TOP REASONS FOR BAD EDITING:

1 The director did not have a precise conception in either pre-production or on the set of WHAT THE FINAL SCENE WOULD LOOK LIKE ONSCREEN. If a director does not storyboard the scene, at least in their own head, it’s that much more likely that the final cut will be helter-skelter. Notable exception: the best moments in the best films of Cassavetes, where a rock-solid CONCEPTION of every moment aided the editor into assembling wildly different takes into a powerful final cut.

2 The director just DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT AN EDITOR DOES. If he’s never cut a scene in his life, how can he possibly understand how it all comes together? There’s a reason why the phrase “We’ll fix it in post” is such a cliche. It’s the last refuge of a director who refuses to accept responsibility. Which leads to:

3 The director REFUSES TO OVERRIDE HIS EDITOR. If, for whatever reason, you’re stuck on a project with a flashcut-happy editor and you lack the confidence and/or wisdom to fight against that aesthetic, you’re going to be stuck with it.

4 THERE IS A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF HOW FILM COMEDY REALLY WORKS. A scene played out mostly without closeups and with minimal cuts, if it’s staged effectively, will always be FUNNIER than one with lots of cuts. I’m thinking in particular of the movie “Monster-In-Law” … okay, a terrible movie on a lot of fronts, but if some of the scenes had just been staged differently, with fewer cuts, it would have been much funnier.

5 MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO. If contemporary filmmakers are just imitating the crappy filmmakers of the past, ones who fell victim to the above examples, then it stands to reason that their own films will have the same problems.