Trusting Your Gut as an Editor with Sam Hardy
Sam Hardy is a sought-after and versatile editor with a contemporary edge, having cut his teeth in music videos before expanding across commercials, documentaries and mixed media.
Sam's meticulous approach to selects and instinct for visual rhythm has seen him collaborate with directors such as Meji Alabi (RSA), Lu Xiao Wei (KODE), Caleb Femi (Somesuch), and Ben Doyle / RVBBERDUCK (Spindle). Recent commercial credits include Visa, Tanqueray, Sky, EA Games, Nike, Sony, Champions League, and OpenAI's Super Bowl spot, alongside music videos for Stormzy, Sam Smith, Central Cee, Cat Burns and Jorja Smith.
Sam sat down with LBB to discuss his editing essentials, the value in surrounding yourself with various different artforms and his music video background.
LBB> The first cut is the deepest: how do you like to start an editing project?
Sam> All edits have to start with coffee, that’s essential!
I usually start by researching the project, watching through references, reading through the treatment again, chatting to the director, getting a feeling for how a project has formed. I’m pretty meticulous in going through all the footage and making selects.
I’ll then go through those and make second selects, so by the time I sit down I know what I have and what I like. Edits can be made or broken in the early phases, so I like to work methodically to make sure I have all of the pieces in my arsenal to tell the story.
It’s good to keep an eye out for little happy accidents too, it’s amazing how many times they end up making the cut!
From there it depends on the spot. If I’m cutting a commercial I’ll start building around the storyboard. For more free flowing work like a music video or doc, something in the selects might spark an idea and I’ll go off and start building around that.
LBB> Non-editors often think of editing just in technical terms but it’s integral to the emotion and mood of a film. How did you develop that side of your craft?
Sam> Starting in music videos gave me the creative freedom to hone a lot of my skills as an editor. As they’re often not tied to narrative foundations, they give you the space to focus your intention on creating a mood. You learn a lot in that space of ‘okay this works, this doesn’t, how much is too much’ etc. You can try different ways of storytelling and find what works for you.
It’s important to be active outside of your craft too. Stories are always going on around you. I like taking street photography, reading, and going to the theatre. Surrounding yourself with other artforms that tell stories in a different way is always going to help challenge and improve your own style.
LBB> How important is an understanding of story and the mechanics of story?
Sam> Storytelling is everything in editing, and editors are essential to storytelling. It’s a vital part of the job to understand the story’s emotion and transform that into a tangible narrative for the audience to understand. It’s always a thin line. We’ve all seen spots that are too slow or drawn out. Our job is to try to find the perfect balance to make the film sing.
Documentaries are really interesting in that way, as often you might not have a script, just a mass of footage. You have to chisel away at what you have, working out how best to convey the story and its emotion to the audience. It really forces you to think about what’s the primary goal of each scene, and how to be economical with your choices.
It’s probably the most interesting part of the job for me, working with different directors who have various methods of storytelling and being a part of that process, seeing a new way of telling a story and helping craft that.
LBB> Rhythm and a sense of musicality seem to be intrinsic to good editing (even when it’s a film without actual music) – how do you think about the rhythm side of editing, how do you feel out the beats of a scene or a spot? And do you like to cut to music?
Sam> Rhythm is kind of what makes the world go round, it’s at the heart of everything. It builds tension in horror, it lands a good joke. Musicality and rhythm already exist in visual language too, it could be a camera move, a raised eyebrow, a look. It’s all those little moments around the cut that help to form it.
Often with scripted work I like to cut without any music and feel out the rhythm of a scene. I always think Joe Walker is a great example of editing rhythm. One trick I learnt from him is if an edit isn’t feeling quite right, watch it on mute. It always becomes obvious where the visual rhythm feels off!
LBB> Tell us about a recent editing project that involved some interesting creative challenges.
Sam> This year I’ve found myself more immersed in the world of animation/CGI. In January, I edited a Super Bowl spot for OpenAI with Builders Club. We had lots of different mediums going on at once, with AI working alongside CG artists and designers. As an editor it was amazing, as you could help give feedback to the animators in real time. It’s a very rare experience to be able to blur the line between a shoot ending and post-production beginning.
LBB> How important is your relationship with the director and how do you approach difficult conversations when there is a creative difference of opinion?
Sam> A good working relationship with your director is essential. I always feel like there’s a lot of trust there from the directors’ perspective. They are handing something over that they’ve spent a long time forming, and are trusting you to help collaborate on it. Film is a medium that requires collaboration more than any other art form in a way, and the best work always comes out of a symbiotic relationship across the board, not only in the edit. When you really collaborate you can push each other, bounce ideas off one another and ultimately come up with something that is truly a sum of all its parts. Editing is a constant open dialogue – you might bring different ideas to the table, but that’s part of the fun!
LBB> What’s harder to cut around – too much material or not enough? (And why?)
Sam> It depends on the project, but it’s always better to have more than less. Coverage is really important, especially when editing scripted work. However, if you don’t have the coverage for a project it forces you to find creative ways around that, which can lead to something that you hadn’t originally thought about.
LBB> Which commercial projects are you proudest of and why?
Sam> As I mentioned, kicking off the year with a Super Bowl spot for OpenAI has definitely got to be up there. Everything was developing in real time, with new ideas and new renders being made by CG artists as we were working, and lots of live edit sessions with clients around the globe too.
Also a couple of years ago I cut a music video for Stormzy, which was a crazy turn around. We started right after the shoot working overnight to get it ready for launch. Those kinds of jobs are a test of strength and knowing you have to trust your gut, as there’s no time to second guess yourself!
LBB> Who are your editing heroes and why? What films or spots epitomise good editing for you?
Sam> I’ve always been a massive fan of Joe Walker’s work. He has an amazing ability to find rhythm in everything, that constantly drives and motivates the cut forward. His work is a prime example of how to let visual rhythm dictate and enhance a story.
Another I come back to often is Sally Menke and the opening scene in 'Inglorious Basterds'. It’s a pretty classic example (but it’s a good one) showing how directing, camera and editing can come together to create a visually fascinating story out of a simple back and forth conversation.
LBB> How does editing in the commercial world differ from the film world and TV world?
Sam> They definitely operate in different worlds. Commercials are usually fast paced, with quick turn-arounds, which might come and go in a week or two. With films, you might be on a short for a couple months up to a feature documentary which could span for multiple years. It’s nice to be able to dip into both sides of the coin. Each world works as a kind of antidote to the other.
I love cutting documentary work, partially because it’s the antithesis of commercial work. In the doc world you can cut scenes in so many different ways and you really have to think about each scene, who your audience is, why this scene matters. You have a lot more autonomy over the character and the story. In the commercial world this is all condensed into a much more finite world, every shot has to earn its place and has been meticulously thought about before shooting even begins.
LBB> Have you noticed any trends or changes in commercial editing over recent years?
Sam> The biggest changes in commercial editing in recent years really comes down to social media influence. Often things are quicker paced, with more focus on assets and a range of deliverables. There is definitely less focus now on a specific cut, as companies are acutely aware audiences digest commercials on a range of platforms and therefore lengths.
