Dave Henegar: 5 Rules for Cutting Commercials

Editors are storytellers at heart. As co-founder/editor of Santa Monica-based editorial company, Butcher, I’ve learned some rules that are especially important when cutting for brands.

1. Learn to do more in less time

The prominence of editors hasn’t changed much over the years. It still depends a lot on relationships with agencies and creative teams and their requirements for a given project.

However, the amount of time an editor has to work on a campaign has been drastically shortened over the past decade. On top of this, the amount of content produced for each campaign has increased dramatically.

Editors have more footage to wrangle, which translates into more stories to tell and more creative executions. Whereas I was once required to do just one or two :30 spots, now I have to be able to manage 10 to 20 pieces of content in some cases. To negotiate this, you have to learn to make the most out of each edit, to be deliberate and efficient.

2. Find and emphasise the key moments

Now more than ever, there are crucial moments in a commercial that require special attention. The first few seconds of a spot have always been important, but creatives are increasingly calling for their commercials to have fully fleshed out narratives and clear story arcs.

I suggest starting with edits that convey intrigue, then building the pace or story line to an apex. It’s important to emphasise the creative twists or clever endings brands use to complete their stories. Easy access to content (on TV and online) and the ability to skip commercials forces us as editors to grab the viewer's attention as fast and creatively as possible. Give these key moments the attention they deserve.

3. Diversify your toolkit

I’ve been fortunate to work on projects that allow me to apply many of my different passions, be it in design, motion graphics, or even directing. Editors build narratives and when given the opportunity, it’s important to use every tool at your disposal to tell the most effective, compelling story possible.

The type of skills you’re called on to use will of course depend on the footage you get, but also on the courage and vision of the agency. Some agencies will encourage you to take off the handcuffs and show them anything that might blow them away. Those agencies typically have earned the respect and encouragement from clients to be bold and adventurous, and these are the jobs editors get most excited about because they demand a diversity of skills and no shortage of creativity.

4. Learn when to follow and when to lead

Every campaign is as unique as the people who work on them. Some have a very clear vision for the style they want, especially if they’ve already sold that style to their client. Those projects are a bit more “paint by numbers” and there’s little reason to stray from the concept’s initial design.

Then, there are projects that hire talented directors and editors precisely because they want to see what that team is capable of creating together. I believe part of what makes an exceptional editor is their ability to read the brand, understand its market and edit appropriately.

This reminds me of the saying: “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Just because you can make a high energy spot with a million cuts in :30 seconds doesn’t mean it’s right for that specific brand.

5. Balance creativity with reliability

I try to start every project with the same exercise: make one edit that follows the agency’s boards to the letter, and one edit they wouldn’t expect. I believe it’s my job as an editor to show the different ways to look at a story. To be clear, I’m not cutting different versions, but showing brands at least one thing that’s entirely different from what they expected.

My hope is that it will inspire them in some shape or form. They may love it or hate it, but it always sparks interesting conversations. That conversation is ultimately what you want when collaborating.