Process
Every story starts with a question.
What are we trying to accomplish?
01 / Understand
What are we trying to accomplish?
That's where every project starts.
Before we think about cameras, editing, AI or any other tool, I want to understand the problem we're trying to solve. What's the ideal outcome? Who are we trying to reach? Where will they see it? And most importantly, what do we want them to think, feel or do?
02 / Align
Who's in the room?
Great work rarely happens alone.
I want to know who I'm working with. What are they bringing to the project? What ideas are already on the table? What is needed from me? What can I bring to make the work better?
Of course, we need to talk about scope, schedule, budget and expectations. But just as important is making sure we're all heading in the same direction.
I may come into the project as an editor, but the best work happens when I become part of the team.
03 / Explore
What if we…
This is where things get interesting.
I like to spend some time with the material. Watch the footage. Read the script. Listen to the interviews. Get a feel for what's there.
And then start looking for what could be there.
Maybe there's a moment we didn't expect. A different way into the story. An idea nobody has considered yet.
That's when one of my favorite questions comes into play:
Where else can this go?
04 / Create
Telling the story.
Putting it all together.
We know what we want to accomplish. We know who's in the room. And we've explored where the story might take us.
They're all tools. What matters is knowing when—and why—to use them.
Now we start putting it together.
Editing.
Sound.
Music.
Images.
Production.
AI.
They're all tools. What matters is knowing when—and why—to use them.
05 / Refine
Let's try this.
The first version is just that—the first version.
We watch it. We listen. We talk about what's working and what isn't. We make changes. Sometimes they're small. Sometimes, one new idea can take the story somewhere new, unexpected and better.
And through all of it, we keep coming back to where we started:
Because ultimately, it's not about whether the story is finished.
It's about whether the story works.
Your success is my success.