Editor Yang-Hua Hu is no stranger to cutting films that premiere at Sundance. In fact, we interviewed him about his work on the film Mass back in 2021.
This year Hu cut The Accidental Getaway Driver, which is part of Sundance’s US Dramatic Competition. The film tells the story of Long Mã, a Vietnamese ride-share driver in Southern California who answers a late-night call for a ride. Already in his pajamas, he reluctantly accepts, picking up a man, Tây, and his two companions, who turn out to be escaped convicts from an Orange County jail.
Director Sing J. Lee and editor Yang-Hua Hu answer questions after a screening during Sundance. Credit: Patrick Censoplano
They take Long hostage at gunpoint, thrusting him into their getaway plan. When complications arise, the fugitives and their hostage hole up at a motel, and a tense waiting game unfolds. Inspired by a true story, this is not just a crime film, but a portrait of this lonely old man and his relationship with Tây.”
We reached out once more to the Taiwanese-born Hu to talk about editing and his workflow on the film, which was co-written and directed by Sing J. Lee
How early did you get involved in The Accidental Getaway Driver?
Producer Andy Sorgie and director Sing J. Lee both loved Mass, a film I cut that premiered at Sundance 2021. They reached out to my agent in late March 2021 and sent me the pitch and treatment documents and we set up a call.
Sing and I grew up on Hong Kong New Wave and Taiwanese New Cinema, and we were in love with that type of film language. He told me The Accidental Getaway Driver would head in that direction, and I understood exactly what he wanted. After sharing what I could bring to the cutting room, we knew immediately we wanted to work together.
In June 2021, they sent me the first draft of the script and I was moved by the “father-and-son story.” I told them I could totally relate to Long Mã, who was an immigrant and who had experienced cultural differences and a language barrier in the United States. At the same time, I also grew up in a place where people couldn’t express themselves much or didn’t know how to say “love,” which are personality traits our characters have. Soon after, I was invited to give them script notes, and they adopted my thoughts into the script. I was honored that I could contribute my creativity to this film based on my background and experiences.
How did you work with the Sing? Were you keeping up with camera? How often was he looking at your cut?
During the production, I was a day behind the shoot. I tried to edit rough scenes after I got the dailies and sent my notes back to Sing. He could see if we were missing anything or if we needed to do some pickups. That’s the benefit of having an editor during production.
Due to our schedule, I had no time to shape my editor’s cut. Two days after the production wrapped, I had a three-hour not-so-polished film to work on with Sing. Based on that version, we could see all the potential of how we could shape this film in the direction we wanted.
Sing J. Lee – Credit: Andy Kennedy-Derkay
Meanwhile, Sing wanted to find the film without outside noise, so he worked with me at my home office. We worked closely for about 14 weeks; he is an excellent collaborator, and he made sure my voice was being heard. I would present him with the options and play devil’s advocate. Since we knew what type of film we were making, we worked seamlessly. A lot of the time, we didn’t even need to finish our sentences; we already knew what we wanted to change for this cut. We’re always in tune with each other.
Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
The most challenging scenes are three long conversations between Long Mã and Tây. First, I don’t speak Vietnamese, so if actors skipped the lines, it would take time to trace where they were in the script. I also wanted to make sure I didn’t cut out their words. I know in Asian languages, the sound and tone will define the meaning of the sentence. Because there were many takes, it required a lot of work between our assistant editor, Julian Claborn, and the associate producer, Linh Nguyễn, who is a native Vietnamese speaker. Every time I recut the scene, I would send it over to them to double-check if the scene made sense.
In addition, we were trying to remove lines, rewrite the scene direction and make the conversations more intriguing with limited angles and takes. I had to keep finding the right pieces to maintain the rhythm I wanted, which was challenging.
When we were at Formosa Group watching the playback in the mixing session, Sing and I looked at each other and said, “Do you remember how hard it was to shape these scenes to where we are now?” We were so happy we did it with a group effort.
Can you talk about your editing workflow? What system did you use to cut and why?
Imperial Creative was our post house. They handled and prepared the offline dailies for us. Since we were cutting from my home office, we remoted to the computers at Imperial Creative via Jump.
Editor Yang-Hua Hu and his edit setup. Credit: Bruce Chiu
We used Avid Media Composer for the edit. Since all the offline media lived in the post house, Julian, the assistant editor and I could all share the project and toss the cut back and forth without any hiccups.
I didn’t use ScriptSync much, even though I knew it was a very helpful tool. I found that it took a lot of the assistant’s time to work with ScriptSync. I’d rather ask Julian to spend the time working on sound and music to help bring the cut to life. When the assistant is able to spend time putting their creativity into the film, it helps elevate the work.
Had you and Julian worked together before?
This was our second feature together. He is a big supporter and a wonderful person to work with. Not only did he do an amazing job on AE duties, but he checked if the Vietnamese scenes made sense every time I did a recut. He was always there when we needed him, and he carried the film all the way to the finish line. He was the greatest team player I could ask for. We were fortunate to have him on our post team.
How did you manage your time?
We had our routine down during the editing period. I’m not a morning person, so we usually started the day around 10am. Sometimes I found that the ideas came to me right after I woke up, and I wanted to try them out first before the team arrived. So there was a good one to two hours of quiet time for me to prepare myself for the day. We usually work until 5pm or 6pm. After Sing left, Julian and I could do some catch-up with fixes for the scenes and get ourselves ready for the next day.
We knew the film was delicate, and we wanted to make sure we didn’t burn ourselves out and make bad choices. We found that this was a good balance between our lives and our film.
The Accidental Getaway Driver cast and crew at Sundance 2023
As an editor, what do you like about being at Sundance?
I think Sundance brings together the same type of filmmakers and film lovers who enjoy compelling and intriguing stories. It gives you the chance to connect with people, and each new connection is a potential future collaborator. You’re surrounded by fellow artists who have a strong voice in their film. Their creativity inspires me and the support from this community is fuel for me to keep doing what I love.
Now to more general questions… How do you manage the producer’s expectations with what can really be done?
Communication is the key. We editors need to figure out what works and what doesn’t based on the notes we receive from the producers. Sometimes we receive some unclear notes, such as pacing and rhythm. They might give us some ideas to remove lines or get out of the scenes sooner. I find that sometimes the problem isn’t the lines or the spots they suggest cutting out. Oftentimes it’s the scene before or what the lead-in is.
As we wanted the film to reflect early 2000s Hong Kong and Taiwan cinema, the goal was to invite the audience to live in the moment in the movie’s time. We would examine and analyze why producers felt a certain way. Were they bored, or did they want to move the scene faster because they knew what was coming? Was our picture not strong enough to hold their attention?
We would explore the possibilities to keep the film language we had while addressing their notes. Sometimes the solution wasn’t removing something; it was bringing back what we had cut out before.
Our producers were open-minded and willing to have a discussion about their thoughts. Once we figured out the direction we were heading, they could understand what could be done and what couldn’t. Overall, it’s about making the best decision for the film.
How do you take criticism?
Nothing is personal. We all want the film to be good and reach the viewers. I’m just one person, and I can’t speak for the entire audience. I can only offer my perspective and personal experience. If the notes or scene direction are not the same as what I thought, I will try to learn and understand why I’m not on the same page as others.
Once I know what their intentions are, I can take in the note and make appropriate adjustments. As long as we don’t see it as “criticism” but as a “different direction,” there are no bad ideas. We have to try it out and find what’s the best for the film. Sometimes we feel defensive because we want to be seen or valued. It’s all ego and pride.
When someone who is starting out asks what they need to learn, what do you recommend?
People skills play an important role in filmmaking. We often spend over 10 hours a day in one place with the same team, so learning how to be a people person is a big win. Anyone can learn technical skills by reading books or attending school, but that’s not the same as real-world experience.
I’ve heard stories from other editors who say their assistant editors are good at their jobs but don’t know how to read the room or are being difficult. When people like to be around you, even if you are not so tech-savvy, you will be able to find work. The same thing applies to beginner editors as well.
