By Randi Altman

Netflix’s Ozark has been a wild ride from its first episode until its recent series finale, and editors Vikash “Viks” Patel and Cindy Mollo, ACE, have been there for the entire journey. While the series keeps viewers on the edge of their seats wondering what’s going to happen next, this show isn’t about nonstop action. So much of what keeps audiences mesmerized is the subtlety, both in the acting and in the editing.

Viks Patel and his at-home setup

Last season we spoke to Mollo about her work, and this season we caught up with Patel, who edited 20 out of the show’s 44 episodes and seven out of the 14 in this final season, including 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 11. He has submitted Episode 7, “Sanctified,” for Emmy consideration.

For those who haven’t seen Ozark, here is a very short summary: Chicago family man and money launderer Marty Byrde has to flee to the Ozarks with his wife, Wendy, and their children. There, he hires local kid Ruth to help run his business. They ultimately get in bed with drug lords Navarro and Javi, and things go to hell from there.

We recently spoke to Patel about his process on the series and working with showrunner Chris Mundy and actor/producer Jason Bateman as well as the many series directors, including Bateman, Robin Wright and lead actor Laura Linney (Wendy), in her directorial debut.

How did you work with showrunner Chris Mundy and Jason? What was discussed in terms of pace, and how has that evolved over the seasons, if at all?
Jason really set the template for the series with the pilot episode. There was a pace, mood and level of taste baked in, and in many ways, the pilot was our North Star. However, during Season 1, this evolved, and by the time we approached the latter half of that season — and specifically the Jason-directed Episodes 9 and 10 — we really found what the strength of our show was. This was from a character and story perspective, but also visually: pace, tone, mood, cutting patterns. The goal was always to be deliberate with the filmmaking, to be bold. As Jason would say, “If we’re going to do that, let’s own it!”

Did you take part in tone meetings?
While I do appreciate tone meetings and find them valuable, my personal preference is not to be a part of them. I prefer to read and digest the scripts. That’s when I would start a dialogue with Chris regarding the script — if I’m not understanding something or if I need clarity on how a new character should be portrayed, or if something feels off tonally. The constant communication between us while shooting was vital since I’m the first to react to the dailies that have been shot the previous day. If something didn’t sit well with me, I would bring that to Chris’ attention.

Did the pace change throughout the series at all?
I would say no. We always approached the rhythms, choices, pace and cutting patterns similarly throughout all of the episodes I worked on and across all seasons. The goal is to look at each episode objectively and then guide the story through the lens of the aesthetic that Jason created.

The directing and performances have their own rhythm, so initially we are always guided by that. With the wonderful actors on the series, feeding off their internal rhythms challenges me as an editor to stay out of the way. The goal is not to manipulate whatever is presented, especially if it is really firing.

How were the episodes typically divvied up between you and Cindy?
This final season was unique. I was asked to edit seven of the 14 episodes. It was quite an undertaking, especially the first part  — I edited five of the seven. Typically, episodes are shot in blocks of two, and we just bounce back and forth. But due to the pandemic, this final season was different, and Andrew Bernstein shot the first block of three episodes. The challenge for me was editing these episodes while I started receiving dailies on Episodes 6 and 7, which were directed by Robin Wright.

Let’s talk about your process and workflow.
My process might be a little different than other editors because when I first started, I bypassed the whole assistant editor route — a two-week internship quickly became an editing job. So I don’t believe in an assembly. I try to deliver an episode with a strong POV, with all the bells and whistles (music and sound) included. This is my editor’s cut. I’m a firm believer that our responsibility is to elevate what’s on the page at every level, so I’ve approached every project with this notion.

So much of Ozark is character-driven. How does that affect the way you edit?
As an editor, I need to be mindful and sensitive when I make a choice to cut. The performances on Ozark really operate at a high level, so it’s important not to interrupt that and to stay out of the way. Whenever the actors can hold a two-shot with their performances, intuitively I always lean toward that. It’s easy as an editor to make cuts, but the most difficult part of our job, specifically on Ozark, is knowing when not to cut.

Occasionally, we did have some action sequences. There is a fun sequence that I edited at the end of Episode 11, which was directed by Laura Linney. It’s when Marty and Wendy are on their way home from visiting Navarro in the hospital and lose it on a guy while stuck in traffic. There was a lot of material shot for that sequence, both with Jason and Laura and with the stunt doubles. The final version of this scene is basically my first cut.

Let’s talk about Episode 7, “Sanctified.” It seems like there was a lot of intercutting, which ramped up the drama.
Yes, there is a lot of intercutting. Some of that was written on the page, and some of it is my own doing. When I read the script of this episode, it had so much propulsion, and I really wanted to help elevate it.

The intercutting starts close to when Navarro is arrested by the FBI at the airfield. That’s when all the plates start spinning — the Byrdes are off on their path, Javi has his own agenda, Darlene and Wyatt are about to get married. Marty gets beaten up by Javi. Wendy is with Navarro at the prison doing damage control. The back and forth between all these scenes offers a lovely tempo, and keeping all these plates spinning was fun.

The goal was to swiftly ratchet the stakes and tension up while building to the crescendo — Ruth screaming at Marty and Wendy after she discovers that Wyatt is dead. The hope was to make those last 10 minutes feel electric, almost like a ticking bomb, with the viewers a step behind us.

Ruth has these scenes where she explodes, and Wendy does as well. But Marty is always so measured, and Jason Bateman is very subtle in his reactions. That must be fun to edit.
I feel like Wendy and Ruth always vocalize what the audience is feeling, almost like a proxy for them. And as you said, Marty is always so measured. Jason internalizes his portrayal of Marty, and him not saying much — or at times, nothing — is a very deliberate choice. Being mindful of this as an editor was important. Studying the footage intimately and crafting his performance was a lot of fun.

There’s also something wonderful that comes from Marty being quiet — if used correctly, it becomes an almost comedic effect. He’s not trying to be funny, nor does he want to be, but the deadpan nature of his performance and lack of engagement as a character at times are really funny. It’s situational comedy at its best.

With scenes between Marty and Wendy, the trick as an editor is really to look at it as a yin yang thing, and I would even go as far as to say something similar with the scenes between Marty and Ruth. For example, if Wendy is driving a scene, Marty still has to be present, even if he’s not saying much. Wendy could be exploding with anger, and Marty is the counterbalance to that. Two people arguing or being at a “level 10” can only sustain itself for short periods of time, so when Marty is still and meditative, it helps us digest the drama of what they are experiencing, and I suspect the audience picks a side to root for.

Because Jason’s reactions are so subtle, do you find yourself staying on him longer?
Absolutely. You stay for the punchline and then some! The audience needs those extra beats to catch up. In many ways it’s the same when I interact with Jason. He’s very sharp and witty and, truthfully, it takes a few seconds to process whatever funny comment he has just made. I’m always playing catch-up.

Do any of those moments stand out?
In the episode “Sanctified,” there is a scene with Jason and Harry, the guy who runs their funeral home. He barges in and interrupts Harry and a gentleman who is deciding on funeral arrangements for his wife. Marty needs him out of there because the FBI will be arriving soon to make a deal with Javi.

There were several takes of this shot, and they all had variations of ad-lib lines from Jason. He proceeds to offer the guy a discount…15%, 20%, 25%. Basically he just needs him out of there. Jason’s performance was hilarious — so matter of fact, purely business and no empathy for the guy. Robin and I both marveled at Jason’s performance; it was comedy gold.

You worked with a variety of directors throughout this season (and all the seasons). Does that affect the way you approach an episode?
No. My process is the same for all episodes. My job is to listen and guide the directors and help them with their vision, but also to respectfully keep them on track. My job is not to step on a director’s vision.

The show is very much defined, and I think for new directors coming onto the show, there’s a large sandbox for them to play in, and I encourage them to stay in that. Ultimately, they will decide on how to present their episodes, but my job is two-fold: to serve the director and to protect the whole series…and offer some continuity.

This season was shot on Sony Venice in 6K. How does having that kind of resolution help your job?
It offers us the ability to manipulate the material if needed. For example, sometimes we have to blow up a shot or add digital push-ins or even reframe shots, both for technical and creative reasons. The luxury of shooting at 6K allows this without compromising image quality.

I assume you were cutting remotely during COVID?

Yes. I edited all seven episodes of this final season from home, approximately 13 months all remote. I enjoy working the dailies part of the editorial process from home. This is really my own time, and it saves me commuting to the office, especially in Los Angeles traffic. That said, I missed the creative discussions sitting in the room with the directors and Chris. With COVID, we had to adapt. We worked over Zoom and Evercast, but truthfully, it just wasn’t the same.

Let’s talk more about remote collaboration. Can you discuss those tools in addition to Evercast?
We used a software called Jump to control my main Avid Media Composer, which was located at the office. I was a bit of a guinea pig for Jump when we first started. I spent about two and a half months troubleshooting with our vendor. The tech guys for Jump were located in Singapore, so every morning I would receive Jump patches to iron out any kinks I had experienced the previous day. Once all these were solved, I had a three-monitor setup with Jump running flawlessly for the remainder of the season. For the director and producer (Chris) sessions, we used Evercast. Jason likes using PIX, so whenever a cut is posted, he gives specific notes there.

Viks (third from left) with Jason Bateman (center) and the Ozark post team.

Are there any tools within the Media Composer, like ScriptSync, that you find yourself using a lot?
I actually don’t use ScriptSync. As I’m reviewing dailies, I drop locators on the fly at the start of each line. This allows me to quickly hop to a reading and audition takes.

Did you have an assistant editor on the show?
Yes, Seasons 1 and 2 was Elliott Eisman. Seasons 3 and 4 was Mike Boord. Both are great guys, talented and take immense pride in their work.

Any tips for those who are just starting out as editors?
Honestly, the best way to learn is to practice. Absorb as much as possible from the work of editors you admire.  Never stop learning, and keep questioning all of your choices. Keep your feet on the ground and ego out the door. Be confident when it comes to your opinions but not defensive. Learn to listen!

For assistants, find an editor who will mentor you and offer up scenes for you to cut — someone who allows you to be part of the process. There’s more to the editing job than just editing, and I feel that it’s equally important to understand.

Randi Altman is the founder and editor-in-chief of postPerspective. She has been covering production and post production for 25 years.