From the Foreword to Cut by Cut

by Brian Levant, Director/Writer/Producer
Are We There Yet? Beethoven, The Flintstones movies, Happy Days, Mork & Mindy

Filmmakers are experienced magicians and nowhere are these black arts practiced with more skill than in the editing room. It is a process that requires patience, vision, and, above all, imagination; for rarely does the finished product come together as you originally envisioned it.

You don't have to be a Hollywood professional to practice this visual sleight of hand. Thanks to home video cameras and affordable editing software, you have access to everything. Simply by editing, by choosing which image follows each previous image and building the life stories ofthe person, it’s possible to illuminate the poetry and beauty of everyday life.

Gael Chandler and I have sat side-by-side for months on end working in television and features creating our illusions, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Gael is a pioneer in electronic editing and all of her work reflects her vision, skills, and kind spirit.

This book is the sum of her knowledge derived from years in the trenches holding the hands of anxious directors, meeting producers’ impossible deadlines, and making writers’ dreams realities.