Every time I edit, I feel like I’m not cutting footage — I’m shaping rhythm, emotion, and silence. Each frame is like a heartbeat; too fast and the soul dies, too slow and the story fades. At 7stcut Studio, I treat editing as architecture — building emotion with precision. I’m curious: How do you approach rhythm when you’re directing or editing a scene? Do you follow instinct, or structure? — Behnam Hojjati | Founder, 7stcut Studio
Filmmaking / Directing : Every time I edit, I feel like… by Behnam Hojati
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Hi, Behnam Hojati. Some of your post didn't show up. You can edit your post by clicking the downward arrow to the right of your name, selecting "Edit Post," and reposting the text.
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Thank you for your help
You're welcome, Behnam Hojati.
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Behnam Hojati Rhythm and timing is vital of course. I hope you are sensitive to performance within that mix. Because audience connects ONLY with people and performance. So pacing and timing must support performance. Too often, the technical editor gets caught up with a visual pacing that undermines performance. When that happens, the edit succeeds in spite of the pacing, not because of it. For example, I have worked with many truly great actors, whose performances are remarkable. One observation I made, that is all too common, happened when shooting Shark. I watched in awe as James Woods delivered a speech to the jury 7 takes in a row, each take with an entirely different delivery, each take astoundingly powerful. The takes were to give different approaches, not for any error in delivery or problem with camera or sound. Watching his performance, which was immaculate, I knew that of all his great performances I had seen in the past, many had been rendered less effective by obsessive cutting - pointless reaction shots, or other cuts made on the assumption that people can't bear to watch something for more than a few seconds at a time (Which is nonsense). This is something that as a director I had known already, and was sensitive to in the edit process, but it drove it home hard.
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Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg
Thank you, Shadow I completely agree.
Sometimes editing has to serve the story and the performance rather than the rhythm itself. When a scene carries genuine emotional weight, cutting too early can fracture the narrative and disconnect the audience from its pulse.
A strong performance deserves space to breathe — that’s when rhythm becomes storytelling, not just timing.
— Behnam | 7stcut