"For a writer, it's a word. For a composer or musician, it's a note. For an editor, it's the frame, and two frames off is the difference between a sweet note and a sour note."
Quentin Tarantino
When producing a work of multimedia, there is so much that has to be taken into consideration--audio, video, text--and there is no role as crucial as that of an editor. The editor fuels the story, and has the most influential role when it comes to affecting the viewer. Their job is to get inside the viewers mind, to use transitions, image, sound, rhythm, pacing, and compositing to create continuity and salience of a plot line. The Tarantino quote I opened my blog post with communicates this point the most effectively--"two frames off is the difference between a sweet note and a sour note." The way that a piece is edited affects whether it is dramatic or dull, suspenseful or serene, sweet or sour.
The post production process arguably might be the most crucial part of the creation process. In the digital age, the editor and other post production staff are responsible for bringing together all of the various elements of a work and ensuring that those elements fit, flow, and have meaning. They are the ones ultimately responsible for whether or not the message or story is communicated effectively. While a successful pre-production process is vital, and the actual production is important, the post production can make or break a piece of media.
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