ScribbleKing: Interview: Movie Editor Patrick Don Vito

If the world didn't have movie editors, movies would be around a hundred hours long and make no sense. But what is it that an editor does? With his website, Filmediting.com, editor Patrick Don Vito is trying to educate editors, wannabe editors and movie enthusiasts about what it is his job entitles. Don Vito himself has been active as an editor on many movies, including the Austin Powers movies, Saving Silverman and National Security. In our interview, he tells all about his job.

Q: To start with, an obvious question that you have probably heard a few times too many already: What is it that an editor does?
A: A typical comedy that I work on can shoot 500,000 feet of film. Some with a lot of improvisation can shoot over a million feet. 500,000 feet of film is over 92 hours. Our job is to shape all that film into a tight hour and a half. It is a lot more than just discarding everything that is bad or doesn’t work. Editing really is re-writing. It is the last chance a filmmaker has to re-write his or her script. You can create beats and moments that maybe were not intended by the writer or the director, but ones that support the story. Editing is shaping the story and performances. To this day, I get so excited when I am working on a difficult scene and create a moment that wasn’t intended, but manages to work and push along the story. Comedy can be difficult as well for many reasons. For one thing, different people find different things funny. Also, you sometimes don’t know if a joke is going to work until you get it in front of an audience. So in comedy, you are often re-cutting, eliminating or re-arranging jokes to make the scenes flow better.

Q: How long have you been active as an editor, and what was it that inspired you to become one?
A: I have been working in editing for 16 years. I graduated from Chapman University in 1991 and I knew that I wanted to be involved in editing. My 1st job was as a post-production assistant for The Trials of Rosie O’Neill TV series, right after graduation. I worked with a lot of talented people that got me even more excited about editing. I moved up the ranks from there. Also, while I was still in college, my brother was producing a lot of corporate videos for a restaurant corporation. I would help out on shoots and in the editing room. I really enjoyed putting the shows together when I discovered what power you had as an editor.

Q: Editing a movie is one of the most important aspects of making a movie. Do you feel it is valued enough by moviegoers, or would you like more recognition for your work. Or is that something that doesn't matter to you?
A: I don’t clamor for attention or recognition. I think that people that do crave recognition like that would probably go into a different field. Not that it wouldn’t be great to win an award like an Oscar, Emmy, or an A.C.E. Eddie. As far as being valued by moviegoers, that is tough. I think that if people notice your editing, you may not have been doing a good job! You really shouldn’t notice editing. Generally when you notice the editing, it is because it has made you feel awkward or uncomfortable.

Q: As an editor, you have to work very closely with a director. Do you have a lot of input in this as an editor, or is it mostly the case that the director has everything in his mind already?
A: It depends on the director, but generally you do have a lot of input as an editor. You pretty much create the 1st cut. Most of the directors I have worked with will not give you a lot of notes during the shoot. So you really have a chance to try some stuff that the director may not have thought about. When the shoot is over the director will come into the cutting room and start shaping the film as they see it. But I definitely don’t feel like a button pusher. I feel a part of the collaboration.

Q: Have you ever gotten into heated arguments with directors?
A: Never. There are times when you discuss the merits of one version versus another, but I am really there to help the director make the best film that he or she can make.

Q: Nowadays, editors work with very advanced software to make the edits, especially compared to the way editing was done before computers became commonplace. Do you feel this has improved the quality of the editing, or has it just made it 'easier'?
A: I don’t think it has necessarily improved the quality of film editing. It definitely lets you edit a lot faster and try many different options quickly. It also allows you to add music and sound effects to your cuts a lot easier. I can’t imagine going back to cutting on film now that I have been on the Avid for so long, although there is one editor who still cuts on film. Steven Spielberg makes his editor, Michael Kahn cut on film. He feels like they have had so much success that he doesn’t want to change the way they work.

Q: When you edit a movie, do you do this scene for scene in the order these scenes are used in the movie, or do you tackle them in a different order?
A: The scenes are shot out of order, so I cut them out of order as well. Not only that, but I find myself frequently starting to cut a scene in the middle or somewhere other than the start of the scene. Sometimes you know where you want to be in the middle or end of a scene and it is more interesting to start there and work your way out in each direction. It can help you think differently about a scene when you are in a rut.

Q: Do you ever see a movie where you feel the editor has used too many fancy tricks and you wished they would have held back a bit more?
A: Style can be cool and fun, but I enjoy it more when it is plot-driven. When it is over-stylized I start to focus on the deficiencies the story has that the director and editor may be trying to cover up. I saw Grindhouse this weekend and I thought that its style really supported the film. But Tarantino and Rodriguez are great at making films with both style and substance.

Q: When you're watching a movie you have edited, can you actually enjoy watching the picture, or have you seen all the scenes so many times already that you have lost interest? Or are you mostly checking out if every edit is perfect?
A: After I have been working on the scene for a long time, I tend to notice more imperfections or I start watching the background actors. Sometimes I will make up stories for certain extras that stand out - anything to look at the film in a different way. It can be difficult to watch a film over and over again. The one thing that breaths new life into a film for me is seeing it with and audience. Seeing where the laughs are and what works. It usually makes me see the film a little differently and gives me more ideas on how to make the film better.

Q: What was your favorite project to have worked on so far?
A: That’s tough. I enjoyed the Austin Powers films because they are the only films that I have worked so closely with an actor/writer. Mike was in the cutting room every day and made it an interesting and very educational experience. I feel like I learned a lot about comedy on that film. And the director, Jay Roach, is a great guy to work with. I loved working with Donald Petrie and Dennis Dugan as well. They are both great comedy directors who have acting backgrounds. And they make the cutting room a fun place to be. On Saving Silverman, I went to a Japanese Karaoke bar with Jack Black and that was a blast.

Q:You are very active in explaining to people what film editing is all about, both through your website and your podcasts. What has inspired you to do that?
A: There were people that helped me early on in my career, when I didn’t know anyone working in the film business. So I wanted to help other people interested in film to learn more about it. There was not really a place to go for me to learn more about storytelling after college, from people working in the business. I also thought it would be fun to do. As an editor, I don’t talk to a lot of other editors about their process, because I am so busy working with the same people all the time. I figured it would give me a chance to branch out and see how other editors work and handle various issues.

Q: You have edited movies, but also TV shows and videoclips. Are there noticeable differences between those ways of editing? Is there one you prefer doing?
A: To me, editing is storytelling. It doesn’t matter if it is film or TV. It is still the same process. About the only difference between the two is scheduling. But I do prefer working on films. Films are more of a director’s medium and I like working closely with a director and helping them achieve their vision.

Q: Which editors do you admire?
A: I have learned so much working with Debra Neil-Fisher and we have had a lot of fun together. Some amazing editors who I always keep and eye on are Thelma Schoonmaker, Sally Menke, and Walter Murch, who I had a chance to work with years ago.

Q: Is it possible for you to recognize from the way a movie is edited who has edited it? Do you have a distinct style yourself?
A: It's hard to tell who edited a film by looking at it because as an editor you have to change your style depending on your director and the film itself. Editors should be chameleons. Although like most jobs, you tend to get “type-cast.” If you cut a lot of comedies then you are thought of as a comedy editor, or if you cut a lot of action films people think of you as an action editor. But it all comes down to story telling sense. If you are a good editor, you can adjust your style to fit the story you are telling.

To read more about Patrick, or to listen to his podcast, check out his website Film Editing.com here.

http://www.filmediting.com/