Why Your Rough Cuts Feel Wrong (And How to Fix the Process)

Why do rough cuts feel so frustrating to create?

Your rough cuts suck because you're treating them like final edits instead of first drafts. The key is embracing that rough cuts are meant to be rough and presenting them as scripted before adding creative ideas.

The dreaded rough cut. A blank page, an empty canvas, and what used to be the bane of my editing existence until I finally figured this out: your rough cuts suck and so do mine, and that's okay.

Ever since I started editing seriously in high school, my least favorite part of the process was starting with a blank timeline. I know the creative process requires a starting point, but it used to really stress me out. I would slave over the first rough cut — deep down, I wanted it to be perfect.

Whoever my audience was at the time — a teacher, a classmate, a friend — I wanted to impress them. I'd get the same feeling early on in my career as I wanted to make a good first impression on my client. Though time after time, no matter how hard I tried, there was always feedback.

It wasn't until I embraced the fact that there would always be feedback — and in fact, it was actually a beautiful part of the process — that I started to enjoy creating the first rough cut.

Why feedback is essential in video editing workflow

The truth is, when you're embarking on any creative endeavor, feedback is essential. When you're slaving away at your edit bay, you are losing perspective by the minute, and it's only when you share your work with a fresh set of eyes that you can see how something can be improved.

My focus on perfection led to two major issues that completely derailed my editing process.

Problem 1: Adding creative ideas too early in the rough cut

Because I was treating the rough cut as final, I would incorporate all of my own creative ideas into the piece. Was there a line from an actor that I didn't think was landing? I'd cut it out. A scene felt too long? I'd make it shorter. Was there an alternate angle I liked better? I'd use it.

Don't get me wrong, adding your creative ideas is essential, but it's all about timing and expectations. If your client is expecting to see one thing and you present another, they will often ask you to go back and put in what you took out or made different, which is not a great way to kick off a creative collaboration.

So my first piece of advice for your rough cuts is to present them as written. As for your creative ideas, I recommend writing them down or even having an extra timeline with some rough assemblies to save for later.

Once I get the first round of feedback, I like to create some alternate versions to share my ideas. Since I started working this way, I've had much more success because I'm including the client in the creative process step by step, and I'm giving them options to choose from.

Problem 2: Getting too attached to your rough cut

The second main issue with trying to perfect a rough cut before sharing it is that I would get too attached to it because I had spent so many hours agonizing over it. The fact that there was any feedback at all was offensive to me.

You can tell when you're working with someone who is too attached to their rough cut because making any changes between the first and second cut feels like pulling teeth.

So my second piece of advice is to treat the rough cut as rough. Obviously, you want to put your best foot forward, but don't slave away at it unnecessarily. Expect feedback — it's a first draft.

How professional editors approach the rough cut process

In fact, I would say one of the main things that separates amateurs from pros is how much a project improves from the first to the second cut, or the second to the third cut. So make that your goal: get the rough cut out quickly and be ready to make substantial changes based on client feedback.

Embrace the fact that rough cuts suck, present the first rough cut as scripted, and don't overthink it. Save your time and energy for the second, third, or even fourth cuts, where you're collaborating to make the project better.

I've enjoyed the rough cut process so much more since I adopted this mindset.

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