In recent years the sight of an editor on set has become a common one thanks to editing programs such as Avid DV Express. Indeed, those who've gone in that direction say it's a boon to both the time-crunched and epic visual project.

Cut + Run editor and MD Steve Gandolfi, who often travels with director Daniel Kleinman, has seen remote editing evolve from the days when a full-blown Avid system had to be shipped on set until now, where a laptop and safari hat are virtually all that's needed. He says that the increasing trend toward on-location editing - he claims to regularly have up to 10 of his 30 editors on set in any given month - results in a better product, citing the ability for directors to ensure complex shots connect well as one of the prime benefits.

But as with anything, on-location editing is a tool that, misused, can detract from the final product. We spoke to three top editors - Gandolfi, Neil Smith (The Whitehouse) and Gary Knight (Final Cut) - plus Cut + Run up-and-comer Leo King about one of the biggest trends in editorial, and came away with a handy set of dos and don'ts for editing remotely.

DO: KEEP YOUR DISTANCE
For all the benefits of being on set, common sense dictates that a little distance from the fracas is a good thing.

"It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind and slightly hysterical nature of a shoot," says Smith, who recently accompanied MJZ director Rupert Sanders to Shanghai for an Xbox spot, where the crew endured blistering 100-degree heat (See On Location, Boards, Jan. 2006).

He says the danger in becoming too involved is the potential for clouded judgment. "You can get caught up in the 'isn't it great' vibe. The cutting room is a very different atmosphere and that's where you can calmly and objectively evaluate [the footage]. Everyone always has concerns on the shoot and you begin to share those. But once you're in the edit room you realize its all anxiety," he says, noting his tactic is to try to insulate himself from the heart of the activity and "skate around the edges a bit".

Cut + Run's Leo King has experienced three location shoots in his upstart career and agrees that the on-set dynamic has an effect. "It's quite different, primarily because you're there and you can hear what they're saying on the shoot." While he admits this can influence first impressions of the footage, "you may hear something on set that will help you put it together. And since I've been going on set more, you get an understanding of the process that you don't normally get when you're in the edit suite."

DON'T: LET THE AGENCY/CLIENT NEAR THE MONITOR
The biggest concern for editors who edit on set is outside involvement. Not only does it distract from the job at hand, consensus is that when agencies or clients get a peek at what is essentially a rough cut, they can get the wrong impression.

"It can be a problem when people are sitting around and taking too much notice of the edit," says Gandolfi. "They should just trust that the director knows what he's shooting." The editor's presence can also affect the director, he adds. "When directors come over too much, that's wrong. They should just concentrate on what's on their mind until the end of the day."

Knight also feels that intense involvement can be a drag, but "if you're still given the time to work through the job without much interference, it's just a massive benefit to get a jump on cutting the job."

And of course, there are always situations where the on-set editor comes in handy - Gandolfi relates an instance where his edit helped assuage a "mighty screaming match between the production company and agency." After a peek at the rough cut footage, everyone walked away happy.

DO: ALLOW FOR SPONTANEITY
Of course, the ability to see how a spot is progressing as it's being shot does have several advantages. Aside from the commonly cited benefits of aiding with complicated effects jobs and getting a headstart on cutting the time-crunched jobs, a mid-stream look at the footage can reveal whether certain shots are needed. Knight, who was recently in Chile on a shoot for Whirlpool, says that his on-set edit allowed Partizan director Matthias Hoene and Publicis New York to maneuver around some bad shooting conditions. "When they were shooting the Arctic spot they had bad weather so they couldn't get a helicopter up to shoot the vistas," he says. "Once I started putting it together they realized they didn't really need the shot."

DO: ENJOY THE TIME OUT OF THE CUTTING ROOM
"That is one of the benefits of it now, isn't it?" laughs King, when asked about whether he likes to travel to far-flung locations to edit.

"It makes editing more fun," adds Gandolfi. "If you enjoy editing it changes the process. You see the film being shot, you understand what the director and creatives want and what they don't like. The editor becomes part of the key team."

But, as Knight points out, "There's nothing quite like an editing room. You can just lock yourself in; it's your environment."

DO: USE IT, DON'T: ABUSE IT
As with any new technology or capability, on-location editing is prone to misuse. "Part of me wants to stop it," says Smith. "What concerns me is that it will stop seat-of-the-pants creativity because people will keep asking 'Does it work?' Sometimes it's best to hone those instincts. There's a worry in my mind that it will be a drain on that kind of inspirational method of shooting - too much perfection can create a scenario where [a spot] has lost its soul in the shooting process because the editor was there."

"When it's good, you're a directorial aide. When it's bad, the agency and the clients get involved in discussions over the color of [an actors'] shoes," adds Smith. "That's when you do what you can to extricate yourself."

Cut + Run> http://www.cutandrun.co.uk
Final Cut> http://www.finalcut-edit.com
The Whitehouse> http://www.whitehousepost.com