It's not about how long it takes, it's about what it take from you. It's an addiction that insidiously takes over your whole being. It starts rather harmlessly by making home-made movies on cheap camcorders and producing cutesy little clips in Windows Movie Maker. Then you upload to YouTube and discover that nobody really appreciates the product. Then, as you are sitting there checking the views count on your browser each passing day, you notice some of the real good looking and creative work that some folks can do. You turn green with envy. Then, you reason within your twisted, sick little mind, "I can do better than that, but I need better equipment!"
So you buy better editing software, a new 24fps camera. And you think to yourself, "Now I can run with the big dogs!" The next thing you know you have squandered the rent money for a lighting kit. You discover that you need wireless microphones, a glidecam, a crane, a fluid head tri-pod. You're pissing away money faster than you ever realized was possible. But you don't care. You MUST have it!!!
By this point you are hooked, and there is no going back. Then you start a full-blown movie project, not realizing that now you have bitten off more than you can chew. You slave away over the keyboard for hours on end, oblivious to time and family needs. You start learning about continuity errors you did not see when you shot your scenes; You start hearing background noises that you were never conscince of ever being there; you have to go back and reshoot scenes because the lighting was not right. It is a never ending torrent of little glitches and flaws that are always ruining your PERFECT movie!
You want to strangle the living sh!T out of your actors because they don't like the way you want to shoot the scene. Your women actors complain that you make them look fat on the screen. Your male actors have had to much beer to remember their lines. And whatever you do, never try to make a film with animals. The problems are never ending. Now, are sure you want to be an editor? - smile
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