Carla Roda, an editor and filmmaker from Barcelona, Spain, has been living in Los Angeles since 2014. She originally came to the US to get her masters in fine arts, but after graduation her interests changed and she dove headfirst into a career in editing.
Carla Roda directing
Roda taught herself how to edit with Apple Final Cut 7. As the years went by, she discovered new editing software, and the rest is history. For her, editing is almost like directing, another path she would like to explore again.
So far Roda has directed three short films and one feature film. Let’s find out more.
What would surprise people the most about what falls under the title of editor?
I always say editors are like magicians. We have the power to create stories by playing with images, sound effects, music and graphics. I think people are not fully aware of the amazing things that can be done with some imagination.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
I get to be a part of telling inspiring stories. That is what motivates me every day while working on my computer.
What’s your least favorite?
I’m extremely lucky that I’m able to do what I love. There is not a single thing I would change… well, maybe some clients’ attitudes. I have to deal with a lot of people, and sometimes it’s hard to align everyone’s character.
Camila
What is your most productive time of day?
I’m a morning person, so I normally wake up at 6am and start working at around 6:30. I like those first hours of silence when no one will email or call me. That’s when I get the most work done.
If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
Before finding my passion for editing I really wanted to be a criminologist. Sometimes I still want to. That’s why I find the most joy editing investigative documentaries. In that genre, I’m able to combine my two passions.
How early did you know this would be your path?
I didn’t know to what extent, but growing up in a family of artists, my future was very much designed for me, and I’m extremely happy about it because it gave me amazing role models to follow and learn from.
Vote Neil
Can you name projects you have edited?
In the last few years, I finished the documentary The Green Wave, directed by Guido Verweyen. It won Best Feature Documentary at the Los Angeles Film Festival and was recently bought by Screen Media. I also edited the short documentary Vote Neil, directed by Honora Talbott. It was the Tribeca Film Festival 2020 Official Selection in Documentary Shorts. It was also licensed by NBC News and Meet the Press.
I also edited the feature documentary We Stand Corrected, directed by Richie Elson. It’s an alternative narrative to Ben Stiller’s Showtime limited series, Escape at Dannemora. Another project was the feature documentary Our Quinceañera, directed by Fanny Veliz Grande. It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at The Bentonville Film Festival and Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Panamanian International Film Festival in Los Angeles.
The Green Wave
A more recent project was the feature film Six Feet Apart, directed by Jessa Zarubica. That will be premiering soon. I edited another feature film called Skinny Dipping, which is a romantic comedy starring Roberto Manrique and Gisella Aboumrad, who are big influencers in South America.
Have you been continuing to edit during the COVID crisis? Can you describe that experience?
I was very lucky to start a project right before the pandemic. I have been working from home for about five years now, so for me it wasn’t as different. I did notice that everyone on the team was more relaxed by the fact that you could be more flexible on your working hours as long as you were meeting your deadlines.
Do you expect these workflows to stay with us going forward?
The beauty of working from home is that it allows you to collaborate with people anywhere. I’m currently working on a docuseries, and my AE is located in New York and I’m in Los Angeles. That wouldn’t be possible without this current workflow.
What system do you edit on these days?
I edit on a Mac, and depending on the project, I use Adobe Premiere or Avid Media Composer.
Camila
Are you often asked to do more than edit?
It has been hard for me over the years to explain to clients that I’m a “picture editor” only. Sometimes clients asked me to do sound or even graphics. I always tell them that sound editing is a very different job and there are amazing professionals that are the best at that. Same for graphics. Sometimes clients want a one-stop shop and, unfortunately, that’s not how I work.
You have also written and directed. What have you completed?
My first project as a director was Camila, which I wrote, directed, produced and edited. I was able to tell a very personal story in a very artistic way. It got into a lot of festivals and even won some of them. I feel Camila was my introduction to the film world; it helped me craft my storytelling skills.
Carla Roda on the set of Let Go
Tell us about Let Go. What is it about?
I started writing pieces of Let Go back in college as a therapeutic tool to cope with tragedy, adversity and hardships in my life. Little did I know that these entries would transform into a 10-year journey of self-discovery, growth and a lesson in perseverance.
Let Go is a story that invites you to meditate on the importance of self-care through highly charged and emotional encounters. It is an open love letter to all the brave people who are struggling daily with depression, decisions, and the notion that our decisions affect the course of our lives forever. It is a movie and a message that I feel is very necessary nowadays.
What is your advice for other women, Latinx and in general, who may want to work in your field?
Don’t give up. If this is what you want to do make sure no one stops you from doing it. The only person who can stop you is yourself.
Finally, what do you do to de-stress from it all?
I do a lot of sports. If I have time, first thing in the morning, I go for a run. It not only helps activate my brain, but it also helps with any nerves I might have. If I don’t have time in the morning, I try to do it at night to get my mind out of the project I’m working at that moment.
