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Category Archives: Tribeca Film Festival

DP Chat: Shooting David Duchovny’s Bucky F*cking Dent

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LA-based cinematographer Jeff Powers’ work spans features, episodics, commercials and music videos. Recent credits include Heaven’s Gate for HBO Max, Muscles and Mayhem for Netflix and Slipnot’s video for Yen for Offsite Films.

Powers also shot the indie film Bucky F*cking Dent, written and directed by David Duchovny and edited by Jamie Nelsen, ACE. Set in the 1970s, the story centers on struggling author Ted (Logan Marshall-Green) and his estranged, terminally ill father, Marty (Duchovny). After learning of Marty’s condition from his caretaker/nurse Mariana (Stephanie Beatriz), Ted decides to move back home. Ted and Marty’s struggle to reconnect, understand and ultimately forgive each other is built on a mutual love of baseball.

Bucky F*cking Dent

Jeff Powers

“The film is dark and funny but also earnest and affecting. The two trade plenty of barbs, feeling each other out before Marty, in his failing health, opens up about his past and the source of their troubled relationship,” explains Powers. “The whole journey takes place within the context of the Red Sox’s doomed 1978 pennant race and results in Ted finding new purpose and direction in his life.”

Let’s find out more from Powers’ and his work on the film, which screened at NYC’s Tribeca Film Festival…

How early did you get involved on this film?
The whole project came together very quickly for me. Only three and a half weeks after my first conversation with director David Duchovny, we were on-set making it happen. With such a short preproduction window, I had to be extremely focused on my prep. David adapted the screenplay from a novel he’d published in 2016, so I was able to rely on his in-depth understanding of the story and characters. His clear vision of everything, from broad story points down to hyper-specific details, helped me get up to speed quickly.

How did you work with Duchovny? What direction were you given?
David said he wanted the camera to feel “buoyant,” which is a sentiment I latched onto. It’s wonderfully specific yet completely open-ended at the same time. In a literal interpretation, we decided to shoot a large portion of the film hand-held. That float gives a sense of subjectivity and immediacy that works well for this kind of character-driven story.

Bucky F*cking DentMore figuratively, the film deals with themes of disappointment and death, but at its heart, it is an optimistic comedy. We don’t shy away from the dramatic moments, but we didn’t want the movie to sink into a heavy, dark place. Ultimately, it is a hopeful story with a lot of hilarious moments along the way, and the camera’s POV needed to be that buoy carrying you along.

One of the films David and I looked at to find a common frame of reference was Five Easy Pieces. There are obvious comparisons to the 1970s time period, and father/son theme — Laszlo Kovacs’ beautiful and often understated character-driven photography is truly inspirational.

Shooting for a director who will spend the majority of the day in front of the camera is a big undertaking. I knew I was going to have to cover a lot of the gray area in between the DP and director role while shooting, and that’s a lot of responsibility. I’m extremely grateful for the trust David placed in me and his unyielding support on-set. In the end, I think a lot of our personal relationship is up on the screen in a way that is truly unique, in my experience.

What about the color and working with the colorist? What are some notes that you exchanged?
For production, I built a show LUT. I wanted to set our look at the start so the intention would be clear from dailies all the way through editorial. I chose a single-LUT workflow to keep myself honest. We were working very quickly on-set, and in that situation, I find the simplicity of sticking with the single look and using lighting and exposure to craft the image works best for me.

Sebastian Perez-Burchard at Tunnel Post handled the color. While we did look at dailies for reference here and there, Sebastian built up a fresh, more refined look based on some images we traded back and forth. I was particularly into photographers Tina Barney and Larry Sultan at the time. I found their work informative in finding how to place our highlights and shadows at the near edges of exposure while maintaining a relatively medium- to low-contrast look. There’s an intimacy to these images as well as an off-the-cuff snapshot quality that was appropriate for our film. I brought both those books with me to the DI in case we lost our way and needed some inspiration.

Sebastian did a tremendous job giving the film the grade it deserved while keeping David and me on track throughout the process. I can’t thank him enough for the heroic 14-hour final day we pulled to get it all done.

What did you end up shooting on and why? 
We shot Bucky on ARRI Alexa Minis with Zeiss standard speeds. Given the nature of our short prep and fast production style, I needed to rely on a camera I’m comfortable with. I’ve shot with the Alexa Mini countless times, and its combination of wide latitude, beautiful color rendition and compact form factor was the right choice.

I’ve always loved Zeiss standard and super speed lenses. DPs often pair older, softer lenses with digital sensors, and it’s a move I’ve pulled many times myself. In this case, the standards brought the right balance of clarity and expressiveness to achieve our look. I tended to shoot them in the T 2 2/3 to T 2.8 1/3 range, which is where those lenses perform best for me. When necessary, I also worked contrast or diffusion filters in to push the softness and halation even further, but I’d guess a solid third of the film was shot on 40mm, clean with no filtration.

AbelCine in New York set us up with the Alexa/Zeiss package as well as an Angenieux 10:1 zoom, which we used for some of our more telephoto shots.

Bucky Dent

Can you talk lighting?
The goal of the film was natural, grounded lighting throughout. David was looking for a style that would apply to the dramatic elements equally as well as the comedic. To me, this meant lighting from outside windows or motivating with practicals as much as possible. It also meant not being afraid to let faces fall into shadow.

As with any DP, I always feel the temptation to get the lighting “perfect” (whatever that might mean). You place the key just so to get that Rembrandt triangle. You set blocking so your actor’s marks are carved out with striking back light. Don’t get me wrong, I love all that, and it’s my go-to starting point. However, every time I reached for these approaches in Bucky, they ended up feeling forced and unnatural in a way that undercut the story we were telling. Eventually, I settled into emphasizing those key moments with darkness and shadow.

One particularly dramatic and cathartic scene between Ted and Mariana is set in a narrow hallway and plays out entirely in silhouette. I love how much weight this image brings to the moment and allows the audience to focus on the emotion conveyed in the characters’ entire body language. You can’t see either of their faces, but you feel it all.

Any happy accidents happen on-set?
In the third act of the film, there is a scene in which Marty has a revelation and truly opens up to his son, which required a lot from David and Logan performance-wise.

We did a blocking rehearsal, and while David stepped away to prepare, I placed the cameras and set up the scene. But when the cast returned and we started rolling, I immediately realized the angles I’d chosen weren’t working at all. Everything felt very stiff, and the camera wasn’t matching the intensity David was bringing to this massive three-page performance. I didn’t want to break the energy midscene, so after the first take, I went up to David and told him his performance was incredible, but the cameras were in the totally wrong place. Not a comfortable admission to make!

I could have stopped it down and reconfigured the setup, but David and Logan were in it and prepared to give a great performance right then and there. In order to keep momentum, I opted to go hand-held and shoot everything with a single camera. This was not the plan at all, nor was it the vision for how the scene would play, but in the moment, it just felt right. This allowed me to adjust the camera to mirror the dynamic of David’s performance.

Without much forethought, I found myself wrapping from a medium close-up to a near-3/4 raking profile and back, spontaneously taking cues from David’s monologue. Similarly, while on Logan’s side, the lens dips in and out of flares, sometimes almost completely obscuring his face as he takes in this brutal honesty from his father. None of these choices would have been made if the initial plan had worked out.

The result has a very close and intimate feel. The performance is feeding the camera, and the visuals are reinforcing that performance. Obviously, this is all some very basic stuff, but it really made the scene come to life. Sometimes things work out through dumb luck, but in most cases, I think these “happy accidents” come from acknowledging that what you’ve planned isn’t as good as what’s actually happening… and having the presence of mind to roll with it.

Are there some scenes that stick out as challenging? Can you talk about those?
Making a period indie film is tough. The script called for a few exterior scenes, which I knew would be huge undertakings to make period-accurate. For example, there is a sequence in which Ted and Mariana walk around downtown as they get to know each other. I was searching for a way to convey the world of this 1970s small town without just burying the art and AD departments.

I love a good medium-to-longer-lens wide shot in general, but on this one, we pushed it hard and ended up doing wides at 200mm or even longer. This gave the shots a very narrow and achievable field of view from a set dressing and background actor perspective, but it also used the compression and depth of a telephoto lens to keep that sense of world I was aiming for.

Looking back on the film, would you have done anything different?
There is that classic saying, something to the effect of “You are only really prepared to shoot a film after you’ve wrapped it.” There are always things to improve if you were to get a second shot at it. I’m always highly self-critical, and so the day I step away from a film fully satisfied will honestly probably be the day I retire.

I’m really proud of what we achieved with Bucky, but if there’s one thing I would have done differently, it’s that I would have loved another couple weeks of prep. Days spent sitting in the production office certainly aren’t the most exciting part of filmmaking, but there is no substitute for thorough preparation. In this case, our quick preproduction window didn’t allow for that, so everyone had to be light on their feet to keep up. I will say this forced us to focus on the bigger picture of the film and adapt to new opportunities as they came up, which gave plenty of room for those happy accidents you mentioned.

Any tips for young cinematographers?
I can’t recommend working on-set in a crew position enough. I started out on a dual track of sorts, working as an electrician and gaffer while simultaneously shooting my own smaller projects. Not only do you get to learn more experienced DPs’ approaches, but you also gain a sense and appreciation of what you’re asking your team to do. A big part of being the DP is managing the people working with you. How well can you do that if you’ve never actually held any of those positions yourself?

Also, I keep a work journal and wish I had started doing so right from the start. It can be as elaborate as full lighting plots, set photos and camera diagrams on some shoots, or as simple as a few notes recollected after a chaotic day. Either way, I have a record of what was done on-set and how effective it was. Over time, it’ll help you find your style and dial in your skills. And most importantly, it’ll prevent you from making the same mistake twice when you do have a misstep… I can promise you that!

Jason Pollard on Editing New Rick James Documentary

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Jason Pollard edited two documentary films that were featured at this year’s Tribeca Festival 2021, Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James and the short Game Changer.

Jason Pollard and his wife Nicole Tucker-Pollard

For this piece, we are focusing on Bitchin’ , a biographical film about Rick James that seeks to show a different side of the troubled musician, who is best known for his hits Superfreak and Mary Jane. The doc was directed was Sacha Jenkins, with whom Pollard has worked before, and featured a variety of cinematographers, including Hans Charles, Bryan Donnell and Antonio Rossi.

We spoke to Pollard about his work on the doc…

How early did you get involved on this film?
Pretty early, while it was still in production. There were some interviews that were shot already that I was able to review, but shooting was still going on while I was editing. The great thing about that is that I was able to have some input with the questions that were asked to some of the interview subjects.

How did you work with the Sacha Jenkins? What direction were you given for the edit?
I’ve worked with Sacha Jenkins before, and what I always enjoy about working with Sacha is that he gives me a lot of room and freedom to work/edit. At the beginning of the project, he gave me his general thoughts about Rick James, his life and his story — specifically telling me what he enjoyed and what he found intriguing about Ricky’s life.

After that we went through the general story beats/progression of Rick’s life as well as the points that we wanted to highlight. Because I’ve worked with Sacha before, I generally know the direction he wants to go in; he wants to make things fun and interesting. More specifically, for this project, he wanted to uncover facts about Rick that should be fresh to the audience, and we wanted to reveal a lot about Rick’s complex life.

Rick James had a lot of adventures and encountered many famous people throughout his life, and we wanted to show all of that. Rick’s unique verbal style was apparent throughout the many archival interviews we had of him, so we definitely wanted to include that as well. At the end of the day, Sacha wanted to tell Rick James’ entire story — warts and all — of a musical genius who had some awful demons that he struggled with throughout his life.

Sacha likes to take a look at my cuts often and provide feedback, so he would watch a cut at least once or twice a week.

Can you describe the pace of the edit?
It’s a moderately paced film. I took my time in the beginning of Rick’s life in Buffalo and then slowly picked up the pace as his life progresses and as Rick tries to find himself musically. When we get to the funk section of Rick’s career, the pace picks up considerably and we’re riding high with Rick through the apex of his career.

Once the heavy drug use and legal troubles begin, the film slows down again to reflect the hazy and unsure state of  Rick’s life and mental state. This pace pretty much continues until the end of Rick’s life, which unfortunately spiraled downward until his death.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
One of the toughest scenes was showing Rick’s descension into drug use and depravity. It was tough because how do you illustrate drug use when there’s no footage or stills of the protagonist/Rick doing drugs? For me, the solution was to show the descent happening at the same time he was shooting a music video for his biggest hit song. So while he is celebrating this huge success, there are also hints and signs of the drug use starting to affect him.

Editorially, I showed this by slowing down the music and footage of Superfreak to signal that something is going wrong — all is not well. From that point on in the film, we’re watching Rick’s career and personal life go downhill. The music becomes darker, and the stills I use of Rick in this section seem to show him in a troubled state of mind. This continues throughout the latter part of the film. There is a brief possibility of hope after he gets out of jail, but then Rick reverts back to his old ways. I also want to give a shout-out composers Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge for creating a fantastic soundscape to go along with the story.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
No, but this is my first writing credit on a film, and I’m beyond grateful that I was able to get that credit.

Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, how did that affect the workflow?
The edit started before Covid, but we finished the film during the pandemic. Editing during the pandemic was tough; what ended up happening is that the assistant editor (who became my co-editor) Chris Bravo and I took drives home with all of the footage on them. Then Chris updated our Adobe Premiere projects and supervised the ingesting of all of the original production and archival footage.

We would upload cuts on Vimeo (we did this before the pandemic as well) and then Sacha and producer Steve Rivo would review and give us notes through email and on Vimeo. We also had weekly Google video chats to keep everyone up to date with our progress.

So you cut on Premiere. Why was this the right choice for you?
Production company Mass Appeal wanted us to edit on Premiere.

How did you manage your time?
At the beginning, I was screening interviews making sure I marked them in Premiere with my notes. After doing that for about two weeks, I went on to create a rough assembly and then a rough cut, which took a few more months.

Jason Pollard

Can you talk more about working with your assistant editor on this? Do you see the role of assistant editors as strictly technical or as collaborators?
My assistant editor on this was Chris Bravo, who I’ve worked with before. I trust Chris for his technical prowess as well as his editing expertise. Chris was able to take care of all the technical things that allowed me focus on editing, but he was also able to contribute artistically by helping to assemble and then edit a lot of sections in the film. He did such a fantastic job that he was promoted on this film from assistant to co-editor.

I never see any assistant editor that I work with as strictly a technical collaborator; I’m always interested in creative thoughts from assistants and always looking to collaborate with them.

How do you manage producer’s expectations with reality/what can really be done?
For me managing a producer’s expectations always requires constant communication about how the edit is going, any problems or issues that come up and — if it feels like I’m going slower than necessary or needed in response to deadlines — making sure the producers know why this is the case and discussing possible solutions about getting help for me in the edit and possibly help the process go faster.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas?
I’m usually okay with taking criticism as long as everyone understands that editing is a process. I’m constantly experimenting in the early stages of editing, trying to find the story, emotions, great characters and story moments. I’m usually good with accepting other ideas, and if I don’t like an idea, I will try it out and put my own spin on it.

Early on during the editing of this film, I tried to do some things verité wise right before a screening without taking the time to make sure that it worked editorially. Unfortunately, this was one of the few times that a screening didn’t go very well, the sequence was too rough and unfinished and not working at all. It was tough taking criticism that day, but I understood that the criticism was right about what I had presented, and I was able to make changes immediately after the screening.

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Tribeca: False Positive Editor Jon Philpot

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False Positive is a social satire, a horror, a thriller and an assemblage of microaggressions that eventually explode. After difficult struggles with fertility, loving couple Lucy (Ilana Glazer) and Adrian (Justin Theroux) seem to have finally found their potential savior in the charming and world-renowned reproductive specialist Dr. Hindle (Pierce Brosnan).

Editor Jon Philpot

Shot on Red Helium by DP Pawel Pogorzelski, this Tribeca film was directed by John Lee and edited by his good friend and collaborator Jon Philpot. The pair worked together on the comedy show Broad City, which was created by Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, and Wonder Showzen.

“I was brought on during the final season of Broad City (Lee was a director on the show), and John and I had been working together since Season 1 of his show Wonder Showzen,” he explains. “We have a great working relationship and friendship. He let me read the script for False Positive, and I tried not to get my hopes up, but John pitched my name and Ilana agreed. I got the film. At that point, I had worked on Broad City for three seasons and was lucky enough to cut two episodes that Ilana directed. Abbi and Ilana were very involved in the edit, so we all became pretty tight. My time on Broad City is a gift that keeps on giving.”

Let’s find out more about Philpot’s workflow …

How did you work with John Lee, and what direction were you given for the edit? How often was he taking a look at your cut?
I was cutting as they filmed and had a rough version just after production wrapped. After that, John was in the room every day. We would scramble the order or try a new way to cover a scene. Reordering and doing nontraditional coverage is inspiring. Even if it doesn’t make the cut, it could inform a better way to reveal the story.

We tried to get our rough cut out as fast as possible to collaborate with the producers. After that, we slowed down and started refining each act, sometimes only making a few small cuts a day.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
This is my first feature film as the initiating editor. I did some additional editing on Pootie Tang and I Feel Pretty, but this was a different game. I learned a ton working on it. There is more room to shape and modify a film versus television. What you don’t see is as important as what you do. One thing that remains the same is that I always hunt for something interesting. If I’ve never seen it, I will gravitate toward it.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
I was a friend. Sure, it’s important to have ideas and to problem-solve, but I find it equally important to be a good listener and then translate that idea to the screen. You know, it takes a long time to cut a film, so for the duration, we’re hanging out. It’s nice to hang out with a friend.

Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, how did that affect the workflow?
Pre-pandemic, we had a release date, but that was detonated. During the pandemic, the film made its way to Hulu, and the door was opened to make a few changes. Even though they were small, they really added to the film. It was a point of light during those tough times.

What system did you use to cut and why?I used Avid Media Composer. I occasionally use Adobe Premiere, but I prefer Avid’s collaborative workflow. It’s solid. Also, I partnered with an LA production company, Special Order, to handle post. The idea was to set up an affordable way to cut without being tied down to a post house. It’s nice to offer A24 and Hulu more control and to be able to scale with the film as it reaches the end.

Is there a tool or tools you like to work with while editing?
Adobe After Effects and Ableton. I had two detours in my career: one as a title designer and another as a touring musician. I did the main titles for the films Pootie Tang and Marci X and four seasons of the show Everybody Hates Chris.

I got deep in VFX, and it’s a good skill to have in the edit, either for temp VFX or just for talking with VFX artists. My band is called Bear in Heaven. We toured for about six years. Feel free to listen to us.

How did you manage your time?I try not to get worried about my time. The most important thing is making a scene or a series of scenes work. Rationally or not, I believe that if you hit a challenging section, there will be an easy one to make up for lost time.

Did you have an assistant editor on this? If so, how did you work with them?
Kira Ablak was my assistant editor. She is a wonderful, grounding force in the edit. I love getting input from my assistant. Most times, they are the only other person who is as familiar with the material as I am. On the day-to-day, she would make alts so that I could see the best way to move from one shot to another or from one scene to another. She helps with temp sound design, VFX and basically everything that comes her way. I would have been a shell of a human without her help and perspective.

How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
I’m more of the mind that anything is possible; it’s a matter of translation. I’ve yet to run into a note or request that isn’t based on something they saw. So, it’s a matter of finding it or figuring out a version of it. I recently worked with Meredith Scardino, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock on Girls5eva. They have a lot of ideas in the edit, and I think it makes their show unique and jam-packed with jokes.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas?
I love criticism. Not kidding, I live for it. It’s a tool to find the best possible story. Collaboratively picking a story apart can create something new. In the end, it’s almost as if it created itself and exists by its own volition.

 


Tribeca: Jeff Consiglio on Editing the Equal Pay Doc LFG

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The documentary feature LFG, which premiered at Tribeca last month, is a no-holds-barred, inside account of the US Women’s National Team’s ongoing fight with US Soccer for equal pay, as told by Megan Rapinoe, Jessica McDonald, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara, Sam Mewis and others. “It’s also,” says the film’s editor Jeff Consiglio, “a rally cry for badassery, inspired by the seemingly limitless badassery of the women who tell their stories in this film.”

Editor Jeff Consiglio

LFG, which can be streamed on HBO Max, was co-directed by Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine, the latter of whom also served as DP on the film. The Fines and Consiglio have collaborated in the past, so the trio had a very helpful shorthand on this project. “Andrea, Sean and I had made three prior films together and about once a year we’d connect and discuss possible next projects,” explains Consiglio. “They contacted me when they were looking into what was going on with the women’s national team back in 2019 and put this project into motion. We talked for several months as the project was evolving in production, and once they could see a roadmap through post, they locked me in. I was lurking around the project for almost eight months before the first day of editing, observing, consulting, adjusting plans and trying not to break anything before go time.”

Let’s find out more from the LFG editor …

What direction were you given for the edit?
Because this is now our fourth film together, we have a strong rapport and can often finish each other’s sentences. It’s organic for us to talk about what’s in their heads for the film and then for me to disappear into the edit studio and start negotiating between ideas and dreams for the material and the reality of what the material can be and wants to be. I make sure to know their wants as deeply as possible so I can bend the reality of the material as far toward those wants as it will go. I do this while bending their wants toward what the material is crying out to be.

Kelley O’Hara

I’m never without clear direction from them, and I report back about how that direction is making its way through the material. I showed them builds of material all the time, big or small, long or short, successful or total crap, so we could all keep on that journey together. The three of us are very interactive, even though I maintain a closed door when I’m actually doing the surgery of building that material.

Was there a particular scene that was most challenging?
No single scene sits at the top of the pain-in-the-ass list, but the entire Act I is there. The first 20 minutes of every documentary is always by far the hardest section because you need to do many things at once — get a lot of information out to set the intellectual stage and conflict, introduce your characters without falling into the rabbit hole of their full stories, and let the audience know they are in for a rewarding ride. And each of those things has to be done with perfection. They each then have to weave together elegantly, and it all has to happen without taking an entire film’s worth of time.

Usually Act I gets more hours of labor than Acts II and III combined, and that happened here as well. How do you get to know these women, explain a lawsuit, capture the emotion of their decision to drop the lawsuit and engage in dynamic soccer play quickly, efficiently and elegantly? All filmmakers face this same Act I beast. Ours was on the workbench for a lot of weeks.

What was the film shot on?
Sony Venice with some Phantom material from games and practices. Like all films from 2020, Zooms, Osmo cameras and iPhones also became part of the camera arsenal.

Where was it posted?
Because Andrea and Sean are based in Washington, DC, and we were in pandemic times, they opted to do most of the post locally at a facility they’ve used for years, Henninger Media Services. We mixed the film in LA where I am based, at Barking Owl Sound.

Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, how did that affect the workflow? 
Yes, the edit began in June of 2020 and ended in June of 2021, and the pandemic torpedoed our workflow plans as much as it torpedoed everyone’s plans for everything. Fortunately, we had originally planned to begin the project with me in LA and them in DC, so we had set up a robust workflow for remote work — but that was meant to be temporary until we got to a certain stage, when we’d move the edit to DC. Clearly, that never happened, and we built this entire film working remotely the whole time. We had to get very good at Zoom calls and eventually embraced Evercast as a low-latency videoconferencing system that enabled us to review material in real time while 3,000 miles apart.

Jessica McDonald

What system did you use for the edit?
I’ve been overlapping multiple projects within the Adobe ecosystem for years, so I’m always inclined to use Premiere Pro to keep everything consistent, and that’s what we used here.

Did you have an assistant editor on LFG? If so, how did you work with them?
We had two assistant editors (Kai Keefe and Kevin Otte) and one coordinating producer (Lauren Gaffney) who did most of our research as well as a few more people who would track every piece of media, whether it came from the outside or was a build I created. Transcribing, documenting, tracking elements and versions … this project was a multi-headed dragon.

Do you allow them to edit scenes and/or give input on your edits?
I always strive for the old-school classic definition of an assistant editor, which is one who is actively creating in addition to managing the flow of media. So I try to get assistants to exercise those creative muscles whenever possible, either performing specific tasks or just taking blind creative stabs at scenes on their own. Often the technical demands of the workflow are so overwhelming that the creative time is minimized, but it’s ideal for me to have those additional ideas and perspectives whenever we can wrangle our days to make it happen.

Megan  Rapinoe

How do you manage producers’ expectations with what can really be done?
Probably a lot like a doctor does when walking back into the room to give you the results. No film is ever what anyone thinks it will be going in; it is the result of that negotiation with reality mentioned earlier. Producers who’ve been around the block know this truth well, so we all deal with the good news/bad news of every day’s work with as much of a hunger for improvisation and adaptability as we can muster.

But I’m not free of the despair that comes from the shattering of an expectation against the wall of reality, so it’s never not challenging to adjust along the way. We just know from experience that at least half of those adjustments are discoveries of something better than we expected, and the other half might be painful at first but almost always lead us to new discoveries. I’ve got to be that doctor for them every day, but I’ve developed those muscles by being that doctor for myself about a hundred times an hour anyway. The film always wins this struggle; it always gets better when we adjust our expectations. The happiest filmmakers are the ones who know that every hour of every day.

Megan Rapino

How do you manage your time?
A film in progress cries out for every second of your time for the entire duration it’s being created. It’s the most high-maintenance thing I know. What directors ask of me is only one part of that constant demand, so right away their asks are in constant negotiation with what the film itself needs to grow. We do all we can every day until we drop because that’s what this creative endeavor demands of us.

Again, when working with the best filmmakers who’ve been around the block, everyone knows that time management and the prioritizing of asks is an inherent part of the process. Usually, I can let someone know right away if an ask is even possible or not and we progress from there so that we can all wrestle with the most effective and efficient steps every day to get the crying needy film baby fully grown in time.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas (good and bad)?
If one does not have a leather-thick skin for taking criticism, then one’s life as an editor will last about 7 minutes.


Tribeca: James Crouch on Editing 12 Mighty Orphans

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Editor James Crouch

The Tribeca Film Festival film 12 Mighty Orphans is based on a true story of an orphanage in Fort Worth, Texas, during the Great Depression. An accomplished coach named Rusty Russell (Luke Wilson), comes to the orphanage to start a football program with only 12 players on the team. Against all odds, he helps the boys fight their way to play in the Texas State High School Championship. He film also stars Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Treat Williams.

12 Mighty Orphans was directed by Ty Roberts, shot by cinematographer David McFarland and edited by James Crouch. We reached out to Crouch to find out more about his workflow on the film.

How early did you get involved on this film?
I cut Ty’s previous film, The Iron Orchard, so he looped me in on this project pretty early on.

What was the film shot on?
Arri Alexa Mini Open Gate RAW — Anamorphic.

How did you work with Ty Roberts?
Ty is a great collaborator and relatively hands-off. He gave me full rein to do my editor’s cut first, then we’d dive into each scene together. He brings out my best work, and we’re always digging in to see every available option. We worked in sequences during the week, and then we reviewed the full cuts over the weekend.

Was there a particular scene that was most challenging?
The entire edit was a beast. They adapted the script from a book, and the first cut was full of so many storylines that it was almost three-and-a-half hours long. We were eventually able to get it down to a little less than two hours, but getting there was tough.

There was so much trial and error. We edited on and off for over seven months, trying lots of different things — taking beats out, putting them back in, swapping the structure around. You name it. We also added in voiceover at the 11th hour, which helped with beats we had taken out. No stone was left unturned, and that’s what helped make it the best movie possible. I’m so proud of what we accomplished.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
Besides editing, I helped manage sound, color, and visual effects on the film. It made sense for me to handle that part since we were all working remotely during the pandemic.

Can you talk about editing during the pandemic. How did that affect the workflow? 
We were right in the middle of the edit in March of 2020. It made it difficult for us to review and work together. The plus side was that I moved my suite back home and found that I do my best work there. Because I can implement ideas and thoughts at any time of the day, I don’t have to wait to try something the next day when going into an office.

Where did you do the post?
The conform was done at Technicolor Postworks in NYC, and the color was done by Damien van der Cruyssen at the Mill.

What system did you use to cut?
I use Adobe Premiere Pro, my preferred software. I love the customization you can do, and after years working with the program, I have learned to use fast SSD drives and proxies, which keep it extremely stable.

Is there a tool within that system that you really love?
The Essential Sound panel is excellent for quick and dirty effects and repair. I’m really into sound design, and it was super helpful when doing the temp design.

Did you have an assistant editor on this?Yes, I was lucky enough to have an assistant on this project. In fact, I had a couple of assistants: Jay Serra in Fort Worth, where the film was shot, and Chance St. George in Austin.

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?
I’m all about collaborating and giving people opportunities to cut. Whenever I needed help on something, I passed it to either Jay or Chance, and we would trade-off. If I got tunnel vision on a scene and hit a dead end, I would bring them in with fresh eyes to give me a fresh perspective. They were both great AEs who have both become editors since then.

How do you manage producer’s expectations with reality/what can really be done?
Under-promise and over-deliver, as they say. Do what you can and show them what you have. Fortunately, the lead producer on this film, Houston Hill, is a close friend and collaborator of mine, so that part was easy.

How do you manage your time? Do you manage expectations or try everything they ask of you?
I manage my time by prioritizing what needs to get done before I start. If I’m exhausted and overworked, I’ll seek help from my assistants to pick up the slack. As far as trying what they ask: you always try it. Well, you always try it if the director asks it of you.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of other’s ideas?
Criticism is just part of the job. Hopefully, it’s given constructively. If it isn’t, it’s not conducive to cultivating a creative environment. You need to keep an open mind when working with other people. It’s important to avoid playing favorites with your ideas. You need to avoid getting defensive or stuck on a single, strict way to do anything.


Tribeca: Patrick Nelson Barnes on Editing No Man of God

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No Man of God is the real-life story of FBI agent Bill Hagmaier (Elijah Wood) and his experience interviewing infamous serial killer Ted Bundy (Luke Kirby) over a five-year period before Bundy’s execution in 1989. In 1984 the FBI began a program to “profile” violent serial offenders in an attempt to try and understand their psychology in the hopes that it would give them insights to effectively combat future crimes. Bill Hagmaier was one of the five original full-time profilers.

The film was directed by Amber Sealey, shot by DP Karina Silva and edited by Patrick Nelson Barnes. No Man of God, which was shot on an ARRI Alexa Mini, premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

We reached out to LA-based Barnes — whose other editing credits include the Jamie Fox-directed All-Star Weekend, the Jim Cummings film The Wolf of Snow Hollow and the Sundance offering How Does it Start, also directed by Sealey — to find out about his process on the film.

How early did you get involved on No Man of God?
Amber and I started talking several months before production. We’ve worked together many times now and it’s great to be able to brainstorm with her so early in the process. We both trust each other creatively, and it’s helpful for me to get the lay of the land on what’s most important to her, the themes she wants to focus on and if there are any story issues that might be challenging to achieve in production that I want to be aware of. It’s also a chance for her to start throwing out more abstract concepts that aren’t in the script — things she thinks I can achieve in editing because she knows how I work and what my sensibilities and tastes are. That is something that comes with repeatedly collaborating with a director, and I love that.

What direction were you given for the edit? How often was Amber taking a look at the cut?
We were editing during the pandemic, so I was working at my home editing studio. All of my interaction with Amber and the producers was over the phone and Zoom, which was unusual. One of Amber’s biggest imperatives was to infuse the film with this idea of Bundy’s victims’ “voices.” Some of the ways we approached it were specific, like the women who appear throughout the film look like Bundy’s actual victims and break the “fourth wall” by looking at the viewer. It’s as if they are thinking, “Why are you watching this movie about a serial killer?!” But then there was the question of how to expand on that, and that is where the archival material and home movies came in. In editorial we were able to kind of weave this fabric that consisted not only of the everyday lives of the victims, but also the threads of Bill’s memories, his subconscious and the broader culture of the 1980s.

Amber gives me a ton of creative freedom, so one week we might be looking at scenes every day, and for the next week or two after that, I might be working on my own, with the goal of presenting several ideas to her for a scene or concept. As we got into the later stages of editorial, though, we were constantly discussing everything from music choices to individual words of dialogue to typography to how many times Bill’s cheek twitches in the “under the water” scene!

Can you describe the pace of the edit?
To a degree, I think the pace reflects wherever Bill’s head is throughout the film. When he first enters the prison, the pace is more tentative as Bill feels Bundy out. In each subsequent meeting, I played with both rhythm and pacing as Bill tries to endear himself to Bundy and then is challenged by him. Then they experience this kind of melding of the minds, and the rhythm becomes binary in a way; the pace picks up, and then Bill pulls away again when he gets too close. When Bill realizes who he and Bundy truly are, the film, like Bill’s head, becomes almost dreamlike. And, of course, the wild card in all of this is Bundy’s erratic emotional state and manipulative behavior.

Was there a particular scene that was most challenging?
The most challenging scene was probably the “under the water” scene. Without giving too much away, there is a scene where Bundy recounts to Bill how he killed. In addition to shooting Luke performing his role as Bundy, Amber also shot Elijah performing Bundy’s lines, and we used that to construct a kind of “cubist” approach to the scene — so the viewer is simultaneously experiencing Bundy telling the story, while Bill is both listening to and living the story. This is a perfect example of how Amber and I collaborate so well together. She has this brilliant idea of shooting Bill speaking Bundy’s words, and then she looks to me to make it work in a cinematic way within the story. I used a lot of overlapping lines, jump cuts, reverb, sound design and Clarice Jensen’s haunting score to pull it off. I have to give credit to producer Daniel Noah as well. He was really involved in helping us craft these scenes so precisely.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
I designed the opening title sequence.

You said the editing happened during the pandemic. Can you talk more about how that affected the workflow?
Yes, and on top of that we had the raging wildfires a short distance from set. I wasn’t on set but was talking to Amber regularly on the phone — they had to follow all of the COVID rules for airing out the rooms, but then the air outside was filled with smoke.

The biggest ways it affected editorial were not having an assistant editor working in the same location as me and not being able to watch cuts in person with Amber and the producers. My assistant, Patrick Lawrence, would email me updated bins as he finished organizing and syncing, and when the archival material started coming in, he would send that footage to me through Frame.io. We kept a similar folder structure so when it came time for turnovers, he could simply reconnect any offline files.

Director Amber Sealey

Not being able to work with Amber in person didn’t change the workflow that much, but that made it especially important that we focus on the specifics when we talked or when we watched cuts together over Zoom. I did my best to imagine her in the room with me and watch her face for any tells that something might not be registering right.

What system did you use to cut?
Avid Media Composer. I thought it would make it easier to send cuts back and forth with my assistant without issues since everything was being done remotely due to COVID.

Do you use any tools within that system that people might not know about that you use?
At this point all the NLEs have the same capabilities, so it’s just about the editor finding the best way to get what they want. I definitely used some split screening a few times.

How did you manage your time?
Because I was working at home, and because we had such a tight editorial timeline and so much creative experimentation involved with this film, I had to sacrifice a lot of free time to make sure we got the film we wanted. I was happy to do it because so much was riding on it. We all had to put in the extra effort to overcome the production limitations caused by the pandemic.

Can you talk more about working with your assistant?

Patrick Lawrence is an editor in his own right. He’s highly organized, which allowed me to focus on the edit. And I really needed that. With everyone working in different locations and with such a time schedule, there was a greater chance that little details might slip through the cracks.

I am always open to any assistant editor who expresses interest in cutting scenes or looking for feedback, but frankly, with the demands of today’s schedules, that rarely seems to happen, which is unfortunate. I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to do more of that in the future, though.

How do you manage a producer’s expectations with what can really be done?
Very carefully! Seriously though, I love the challenge of incrementally making something better, and I love when producers and directors have high expectations—in fact, I expect it. That means everybody takes what we’re making seriously. Communication and honesty go a long way in making sure everyone is on the same page with what we are working toward. I pride myself on being an editor who tells it like I see it rather than just keeping quiet or avoiding a difficult conversation.

How do you take criticism?
I really look at it as an opportunity to re-examine the film. It takes a lot of forces pushing and pulling in different directions to reach a “synthesis.” It’s simply a necessary part of the process. I try not to take anything personally, and I always ask myself, “Will this note help the audience understand a character more deeply? Or make the narrative drive clearer or more engaging?” If I don’t think it does, then I better have a good reason for my opinion, and I’m never afraid to express that. After all, that’s what I’m hired to do.


Tribeca: Editing India Sweets and Spices

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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.

Podcast 12.4