“Tank-Khorha” can be considered a modest series that narrates parts of events from the war era, but through a fresh perspective and focusing on individuals who are less often depicted in Sacred Defense works. This series brought together many professional talents both in front of and behind the camera. One of them is Manoochehr Sanei, the series’ editor, who has years of experience in the field and has edited numerous films and series, including “City of Cats,” “Aineh Sheytan,” the telefilm “Godan,” and series like “Matador,” “Aspirin,” “Bazgasht,” the documentary “Shok,” the TV program “Emrooz Hanooz Tamoom Nashodeh,” “Mr. Khas” documentary, and more. While specialized audiences in film and series are aware of the intricate work of an editor, others may know little about this profession. To provide more insight into this field and the editing process in the series “Tank-Khorha,” we conducted an interview with this editor.
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Immersive Storytelling Technique
Since editing is a crucial part of any dramatic work, Manoochehr Sanei, in an interview with Jame Jam, discussed the challenges of editing Tank-Khorha, a dramedy series, and how the genre influenced his work:
“In fact, Tank-Khorha is fundamentally a drama series. From a sociological perspective, drama reflects the meaning and essence of life. In drama (or life), you encounter moments of joy, sorrow, anxiety, anger, and more. Therefore, it should indeed be considered a drama series, which makes the editor’s job significantly more challenging. In editing this series, I had to work on everything from melodramatic and romantic moments to action scenes, which required high expertise and experience in editing across multiple genres. The main challenge was creating a coherent narrative and achieving a smooth rhythm in editing so that the audience never feels like they are watching a film but instead becomes fully immersed in the drama and story. This, in fact, was my primary mission and responsibility as the editor of this series.”
Creativity in Editing
Since the editor’s primary tool is the footage captured during filming, Sanei added regarding the material provided by director Parviz Sheikh-Tadi:
“First, I must thank Mr. Sheikh-Tadi, the director, and Mr. Mohammadi, the producer, for trusting me and assigning me the editing of such an important series. Regarding your question, Mr. Sheikh-Tadi provided unique and meticulous shot compositions for each scene, which in essence created the perfect foundation for editing. Yet, in the overall flow of the series, viewers wouldn’t even notice the differences in shot composition across locations, which demonstrates tremendous skill and experience. At the same time, this made the editing process more demanding because, as an editor, I had to apply diverse creative techniques for each scene, keeping pace with the director’s vision.
Another point is that editing here wasn’t just about choosing beautiful or unique shots; it was about finding the right path for each scene, creating drama, and establishing the proper rhythm using the correct shots to convey the narrative effectively. Since the series was filmed in two phases—urban and battlefield—the editing had to adapt accordingly.”
Challenges Across Urban and War Settings
In response to which part was more difficult to edit, Sanei said:
“As mentioned, the series has two phases: urban and war. Each phase contains sequences ranging from melodrama to action. Naturally, the war phase has more action, while the urban phase features more melodrama and dramatic content. However, neither phase was more difficult than the other; both were equally important and have their own unique complexities. Working with Mr. Mohammadi and Mr. Sheikh-Tadi, one should not expect anything easy.
This was my first collaboration with Mr. Sheikh-Tadi, which was an honor. He allowed me to handle the raw footage for editing, and I must say it was the best editing experience I’ve had working with a director. He is skilled, patient, creative, and leaves his unique fingerprint on the work while giving you freedom to implement any creative solutions that serve the series’ goals. From the second or third month of filming, thanks to Mr. Mohammadi’s consistent presence, we quickly established a common language, and I was able to translate Mr. Sheikh-Tadi’s vision effectively for the audience.”
Presenting a Polished Product by the Editor
Editing can, in a way, be considered a form of directing, as Manoochehr Sanei explains: editing is essentially a tool in the hands of the director to establish a better and deeper connection with the audience. The editor’s duty is to enhance the director’s vision and present the final product in a polished and aesthetically pleasing form to the viewers. Like a director, the editor must have an in-depth understanding of all stages of filmmaking—from screenwriting to sound design and music—sometimes even more so than the director. This mastery allows the editor to have a significant impact on creating a compelling dramatic work.
Passing Rhythm from Script to Execution
Sanei also addressed the question of whether the rhythm of produced works—sometimes slow and tedious, sometimes dynamic—depends on editing, and whether editing directly influences the rhythm of a piece:
“The most important factor in the rhythm of any dramatic work is the script. If you feel that a TV production is slow or tiresome, your first attention should be on the script itself. Next, the choice of form, style, and pacing by the director greatly influences the rhythm of the work. The editor’s responsibility is to advance the piece in alignment with the rhythm established by the script and the director’s execution.
Unfortunately, in some works, we observe a mismatch between the rhythm of the editing and that of the script and direction. Sometimes, the director or producer asks the editor to compensate for the inherent slowness in the script and execution by using faster cuts, which often has the opposite effect, distancing the audience rather than drawing them in. In reality, it disrupts the formation of drama. The rhythm of a dramatic work is a combination of the script, directing, and editing. Certainly, editing is one of the primary—and perhaps the most crucial—tools for a filmmaker in controlling the rhythm of a work. However, if this rhythm is not established in the script or the director’s execution, the editor alone cannot fully achieve a rhythm that is appropriate for the audience, genre, media, or medium.”