What is your most important piece of advice to an editor regarding the collaboration with a director?

"Be open to ideas. There is no such thing as a bad idea. Sometimes a suggestion of a director or producer looks like a bad idea or you don’t agree, but often if you try it, miracles can happen. And you will always have your previous edit saved if it turns out that you were right [winks, red]."

What do you do when you have a ‘writers block’ as an editor? How do you find your way back to a state of fruitful work?

"I try to stay in good health and get enough sleep. This will help me to stay creative. Sometimes you'll need to sprint for a deadline but for the long run it's important that you stick to normal working hours otherwise you will lose your focus and energy."

"Sometimes it is hard to look at a cut as a first viewer without noticing all of the small details you worked on. It helps me to see it on a different (bigger) screen or a different room. Also to watch it with other people in the room can help you look differently at your version of the cut. Or even flipping the image or watching it without sound are all helpful ways to see the material with fresh eyes."

As an editor, are you already involved in the early development process of the film(script) and/or how do you bring in your vision?

"I try to read a version of the script before shooting and give notes but most of the time shooting will already start soon when I receive the final version of the script. I always read the script upfront and let the material of the shoot guide me how to cut it. I try to watch all the dailies and while watching them, most of the time an idea will grow how to cut it. It's in this early stage, before the director comes in, where my vision of the script starts and after that it is a continuous collaboration with the director in which we both share our ideas."