Importance of an editors log

An editor’s log is very important when it comes to editing. This is because it allows the editors to know exactly which takes are suitable for production. If an editor did not log the shot then this would be less convenient as the editor would have to spend more time going through all the footage. An editor would have an assistant that will go through all the footage. During the process the assistant will label whether the take is usable for example "Good take mid shot". This makes it easier for the chief editor to identify which shots they can actually work with. what determines whether a take is good or not is whether the camera was stable when recording or whether the actors mess up their lines or not. It is important that the editors keep a log because it allows them to monitor the shot types, however there are some limitations to editor’s log. One of these limitations is that editors may have a hard time factoring the takes that are meant to be used for flashbacks and forwards, the reason for this that the editor assistant would be told not to include all the for a flashback scene. This is because the assistant is told to make a rough cut. This would just follow the narrative from beginning to end. It is then up to the editor to include all the flashbacks that would be include in the final cut of the film. If the chief editor does not take care then they may not be able to follow the directions that were given to them at the beginning of the project.

Edit decision List

An edit decision list is a document that contains information on all the the shots. this is used so that all the shots that have been selected are left in the same order that it has been previously. this means hollywood film makers can send a EDL to another editor in another part of the world and continue where the first editor left off.