionate editor pointed out that most viewers don’t know what “conscious evolution” is.

And that went for many other terms and supporting ideas in the film. My impartial staff editor was my savior/translator. He interpreted ideas from the pioneering world of social evolution for a broader PBS audience.

And for that I will always be grateful!

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