This artistic research project investigates the role of play in the film editing process. The idea for the research originates from an often-repeated invitation heard in the editing room – “Can’t you just play with the material a bit?” – and asks how such moments of playfulness may open the way for new creative choices and unforeseen narrative directions.

Through a combination of practice-based case studies, process mapping, and reflective dialogue, the research explores how play can inspire and influence the editor’s decision-making, and how it can shape the evolving relationship between director, editor, and filmed material.

Drawing on theoretical frameworks of play (Sutton-Smith, Brown) and creativity studies (Csikszentmihalyi’s flow), the project approaches play not as mere improvisation or experimentation, but as a productive mode of engagement that can reconfigure habits, disrupt fixed patterns, and enable surprising artistic discoveries.

By documenting and articulating these processes, the research seeks to enrich both the artistic understanding of film editing as a creative practice and the broader discourse on how play drives discovery and transformation in the arts.