We wrapped The Shape of Kindness on Sunday. It was one of those dark, rainy days where the weather becomes an integral part of the mood, an indelible part of the memory. We pushed through it as a team and brought the film home. A few days later, I’m finally catching my breath… and opening the project to begin the edit.
There’s something surreal about the transition from set to post. Production is loud and nonstop. People asking questions, gear in motion, the clock always ticking. Then suddenly it’s quiet. It’s just you, a timeline, and everything you captured.
For me, this part of the journey is where the concept of “shared vision” takes on a new shape. On set, I was one voice among many, working in sync with a director, producer, actors, and crew. In the edit, I’m alone again—but with their fingerprints on every frame. It’s a strange blend of returning to my roots as a one-man band while still honoring the collaboration that made the footage possible.
A few takeaways from this week’s shift:
1. The wrap matters more than we think.
How we end production—exhausted, relieved, proud, bonded—follows us straight into the edit. You feel the energy of the set inside the footage.
2. Distance is healthy.
A short pause between wrap and edit helps reset your brain. Even 48 hours clears emotional noise and lets you see the material for what it is, not what you hoped it would be.
3. The collaboration doesn’t end here.
Even though I’m physically alone in the edit, I’m cutting with the director’s intent, the performances the actors built, and the groundwork the crew laid. I’m not shaping this in a vacuum.
4. This is where you rediscover the film.
No matter how well you prep or how close you stick to the shot list, the edit always reveals surprises—moments you didn’t expect to love, beats that land differently in context, rhythms that only appear once everything lives together.
As I dig into the timeline this week, I’m feeling that shift: the vision we all built together on set now needs to become rhythm, pacing, emotion. This is where the story learns to breathe.
Question for the lounge:
How do you reset your creative mindset after production before diving into the edit? Do you jump right in, or do you need a transition ritual?
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Congratulations to you and the team on wrapping The Shape of Kindness, Lindsay Thompson! Thanks for sharing the takeaways. I usually jump into a new script or project (maybe one I didn't finish) after finishing one. Sometimes I'll take a day, two days, etc. off to rest or do other things.