LOST Editor, Stephen Semel, answers questions about editing the popular television show (on Avid).
How much do the editors on LOST discuss your different approaches, any cool techniques you’ve developed, what you want to avoid, etc.?
The longer we work together, the more trusting we become with those kind of collaborations. Each of us has something to learn from the other two editors, so why not take advantage of that? We often eat lunch together, and that's normally when those conversations take place. Occasionally I'll be asked to watch another editor's cut of a scene, or vice versa, to see if our perceptions of how the scene plays are in agreement.
In each episode, one character is the focus of attention (and gets some backstory) for each episode, but many of the others also continue to be developed. I’m sure a lot of that balance is provided in the script. But what do you do as you cut to evaluate how much attention to give the main character for the episode vs the others?
The initial task is to make each scene work, without trying to judge whether or not a character will end up with enough or too much emphasis in a given episode. Once we (the producers, the director, the editor) look at the show put together, and assuming that time must be lost from the cut, we might pare down a character's screen time if the flashback is not that character's story.
Do you have a favorite episode?
I have quite a few favorites. From Season One, the Pilot, which constitutes the first two episodes; Walkabout, in which we find out that Locke was crippled until he reached the island; Outlaws, for which I won the ACE Eddie award; and All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues, which has the amazing scene of Jack and Kate cutting Charlie down from the tree.
I am curious how much the editors were in on script meetings and how much the LOST experience/"fandom" aspect of things impacted editorial decisions.
The editors are not involved in script meetings. We first read the same draft of the script that the network reads for approval. If we have notes they are communicated directly to the show runners. The editors do participate in tone meetings, in which the show runners, the writers, the director, and the line producer go through the script, scene by scene, and discuss dramatic approach, visual design, special requirements of any scene, or whatever topic arises. On occasion, editorial decisions are made with the fans in mind, for example choosing a shot that may contain some arcane bit of information which the fans will go back to and still frame, but in general those kinds of nuggets are integrated in the visual design of the scene so that their presence does not require special editorial compensation.
Many editors don't receive much feedback from stakeholders until the rough cut screening -- (then, of course, the onslaught of comments usually begins). Are you fairly removed from outside influences during the construction of the rough cut, or do you collaborate with anyone during this time?
Depending on my relationship with the director, I will share my feelings about the dailies with him or her. The assistant editor and I talk a lot about the dailies: performances, appearance, story issues - pretty much everything.
Now that we have, in Season 3, received a glimpse of the future/present of the characters, how might that affect overall structural decisions when editing? To be more specific, since the flashbacks are such an integral part of the unfolding of the storyline of LOST, I am curious how the flashforwards might be incorporated in an editorial sense and in terms of bleeding out clues/information on the characters.
I think this is more of a question for the writers. Though the placement of flashbacks and revelations about characters is a synthesis of both script and the re-writing process that happens in the editing room, certainly the master plan is held by the writer/producers.
Open question: Is there anything you’d like your audience (us) to know about cutting LOST?
Where do I begin? I can't believe how lucky I am to be involved in a project that people will watch and discuss for years and years to come. Though we work long hours and weekends, I don't think there are many ways to earn a living that are as much fun as editing LOST. Finally: it's all about the writing. No matter how good we are as actors, directors, cinematographers, or editors, we all end up living or dying based on the quality of the writing. That's what distinguishes a show like LOST.