Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is a biopic of best-selling author Amy Tan (“The Joy Luck Club”) that focuses on the evolution of Tan’s relationship with her mother. To understand her own life, Tan examines her childhood and the experiences of her mother and grandmother in China, uncovering multigenerational trauma that has been the impetus for much of Tan’s writing.

Jeff Boyette and son

The late James Redford directed the film, which was shot by cinematographer John Behrens. The DP called on Sony Venice, Sony FS5 Series and the Sony FS7 Series cameras using Sony primes, Canon primes and Canon Cine-Servo 17-120mm lenses. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir was edited by Redford’s frequent collaborator Jeff Boyette. Here we talk about his process and collaboration with Redford.

How early did you get involved on this film?
I edited a short proof-of-concept piece before the bulk of production happened then came back to edit the feature once most shooting was done.

How did you work with James Redford? What direction were you given for the edit?
Jamie was a very trusting and supportive director. We had several deep conversations at the start of the edit about the structure and the core themes, then he left me to work on my own. We had an open dialogue throughout, but he waited until I wanted feedback before he looked at anything.

Each time I finished a rough cut for an act, I would show him and the core producers. We would have a feedback call, then I would move on to the next section. Once we had a full rough cut, it was the same process. We would all watch it, then have a big feedback call, then do it again in a couple weeks or whenever I was ready to show the next version.

Had you worked together before this project?
I had known Jamie for 10 years. Initially, I was doing some assistant and additional editing on a couple of his projects. Then I edited a bunch of shorter projects for Jamie and his producing partner, Karen Pritzker — trailers, DVD extras, that sort of thing. Eventually, after I had some more experience on feature docs, he asked me to help finish his HBO doc Happening. Soon after, he asked me to edit his next project, Playing for Keeps, which was the launching pad for the Amy Tan film. By that time, I knew him very well. I had grown to understand his style and approach, and I believe he had a lot of trust in me.

The rest of the team also knew Jamie extremely well. We had all worked with him and with each other a lot over the years. This made it possible for us to talk about the final tweaks collectively and really work together on channeling what we felt Jamie would have done.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
There was a section of the film about two thirds in that I spent a lot of time trying to get right. Because the film is structured around Amy’s relationship with her mother, we needed to save a particularly significant moment with her mother until very near the end of film. In reality, a lot happened in Amy’s life after her mother passed, so we had to balance the actual chronology with the emotional arc of our story. It took a while to get this right.

Initially, I messed too much with the chronology, which was confusing for viewers. Eventually I had to break apart scenes that I initially thought only worked together in order to keep the chronology as accurate as possible and spread out the moments with Amy’s mother.

We also came back several times to archival video of Amy and her mother, which helped ease back into their relationship and add some breath without heavy commentary.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
I also ended up shooting some of the archival photos that you see in the film. Whenever we got a new batch of archival material from Amy, it would all come to me. There were thousands of photos, and it was infeasible to scan or shoot all of them. If we had set up a shoot with the DP or sent them out to get scanned, I would have had to be very selective in what we got digitized. Instead, I just set up my DSLR and some simple lighting in my office and used her albums as a background for the photos. That gave me a lot of control to pick and choose the best images from her archive and go back and shoot more if I wanted to try something different. It also led to a more interesting look than a flat scan with pillar bars.

The DP also shot a lot of stills with a more dynamic setup using stylized camera moves. These shots are beautiful, and you see them throughout the film too.

James Redford

Did Jamie see the final cut of the film before he passed away?
The last cut Jamie saw was a near-final cut, but no, not the final. We got to a point where he was happy with it and was ready to show Amy. This was a big deal, and I know Jamie was nervous about her reaction. Getting Amy’s approval of the film was probably more important to him than any other recognition. Around that time, we stopped receiving emails from Jamie. By the end of the week, he had passed. We found out soon after that Amy had seen it and written back with glowing approval and appreciation. According to Jamie’s wife, Kyle, this was the last email that Jamie read before closing his computer for the last time. He read it aloud to her and then to his kids. It meant the world to us to know that he had closure with Amy.

Of course, it was a devastating loss, but we also knew we were very close to the finish line and owed it to Jamie and Amy to complete the film. At that point, we shared the film with a very select group of people outside the team — mostly people very close to Jamie who had worked with him and would be sensitive to the situation. The feedback was very reassuring since it did not point to any major overhauls but helped us make some final important tweaks and trims.

The finishing process really was a testament to the supportive and collaborative environment Jamie fostered. One great example of that is the music. We had worked with Kathryn Bostic on the score for the last film, Playing for Keeps. Even though this was going to be a completely different score, Jamie wanted to work with Kathryn again because of the connection they had built. That relationship and that shared positive experience was all Jamie needed to know. And even though Kathryn was probably really busy, she wanted to work with Jamie again. By the time we were locked, and she started composing, Jamie had already passed, but the music was truly incredible. Something just manifested based on their relationship, her incredible talent and the emotion of the moment. The team was moved to tears several times listening to her work for the first time. I think anyone who knew Jamie will have a similar experience watching the film.

Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, how did that affect the workflow?
The edit was done entirely during the pandemic. For the bulk of the edit, our workflow didn’t change much. I work in my home studio most of the time, and we already did most of our reviews over Vimeo or the like.

When it came time for the online, things got a little more challenging. We normally would have spent a lot of time in person with the sound mixer. It’s hard to review a 5.1 theatrical mix over Zoom. So we were much more limited in how much we could collaborate, but our sound designer, Bob Edwards (from Skywalker Sound), did an incredible job anyway. We did arrange for a few reviews for color and sound in a proper theater, but we had to take a lot of precautions to make sure we weren’t putting anyone at risk. (Edwards used Avid Pro Tools, an Avid/Digidesign 192 audio interface, Meyer Acheron studio monitors and Sennheiser HD 600 headphones.)

While it might seem trivial, the thing that was really hard was not being able to toast or hug or go get lunch after the final QC. The team was very close by the end of the process, even though some of us have never been in the same room together. I’m glad technology has enabled the work to continue so smoothly, but I really look forward to being able to connect in person again.

What system did you use to cut and why?
I work in Premiere Pro. I worked as a staff editor for years in a post house built around Final Cut Pro, so when Apple abandoned the old Final Cut, Premiere was the obvious alternative. I have worked in Avid a couple times, but the media workflow in Premiere makes much more sense to me after my time in Final Cut. It has been 10 years since the first project I edited in Premiere, and the software keeps getting better.

Is there a tool within that system that most people might not know about that you use?
This was the first time I used Premiere’s new Productions feature. I hadn’t even heard about it until I was a couple months into the edit but was really excited when I heard the concept.

After a couple tests, I moved the whole project into the Productions setup. It took some getting used to, and there are some limitations that I had to accept, but the Productions workflow solved the biggest issues that I have had doing feature docs in Premiere. The program was much more stable throughout the life of the project, and I had a much easier time exchanging sequences and media with my assistant than on past docs.

Where was the color completed?
Online for the film happened at Zoetrope Aubry Productions (ZAP) in San Francisco. Leo Hallal did the color grading remotely from his studio in London. Jamie also had a long relationship with Leo and with Kim Aubry of ZAP from past projects.

How did you manage your time?
Time management on this project was hugely affected by the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, my son’s preschool closed for several months, so my wife and I both had to reduce our hours and work on the weekends while taking turns spending time with our son. Eventually I was able to go back to mostly full-time, Monday-through-Friday work, but there were many other interruptions along the way. Having a home studio makes this a little easier but also more hectic because work and family time really got blurred. Luckily, Jamie and the team were extremely patient and supportive, and somehow we managed to get the film done on our original timeline anyway.

Did you have an assistant editor on this? If so, how did you work with them. Do you see the role of assistant editors as strictly technical or as collaborators?
I worked with a wonderful assistant editor, Ilana Rappaport, who was critical to finishing the film. I never had her do any creative editing, but she did a lot of the preparatory work and research that I’ve usually had to do myself.

One of the big jobs for Ilana was managing the archival video. We had a lot of video from speaking events over Amy’s 30-year career. Ilana would review all this material and helped sort it into assemblies for the topics we needed. If we had a subject that needed more work, she would go through the archival as well as the interviews and put together strings-outs of useful material. We also had two interviews that happened toward the end of the edit when I was deep into it. Ilana did the first pass, marking up and highlighting key bites. By that point she knew exactly how I did my own selects and knew what I was looking for, so by the time I got the interviews, I was able to review them and start cutting really quickly. There were endless similar tasks that helped save me time along the way. Having her perspective in the feedback sessions was also really helpful.

How do you manage expectations with what can really be done?
I had a very open and honest relationship with the director and producers. They were extremely patient with me when I needed more time. They had worked with me enough in the past to know I would get the work done without compromising my approach. Despite all the chaos in the world around us and some very real personal challenges, there was never any anxiety or tension within the team.

How do you manage your time? Do you manage expectations or try everything they ask of you?
I have gotten pretty good at estimating how long something will take and, at the same to time, giving plenty of buffer when I agree to deadlines. Being honest with myself and with the team is extremely important in this regard. Otherwise, I will end up running up against the clock, which means the work gets colored by anxiety. I’ve definitely had plenty of experience working this way too. Sometimes working under pressure is a good impetus, but editing a feature doc takes a really long time. It is unsustainable to work under pressure the whole time. I have learned to be patient with the process and communicative about my limits. Of course, this film, like every other, came up against a very tough finishing schedule and involved plenty of late nights. I have started to assume those periods will happen with every film.

What is your favorite tool in your NLE?
I love that you can map nearly anything to a keyboard shortcut. Making bulk volume adjustments with a keystroke is such a timesaver. I recently mapped the “show duplicate frames” to a single key. I love this feature as a quick check for duplicate shots, but I don’t work with it on all the time. Now I click it on and off in an instant.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas?
It is hard not to feel defensive sometimes, but I try not to let that color my reaction to feedback. After all, the point of making a movie is for others to see it and, hopefully, enjoy it or get something out of it. So I really take other people’s input seriously.

If I get an idea from a director or producer that I disagree with, I find the best thing to do is to try it and look at it together. If it was a bad idea, the director will know it, admit it and appreciate that you tried. If the idea works, great! The movie is better. Who cares if you were wrong?

When it comes to input from people outside the team, I still take every comment seriously, but I also try to interrogate the ideas a little more, look for the root of the criticism and decide whether it is a matter of taste or if it is a real problem that needs to be addressed.