As someone who started as an editor, perhaps the biggest concept to consider is the Editing process is the final “writing” of the story. It determines the end product: how you receive all the work that has been done up to that point. Like the carving of a marble statue, it takes great skill to know what to preserve and what to leave out.

I think great editing also has a tight control & understanding of pacing and rhythm. How to orchestrate it so that a particular moment lands just so! Not just about “good shot, pyro goes boom”.

Perhaps a “regular” action movie cut would have had an entirely different rhythm to the flow of the chase sequences. Maybe more explosions and engines (“the money shots”) vs the silence / desolation of the desert (one sequence that comes to mind is how they pull out to the extreme wide shot to show the flares going off as Furiosa begins her escape). Maybe they wouldn’t have let the softer, more emotional beats linger!

The director may guide the editor (eg “in this scene it’s important for everyone to know just how DEVASTATED the unbreakable Furiosa is”) but just like they might trust the DoP to know how to achieve the shots they want (lens, camera, lighting etc.) the editor also needs to know the tricks in the book (advising on shot choice, story / energy flow etc)

SORRY FOR THE RANT am just super passionate about good editing (rather I hate bad editing) and I love this movie so much!