The great Maira Kalman asserts that, "Washing dishes is the antidote to confusion. I know that for a fact." I wonder if editing could also be an antidote to confusion. A task that one does to clean up after the meal. One could say there isn't much art to washing dishes. Certainly it might even be an affront to the art of editing to suggest such an analogy. Perhaps it's wrong-headed to even consider editing a task at all.
However I've slated a few resolutions for the coming year. One is to embrace editing. Which really means finish some god damn films. But I want to be gentle with myself and take some baby steps to overcome my deep fear about finishing things. I don't want to conflate the processes of post-production and my neuroses, so I'm aiming to 'embrace editing'.
We don't have a dishwasher in our home. We have three kids and we're a five small meals type a day of family. There's a lot of dishwashing that goes on around here. I have to say that when I'm standing there at the sink, my hands soapy, things are all right in the world. In fact the more I do it, it's not just something to get through. I start by saying to myself, I'm just going to do a few. Next thing you know I'm drying the ones on the rack, putting them away and going for another round. I'll often wipe down the counters and scrub the stove when I'm finished. If I happen to look at the time, it isn't unusual for the better part of an hour to have passed. There's something to be said for being unaware of time. It's what I've always loved about writing.
For me the writing of the films is the cooking, the shooting the meal. And for now the editing is going to be the cleaning up. In my restaurant working days I always liked the dishwashers more than the chefs. Besides, we all need clean plates. And we all need an antidote for confusion.
If I'm wrong, I'm already covered by my first resolution: to make loads of mistakes.
¡viva!
Signore Direttore
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