Making its premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York, India Sweets and Spices is a comedy/drama about a young Indian American woman who, while discovering her own identity, uncovers shocking family secrets in the process. This Geeta Malik written- and -directed film was edited by Kevin Hickman along with Hugh Ross, who started the film but didn’t finish because he had a prior commitment.
“Geeta was always open to trying new ideas and opinions but never lost sight of what she wanted the film to be. She poured her soul into this film, and it comes across on the screen,” explains Hickman. “She wrote really strong main characters and some quirky secondary characters. The gossiping aunties, drunkles and twindians are really fun to watch.”
We recently reached out to Hickman to find out more about his process.
How early did you get involved on this film?
I came onto the project a few weeks before the end of the director’s cut. I had just finished editing the film Triumph and was looking for my next job. Phillip Dawe, who was a producer on Triumph, was also working on India Sweets and Spices. He recommended me, and that’s how I got involved.
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?
Before the pandemic, I worked with Geeta on a daily basis in our Santa Monica cutting room. We were still addressing her notes and input from the producers, but she was very hands-on. I actually liked how involved she was in the process, but she also gave me room to explore ideas and try new things. She would generally leave late afternoon, and I would send her cuts at the end of the day for her to review our work. This dynamic changed once we started working remotely during the pandemic.
Who was the DP on the film?
The DP was Shane Kelly, who has had a prolific career working with Richard Linklater. Our film has several elaborate dinner parties, and Shane did a great job making each one feel unique and different. He shot on Sony Venice.
Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
While Hugh left me a good cut to work from, it’s always difficult coming onto a film mid-stream because you’re not privy to the history of the edit, so it took a few weeks to find my bearings. I would want to try out an idea only to discover that it had already been done or rejected, so I watched older edits to see the evolution of the cut, which was really helpful.
There is a scene in the film where our main character, Alia, is talking to her friend Rahul in the basement, and there is tension on whether they’ll hook up or not. There was a specific beat that we toiled over for months, with multiple versions and input from all the creatives. We were up against a deadline to picture lock, and we still had issues with this moment in the film. I rewatched about 30 versions of this scene, including the original assembly, and put together a version based on an idea from an earlier cut. It was approved, and that was the last picture change we made on the film. Sometimes you can get a fresh perspective by watching an earlier iteration of a scene.
Did you do more than edit on this film?
Yes, I did. We didn’t have a VFX editor in our budget, so I also did all of the temp comps and on-screen text messages. Green Light, our VFX vendor, completed the shots, but the work I did served as a guide. I used to do a lot of VFX editing when I was assisting, so I’ve gotten pretty good at making my own temp comps.
If I have the time, I prefer to do it myself since I know in my head what it should look like. I’m also pretty good with sound and will spend a lot of time polishing a scene with sound effects and isolated dialogue. I get pretty detailed with my Avid tracks, and I like to keep the film screenable at all times, so it’s important to me to have good temp sound. Also, it gives the sound department a pretty good reference to work from.
Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, what was that like?
Editing on the film began when shooting started, which was in the spring of 2019. Editing continued until we has a soft lock at the end of 2019, then we went on a short hiatus while we were waiting for our lead actress’ availability for reshoots. In late February of 2020, we finished our reshoots and resumed post and then almost immediately went into lockdown.
When you’re in the same room with someone, you can try an idea in 10 or 15 minutes. Working remotely, you first discuss the idea on Zoom, then work it in Media Composer, export a QuickTime, upload it, wait for it to be viewed, receive notes, and repeat. At times, it could take several hours to do what normally takes significantly less time. Obviously, we weren’t the only film that struggled with this new work dynamic, and eventually it became more efficient, but in the early weeks of the lockdown, it was a major adjustment to how we worked. We finished picture cutting, music, sound, VFX and the final mix all during lockdown. A big thank you to Marisa Clayton at Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and producers Naomi Despres, Mark O’Connor and Kilian Kerwin, whose hard work and laser-focus were instrumental in getting the film finished by making sure we had all necessary resources to get the job done.
You edited this on Media Composer. Do you work on other systems as well?
Yes, we used Avid for this one. I’m not opposed to other editing platforms, and I’ve used Premiere, Resolve and FCPX, but Avid is the one I feel the most comfortable using. There are some great features with the other platforms, which tempt me when I’m starting a new project, but I always come back to Avid.
Is there a way you use the system that others might not?
I watch all the dailies, everything, not just the circled takes. Obviously, the circled takes are what I will draw from, but often I find usable bits (reactions, alt readings, etc.) in the non-circled takes. When I’m watching dailies that have multiple cameras, I will view them with the quad split turned on. That way I can see all the cameras at once. This might not work for some editors, but I find it very efficient unless there are more than three cameras. In that case, I may watch it more than once.
How do you manage your time?
I had to adjust how I manage my time over the course of the pandemic. There are a lot of distractions working from home, which makes it really hard to get into the zone, so I find myself working more in the evenings when it’s quiet. I’m also a night owl and will come up with a solution late at night, so it’s really easy to go downstairs and try something at midnight while the idea is still fresh. As our industry moves closer to resuming on-site work, I may still request a small setup at home to tinker during off hours.
Did you have an assistant editor on this? Do you see the role of assistant editors as strictly technical or as collaborators? Do you allow them to edit scenes and/or give input on your edits?
When I was an assistant, I always worked with editors who valued my contributions. Two editors I assisted, William Goldenberg and John Gilroy, were instrumental to my growth as an editor. I learned a great deal from each one because they involved me in a creative capacity, and I now practice that with my assistant.
In addition to running the room, I’ll have my assistant help with sound work, VFX temps, building selects, etc. On the film I’m currently finishing, The Windigo, my assistant, Chris Dold, cut a few scenes for me. I like to involve my assistant as much as possible.
How do you manage producer’s expectations with reality/what can really be done?
I always put my best foot forward even if it seems impossible. Nobody likes to hear no or it can’t be done unless you’ve given it a try. I find that most producers are reasonable if they feel like you’ve left no stone unturned.
How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas (good and bad)?
I think this applies not just to editors, but to anyone who works in the industry: Regardless of whether you’re an editor, DP, production designer, etc., someone will always have an opinion of your work, but you have to remind yourself not to take it personally. My opinion isn’t always going to be the best, and I’m okay with that. So I find myself, more often than not, accepting others’ ideas.
