Lorraine Paul is an editor at NYC’s Blue Table Post, which offers editorial, color, sound and VFX for those working in entertainment and advertising.

Paul’s resume is filled with projects from the film, television and advertising industries. She has cut trailers, teasers, launch spots, episodics, sizzles, social content, multi-platform promos, additional show content and documentaries for networks including HBO, BBC America, AMC Networks, A+E Networks, Epix, NBCUniversal, Acorn TV and Nickelodeon.

Barry

Born in Australia to Indian parents, Paul grew up in Mumbai. She attended Curtin University in Australia, where she majored in film and television production and journalism. Paul has worked and lived in Australia, Italy, India and the USA. She speaks English, Italian, Hindi and Spanish.

Let’s find out more from Paul…

Tell us about your role as editor and all that it entails.
It’s all about storytelling. Weaving together footage, images, dialogue, narration, music, sound effects and graphics to spin a creation bigger than its parts. Collaborating with directors, creative directors, producers, musicians, mixers, visual effects artists and a whole team of creative geniuses to bring a vision to life.

What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
Creative problem-solving is an integral part of the toolkit and can range from innovative ideas to piecing together syllables of words to create a new word.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
Getting to work with great content that changes with each project. It is never boring. Also, the instant you know that something is really working well… that magic moment. I also really love it when I get to work on a show that I am genuinely a fan of, like HBO’s Insecure.

Insecure

What’s your least favorite?
Fix-it-in-post syndrome.

What is your most productive time of day and why?
Early morning. I often get my best ideas before I get out of bed. While I don’t edit at that time, my brain spins magic at that hour in terms of creative concepts and solutions.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
Traveling the world in some form.

How early did you know this would be your path?
I loved being creative as a child, but film school introduced me to my passion for editing.

Can you name some recent jobs?
I have had the amazing opportunity to work on promos for House of the Dragon, Insecure and Manifest.

Do you put on a different hat when cutting for a specific genre?
I have cut a wide range of material and content. I would say I stack several hats in many combinations depending on the project. But your base hats of being creative, innovative, a good storyteller and a musician, along with having comedic timing and bringing soul to your work, are integral to any genre.

COVID changed the way people work. Do you expect these workflows to stay with us going forward?
COVID was a game-changer in the editing world. I never thought I would ever be able to work with high-security footage remotely. Yes, the ability to choose to work in an office or remote is here to stay. It is truly impressive how quickly the industry pivoted to not just working virtually but collaborating virtually.

House of the Dragon

What system do you edit on?
Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Do you have a favorite plugin?
I don’t have a favorite, but on my latest project, I got a chance to work with the Insta360 plugin to choose and manipulate the shot footage.

Are you often asked to do more than edit? If so, what are you asked to do?
Therapist. (Smiles) I can also write and produce depending on the needs of the client.

What are three pieces of technology you can’t live without?
My phone, my massage chair and my rescue dog. (I know, I cheated.)

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
Cooking family recipes like Vindaloo and making homemade pesto with home-grown basil.