So when you're shooting an indy, what do you do on the off days? During the holes in the always fragile shooting schedule? Besides gearing up for the next shoot and scrambling to piece together future shoots, you edit. You make a rough cuts. At least that's what I do - and what do I know? Anyway, why edit? Well for one, when you're shooting only on weekends, making a film takes a heck of a long time, and folks (and you) need some assurance after awhile that the blood, sweat, and tears are producing something worthwhile. And that is exactly why looking at dailies and putting together scenes is a scary thing. It's scary because even after making your shot lists, sketching your storyboards, and working in a world of digital playback where you're watching what you're shooting on a nice color monitor, you still have no idea what you've got until you start to piece it together.

Does it match? Is the lighting consistant? Did the tape skip? Did I capture the performance? Is it what I envisioned it would be? Not to be answered until you capture the footage and piece it together. And there's no greater high or low for the filmmaker than watching that clip when it's assembled. It's "oh god... it just doesn't work" or "THAT's what I'm talkin' about".

So I've been editing. And I haven't jumped off my roof. And that's a good sign.