Editor Bryan Mason has been busy recently. He edited two films that screened at this year’s Tribeca film festival. One was the Maya Newell-directed doc The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone, about the life and memories of Georgie as she prepares for her gender affirmation surgery. The second film, which he edited and shot, was Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.
Bryan Mason
Starring Emma Thompson as a retired widow who hires a sex worker (Daryl McCormack), Good Luck to You, Leo Grande was shot in the UK in early 2021 during the lockdowns. “The director, Sophie Hyde, and I have a long-term collaboration,” says Mason. “This is our fourth film together.” Post was done in Adelaide, Australia, where he lives.
Let’s find out more from Mason about editing and shooting this film…
How early did you get involved on this film?
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande was in the process of being drafted by writer Katy Brand and director Sophie Hyde when I was asked onto it. It is a nice combination, the shooting and editing, because you are deeply involved from preproduction through the shoot and all the way to delivery. I find it a satisfying way to work.
How did you work with the director? What direction were you given for the edit? How often was the director taking a look at your cut?
Sophie and I worked together in the room through the entirety of the edit for Leo Grande. This is the fourth feature-length project we have made together, and this is the way we tend to work — in-depth, in-person.
Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging? If so, why? And how did you overcome that challenge?
Leo Grande is basically a two-hander that is set almost entirely in one room, so the challenge of that edit was to figure the best way to keep the audience engaged and interested. Sophie worked intensely with the cast in a five-day rehearsal period to find the rhythm of the dialogue.
Bryan Mason’s editing setup
What system did you use to cut?
I cut both Tribeca films on Adobe Premiere Pro. I have been cutting on Premiere for the last eight years. It’s really intuitive and customizable, which I love.
How did you manage your time?
As with all jobs you have a limited time, and I believe this to be true of all films, it’s only as good as you can get it within the time constraints you have. That is certainly true of both of these pieces.
Did you have an assistant editor on this? If so, how did you work with them?
For Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, I worked with long-time assembly/assistant editor Cleland Jones. We were shooting in the UK, so at the end of each shoot day the rushes would be uploaded to Australia, and by the time we got back to set the next day, there was often a first pass assembly of yesterday’s work. Taking advantage of the international time difference in this way was very useful.
Once we were back in Australia and nearing the end of the edit process, I shared a cut with Cleland to see what he thought of how the film was shaping up, his input was as always valuable.
How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
Ha! That is a great question. Both films I worked on for this year’s Tribeca film festival required a delicate balance to feel right. With Dreamlife, we tried a number of different structures and dug back into the archive numerous times to strike the balance.
With Leo Grande, we managed to find a good rhythm early and then the job was very much to protect that and see it through.
How do you manage your time? Do you manage expectations or try everything they ask of you?
When setting up an edit schedule, it is important to build in time for feedback, as investors, producers and sometimes cast will almost always need opportunities to give feedback on the work and provide notes. Sophie and I, when working on Leo Grande, considered all the notes that were given and tried our best to address them if they resonated with the film we were trying to make. Sometimes notes come in that are not really in the spirit of the piece you are striving to create.
How do you take criticism?
I feel like it is always good to talk through critique of an edit as you are making a film, even if you don’t agree with what is being said. Tracing the source of the criticism to a particular moment or sequence in the film can offer great insight as to what an audience is or is not getting from the work.
Finally, any tips for those just starting out?
Find something you love doing and get busy doing it. For me that is making films as a cinematographer an editor or both.
