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Pierce Derks

Sundance: DP Pierce Derks on In a Violent Nature

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Writer/director Chris Nash’s horror film In a Violent Nature, which screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, tracks a ravenous zombie creature as it moves through a secluded forest. Produced by Shudder Films, it’s a twist on typical slasher movies in that the audience walks with the killer, not the victims, and therefore gets an unexpected perspective.

We spoke with cinematographer Pierce Derks about the process of making the film.

Pierce Derks

How early did you get involved on this film?
I was involved quite early in this project; before I was onboard as a DP, I was helping the team design their lookbooks when they were first pitching the film. I had also been hired to document the shoot as a behind-the-scenes documentarian. A different DP was attached at that point, but as the project evolved, scheduling conflicts emerged, and the original DP became unavailable, so they asked me to step in and take on the role.

How did you work with the director?
I’ve known Chris Nash for quite a while. We’ve worked on a lot of projects throughout the years, so we both know each other’s quirks and workflow. He can be very particular about the approach and visual language of a scene, but at the same time, he’s very open regarding lighting and individual compositions. Everyone was wearing multiple hats on-set to a certain extent, but especially Chris, as he was also doing a mix of prosthetic and practical effects. So being able to understand his intentions and goals for the scene was crucial in times when attentions were divided elsewhere leading up to a take.

What about the color and working with the colorist? What are some notes that you exchanged? Who was the colorist?
Our colorist was James Graham from Alter Ego in Toronto. He had been hearing about this project for a while from friends and was excited to work on it. In our first session, he showed us some of the scenes he had drafted on his own, and they were graded in the vein of a lot of modern horror movies. He had always heard this was a horror film, so you know, naturally he was anticipating that we would want a traditional horror look, with a lot of stylized color casts to scenes.

The scenes looked great, but ultimately that was not the movie we shot. We did not want to make the daytime woods feel artificially menacing; it was very important to us to maintain those natural tones of the forest and to have audience members make their own decisions about whether a particular shot was serene or sinister. Once we got him onboard with that idea, James was fantastic at helping enhance and balance the tones that were in the negative without outright replacing them.

What did you end up shooting on and why?
I researched a lot of different cameras in preproduction. We needed something small and lightweight enough to work with the camera stabilizer rig I had assembled, but it also couldn’t be too small or be missing critical features. Canon’s C70 emerged as the Goldilocks camera – it was just right. I loved the Super 35mm sensor, and its form factor was perfect for me as both the operator and the cinematographer. Paired with Canon FD glass, it gave us a look that felt neither too vintage nor too modern and clinical.

Pierce Derks

Can you talk lighting?
From a practical level, we didn’t want to drive a giant G&E truck on all these dirt back roads and have to hand-bomb tons of gear every day, so we figured out the bare essentials and had a smaller package of LEDs and a little 2k genny. We used that minikit for most of the remote nighttime photography.

We wanted things to fall off into darkness where appropriate and avoid the temptation to overly stylize the setups or overlight things. We also used a fair amount of harsh and grungy tungsten practicals for the artificial lighting. That lighting kind of gets sicker in every scene, culminating with the look of the wood shed sequence.

When it came to the daytime scenes, we definitely shaped the light to our advantage but tried to avoid oversoftening things. We wanted to capture the different tones from dawn to dusk as Johnny [the murderer] goes on his journey and not just stick with one soft, overcast look the whole time.

Are there some scenes that stick out as challenging? Can you talk about those?
Every scene had its own set of challenges. We rarely had traditional coverage, and there were a lot of 360-degree setups, so we could never get that comfortable or complacent in our approach.

The yoga sequence was maybe the most daunting as a whole, not necessarily from a cinematography stance but for its execution in general. The prosthetic team went above and beyond with a lot of finicky moving parts to manage. Nash and Fletcher Barret were doing most of the heavy lifting, sometimes literally, with the operation and puppeteering in that scene. I’ve filmed a lot of practical makeup effects for films and second unit over the years, and I have such respect for the craft. The effects artists truly give performances that take a while to fine-tune, but I think it’s so worth the time and effort for the visceral and tangible reaction they give an audience.

Looking back on the film, would you have done anything different?
It’s safe to say I would have done some things differently and would’ve liked to have gotten a few more takes on some shots, but I think everyone looking back on a project feels that way to a certain degree — especially when you end up watching things a hundred times in post and begin to lose context. Filmmaking is such a lighting-in-a bottle-type event, with everyone’s instincts gradually shifting day to day. If I shot the film this year, would it be different? Yes, but I don’t know if it would necessarily be better because of that. Overall, I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish.

Any tips for young cinematographers?
I cannot recommend enough spending time working in the AD department, especially as a third AD, regardless of what department you eventually want to specialize in. My experience working as a third was invaluable, as it taught me how every department operated, how long they need and, ultimately, what makes everyone’s job easier so they can perform at their best.

That time as an AD also helped me learn that you always need to keep the big picture in mind when shooting. It’s so easy to get fixated on every shot and want things to be perfect, but if you’re shooting a minor moment, sometimes it’s best to keep things moving so you can get through the day. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you have 10 minutes to shoot a critical moment for the film because you wasted an hour on a minor setup earlier in the day. You can’t be precious about every shot; it’s not a luxury most productions can afford, so focus on the moments that you know in your guts are important to the story, and give those the extra attention they deserve.

Sundance: The Editors of Participatory Doc Framing Agnes

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Framing Agnes, which premiered at this year’s Sundance, is a participatory documentary about the legacy of one trans woman. “Agnes” is the pioneering, pseudonymized, transgender woman who participated in Harold Garfinkel’s gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s.

Blending fiction and nonfiction, Framing Agnes director Chase Joynt aims to widen the window through which trans history is viewed — one that has remained too narrow to capture the multiplicity of experiences eclipsed by those of Agnes.

Brooke Sebold

The film, which features a lineup of trans stars and vintage reenactments, was shot by DP Aubree Bernier-Clarke using a Sony FS7 Series camera with Leica R lenses and edited by Brooke Stern Sebold and Cecilio Escobar on Adobe Premiere. Post was done at Picture Shop and Formosa.

We reached out to Escobar and Sebold to find out more about their process…

How early did you get involved on this film?
Brooke Stern Sebold: Framing Agnes is the feature expansion of our award-winning short, so I was signed onto this project before it was a project. In addition to editing, I served as co-producer and was involved in creative development through production and post.

Cecilio Escobar: I started in 2019, after I had edited a pitch video for Chase.

How did you work with Chase? What direction were you given for the edit?
Sebold: I’ve been collaborating with Chase for over 15 years, and Framing Agnes is our fourth film (and first feature) together. Our friendship predates our working relationship, and our working relationship is informed by our friendship. When Chase and I are deep in the edit, we are tuned into the same frequency, often struck by the same bolt of inspiration, and often relying on non-verbal communication and shared gut feelings. Our creative collaboration is built on trust and a mutual admiration for each other’s brains and perspectives. It’s a beautiful thing.

Cecilio Escobar

Escobar: At the beginning, Chase and I worked through drafts of different sections, and I’d send them over and then he’d have notes, or we’d meet up on Zoom. Later, we’d watch together (via Zoom) and stop and talk and adjust etc. Direction-wise, I was told to follow my gut. I was told what the film was about, and [the process of editing] was mostly intuitive.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging? How did you overcome that challenge?
Sebold: The most challenging sequence to cut was the first 10 minutes. Framing Agnes is a hybrid doc, and because of the experimental shape of our explorations, we knew that we had to anchor the viewer, narratively and visually, within those first 10 minutes. We recut that sequence a million times over, and I was always amazed by how altering the first 10 minutes shifted the entire feeling of our film. Unlocking that first sequence unlocked our whole movie.

Escobar: I think for me it was Henry’s story. It took a while for that one to come to a conclusion that felt satisfying

Brooke, we know you served as co-producer as well as editor, but did you wear more hats as well?
Sebold: I was heavily involved in creative development. I was also on set, serving as Chase’s second set of eyes while he was on camera and keeping tabs on all story threads to make sure we had everything we needed in the edit room.

Behind the Scenes: Framing Agnes

Can you talk about working on this during the pandemic?
Sebold: Chase and I were roommates in our early 20s, years before we became creative collaborators, and that relationship impacts how we work together. Typically, we choose to edit in an all-immersive environment that we refer to as “Edit Camp,” where Chase flies to LA and we cohabitate together, making delicious meals, processing the world and our current lives, and living inside our film.

The pandemic deprived us of this version of creative collaboration, which we both value so deeply. Zoom and technology proved to be a frustrating challenge, but ultimately, we found moments of creative inspiration and joy together, even if only virtually.

Escobar: It was hard not having Chase here, but we made it work. Some things are just way easier in person.

You guys cut on Premiere. Is there a tool you use within that system that most people might not know about?
Sebold: This isn’t exactly a hidden tool, but I color-code everything for organization. This helps me to visually identify particular themes or sequences in the film. Also, as a queer filmmaker, I always appreciate a rainbow of a timeline.

Escobar: I got one of those editing shuttles, and I love it! I can’t believe I’ve been editing so long without one.

How did you manage your time? 
Sebold: The pandemic (and perhaps turning 40) has made me acutely aware of sustainable work practices and maintaining my own work-life-art balance. I reserve mornings for my own writing practice, and I dive into editing in focused five-hour sessions afterward.

Escobar: I don’t [manage it]. I feel like I’m always working.

Did you guys have an assistant editor on this? Did they do more than technical work?
Sebold: We edited Framing Agnes over four years, and we went through a handful of AEs during that time. Competent and capable AEs often graduate into editing or move into consistent AE work on a show or with a company. Since our budget was low and our needs were sporadic, we did not have the luxury of one person committed to the project throughout, even though I wished for it regularly. I’m still in search of that person for future projects.

How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
Sebold: I am always upfront about my concerns around tight timeframes or limitations of the footage. In the instance of Framing Agnes, producer Sam Curley is my producer on a number of my own projects, so we have a strong, established communication style. We also communicate regularly – sometimes around my potential concerns, but more frequently around the ways in which we can support Chase.

Escobar: This didn’t really come up for me. I think I only had to say once that I couldn’t do something, and only because I only had a few days left before the film was going to the post house.

How do you manage expectations or try everything they ask of you?
Sebold: I communicate openly, and I accomplish what’s possible in the given timeframe and save the rest for another day because my first priority is to myself and my health. I’ve experienced burnout once before, during which time I fell out of love with editing and filmmaking. I love my art and myself too much to threaten that devotion with a failure to communicate my needs and set boundaries.

Escobar: I do like trying everything, because you never know! Even if it doesn’t work, it could lead to other ideas. Chase didn’t really have any far-out expectations.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas (good and bad)?
Sebold: This depends entirely on who is delivering the criticism. If I trust the person and the intention behind it, I am extremely open to it and will try different versions of fixes, even if I disagree with the note. Once I’ve seen it enacted, then I’ll make a choice as to whether it works for me, and I’ll share my POV with the director. If I receive a note from a producer or director that I don’t agree with, I’ll try it and explain why I disagree. Usually, we’ll work toward a solution that satisfies both of us.

If the note is coming from someone who I sense is trying to tell the story their own way instead of supporting the story we’re trying to tell, then I’ll sit with it for a while. But ultimately, I trust my gut and let it go if it doesn’t feel right for our story. And sometimes still, a bad note is pointing toward a different problem, and I’ll try to identify the note behind the note. Giving and receiving notes is an art unto itself, and in all instances, I don’t take it personally.

Escobar: I have learned not to take it personally. I like throwing as many ideas out there as I can, never knowing what’s gonna work or what will evolve from it. And usually the bad ideas don’t work, so once you show them that, you’re sorta proved right (laughs).

Finally, any tips for those just starting out?
Sebold: Cut as much as you possibly can, and cut for emotion.

Escobar: Yes! Edit everything you can. Don’t work for free. And don’t be a jerk. Your reputation is just as important as your skills.

Sundance 2022: Lam Nguyen on Editing Comedy/Thriller Emergency

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The film Emergency, which premiered at this year’s Sundance, is a dark comedy/thriller about two best friends who are thesis students attending a mostly white university. Kunle is focused on his academics, while Sean is more laid back and focused on one last night of partying before they graduate.

Kunle and Sean, who are black, run into a complicated situation before their night begins when they find a white girl (Emma) passed out on their living room floor. Kunle wants to call 911, but Sean doesn’t because he fears the worst scenario could happen — they would not get the benefit of the doubt from the police. They are accompanied by a third friend, Carlos, who often helps bring levity to moments of drama.

Emergency

Lam Nguyen

“The film is really a love story between Kunle and Sean and how their different views force tough choices during this wild night,” says the film’s editor, Lam Nguyen, who cut last year’s Sundance film R#J. Emergency was directed by Carey Williams (who directed R#J) and shot by DP Michael Dallatorre.

Let’s find out more…

How early did you get involved on this film?
I was involved early, before the production even started. Carey and I discussed a lot about what’s more important to capture and what’s extra — things that would be great options to have. I was assembling the edit daily while they were filming in Atlanta. This gave us the flexibility to stay on top of what was working and what might be needed to save any pickup shoots during post.

What direction were you given for the edit? How often was Carey taking a look at your cut?
This is my second collaboration with Carey Williams. We aligned immediately on what the film should be, which was this love story between our primary characters. Although there are sensitive themes that we touch upon, we wanted to make sure the edit was perfectly balanced between comedy and drama. The main key was to focus on Kunle and Sean’s relationship and to experience their arc by the end of the journey.

Carey didn’t look at any cuts during production. He trusted what was needed, and so I was able to assemble the first edit on my own. Then I shared the first draft a week after production wrapped, and we moved forward from there in refining the story together.

Emergency

Lam Nguyen and director Carey Williams

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
One of the most challenging scenes was in Terence’s apartment, where Maddie (Emma’s sister) and her friends arrived and almost got to Emma before the boys drove off. We were concerned with the timing for the comedic punchline and the dramatic moment when Maddie could have gotten to her sister in time. How long do we stay in the comedy, and when do we move forward with the drama?

We were bouncing in and out of the scene so much initially that it felt disorienting. So we ended up focusing on the boys in the apartment first. Getting that scene right for the comedic moment all way to the end when they take off.

We would use the apartment scene as the baseline and insert Maddie’s arrival and POV to break up the scene. Usually things come in threes, right? So we challenged ourselves to cut to Maddie only three times before the boys took off to make the timing believable. It was very rewarding when we finally found the right combination.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
I was glad to be able to wear only one hat on this project, which was editing and making the best out of the film — especially with this challenge of drama, thriller and comedy. This allowed me to spend more quality time with the footage and the scenes to balance these emotional moments as best as possible.

Can you talk about working during the pandemic? How did that affect the workflow?
I’ve gotten used to it, especially with my experience on R#J with Carey last year. This required a lot more communication to address notes and scenes, but that helped me understand tendencies from the director and allowed me to make my edits more spot-on to save any extra time for revisions.

I think working remotely is also beneficial. I’m able to save two to three hours of traffic time in LA and use that time more efficiently on crafting a story. It feels like we were able to achieve a lot more each day. I’ll admit that there’s nothing like being in person and feeling the creative juices flowing to fix a scene right on the spot, and there will be a hybrid of that for future filmmaking. The time spent putting the first couple drafts together remotely definitely got the movie much further along before working closely with the director to refine the story.

What system did you use to cut?
Adobe Premiere Pro.

Is there a tool within that system that most people might not know about that you use?
This was my first experience working through the cloud with Adobe, using Amazon AWS system. I didn’t realize Adobe had a feature called Premiere Pro Productions. This is where my assistant editors and I were able to access the same projects simultaneously and keep our projects up to date seamlessly.

How did you manage your time?
I used to be really bad at managing time. As an editor, you often get so wrapped in the project that you don’t realize you’ve been at it for 12 hours. I’ve learned to balance my days better and to have more energy so that I can be more effective creatively. So I often work in four-hour chunks and try to keep it to 10 hours maximum.

However, I hate feeling behind, and I’ve learned that you can get a lot more done when you are less fatigued and that it’s okay to save it for the next day – unless there’s a deadline (laughs).

You mentioned having assistant editors. How did you work with them? Do you see them as only technical or as creative collaborators?
I had two assistant editors on this. Jaime Blanco, who handled the majority of the work from the beginning, and Darnell Stalworth, who jumped in later in the game to handle VFX duties.

Emergency

Lam Nguyen’s edit space

Jaime was great. Very organized and on top of everything. I see roles for assistant editors as collaborators. I believe in fresh eyes and often would get his input on scenes that I put together. I would have him cut some scenes together as well. I think that involving AEs creatively helps make a much better product in the end.

Darnell was great as well and very patient in handling VFX duties that could become very burdensome. I would also get his inputs on scenes along with VFX ideas to help improve a shot.

How do you manage expectations with reality/what can really be done?
I usually address all producers notes and will be honest in the feedback if it is not working. But if a note doesn’t work, I still try to address it by doing something different with it. I think that’s what helps meet producers’ expectations — give them something unexpected as well. It was an organic process to find something new in scene that often works better.

I usually will take a day after the notes meeting to let it sink in. Play the scenarios in my head throughout the day and come in fresh the next day to work the notes.

If there’s something I feel strongly about, I respond by showing versions of the scene to compare and decide which works better. Often it’s a mesh between two ideas that solves the puzzle.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of other’s ideas (good and bad)?
At times it can be sensitive because you’ve worked on something that you hope works. Truth of the matter is, I’ve grown, and I am not defensive anymore. I’ve learned that feedback is really to help make the story better and not an attack on the work. I approach feedback with an open mind and am a big believer in fresh eyes. Editors can be too wrapped in the footage, and often you catch something new from an idea that you never thought of.

Finally, any tips for those just starting out?
I would say everything is more accessible now. You don’t need a big, expensive computer to make a movie. I’ve been able to create stories all from my laptop.

Storytelling is all about feelings. We cry, we laugh, we embrace; try not to be afraid and voice what you believe in. Allow your passion to resonate through your edit. I often say, “Edit with emotions.” Keep an open mind because there are so many combinations to craft a story — the question is which one makes it best for the story?

 

 

Directing and Shooting Philly D.A. Docuseries

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Philly D.A., which premiered at this year’s Sundance, is a docuseries that follows radical civil rights attorney Larry Krasner as he leads a group of activists attempting to end mass incarceration by taking over the district attorney’s office in Philadelphia.

Philly D.A. filmmakers (L-R) Ted Passon, Nicole Salazar and Yoni Brook.

“We spent three years filming Krasner’s team trying to reinvent the system,” explains Yoni Brook, who co-directed the project with Ted Passon. “Most films about political candidates end on election night. For us, that’s when the real story began. What kind of change is really possible?”

The other challenge, according to Brook, was figuring out how to make a legal drama thriller without shooting inside a courtroom, because filming in courtrooms is banned in Pennsylvania. “We decided to use this restriction to our creative advantage,” he explains. “There are so many courtroom dramas, but we had never seen a policy drama. Those behind-closed-doors meetings are crucial to understanding how the system of mass incarceration works in the United States. This meant we had to make the meetings inside a DAs office exciting and immersive, which often meant shooting with super-long lenses (even when only a few feet from characters) and keeping our lenses right at our character’s eye level, even for hours of shooting.”

Yoni Brook shooting inside Krasner’s offices.

Because of these shooting constraints, Brook knew he needed a small crew in order to get access into DA’s offices, police cars and other private situations, and that meant the need to wear a few different hats. “I was not only the DP but the co-director, embedded into scenes where our entire crew was two people.”

Let’s find out more from Brook…

What were some of the most challenging parts of the project?
I wanted to put our audience in the seats of the most powerful people in the justice system: the prosecutors. They operate behind closed doors, and our cinematography was an opportunity to pierce that bubble. As an observational docuseries, this project involved shooting nearly a thousand hours of intense meetings. Our scenes unfolded in ugly conference rooms with no opportunity to change the lighting.

To create a feeling of intimacy, I rested the camera on my hip pouch during long meetings to be at the same eye level as the people gathered around the conference tables. It was essential for me and co-creators Ted Passon and Nicole Salazar, who often operated sound, to be in creative sync while being completely silent. That meant often just using eye movement and tracking the boom mic.

For our cityscape scenes that showcase Philadelphia, I wanted to stay away from drones and instead used vintage telephoto zooms to achieve the deep focus of a classic observational documentaries, like Streetwise and The War Room.

With a small crew and limited space, what did you end up shooting with?
We shot on Canon C300 Mark II and did a few exterior sequences on the Red Gemini. We needed a camera system that was high-quality enough to make dingy fluorescent lighting look good without being super-heavy. I was often hand-holding for eight hours a day for over 500 shoot days. No EZ rigs or camera support, except for my trusty hip pouch, which was ideal for resting the camera on while filming at eye level for people sitting around conference tables.

Can you talk lenses and lighting?
It was all about minimalism. We often could not control lighting. I would try to turn off overhead lights that were hurting us and try to use windows when they were available, but that was secondary to not disturbing the scene. We shot everything with stock-still Canon EF lenses and vintage Canon zooms for exteriors.

How did you work with the colorist? Was it all remote?
We worked with Natacha Ikoli at Nice Dissolve. We worked remotely via Blackmagic Resolve, and it worked well, using color-calibrated monitors as well as iPads for reference. (Check out our interview with Ikoli from earlier in the year.)

Larry Krasner

Looking back on the film, would you have done anything different?
It’s hard for me to watch it because I still want to make changes. I would have loved to have gone deeper into the mechanics of the DA’s office and judicial system — the people who are out of public view — the security guards, maintenance engineers, paralegals, the career civil servants and attorneys. We meet some of them in the docuseries, but I would love to explore more of the less-public side of public institutions.

Finally, any tips for young cinematographers?
Don’t try to “make a reel” to impress people with technical skills or exotic locations. Make work that you are passionate about and that reflects your values. Sharing that work will set you apart.

Sundance Q&A: Philly D.A. Colorist Natacha Ikoli

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For 30 years, civil rights attorney Larry Krasner called out policies that led Philadelphia to become the major city in America with the most incarcerations. More than 75 times, he sued police officers who perpetuated corruption and brutality. This made him an unlikely candidate for district attorney, but in 2017 he launched an election campaign that promised to reform the system. After winning office, Krasner set out to revolutionize his city’s criminal justice system from the inside.

Philly D.A., whose first two episodes premiered at Sundance this year, is a docuseries that follows Krasner and his team over the course of his first two years as district attorney. Over eight episodes, viewers get a front-row seat on their efforts to change the culture at the DA’s office and the challenges they face in doing so.

      
L-R: Ted Passon, Nicole Salazar and Yoni Brook

Directors/creators Ted Passon, Yoni Brook and Nicole Salazar spent three years following Krasner and his team as they set out to revolutionize the city’s criminal justice system from the inside.

In order to get access to the DA’s offices, police cars and other intimate situations, the filmmakers needed a small crew to shoot the footage. It just made sense that in addition to directing, Brook should also be the project’s main DP. To help provide a look for the footage, which was captured on a variety of different cameras, Brook and Passon called on colorist Natacha Ikoli, who worked with Brooklyn-based post house Nice Dissolve on the project. We reached out to her to find out how she worked on Philly D.A.

How early did you get involved in the film, and how did that help?
Pierce Varous at Nice Dissolve contacted me. As a longtime collaborator, he knows that I have a soft spot for documentary films with audacious content and that I relish the kind of creativity that documentaries demand from me. He also knows that I can handle the variety of source material without difficulty. He had me liaison with the creative team at the final stage of editing, and this allowed for a conversation on looks and visual intentions and provided time to design a workflow for remote color grading.

Philly D.A.

Like with many documentaries, multiple cameras, archival material and creating a unifying world are the main challenges, but this year working remotely meant the more time we had ahead of the finishing to prepare, the better we could establish a system that allowed for some supervised sessions.

What direction were you given on the film?
The main direction was to create a vivid world to balance the monotony of office spaces without being too stylized. Additionally, because visuals were captured over the course of many months on different cameras mixed with archival material, one of the key guidelines was to unify and create a distinct universe for the series. The narrative in itself is very dense and has some tragic storylines for the viewer to connect with. During early conversations it was agreed that color should be a complement to understanding another aspect of the story by bringing an uplifting dimension instead of hammering the viewer with heavy shadows, desaturated looks and gloomy overtones.

My approach for documentary films is to build a look based on what the directors want to convey in terms of emotions and moods. This is often something that transpires from conversations about what the overall intentions are and how each specific scene will build the dramatic tension. No look book was used in this case, as part of the collaboration was to embrace the idea of experimenting and starting with no preconceived concepts.

How do you prefer getting info on how they want the project to look?
The most effective way I have found is to have a discussion about what the director likes. It’s always easier to describe what someone doesn’t like, but it takes longer to decode and capture what inspires, especially in the language of color, which is so very subjective. That’s when film references and stills become useful, because I now have a sense of what moves the director, how they view palettes and what stands out to them in a piece.

Director/DP Yoni Brook with camera

It’s really deciphering and creating a common language, since all artists have very unique ways of talking about color and describing it. Before I see anything, I need to get a sense that I understand how they talk about colors, time of day, moods and tones. I also find that too many film references can sometimes short-circuit the creative process. References can be good jumping-off point, but I never find them to be liberating. In fact, in many cases they can become a creative wall. The color process is a verbal process for me — to capture the intentions of the film and the emotions needed, I need to understand how the directors communicate colors and the intangible world that surrounds them.

How do you prefer to work with the DP/director? How often are you showing them your work?
When collaboration with the directors and DP starts during production, it means I can provide feedback on how the camera will perform with the palette and mood the team wants to create. Giving creative input early on before edit is locked saves time during color — especially because color can be a visceral process wherein something that felt beautiful one day feels dull under different viewing conditions. So it is really important to let the image set a bit, like in painting.

Then, once we are in the middle of the grading process, keeping the team involved by posting stills and passes on a daily basis is paramount to good communication. We need to make sure that we are all aware of how the color is evolving and where we were and where we are heading with the palette. Using Frame.io and PDF contact sheets allows the team to monitor progress, and sometimes we end up back where we started after a little exploration. And versioning really helps keep track of what worked and what didn’t. Of course, being together during supervised sessions using remote grading is crucial at the beginning, halfway through and toward the final steps of grading. But there are really precious moments when I can work uninterrupted and embrace the flow of the grade and not think about it too much.

Can you talk about working during COVID?
I invested in a system composed of a DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel, an HP DreamColor monitor and a Blackmagic eGPU. The directors were able to supervise through remote grading while watching on a calibrated Flanders monitor, so we were physically apart but together during live sessions.

The 27-inch HP DreamColor Z27x G2 comes equipped with an integrated pop-up sensor that calibrates the display on demand or on a regular schedule. 

Can you give us an example of a note you got about the color?
For this piece, a lot of notes were related to the quality of light and temperature. A lot of the action is taking place in conference rooms or outside with natural light. Conference rooms tend to have fluorescent lights, which affect different skin tones very differently, so it was agreed upon early on that we would pay particular attention to the intensity of the brightness and the temperature of those lights.

Any challenging scenes on this one that you can point to?
Challenges often occur in scenes where there are multiple skin tones involved, and this piece has many group scenes with diverse-looking subjects. The grade might work on one person but be inadequate for the person sitting next to them.

Is there a tool you used a lot on this one?
Within Resolve, I used the RGB mixer, disabling the “luminance preserve” to control each color output.  I also used the layer mixer to add and subtract channels as needed for this piece because the team really wanted to render people’s skin tones as accurately as possible. This method gave me the most control without compromising on the overall vividness of the piece.

Main Image: Colorist Natacha Ikoli

Sundance Q&A: Cryptozoo Editor Lance Edmands

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Ever wonder if there was a generic name for mythical creatures like a unicorn, the Loch Ness monster or Sasquatch? Well, there is, and it’s cryptids … and they play a large role in the film Cryptozoo, which premiered at Sundance this year

This fantastical animated feature for adults was directed by animator Dash Shaw and takes viewers on a journey toward multispecies justice. Focusing on these mysterious creatures and where they fit into society, Cryptozoo explores the complex relationship between idealism, utopian visions, the call to duty and the alluring power of controlling dreams.

Editor Lance Edmands

Lance Edmands was editor on the film along with Alex Abrahams, both of whom worked with Shaw before. We reached out to Edmands, who got involved at the script stage, to talk about the process of editing an animated feature.

How did you work with the director? How often was he taking a look at your cut?
Cryptozoo was totally unique from a post standpoint. It was almost more of a collage process than an editorial one. We didn’t have traditional “footage” to work with; we had pieces of animation. But it was much more than just putting those pieces together. We would actually rewrite the movie as we went along.

Based on how I’d manipulate these chunks of animation, speed them up, slow them down, crop out sections — Dash would redraw characters, change the dialogue, swap backgrounds, etc. The film was always evolving. Editorial was going at the same time that the animation was being done and voice recordings were being made, so editing and production were really happening simultaneously. I’d be positing bits and pieces as we went along.

The process was very back-and-forth over the course of almost five years. It takes a really long time to paint and draw. Another editor also worked on the project, Alex Abrahams. He was present throughout the process and was key to keeping the workflow going over such a long period of time.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
There is an action scene in the film that takes place in Russia and is supposed to feel like Indiana Jones, with the chaos of several competing groups going after the same McGuffin. It was super-difficult to parse all the various motivations and double-crosses, but Dash said it didn’t matter — it was supposed to be confusing and nonsensical to the audience. So I gave up trying to make sense of it and structured it so you just watch all these awesome images, soak in John Kirby’s amazing score and go along for the ride.

Director Dash Shaw

I succumbed to the idea that the dream logic at the core of the movie was more important than being super-clear about all the backstories. That said, I do feel like we made enough changes to that section that you can actually follow what’s happening on your fourth of fifth watch, once the technicolor euphoria wears off. Working with Dash taught me that sometimes it’s more rewarding to sacrifice story clarity for dream logic and hazy associations. It makes for a trippier, more engaging experience and, ultimately, one that is more truthful to what the film is about.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
This was so unconventional that I’d almost describe my role as a story fabricator rather than an editor. I’d take the various pieces and assemble them according to a blueprint and a vision, but it was up to me how they moved in concert.

For example, the audio recordings of actors were all recorded separately, so the entire rhythm and emotional temperature of the scenes were created in post. If I felt like a beat was missing, I’d suggest dialogue changes and Dash would go and rewrite and re-record. This allowed us to alter the meaning of scenes as we put the pieces together.

The voice performances were like these little shards of emotion that could be rearranged and recontextualized, much more so than with live action because it was totally disconnected from the visual element. The characters’ lip sync was the very last step of the process, so we could adjust timing up until the last minute. It was like adding another plane or dimension to what you have control over as an editor.

Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, how did that affect the workflow?
Dash and the animation director and producer, Jane Samborski, were in Richmond. I was in Brooklyn, and Alex was sometimes in New York and sometimes traveling. So we were all over the place, and all of the collaboration was done over the computer for the most part. I was only in Virginia once before the pandemic hit, so it was about 90% remote. But Dash usually works that way anyway because he has people from all over the world painting backgrounds and creating other visual elements.

One of the awesome things about this project was that, while everything else was frozen, we just kept chugging along. I was so grateful to have a project to work on when the entire film industry had shut down. The film is so epic in scale, but we actually made this in our various bedrooms and home offices.

Lance Edmands

What system did you use to cut and why?
Adobe Premiere. I learned on Final Cut Pro, but when Apple decided to redesign the whole thing, I didn’t have the patience to learn a whole new concept of time. Premiere had a setting that mimicked the FCP keyboard shortcuts. Premiere integrates so well with Photoshop and After Effects, which tend to get used on every project and were integral to Cryptozoo.

Is there a tool you use within that system that most people might not know about?
One of the things I used a lot was the text tool for overlays so that we could ID all of the shots. That was specific to our process and essential for passing things back and forth.

How did you manage your time?
There was a lot of passing back and forth, with lots of down time while animation changes were being made. We had a shared Dropbox for when the new renders would come out. Then I would download the new pieces and keep going. It wasn’t a sprint; it was more like a marathon of incremental movements. I loved that element of it because it gave me time to work on my other projects and allowed lot of new ideas to find their way into the film over many years. I love a long, slow post process.

Did you have an assistant editor on this?
There was no assistant on this project, but Alex was able to do a lot of the assembly, organizing and ingesting, which helped tremendously with the workflow. We worked together on Dash’s previous film, My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, so we’d figured out a lot of the kinks in this process and had a good idea of how to best organize the project.

How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
There were a lot of free-flowing discussions throughout the process, and we were always adjusting our goals. It had to be that way. But Jane Samborski came up with a really intricate system that tracked every element of every shot in a spreadsheet that was constantly updating. I didn’t even fully understand her system myself, but I completely trusted that the animation team had everything under control and would finish the renders when they said they would.

I was really impressed with her system when she showed it to me. This was born out of our previous collaboration on Dash’s first film, My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, which was a much more freewheeling and chaotic process. By the time we were about to begin work on Cryptozoo, it was clear that a more refined workflow was needed. On this film the expectations and deadlines were all managed really well. Of course, there are always some last-minute crunches, but that would be true of any project.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of other’s ideas (good and bad)?
My favorite part of filmmaking is the collaborative part, so I don’t take any kind of negative feedback personally. I take it as a challenge. When I feel passionate about my ideas, I’ll definitely fight for them, but in the end, I trusted Dash’s vision because I respect him so much as an artist. He’s a sort of genius, in my opinion. There are things in the movie I don’t agree with and wanted to be different, but that’s part of the game. And with art, there is no correct answer anyway; it’s not an algorithm or an equation. That’s what I love about it.

When someone who is starting out asks what they should learn, what do you recommend?
Learn them all, if possible! Because a lot of times, someone will come to you with a cool project and you don’t always have the clout or the time to get them to migrate the whole project over to your system of choice. You kind of have to roll with it. When I cut on Avid, it’s like I’m batting left-handed. I learned to be a switch hitter, but I’m weaker on the left side, and sometimes you have to step into the other batter’s box. You have to be able to do that as an editor. You might be a little slower, which can be frustrating, but in the end, your creative goals are the same. It’s just the tools that are different.

 

 

Sundance Q&A: Rebel Hearts DP Emily Topper

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During the 1960s, a tight-knit group of progressive nuns in Hollywood discarded their habits and gleefully oversaw a radical women’s college grounded in social activism.

DP Emily Topper

Drawing from a trove of great archival material, including exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with several subjects who have passed away, Rebel Hearts tells the story of these nuns who made waves in the Catholic Church and eventually had to break away and start an independent community.

It was directed by Pedro Kos, with new footage shot by cinematographer Emily Topper, and it was edited by Kos, Erin Barnett, Yaniv Elani and Ondine Rarey using Avid Media Composer. To find out more about the shoot, we spoke to Topper about her process on the documentary film.

How early did you get involved on this film?
I started working on this film after Pedro Kos came on board as director, around 2017, although I was not the cinematographer on every shoot. Many of the original interviews in the movie were shot over the past 20 years on a variety of formats by DP Clay Westervelt working with Shawnee Isaac Smith.

Emily Topper shooting footage

How did you work with the director?
Pedro and I have been working together for several years, so we just built on that. We share a sensibility and have a shorthand for talking through scenes.

Can you talk about doing camera tests, and what did you end up shooting on and why?
We didn’t do any camera tests. Pedro and (producer) Judy Korin were going for a very simple, low-key, natural style, so we just kept things simple and mainly talked about the story needs and character dynamics before each scene.

We shot on Canon C300 Mark II for its size and low cost. We had to have a minimal amount of gear to stay nimble and low-profile so as to be intimate and non-intrusive with our subjects.

Can you talk lenses and lighting?
We shot on Canon L series lenses (zooms and primes) because they are affordable and because I could be very self-sufficient while working with them, keeping three of them on my person at a time in various bags strapped around my torso.

We did minimal lighting. Maybe we had one Kino Diva light for an interview, but we always used it in a way that would be very discreet.

Are there some scenes that stick out as challenging?
The main challenge was earning the trust of the community and shooting scenes with them in a way that did not interrupt their life too much.

During the course of the shoot, they faced some painful challenges — members passing away, a natural disaster — and I think it was a tough time to have a documentary crew in the mix. We had to keep a very low profile for many scenes.

Director Pedro Kos

How did you work with the colorist? Was it all remote?
Luke Cahill was the colorist, and grading was done entirely remotely. Even for an initial in-person session to set looks, Pedro was in the theater at Different by Design, and Luke was in his home studio working remotely. Luke used Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve.

For the remaining color sessions, producer Judy Korin worked remotely in real time with Luke via a SetStream feed on an iPad Pro. Final color sessions and approvals were all done remotely because of the increasingly concerning COVID situation in Los Angeles.

Any tips for young cinematographers working on docs?
If you want to shoot intimate, verité scenes, work on having a very streamlined approach that lets you be very self-sufficient while shooting. It’s important to have everything you need on you at all times so you don’t have to interrupt a scene too much to swap a lens or change a battery. Also, use fast prime lenses as often as possible.

Sundance Q&A: Searchers DPs Daniel Claridge and Martin DiCicco

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In the Sundance documentary film Searchers, director Pacho Velez asks a very diverse set of New Yorkers what their preferred dating apps are and what sort of experiences they’ve had while searching for that special someone. The doc was shot — around the city and in people’s apartments — by DPs Daniel Claridge and Martin DiCicco.

Daniel Claridge

Let’s find out more about the shoot.

How early did you get involved on this film?
Daniel Claridge: I was involved with the project from the beginning, when we were starting to explore how to bring the world of online dating to life. One of the film’s striking conceits — that an audience observes (and in some ways, participates in) a person’s browsing session — emerged only after a series of visual experiments that got us really excited.

One of the clearest benefits of working together early on was that the cinematography was able to inform the essential concept of the film, when it’s (too) often only the other way around.

Martin DiCicco: Pacho and I met at UnionDocs. We were both fans of each other, but we really connected through director Brett Story. I think maybe he liked my work on her film, The Hottest August, perhaps seeing a similar, roving practice of filming the absurd in NYC. Our way of personalizing it for Pacho roaming the streets became a sort of skeleton connecting each “searcher.” I think he also liked that I’m so used to working alone on my own films, that I am very good with improvisation, being uncomfortable and carrying gear without complaint.

Martin DiCicco

How did you work with Pacho? What direction were you given?
DiCicco: One thing Pacho had discussed was a desire for uniformity in visual framing, so as to mimic the dating profiles people were swiping through — as if we the audience are viewing all the interviewees as potential matches.

Claridge: Pacho and I have now worked together on a few projects, all of which share a basic formal approach that involves capturing extended portraits of people and places with mostly natural light and an unobtrusive footprint. As a result, I’ve developed a pretty good understanding of Pacho’s sensibilities.

This project had the luxury of being shot systematically, which meant that Pacho could also be very involved in the cinematography.  So on set it was really a collaborative process of crafting compositions together.

What about the color? Was it all remotely?
Claridge: I did the color work on the film, as well as the overlay animations. (I used Blackmagic Resolve for the color and Adobe After Effects for the animation.) This had the benefit of allowing us to tweak the elements (production footage, animations, color) in parallel up until the delivery. It also meant that we could do the finishing work together in an apartment, which was really important.

What did you end up shooting on and why? 
DiCicco: Like many documentaries, this was shot on whatever we could get our hands on, and, fortunately, Pacho had a kit already with the Canon C300 Mark II and Zeiss 28-80mm compact zoom. The C300 has been a stalwart of many docs I’ve shot over the last few years, giving it a super-sharp, nice big-barreled zoom to shoot through. It produces very nice and what some may call “buttery” images.

You guys used a teleprompter?
Claridge: At the very beginning, we knew we wanted the intimate effect of having subjects speak directly to the lens, so the use of a teleprompter was always part of the set up. But it took a few experiments before we landed on the novel idea of using the teleprompter to project a browsing session rather than an interviewer’s face. Then we went through a variety of technical iterations to figure out the most seamless way of simultaneously operating, projecting and capturing the mobile apps through a laptop computer.

On this film, the lens was a kind of two-way portal, as it also served as the backplate on which the subjects’ dating profiles were projected (using the teleprompter). There’s an intimacy and distortion inherent to that shared usage, complicated by the fact that subjects are then looking at profile pictures taken by cameras and designed to be viewed through screens.

So the visual choices, from the balanced compositions to the wider focal lengths, were all intended to service this sense of refraction, both as a stylistic statement and as a bit of a metaphor for how online dating operates through a skein of lenses and screens.

Can you talk lighting?
DiCicco: Much of the lighting was improvised based on whatever practicals or “encountered lighting” were available in each person’s home. We had a small kit of LEDs, variously using lamps from LiteMat and Litepanels, and the approach was mostly to supplement their home lighting rather than create something artificial.

For the exteriors, we shot all over the city in public spaces, parks, sidewalks, without any permits or crew of more than four, which is always difficult when you want to control natural light. But we mostly used overhead silks and bounces. And, as always on exteriors, negative fill is your friend.

Are there some scenes that stick out as challenging? Can you talk about those?
DiCicco: I’m sure he may demur, but I think there was a considerable debate about how much to show Pacho’s own identity as a “searcher” and for him to step in front of the camera.

Claridge: Another recurring production challenge was remotely operating the apps smooth enough to serve as an actual browsing session.

Looking back on the film, would you have done anything different?
Claridge: There are always small things to obsess over in retrospect, but what I really enjoyed about this project was that for most of it — with the striking exception of Martin’s observational footage — we didn’t have to run and gun. So once we understood how the film was going to work visually, we had the time and space to shoot in a very deliberate way, meaning there was less room for regrets after the fact.

Any tips for young cinematographers?
DiCicco: Be someone who is pleasant to be around on set; it’ll be one of your greatest assets.

Claridge: It’s easy to forget that filmmaking (especially doc cinematography) is super physical, so get comfortable carrying heavy stuff and standing in awkward positions for long stretches. It’s worth the discomfort to make a great movie.

Sundance Q&A: Mass Editor Yang-Hua Hu

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The Sundance film Mass, written by first-time director Fran Kranz, follows two sets of parents who meet again several years after they lose their sons in a school shooting. It explores the process of grieving and finding forgiveness in the wake of tragedy. Starring Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney and Ann Dowd, Mass was shot by cinematographer Ryan Jackson-Healy and edited by Yang-Hua Hu. We recently checked in with the editor shortly after the film made its Sundance premiere.

How early did you get involved on this film?
I got involved after they finished production in December 2019. A close friend of mine, editor Mary Chin, reached out to me and connected me with Fran. After reading the script, I immediately scheduled a date to meet up with him. During our conversation, I found that he wanted to tell this timely story for all the right reasons. I liked his ideas and direction of the film. We clicked right away, and weeks later, the editing started.

Yang-Hua Hu

What direction did Fran give for the edit? And how often was he looking at your cuts?
We cut the film from my home office. In the beginning, he would send his notes and original ideas of the scenes via email. I followed his thoughts to finish the first pass of the film. Later, he started to visit me two to three times a week. We worked intensely for about two months and then had our first test screening.

He wanted to have fewer cuts and mostly one take to open the film, beginning wide and stable. He wanted to let the audience slowly enter the world from a safe distance and keep the mystery and suspense before our heroes enter the room.

After our four main characters sit down, we start to unravel the story and see what this is truly about. In addition, he focused on the actors’ performances. He knew this was a character-driven story, and he wanted to make sure we brought out the best of their work throughout the film. I agreed with him strongly.

How would you describe the edit?
Mass is a powerful, meaningful and timely fictional narrative. After reading the script, I immediately thought I would focus on the characters themselves. I wanted to make sure each character had their own arc when they entered the room. Each character’s story should be intertwined during the stage-like conversation throughout the film. I mainly wanted to be true to the intimacy of the film and to make sure our viewers were able to understand the two sets of parents’ situations and grow with them.

I let the footage speak to me. I didn’t want to force a cut. If the take could survive without a cut, I would keep it going. I tried to use the long takes to cover the whole scene in the beginning and during some intimate, personal and silent moments throughout the film. I also use it for our characters when they have a long monologue.

Using the long takes, I hope to make the viewers feel like they’re in the moment with the characters — breaking the editing rhythm. I know sometimes long takes can be showy and distracting, however, I trusted our footage and our talented actors.

Fran’s writing is well structured in that he knows where and when he wants his characters to go during this journey. In the first half of the film, the four characters are doing a dance — two steps forward and one step backward. Sometimes the dance is a loop with no exit. There is hesitation and uncertainty, which I find intriguing. The script gives the bones of the characters. I use reactions and silent moments to fill up the blood — their essence and this building pressure. You can’t see the blood from the outside, but you can feel it during those silent moments and reactions. It’s like an invisible balloon in the room and we never know when it is going to pop. I think the impact of the words requires not only actors who can deliver the subtext but partners on the other side to listen and react. To keep all of them in the moment, I would cut to other actors’ reactions because that offers more than one interpretation of the lines. We have a fantastic ensemble cast, and I’m fortunate that I could explore the possibilities in their work.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging? If so, why? And how did you overcome that challenge?

(Spoiler Alert)
In the film, there is an area where we cut to a field after Jay (Jason Isaacs) can no longer hold back bursting out in anger about the shooting. After he finally collapses, we cut to black, bring back the field, and the film ratio changes from 1.85 to 2.4.

We worked on this area for a really long time. We kept going back to revisit this area. This moment is the climax of our film. We treat it carefully because we don’t want to risk becoming indulgent. Originally, the plan was to stay on the field the whole time during Jay’s emotional speech. The reason behind this was to give our characters privacy. As the story was fiction, but based in reality for many, we wanted to present this carefully and did not want to go with a traditional style of showing flash cuts of the tragedy. We knew this was a risk and hoped it would work.

However, after the test screening, our viewers wanted to see more than just the field. We decided to bring Jay’s image back instead of staying in the field and found that was tricky. The read we liked from Jay was cut together precisely to work with our field image. To come back to the room, we would need to rediscover and find the balance between what we want and what the audience expects.

Meanwhile, we only had one or two takes of other characters during this moment, and we needed to find the right place to shift the film ratio. It was a challenge to make this work, and we thought we found the right balance for this artistic moment after months of exploring.

Is the Sundance cut the “final” cut, or will more editing happen after the festival?
I believe this is our final cut. As a filmmaker, you always want to do a little change here and there, but we know we are too close to the project. We do not want to ruin a single moment if everything else works. We believe what we have now is the right blend between our original intention and the viewer’s expectation.

Was the edit done during the pandemic?
Yes, it was. I was already cutting from home, and mostly our notes were exchanged between email, texts and calls to begin with. So after the pandemic hit, the only downside was that we couldn’t work together in person, and I couldn’t quickly show him something on the screen. Thankfully, the movie was in good shape before the pandemic; we only had a few scenes needing some rework. Due to our personal schedules, we were on and off during 2020. It didn’t impact us too much, as we were a two-person team, Fran and I, during the editing process mostly.

Fran Kranz

You used Premiere for your first edit but then switched to Media Composer to finish? Can you talk about why, and any hiccups going from Premiere into Avid?
Afterward, the post schedule was extended, and the plan changed. Cutting the raw footage in Premiere requires a supercomputer. Since we were hiring an assistant to work remotely, we would have needed more than one supercomputer to transcode the files to a smaller format. The benefit of using Media Composer is that the production audio tracks are tied to the footage, which saved us time during the turnover process.

After a meeting with our experienced online people at Headquarters Post, we found that moving the project into Media Composer was more suitable for the extended post period.

Then we hired a tech-savvy assistant editor, Christopher Ma, to help us with this transition. After multiple tests between HQ post and us, we found a good workflow tailored to this project. We broke the film into reels.

While I was cutting Reel 1 with Fran, Christopher was on Reel 3, converting the timeline from Premiere to Media Composer. He transcoded all the raw footage into Media Composer, exported an XML from Premiere and relinked the timeline in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve. From there, he exported an AAF and imported that into Media Composer with the transcoded files, which were already imported. The trick worked with the picture, but he needed to redo most of the sound work on the timeline that had already been done in Premiere. Both Christopher and I worked closely together (virtually), and we were glad everything worked out in the end.

Is there a tool that most people might not know about that you use?
Here is a trick Christopher shared with me during the software switch process: While exporting AAF from Resolve, instead of doing it from the deliver page, he did it in the timeline page. If we had done it in the deliver page, it wouldn’t have worked because it would have created new non-full-length transcoded files, and Media Composer would only link to those, not the full-length transcoded files we wanted.

How did you manage your time?
Since I was working from home, I had the luxury of rolling out of bed and was in my home office within 10 seconds. Without the commute time, I was able to put my hands on the keyboard and mouse and start cutting right away. Fran usually came in before noon, and he would leave before rush hour hit. As I believe a healthy life can boost creativity, I would do some exercise or walk my dog, Lily, in the afternoon and evening. Sometimes a good idea would pop into my head during these times.

You mentioned working with assistant editor Christopher Ma. Can you talk more about that?
He was on board during the software transition. However, due to the schedule and budget, we couldn’t have him the whole time.

We asked him back to do some sound clean-up and exporting for the test screening, festival submission and final turnover process. Since he had a full copy of the footage and sound, he could work remotely by my sending him the Avid bins and some new imported MFX. He was not only tech-savvy but also a supportive team player with a great creative mind. I often asked what he thought about the cut, and he gave great suggestions, which I thought were valuable and helpful. We were fortunate to have him.

What’s next for you?
I’m always looking forward to my next project and am open to editing any genre. However, I do hope I can land on something like Mass or The Public again. They both have their unique voice, strong characters and socially conscious subject matter. We are living through this pandemic, and everything is unpredictable, but I am in early talks for a follow-up film from a popular adventure franchise.

Sundance Q&A: R#J Editor Lam Nguyen

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Directed by Carey Williams and shot by DP Diego Madrigal, R#J is a retelling of Shakespeare’s greatest love story, repurposed and restyled for the present day and told entirely through Romeo and Juliet’s perspective using their iPhones as the main storytelling device.

“This film transports us cinematically in a new visual language called Screenlife, which is a format invented by Wanted director and Searching producer Timur Bekmambetov, who is a producer on this film as well,” explains R#J editor Lam Nguyen. “This filmmaking technique allows viewers to experience our characters’ emotions and actions through the devices they use.”

We reached out to Nguyen, who has also recently cut The Courage to Run (2021), a one-hour documentary featuring Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame, to talk process and collaboration.

Lam Nguyen

How early did you get involved on this film?
I got involved in the early development stage of the project. I was approached by Timur’s company, Bazelevs Entertainment, to do a proof of concept from a few pages of the script with Carey. The project got the green light shortly after we got the story down visually and tonally in this Screenlife format.

How did you work with the director, and how often did he look at your cut?
Carey is a very collaborative director and storyteller. One of the main directions was to mindfully keep this visually cinematic. The idea of presenting this story through their smartphones had the stigma of “are we really going to watch in a vertical 9×16 format?” We consciously made the effort to keep everything full-screen. He likes to have this constant flow, with slow pushes and pans with the camera movements throughout the film.

I would work on the first draft on my own. Then he would review the draft and come back to me with his reaction and notes. Typically, he would call and discuss about the drafts first, and then he’d go back and write specific notes on Frame.io. After reviewing every draft with his notes implemented, we would discuss more detailed story beats and bounce off ideas to improve the scenes.

Once we got the full draft of the movie fleshed out, then we would work together in the editing room to refine the scenes during the previz stage months before we started production.

So much of the footage is shown on a mobile device, but they shot with traditional cameras, yes?
Yes. We filmed with two Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K cameras. This gave us the flexibility to resize when needed without losing quality and dramatic support since we’re placing the footage under a phone template. Carey also wanted to show the beauty of the sets and to have all options available in case we needed to break away from the phone world to balance the film visually. Luckily enough, the film needed that, and so filming on traditional cameras gave us that freedom.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging for the edit?
The most challenging scene was the montage of them getting to know each other more and eventually falling in love. It was the most challenging because we did not film anything particular for this scene. We had to think of creative ways to show them falling in love strictly through various apps on their phones. The challenge was how to connect the audience emotionally without really seeing Romeo and Juliet’s faces or even seeing them together at the same time.

Essentially, I had to build this montage from scratch, and there were a lot of throwaways and redos. At times it was frustrating, but it was necessary. Carey was very smart to film spontaneous moments of Romeo and Juliet during breaks on set, and because of that, we were able to manufacture some of those clips into the montage (e.g., Romeo dancing TikTok video, Juliet’s reaction to a message and Romeo appearing in Juliet’s Kelela album cover).

Lastly, we wanted something very unique for these two that we hoped the audience would be able to catch. Seeing their text messages, GIFs and video sharing wasn’t unique enough because that was so common — what everyone was doing.

Carey Williams

Carey had a lot of great song choices for this movie, and that got me thinking of them sharing a Spotify playlist using song titles as messages as a way to flirt with each other. We both expanded on that idea and believe that glued the montage together in a very touching and emotional way to see their relationship grow.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
With this film in particular, because of the Screenlife format, I had to polish up on graphics, animation and rotoscoping techniques. On top of that, there were two important phases for post in this film.

The first phase was as an editor in locking the picture edit with the director. The second phase was working with the graphics team to up-rez the movie to 4K. The picture-lock version would have a lot of screen recordings and temp layouts, so they had to redraw all templates accurately in higher resolution from top to bottom (text message bubbles, matching animation to real-life social media apps, etc.).

In a way it was almost like being a secondary director for the movie in this phase, as I would often give additional feedback to the graphics team with specific directions on their animations and the look. During this final phase, we worked to improve the scenes with subtle nuances, adding motions and camera techniques to give that final cinematic polish.

Is the Sundance cut the “final” cut, or do you use this as a test screening? 
As of now, the Sundance cut is our final cut.

Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, how did that affect the workflow?
Yes, the main edit was done entirely during the pandemic. We lucked out in wrapping the production a week before the lockdown happened.

This really didn’t affect our workflow as much. We were working remotely a lot for the previz before production, so Carey and I had already built that relationship and communication in understanding each other’s vision and instincts.

Also, we were fortunate enough to live pretty close to each other during the pandemic, so we had the luxury to work in person when needed, with social distancing of course — Carey would be in the back corner watching scenes on a monitor. We were able to get a lot more done since we could brainstorm ideas in the moment whenever we hit a roadblock on a scene.

What system did you use to cut?
I used Adobe Premiere, which offers what pros are used to with their layout and keyboard shortcuts. On top of that, Adobe made life easier for editors to use their other programs in the Adobe suite (After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator) with their dynamic linking system. There were a large number of graphics and animation done on this film, so I moved between After Effects and Premiere constantly. It was nice to make a change in After Effects or Illustrator and have Premiere automatically update those changes — since all the programs are linked to each other.

Is there a tool within that system that you use that most people might not know about?
Carey would present this challenge of making the digital movements feel as natural as possible. We used key frames to do our digital movements a lot. So a thing I learned during this edit was that by right-clicking on a key frame, you get multiple selections to ease in and out of the movements smoother, slower or faster. That applies in both Premiere and After Effects. This helped make the camera movements feel more subtle.

I feel that After Effects does a better job with the key frame movements, especially if we need to move multiple layers at once. For instance, there are a couple scenes where I pulled out from Romeo’s phone and panned over to Juliet’s phone. So I would create a null layer as the main source for the animation. Then I would link both of their phones to the null layer, and those templates would be glued to any adjustments I made on that null layer. It was a huge timesaver to be able to do that without having to duplicate key frames to each comp to move in unison.

Also, the shift key: I use it a lot when I move multiple video layers in a sequence. By holding the shift key, it keeps everything intact so that you know you didn’t accidentally move something a few frames off.

The same with sound levels. I love holding the shift key to select all the key frames and to move the levels over all at once. This saves the redundancy of moving each key frame at a time when readjusting for an edit.

How did you manage your time?
I’m probably the worst to ask about time management (laughs). I’m so passionate about what I do that I don’t keep track of time. Like an athlete in some ways, I eat, drink and sleep filmmaking.

There’s so much problem-solving in storytelling that I usually won’t take a break until I feel satisfied with a scene. Once I feel good about a scene, then I reward myself with breaks.

But working with Carey helped me balance my time better. He would often force lunch breaks and multiple breaks in a day. It was nice to be able to come back to a scene with a fresh feel.

I adjusted my schedule more in the second half of the project timeline, especially when I worked remotely. I would work in four-hour increments with one hour breaks in between. But to do it without distraction was key for me. I felt that three to four hours of pure focus was a good amount of time to be productive. That sounds pretty intense, but that’s how I’m able to get things done.

Did you have an assistant editor on this? Do you see the role of assistant editors as strictly technical or as collaborators?
I didn’t have an assistant editor on this project. That’s mainly because I was so involved early in the project and did everything in the previz, so I felt I didn’t need one for this film.

But I do see the role of assistant editors as collaborators as well. If I were to have an assistant on my next project, I would love to see what they come up with for a few scenes without my direction on it. I’m a big believer in fresh eyes.

How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
For me, I will always say nothing is impossible unless the idea is extremely outrageous. As editors, we make something out of nothing a lot, and when producers or directors have an idea, I’ll tell them what’s possible but won’t set too high an expectation (even when I see in my head that it could actually work) until I work through it myself. More often than not, I try to exceed their expectations in that way.

How do you take criticism?
I accept criticism with an open mind. I recall from my first edit project years ago that I would get defensive about a note because I felt that I did something wrong. But with every project you work on, you often discover that no one is right or wrong about a note. It’s what’s best for the story.

As I mentioned before, I’m a big believer in fresh eyes. Those are the eyes that count more than our own since we can be so invested in the project that things can get muddled. So new ideas and notes are refreshing to me, and I like the challenges of that. I think having a challenge makes the actual job more intriguing as well. I think of it this way for emerging filmmakers: You wouldn’t want to see a QB keep handing off the ball to the running back every play, right?

Sundance Q&A: Mayday DP Sam Levy

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Director Karen Cinorre’s Mayday tells the story of Ana, who is transported to a dreamlike and dangerous land, where she joins an army of girls engaged in a never-ending war along a rugged coast. Though she finds strength in this exciting new world, she comes to realize that she’s not the killer they want her to be.   

Sam Levy was the cinematographer on the film. His past projects include three films for director Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha, Mistress America, While We’re Young) as well as the Oscar-nominated Lady Bird and director Spike Jonze’s Changers: A Dance Story.

We reached out to Levy, who also served as a producer on Mayday, to talk about how the film evolved, its look and working with Cinorre.

How early did you get involved on this film?
Writer/director Karen Cinorre and I are longtime collaborators and also happen to be life partners. Mayday is a project we have been developing together for a long time.

When Karen first told me about her idea for this story, I was instantly hooked. It felt innovative and audacious, something I simply had to help bring to life. We began to work on developing the film, both as cinematographer and director, but also as producers pushing the film along on its journey.

What direction were you given for the look? Were you provided with examples?
I tried not to let other films penetrate my approach too deeply. We did, however, look at the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger — The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus in particular. These are breathtaking works that to this day are groundbreaking. We also watched Elem Klimov’s visionary Come and See as an example of a beguiling war film with dynamic action sequences.

The photographer that inspired Karen and me the most is the brilliant Rinko Kawauchi, especially her book “Halo.”

How did you work with the colorist? Was it all remote?
I worked closely with DI colorist Marcy Robinson at Goldcrest in New York, who used Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve on the film. Marcy and I worked together when I shot Frances Ha and While We’re Young for Noah Baumbach. She is family, and Mayday simply would not look the way it does without her devotion and hard work.

While we worked in person at Goldcrest, because of COVID we were in adjoining rooms. We were tested several times a week and wore masks.

Can you talk lenses and lighting?
There was never a question in my mind that Mayday was an anamorphic movie. I worked very closely with the brilliant Kavon Elhami and Kelly Samuels at Camtec in Los Angeles in testing the Cooke SF anamorphic lenses. At the time we began principal photography on Mayday, there were no large-format anamorphic lenses that I liked, so I happily picked the ARRI Alexa Mini. Camtec also went above and beyond in creating a custom Infrared Alexa camera for me to shoot a special sequence in the film.

We shot most of Mayday in Pula, a beautiful coastal city in Croatia. Together with my gifted DIT, Sean Goller, I designed a bespoke digital lab in several adjoining hotel rooms.

Each night we’d watch down the day’s work before grading the dailies. In another room we’d then watch dailies from the previous day with Karen and editor Nick Ramirez.

Are there some scenes that stick out as challenging?
There are many scenes with our main actors riding motorcycles through the woods. These were the trickiest moments to pull off –– it was important to Karen and me that the girls ride big muscular bikes and look tough as nails doing it.

We had to do many tests to get it just right with the stunt team, but eventually we found the right combination of camera angles and stunts. The day we finally discovered the right cocktail of camera rigging and stunt work that worked for Karen and me was extremely satisfying.

Looking back on the film, would you have done anything different?
Spent more money on wigs.

Any tips for young cinematographers?
Be patient. A career in cinematography takes time, not only for opportunities to arise, but also to learn the craft. When I look back, moments in my life when I thought work was slow were actually valuable moments when I could study, read and have room for introspection.

Also, be disciplined. When you are working, put your phone on airplane mode and focus. It will set you apart from every other person in the room. Everyone on sets these days is constantly texting, checking email and Instagram. The more you are on your phone, the more you are just like everyone else. Do you really want to be a DP, or is it just something you say? Do yourself a favor and be in the moment. Use your eyes. Look around and really take in what is front of you.

Sundance Q&A: Superior Editor Jenn Ruff

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Editor Jenn Ruff has been busy. In addition to editing the Sundance film Bambirak, she cut the Sundance film Superior, which she describes as a stylish and funny thriller wherein estranged twin sisters’ lives collide and get irreparably mixed up, leaving both of them transformed. Superior was directed by Erin Vassilopoulos and shot by DP Mia Cioffi Henry. It stars Alessandra and Ani Mesa and Jake Hoffman.

We reached out to Ruff to find our more…

Editor Jen Ruff’s at-home editing setup

How did you work with the director? What direction were you given for the edit?
Erin co-edited the film with me, so she was very involved. I started editing after filming and cut it for a while on my own, as we started at the beginning of the pandemic. Later we worked together during the day and traded scenes back and forth at night. It was a fantastic collaboration.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
The beginning was the most challenging. Some people loved it, and others didn’t think it worked at all. It was an extreme tone to pull off right away, so it split people down the middle.

Erin and I always loved the scene, and we cut it so many different ways trying to make it work for everyone. Ultimately, we solved it by intercutting it with another scene that had been cut out. The scenes were completely opposite, and somehow this balanced both of them.

Is the Sundance cut the final cut, or do you use this as a test screening?
We cut for a long time, so hopefully it is the final cut!

You mention cutting during the pandemic? How did that affect the workflow?
Yes, I got the hard drive at the end of February and started it just as the pandemic hit. I cut by myself for a few months when the full lock down happened and we would share cuts online. Later we formed a “pandemic pod” and worked together by trading cuts back and forth on Vimeo. We used Premiere for editing. I found Premiere easier to use in that I was able to troubleshoot on my own. Ultimately, it was really great to have so much time, it felt like we really had time to explore and find the best version of the film.

Director/Co-Editor Erin Vassilopoulos

What system did you use to cut, and is there a tool within that system that some might not know about?
I cut in Adobe Premiere. Erin had started it in Premiere, and it was also easier to manage at home during COVID.

I use Premiere like Avid Media Composer, using the In/Out button, which is Cut/Extract. I think a lot of people use the razor blade, but I grew up on Avid, and this is much easier and more precise for me.

How did you manage your time?
I was teaching, and there was the pandemic, so often I would teach all day on Zoom and edit all night. When the semester ended, we would cut most days and then trade scenes back and forth at night. In the end, we were actually able to take a few long breaks away from the footage in order to see it again, and that helped immensely.

Did you have an assistant editor on this? Do you see the role of assistant editors as strictly technical or as collaborators?
I did not have an AE on this one, unfortunately. We did have someone in the beginning and the end to help with syncing and with all the deliverables. I definitely see AEs as collaborators, but sadly, we did not have the budget on this film for one during the editing process.

How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
The director and I had the same vision for the film, so we were able to fight for that version and not give into pressure to make it any other way. The producer Ben Cohen was very supportive of Erin’s vision and did not have any unreal expectations.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of other’s ideas?
I have been editing for a number of years and teach editing, so I have gotten less and less defensive the more I edit. I try everything. I don’t get attached to my ideas over others’. The more flexible I can be, the better the film will be. I used to not want to try things I was sure wouldn’t work in my mind, but over the years, I’ve realized you never know what will work, so you have to try it. Sometimes the suggestions I resist the most are the best ones, so I try everything … it won’t break the film. You can always undo!

What NLE do you use most often? Do you have a preference and why?
I used to be a die-hard Avid advocate and wouldn’t use anything else, but now I use all of them depending on the project.

When someone who is starting out asks what they should learn NLE-wise, what do you recommend?
Learn all of them. Each program is good for different things.

Behind the Title: Unit9 director Matthew Puccini

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This young director has already helmed two short films, Dirty and Lavender, that got into Sundance. And he still finds time to edit when his schedule allows. 

Name: Director Matthew Puccini

Can you describe Unit9?
Unit9, which has headquarters in London and Los Angeles, is a global production company that represents a team of producers and film directors, creative and art directors, designers, architects, product designers, software engineers and gaming experts. I’m based in Brooklyn.

Puccini on set of Dirty

What would surprise people the most about what falls under the title of director?
These days, there’s a certain element of self-promotion that’s required to be a young director. We have to figure out how to brand ourselves in a way that people might not have had to do 10 to 15 years ago when the Internet wasn’t as prevalent in how people discovered new artists. I constantly have to be tip-toeing back and forth between the creative side of the work and the more strategic side — getting the work seen and amplified as much as possible.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of directing is the collaborative aspect of it. I love that it offers this unique ability to dip into so many other disciplines and to involve so many other incredible, wildly different people.

What’s your least favorite?
The salesperson aspect of it can be frustrating. In a perfect world it would be nice to just make things and not have to worry about the back end of finding an audience. But at the same time, sometimes being forced to articulate your vision in a way that’s palatable to a financier or a production company can be helpful in figuring out what the core of the idea is. It’s a necessary evil.

Why did you choose this profession? How early on did you know this would be your path?
I fell in love with directing in high school. We had an amazing theater program at my school. I started off mainly acting, and then there was one show where I ended up being the assistant director instead of acting. That experience was so wonderful and fulfilling and I realized that I preferred being on that side of things. That happened parallel to getting my first video camera, which I enjoyed as a hobby but began to take more seriously during my junior and senior years of high school.

What was it about directing that attracted you?
I fell in love with working with actors to craft performances. The whole process requires so much collaboration and trust and vulnerability. Over time, I’ve also grown to appreciate filmmaking as a means of filling in gaps in representation. I get to highlight human experiences that I feel like I haven’t seen properly portrayed before. It’s wish fulfillment, in a sense; you get to make the work that you wish you were seeing as an audience member.

Puccini on set of Lavender

How do you pick the people you work with on a particular project?
I began making work while I was in school in New York, so there’s a wonderful community of people that I met in college and with whom I still work. I also continue to meet new collaborators at film festivals, or will occasionally just reach out to someone after having seen a film of theirs that I responded to. I continue to be amazed by how willing people are to make time for something if they believe in it, even if it seems like it’s far beneath their pay grade.

How do you work with your DP?
It always just starts with me sending them the script and having a meeting to talk about the story. I might have some preconceived ideas going into that meeting about how I’m thinking of shooting it — what my visual references were while writing the script — but I try to stay open to what they imagined when they were reading it. From there, it’s a very organic process of us pulling references and gradually building a look book together of colors, lighting styles, compositions and textures.

It could be as specific as a frame that we want to be completely copy or as general as a feeling that an image evokes, but the idea is that we’re figuring out what our shared vocabulary is going to be before we get to set. My number one need is knowing that the person is just as passionate about the story as I am and is able to tailor their shooting style to what’s right for that particular project.

Do you get involved with the post at all?
Definitely. I’m very involved with every stage of post, working closely with the department heads who are running the show on a more granular level. I love the post process and enjoy being involved as much as possible.

I also work as a video editor myself, which has given me so much awareness and respect for the importance of a good edit and a good editor. I think sometimes it’s easy to waste time and resources on shooting coverage you’re never going to use. So as a director, it’s important even before starting a project for me to think ahead and visualize what the film really needs so that I can be as efficient and decisive as possible on set.

Dirty

Can you talk about Dirty? What was it like getting it ready for Sundance?
We found out that Dirty got into Sundance last November. Obviously, it’s the call of anyone’s dreams and such a wonderful feeling and boost of validation. We had finished the film back in April, so it had been a long time of waiting.

From November to the festival, it was a rush to get the film ready. We got it recolored and remixed, trying to make it as good as possible before it premiered there. It was a bit of a whirlwind. The festival itself was a really special experience. It was incredibly powerful to have a film that, in my mind, is somewhat doing things that are really pushing the boundaries of what we’re seeing on screen and getting to share it with a lot of people. There’s a gay sex scene in the middle of the film, and to have that celebrated and accepted by an important part of the film community was really special.

Can you describe the film?
Dirty is a tender coming-of-age film. It follows two queer teenagers over an afternoon as they navigate intimacy for the first time.

What about Lavender? Do you have a distributor for that?
The film was acquired by Searchlight Pictures out of Sundance last year. They released the film on their Vimeo and YouTube channels last spring. They put the film in theaters for a week in NYC and LA in front of a feature film they were showing, which actually qualified it for the Oscars last year.

Can you describe that film?
The film is about a young gay man who is growing increasingly entangled in the marriage of an older couple. It is the portrait of an unconventional relationship as it blossoms and ultimately unravels.

What is the project that you are most proud of?
To me Dirty and Lavender are both equally important. I don’t have an answer. I’m grateful for both films for different reasons and they are all part of one period of my life — exploring these ideas of intimacy and loneliness and queer people seeking connection. In some ways they’re almost two attempts to answer the same question.

Name three pieces of technology you can’t live without.
My laptop for all of the writing and editing I do. I try to watch a lot of movies, so I enjoy my TV. And even though I’m trying to wean myself off my phone as much as possible, I still rely on that throughout the day. Obvious answers I know, but it’s true!

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
I find that watching movies and seeing a lot of theater are often the best ways to get inspired and excited about making new work. I’m trying to meditate more. Starting the day with something like that and building out some introspection into my routine has been really helpful. And therapy, of course. Gotta have therapy.

Sundance Videos: Watch our editor interviews

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postPerspective traveled to Sundance for the first time this year, and it was great. In addition to attending some parties, brunches and panels, we had the opportunity to interview a number of editors who were in Park City to help promote their various projects. (Watch here.)

Billy McMillin

We caught up with the editors on the comedy docu-series Documentary Now!, Michah Gardner and Jordan Kim. We spoke to Courtney Ware about cutting the film Light From Light, as well as Billy McMillin, editor on the documentary Mike Wallace is Here. We also chatted with Phyllis Housen, the editor on director Chinonye Chukwu’s Clemency and Kent Kincannon who cut Hannah Pearl Utt’s comedy, Before you Know It. Finally, we sat down with Bryan Mason, who had the dual roles of cinematographer and editor on Animals.

We hope you enjoy watching these interviews as much as we enjoyed shooting them.

Don’t forget, click here to view!

Oh, and a big shout out to Twain Richardson from Jamaica’s Frame of Reference, who edited and color graded the videos. Thanks Twain!

Rise Above

Sundance 2017: VR for Good’s Rise Above 

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By Elise Ballard

On January 22, during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, the Oculus House had an event for their VR for Good initiative, described as “helping non-profits and rising filmmakers bring a variety of social missions to life.” Oculus awarded 10 non-profits a $40,000 grant and matched them with VR filmmakers to make a short film related to their community and cause.

One of the films, Rise Above, highlights a young girl’s recovery from sexual abuse and the support and therapy she received from New York City’s non-profit Womankind (formerly New York Asian Women’s Center).

Rise AboveRise Above is a gorgeous film — shot on the Nokia Ozo camera — and really well done, especially in as far as guiding your eye to the storytelling going on in a VR360 environment. I had the opportunity to interview the filmmakers, Ben Ross and Brittany Neff, about their experience. I was curious why they feel VR is one of the best mediums to create empathy and action for social impact. Check out their website.

Referencing the post process, Ross said he wore headsets the entire time as he worked with the editor in order to make sure it worked as a VR experience. All post production for VR for Good films was done at Reel FX. In terms of tools, for stitching the footage they used a combination of the Ozo Creator software from Nokia, Autopano Video from Kolor and the Cara plug-in for Nuke. Reel FX finished all the shots in Nuke (again making major use of Care) and Autodesk’s Flame for seam fixing and rig removal. TD Ryan Hartsell did the graphics work in After Effects using the mettle plug-in to help him place the graphics in 360 space and in 3D.

For more on the project and Reel FX’s involvement visit here.

The Oculus’ VR for Good initiative will be exhibiting will be at other major film festivals throughout the year and will be distributed by Facebook after the festival circuit.

Visit VR for Good here for more information, news and updates, and to stay connected (and apply!) to this inspiring and cutting-edge project.

Elise Ballard is a Los Angeles-based writer and author of Epiphany, True Stories of Sudden Insight, and the director of development at Cognition and Arc/k Project, a non-profit dedicated to preserving cultural heritage via virtual reality and digital media.

Whitehouse editor Lisa Gunning moves from London to LA

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Whitehouse Post editor Lisa Gunning has relocated from the company’s London headquarters to its Los Angeles office. The move allows her to cut more long-form projects in addition to her spot work.

Gunning’s arrival at Whitehouse LA coincided with her editing the feature film Newness for commercial and narrative director Drake Doremus. The film was completed in only three months and premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Well known for her commercial work, Gunning wrapped Adidas’ Basketball Without Creativity starring James Harden for frequent director collaborator Stacy Wall in late 2016. In recent years, she has also teamed up with Wieden+Kennedy, 72 and Sunny, Y&R and BBH to work on brands including Nike, Corona, Landrover and Johnnie Walker.

Regarding her decision to relocate, Gunning explains that LA offers an opportunity to expand her commercial portfolio and cater to her long-form interests. “I feel like I’m in the epicenter of where my work is based now.”

Along with her spot work, Gunning has lent her editing talent to films including Nowhere Boy, Seven Psychopaths and Fifty Shades of Grey.

In addition to editing, Gunning has grown her directing skills with several projects, including three short films in collaboration with Nowness and Mini and multiple music videos. “Directing is great for editing, and what I learn on commercials is great for working in long-form,” she explains. “The varied experiences make me a better director and editor because I’m able to empathize with all of the processes and think of them as a whole, as opposed to just one side of it.”