Editing With An Indian Engineer

I’ve wanted to go to India for years. Here’s the story of how I’ll be traveling in style in just two weeks to promote a stellar documentary we edited.

Last fall I met Mandar Apte, a former Shell engineer who managed their social innovation program. Deeply pained by the ongoing violence in the U.S., this Indian engineer decided to direct a documentary to promote non-violence.

But when Mandar first told me he needed to edit his documentary From India With Love within four weeks, I replied that was “impossible”. He agreed to cull his best footage in advance, and we were able to edit an Assembly Cut in only three weeks.

Then something interesting happened. Leveraging his engineering and managing skills, we created a detailed, prioritized list that allowed us to edit his rough cut in just two weeks.

Also, because our editor paid close attention to Mandar’s vision, he trusted us enough to accept our storytelling suggestions and finish the film for far less money than a normal post-production budget.

My experience with Mandar grew into our new Accelerated Post™ program, aimed at film producers who need their documentaries edited under budget.

In a few weeks, I’ll be joining Mandar and a delegation of visionary leaders in New Delhi, and then spending a few nights in a Himalayan ashram in Rishikesh. We will launch From India With Love during our trip; details will be shared soon.

Many thanks to Mandar for this opportunity and testimonial:

“I’m extremely grateful to Karen for providing me with an editor who resonated deeply with the cause of non-violence and brought her personal passion to the table. The film was completed in record time, and Karen’s expert guidance during the periodic editorial reviews was very useful and timely. All in all, it was a super team effort of which I am very proud.”