Craig Scorgie was the editor on the Cannes film In Flames, a horror film set in Karachi, Pakistan. It follows a mother and daughter who are fighting malevolent forces, both real and imagined, that emerge following the death of the family’s patriarch. The film uses the psychological horror genre to unpack complex themes of grief, misogyny, love, generational trauma and mental illness.
Scorgie’s eclectic and interesting resume includes jobs as an editor, a VFX and graphics artist and a comedian! Recently he was a VFX editor and first assistant editor on the film Women Talking, an assistant editor on HBO’s Big Little Lies Season 2 and the VFX editor on Season 1 of the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.
Let’s find out more about his work editing In Flames…
Craig Scorgie with his Media Composer set-up
How early did you get involved in the film?
I was officially brought onto the project in June 2022. My involvement, however, feels like it began more than a year before, when director Zarrar Kahn and I attended the Canadian Film Centre together. It was there that we talked about the script of this film and developed our process of working together.
What was it shot on?
The film was shot on an ARRI Alexa Classic in the ARRIRAW codec. Fun fact: Our cinematographer, Aigul Nurbulatova, shot a lot of our scenes during blue hour, which we owe a lot of the film’s moody atmosphere to.
How did you work with the director? How often was he taking a look at your cut?
Zarrar and I actually had a fairly unconventional way of working together on this film. It’s almost like we started with a director’s cut, then an editor’s cut and then the fine cut. Because Zarrar is an editor as well as a director, we decided it was best for us if he completed the assembly. We also thought this was a good idea because our film’s language is Urdu, which I am unfortunately not fluent in.
So for the first couple of months, Zarrar was completely on his own. He put together the assembly and added English subtitles so I could continue working with it. Then he wanted me to do a version on my own, presenting all of my ideas in one cut. He gave me complete freedom with this, allowing me to cut and reorder scenes, change dialogue and experiment with structure — anything my storytelling instincts told me to do.
This part of the process was so much fun because I really went wild with it! Then I sent my pass to him, and we started working together on a third version — one that combined the best of both our cuts. We used this as our fine cut and then went through several rounds of test screenings and outside feedback until we arrived at the final film as it is today.
Was there a particular scene that stands out as the most challenging?
In general, our story involves many moments when pieces of the past are colliding with the present through the use of flashbacks and dream sequences. There is one moment in particular when two characters’ past experiences collide with the present day to help us understand a pivotal moment of the film. The flashbacks and present day were originally scripted as separate scenes, which we quickly discovered wouldn’t work; they needed to play as one simultaneous sequence. Achieving this in a way that was elegant and not confusing was incredibly challenging.
In the end, I’m very proud of how this scene turned out. I feel like it’s quite original and poignant, and I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before.
Did you do more than edit on this film?
In addition to editing, I also did some of the visual effects. I like to use visual effects as a tool to elevate my editing, so a lot of the composite shots in the film were built in the edit and finalized by me. I can’t take credit for all of the bigger VFX shots though. All of that goes to the incredible team at Wild VFX.
Can you talk about your editing workflow?
To be completely honest, I don’t have a one-size-fits-all editing workflow. I tailor it for each project and each director I’m working with. Process is an excellent tool for bringing out the best in a collaboration, so I don’t like to have any hard and fast rules on mine. I think I get this from my background as an improv comedian, where I had to take all of my cues from my scene partner. I think this is the most organic way to collaborate. It focuses things on what’s working and builds off of that.
What system did you use to cut and why?
I am comfortable working in both Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro. For In Flames we used Premiere Pro because that’s what Zarrar was most comfortable working with.
Is there a tool within that system that was particularly helpful?
One thing I really enjoy about Premiere Pro is its integration with After Effects. This saves so much time when you’re an editor who loves working with visual effects.
How did you manage your time?
Because we’ve worked together before, Zarrar and I had a very good sense of how much time we needed for our editing process. We scheduled how many weeks we each needed for our individual passes and then set aside a month and a half for developing the rest of the cut together.
Because Zarrar is an editor, we are also incredibly efficient with our time. We set aside full days to work together, but we often ended up working half days or half weeks. At a certain point in an edit, it can be more beneficial to have time away from the cut instead of working together every day. I’m glad our schedule allowed extra time for this because it gave us the distance and clarity we needed to make some of the most important decisions of this film.
How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
I’m lucky that on this project we didn’t have many situations like that. Our producers were incredibly supportive of the choices we made in the film. And our collaborators in post were also flexible and able to deliver top-notch work with the time and resources we had.
Whenever I am in a situation like that, though, I always think it’s important to remain open-minded to other people’s expectations and give it an honest try. I am not quick to decide that something cannot be done because I’ve been proven wrong many times in the past. You never know what solutions will reveal themselves if you remain open. I use all the tools at my disposal, and if I have to, I take some time away and try again. This way if something is truly unattainable, people are more likely to understand and see that for themselves.
Craig Scorgie
How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas (good and bad)?
I always welcome and embrace criticism. It’s a gift. It can be a challenge sometimes decoding criticism, especially if it is from other filmmakers because they can sometimes be prescriptive.
I always think about “the note behind the note.” There’s always a legitimate reason why a note is given, but often that reason is not articulated in the note. Seeing beyond the note, instead of dismissing it immediately, is sometimes easier said than done. By staying open-minded, empathetic and curious, I often find something valuable in most notes that are given to me. Or if it comes down to personal taste, I’ll defer to the director’s vision and whether the note matches up with the film they are intending to make.
Finally, when someone who is starting out asks what they should learn, what do you recommend?
I always say it’s important to watch as many films as you can and find a mentor or peer who can provide constructive feedback on your work. And edit as much as you can! If you continually do these three things, you will only elevate your skills as an editor.
When it comes to collaborative skills, personal growth couldn’t be more important. This is something that I wish someone had told me earlier in my career. Read self-help books, book regular appointments with a therapist if that is accessible to you, work on improving personal relationships, put time into other creative hobbies that you enjoy. All of these things will make you a stronger editor in ways that you can’t imagine.
