When the professionals speak, we better listen, especially if we are fans of the movies they worked on. In this short video you will understand the thought process of Tom Cross, the editor of "Whiplash" and "La La Land", when he works on a movie.
"Fixing it in post" is a something most photographers try to avoid. In filmmaking the editing is part of the process that can change the narrative in miraculous ways especially with a good video editor. In some cases they can even fix a badly shot and directed footage. In this case Tom Cross gives away some of his professional secrets which turned brilliantly directed and shot footage into masterpieces.
It turns out that he steps in Hitchcock's shoes, trying to guess what the audience wants to see by combining action and reaction shots. His main goal is to make the film moving for the international viewer by using a universal visual language: the imagery. Cross thinks that if a film is cut well, it will speak volumes even if watched without sound. That is a strong statement to make, keeping in mind that 60%, if not more, of the experience comes through sound. If the rest of the percentage is visually stunning, sound can make it just perfect.
