The most important decision I make when I decide to embark on a new documentary film project is who the editor will be. Film editors are the silent backbone of a good film. Like a jazz drummer, they set the cadence upon which everything else is made. Working with a great editor is my favorite creative experience.

Janice Brown edited my last film on Everest called 40 Days at Base Camp and before that one of my favorite Canadian documentaries, Being Caribou. If you haven’t seen Leanne Allison and Diana Wilson’s film I put the link below.  These are just two films from a list of dozens Janice Brown has edited over her 40 year career as a film editor.

It is a great honor that she will be both editing and co-directing 500 days in the Wild. Usually films go into edit after all the filming is done. But given the scope of this project and the fact that I will be filming and in production for close to two years Janice will begin the editing process in September and like Yoda guiding me with her wisdom.

Next time you watch a film you love, watch the credits and see who edited the film. Past the shiny surface of the director is the quiet talent of the Editor who brought form to the vision.