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I’ve edited 15 feature films and 6 TV series, writes editor Rob Hall. Now, cinema-quality AI is changing how directors think. So, how should editors prepare?
Most editors wouldn’t naturally associate an AI-powered editing plugin with something capable of 16-bit ACES 2065-1 color space at 4K resolution.
But as an editor, I know that’s what it takes for a new tool to gain trust in the industry. A tool doesn’t get adopted because it’s new - it has to be able to deliver. The output has to be seamless, undetectable to the editor, the director, the studio executive and the cinemagoer.
That’s why, when a tool like DeepEditor comes along, it’s worth paying attention. It meets the technical standards us editors need, meaning we can actually use it to solve challenges in the cutting room.
It’s not just DeepEditor’s cinematic-quality output that explains why the major studios and streamers in Hollywood are using it.
Flawless’s DeepEditor has become essential because it enables you to refine an actor’s performance - while remaining compliant with SAG-AFTRA guidelines.
When the actor didn’t quite get the performance on the wide shot, you can copy and paste their performance from the close up.
When a line of dialogue needs tweaking, you can trim it, retime it, or record a new line - and apply it to the actor’s face in-vision, without having to cut away.
These new possibilities mean it’s time to rethink the day on set. Directors can shoot less, and still get the shots they need. The editors who adapt will help the director achieve their vision, exactly as they envisioned it.
The era of cutting-room compromises is over
Before becoming Flawless’s Chief of Film Innovation, I was a film editor for 20 years, editing six TV series and 15 feature films, including The King’s Man (2021) directed by Matthew Vaughn.
When I edited Scott Mann’s Fall, an adrenaline-pumping thriller about two climbers stuck at the top of a 2,000-foot TV tower, we used DeepEditor to remove expletives and secure a PG-13 rating – without reshooting a single scene.
Inside DeepEditor’s refinement tool on post production for upcoming feature film Watch The Skies.
I can think of dozens of editing choices I would have made differently if I’d had DeepEditor at the time. I’d say I’ve averaged about 100 new lines of dialogue in each feature I’ve edited.
Editors often have their choices limited. For example, you might have the best performance in the wrong frame size for the visual storytelling you want to achieve. And so you might be restricted to using a frame size or performance you’re unhappy with. Or for a new line of dialogue, you have to cut away, or over the shoulder. Or you just catch the start or end of a line, to give the illusion of lip sync.
But what’s the point in adding a new line of dialogue if you’re not seeing the character say it?
Now, directors spend time on the shots that (really) matter
DeepEditor doesn’t just change what editors do. It also changes how directors work on set.
“It’s already changed the way I make films,” said director Rajeev Dassani, in a recent interview with a member of the Flawless team.
One of a select few invited to participate in DeepEditor’s Beta programme, Rajeev used DeepEditor on a recent TV series, “I knew that in certain cases, if I didn’t get the exact performance I needed in a wide shot, I knew that I can now move the close up shot to the wide shot,” he said. “I can spend time on… the shots that matter.”
In other words, DeepEditor is changing how directors approach directing altogether; it’s changing how they think. Their cast and crews can spend less time shooting, and have a lot less stress and frustration. Shorter shoots cost less.
You might think less time shooting means less work for the crew. In reality, if a production is cheaper, it’s more likely to get greenlit. So, there’s the opportunity for more films to be made - because financiers need to commit less to achieve the production of a film.
Actors get more screen time, too. They get to be in better films. They get to redeliver lines that need improving and stay in vision. DeepEditor’s result can be refined to perfection and then taken to a full-quality picture finish.
And all of this brings us back to the editor. Demand for tools like DeepEditor is unavoidable.
Technology has always driven change in our craft. From the introduction of non-linear editing to the rise of visual effects, AI is no different. But focusing on the ways AI can support the director’s vision, and being ready to adapt as the tools - and the industry - continue to evolve, is paramount.
This article originally featured in the British Film Editors' First Frame Magazine in February 2025.