The Best Directing Starts in Post

Do I miss the air-conditioned rooms, the endless supply of free drinks, the execs sitting behind me on the sofa eating biscuits from a glass jar? The complimentary toothbrushes and deodorant in the bathrooms were certainly convenient, but they also signalled one thing: it was going to be a long night in the world of the online freelance editor.

That was my entry point into post-production, what now feels like many moons ago. I had an eye for detail, a technical understanding of delivery specifications, and the ability to eyeball an HDSR master tape at 2am without dropping the ball, or, in this case, the frame.

In my late 20s, I moved from online into offline editing. Back then, we had time to watch all the rushes, to properly absorb what had been shot. That’s increasingly a luxury in today’s production model. And it’s a luxury with real value.

The edit suite is where storytelling is truly learned. Everyone in production should experience it, from researchers to PDs. It’s where you understand what to shoot, what works, and just as importantly, what doesn’t.

Directors, shooting PDs and assistant producers can save hours on location by thinking like editors. Too often, less experienced crews fall into the trap of overshooting, driven by a fear of missing the ‘money shot’, lacking coverage, or limiting options in the edit.

But storytelling isn’t about volume; it’s about intention. I’ve seen countless sets of rushes where a presenter gets out of a car, gets back in the car, gets back out the car, (this time slightly faster), walks up steps, opens a door and enters a building, covered from 30 different angles - and we still haven’t reached the first meaningful beat. Cut to the chase. The editor will.

Over the course of my editing career, I’ve watched thousands of hours of rushes from directors and DoPs. You begin to hear the camera direction, the off-screen conversations, the subtle decision-making behind each shot.

There’s an unspoken language embedded in the rushes, a kind of instinctive metadata, that tells you where a shot starts, where it lands, and how it should connect.

It becomes second nature.

Perhaps it was watching those often-extraordinary locations from an air-purified edit suite that made me feel I was missing out. So, in my early 30s, I made the move into production, taking everything I had learned with me.

Fifteen years later, I’ve been honoured to earn BAFTA and Daytime Emmy nominations for factual photography, and to work across major broadcasters on titles including Gold: A Journey with Idris Elba, Meerkat Manor, Hidden Life of Pets, Secret Life of the Forest and Springwatch.

Now, out on location, I often find myself thinking about the editor who will eventually sit with my rushes. I try to make their job as smooth, and as creative as possible.

The transition from post to production isn’t just possible, it’s hugely valuable. Editors bring a deep understanding of storytelling, structure, time management and technical craft. It’s a perspective our industry benefits from more than it sometimes realises.

That’s partly why I set up The Assemble, a one-day conference reconnecting the post-production sector with the wider industry. Moving between disciplines will be part of the conversation.

Richard Hughes

Conference Director