Editing is a crucial task which requires minute detailing: Editor Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh, the editor of Balika Vadhu on Colors, is a man who works very hard to keep the continuity going by way of his editing skills. It is because of the perfect editing, that the show, having a Rajashtan background, gets a natural look. In short, Santosh helps the director Pradeep Yadav to tell his story in a smooth fashion. Tellychakkar.com corners the editor for a freewheeling chat for the Behind the Lens section. Excerpts: Introduce yourself to the readers of Tellychakkar.com… I am Santosh Singh. Besides Balika Vadhu, I also edit shows like Sasural Simar Ka for Colors, Ramayan for Zee TV as well as Savdhan India for Life OK. Since editing was my passion, I always thought that I could do it more effectively on television. Tell us something about your work? My work is purely based on presentation of a story. We have to edit the raw stock that is earlier captured and make a refined copy of it for the purpose of telecast. The entire process of editing is only possible if one has an effective team under him. Like for e.g.: if there is an emotional scene, we need to show the emotion effectively on screen so that message of the particular show is easily conveyed to the audience. In short, my work is nothing but to connect with the audience by way of a smooth storytelling. Describe the art of editing? Editing is something which comes under the post-production process where you have to edit the already shot part and make it presentable in an appropriate manner so that it comes out effectively to the audience. Editing is not just about presentation, but it’s about how you want to convey the storyline. Editing is also termed as a saviour or a destructing element, because with your good and bad editing skills, you can make a good story look bad or vice versa. It’s a fine art which works completely on the basis of timing. Tell us the difference between online and offline editing? When we edit raw stock, it is called offline editing while when we edit on the comp, the process is called online editing. This is nothing but continuous update of the entire package to be released for viewing. How important is editing when it comes to success of a story or show? Television editing is a tough job; it is because one has to finish editing in a given time frame and in such a manner that it is suitable for telecast. Most importantly the editor needs to be very sensible and active enough to understand the story; because he is the real storyteller. He has to have a power to make a hero look a villain and a villain a hero. For television, editing has to be done on a daily basis, whereas to edit a film you get ample amount of time. So, I personally find television editing a tough job to handle. Your advice to budding editors? If you are really thinking of becoming an editor or a filmmaker, then the most important thing that you need to keep in mind is loyalty towards your job. First try and understand the script, make every message clear in your mind and then go for the final cutting process because the way you perceive the story, you will reflect the same in your work too. Editing is a crucial task which requires minute detailing. What are your future plans? Right now, I am working for four TV shows; naturally my focus is purely on them. I am working very hard to make them the best shows on television. As it is Balika Vadhu is on the number 1 position while Ramayan is also doing very well.