Careful work

Judith YOAKUM implies that the success of “21 Grams” may have suffered because decisions made in the editing room were “not carefully thought out” (Letters, March 7).

Although I did not work on “21 Grams,” as someone who makes her living as a film editor, I can assure Ms. Yoakum that nothing could be further from the truth. All feature films and television shows are the result of a collaborative process among the editor, director and producers that can last for days, weeks and even months. Every single editorial choice that makes it to the screen -- from the selection and pacing of shots to the choice and volume of the music -- is a deliberate, well-thought-out act that, hopefully, should serve the purpose of involving the viewer emotionally in the story, character and plot of the experience being presented.

Of course, like any collaborative and subjective undertaking, the success of the end result is left to the judgment of the individual. But make no mistake, success or failure is not the end result of a filmmaking process that is “not carefully thought out.”

Marta Evry

Venice