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Craig Scorgie on Editing the Cannes Film In Flames

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Craig Scorgie was the editor on the Cannes film In Flames, a horror film set in Karachi, Pakistan. It follows a mother and daughter who are fighting malevolent forces, both real and imagined, that emerge following the death of the family’s patriarch. The film uses the psychological horror genre to unpack complex themes of grief, misogyny, love, generational trauma and mental illness.

Scorgie’s eclectic and interesting resume includes jobs as an editor, a VFX and graphics artist and a comedian! Recently he was a VFX editor and first assistant editor on the film Women Talking, an assistant editor on HBO’s Big Little Lies Season 2 and the VFX editor on Season 1 of the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.

Let’s find out more about his work editing In Flames…

Craig Scorgie with his Media Composer set-up

How early did you get involved in the film?
I was officially brought onto the project in June 2022. My involvement, however, feels like it began more than a year before, when director Zarrar Kahn and I attended the Canadian Film Centre together. It was there that we talked about the script of this film and developed our process of working together.

What was it shot on?
The film was shot on an ARRI Alexa Classic in the ARRIRAW codec. Fun fact: Our cinematographer, Aigul Nurbulatova, shot a lot of our scenes during blue hour, which we owe a lot of the film’s moody atmosphere to.

How did you work with the director? How often was he taking a look at your cut?
Zarrar and I actually had a fairly unconventional way of working together on this film. It’s almost like we started with a director’s cut, then an editor’s cut and then the fine cut. Because Zarrar is an editor as well as a director, we decided it was best for us if he completed the assembly. We also thought this was a good idea because our film’s language is Urdu, which I am unfortunately not fluent in.

So for the first couple of months, Zarrar was completely on his own. He put together the assembly and added English subtitles so I could continue working with it. Then he wanted me to do a version on my own, presenting all of my ideas in one cut. He gave me complete freedom with this, allowing me to cut and reorder scenes, change dialogue and experiment with structure — anything my storytelling instincts told me to do.

This part of the process was so much fun because I really went wild with it! Then I sent my pass to him, and we started working together on a third version — one that combined the best of both our cuts. We used this as our fine cut and then went through several rounds of test screenings and outside feedback until we arrived at the final film as it is today.

Was there a particular scene that stands out as the most challenging?
In general, our story involves many moments when pieces of the past are colliding with the present through the use of flashbacks and dream sequences. There is one moment in particular when two characters’ past experiences collide with the present day to help us understand a pivotal moment of the film. The flashbacks and present day were originally scripted as separate scenes, which we quickly discovered wouldn’t work; they needed to play as one simultaneous sequence. Achieving this in a way that was elegant and not confusing was incredibly challenging.

In the end, I’m very proud of how this scene turned out. I feel like it’s quite original and poignant, and I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
In addition to editing, I also did some of the visual effects. I like to use visual effects as a tool to elevate my editing, so a lot of the composite shots in the film were built in the edit and finalized by me. I can’t take credit for all of the bigger VFX shots though. All of that goes to the incredible team at Wild VFX.

Can you talk about your editing workflow?
To be completely honest, I don’t have a one-size-fits-all editing workflow. I tailor it for each project and each director I’m working with. Process is an excellent tool for bringing out the best in a collaboration, so I don’t like to have any hard and fast rules on mine. I think I get this from my background as an improv comedian, where I had to take all of my cues from my scene partner. I think this is the most organic way to collaborate. It focuses things on what’s working and builds off of that.

What system did you use to cut and why?
I am comfortable working in both Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro. For In Flames we used Premiere Pro because that’s what Zarrar was most comfortable working with.

Is there a tool within that system that was particularly helpful?
One thing I really enjoy about Premiere Pro is its integration with After Effects. This saves so much time when you’re an editor who loves working with visual effects.

How did you manage your time?
Because we’ve worked together before, Zarrar and I had a very good sense of how much time we needed for our editing process. We scheduled how many weeks we each needed for our individual passes and then set aside a month and a half for developing the rest of the cut together.

Because Zarrar is an editor, we are also incredibly efficient with our time. We set aside full days to work together, but we often ended up working half days or half weeks. At a certain point in an edit, it can be more beneficial to have time away from the cut instead of working together every day. I’m glad our schedule allowed extra time for this because it gave us the distance and clarity we needed to make some of the most important decisions of this film.

How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
I’m lucky that on this project we didn’t have many situations like that. Our producers were incredibly supportive of the choices we made in the film. And our collaborators in post were also flexible and able to deliver top-notch work with the time and resources we had.

Whenever I am in a situation like that, though, I always think it’s important to remain open-minded to other people’s expectations and give it an honest try. I am not quick to decide that something cannot be done because I’ve been proven wrong many times in the past. You never know what solutions will reveal themselves if you remain open. I use all the tools at my disposal, and if I have to, I take some time away and try again. This way if something is truly unattainable, people are more likely to understand and see that for themselves.

Craig Scorgie

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas (good and bad)?
I always welcome and embrace criticism. It’s a gift. It can be a challenge sometimes decoding criticism, especially if it is from other filmmakers because they can sometimes be prescriptive.

I always think about “the note behind the note.” There’s always a legitimate reason why a note is given, but often that reason is not articulated in the note. Seeing beyond the note, instead of dismissing it immediately, is sometimes easier said than done. By staying open-minded, empathetic and curious, I often find something valuable in most notes that are given to me. Or if it comes down to personal taste, I’ll defer to the director’s vision and whether the note matches up with the film they are intending to make.

Finally, when someone who is starting out asks what they should learn, what do you recommend?
I always say it’s important to watch as many films as you can and find a mentor or peer who can provide constructive feedback on your work. And edit as much as you can! If you continually do these three things, you will only elevate your skills as an editor.

When it comes to collaborative skills, personal growth couldn’t be more important. This is something that I wish someone had told me earlier in my career. Read self-help books, book regular appointments with a therapist if that is accessible to you, work on improving personal relationships, put time into other creative hobbies that you enjoy. All of these things will make you a stronger editor in ways that you can’t imagine.

SXSW: Editor Curt Lobb on I Used to Be Funny and BlackBerry

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Editor Curt Lobb, whose credits include the films The Kid Detective and Chubby, has been busy recently, cutting not one but two entries for Austin’s SXSW film festival. I Used to Be Funny follows a stand-up comedian struggling with PTSD as she weighs whether or not to join the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny. BlackBerry is the story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone.

Let’s find out more from Lobb…

Editor Curt Lobb

How early did you get involved in these films?
I actually wasn’t contacted about editing I Used to Be Funny until principal photography had wrapped. This was a first for me, as usually I’m involved before shooting begins. But I had never met or spoken to any of the key crew members until after they wrapped and were looking to find an editor for the project. It was a fun and new experience for me to dive into a film that was already shot and waiting for me to begin.

For BlackBerry, I’ve been working with the majority of the department heads for 12 or so years now, so I had read the BlackBerry script a few years ago, when they wrote the first draft. I gave input on the script and on other aspects of the movie all through development and preproduction.

How did you work with the director? How often were they taking a look at your cut?
I Used to Be Funny director Ally Pankiw lives in Los Angeles and was there for the edit while I cut in a small town called Goderich in Canada. To make our process work remotely, we had a routine where we would chat about what scenes I was going to tackle for the week and how she envisioned they might play out. I would then do my first pass on the scenes and send them her way. She would then give notes, we’d talk about how I might address those notes, and then I’d take another crack at the scene and send once again, often with a new batch of scenes as well.

We did some version of that over and over through the process. Sometimes I would send long chunks of the movie with various changes throughout, or I’d send just one scene at a time. Near the end of the process, when we had a fine cut of the whole movie, the notes would often be spread out through the whole edit, so I’d be sending an export of the entire film her way a lot of the time.

For the first three months or so, BlackBerry director Matt Johnson would be in and out of the edit suite. There would be stretches of a couple weeks when he’d be sitting in and watching edits as they were completed, and other weeks when he’d be gone and let the edit progress quite a bit before checking in.

BlackBerry director Matt Johnson

I’ve been editing his projects for several years now, and this is how we often work. He lets me experiment and try out my approach on the movie before he comes in. He is a lot more hands-on at the end of the process. This method seems to work well with us, as it allows me time to discover ways of telling the story that we might never have anticipated. It gives Matt new ideas that he can then run with and refine with me at the end of the editing process.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
In I Used to Be Funny, when Sam (the lead character) is driving to find Brooke, we do a lot of weaving in and out of the past and the present. It was challenging to find the right balance of the past to keep in the movie (which is a court case with a lot of dialogue) while keeping up the emotion that Sam was feeling in the present.

To Ally’s credit, she doesn’t hesitate on cutting things out when she knows something isn’t needed, so she really led the charge on how to trim this section down and keep the pace up. In this sequence, like a lot of the movie, it was sometimes challenging to find the best ways to transition from the two timelines, but the crew often set us up for success with how they shot the scenes and built in a lot of the transitional moments. And whenever we needed to remove something or change the order of scenes from the original plan, it was always a lot of fun to experiment with transitions and make something new that wasn’t part of the initial intent.

It was also a challenge editing the assault scene, as we didn’t want to be gratuitous but also needed to make it as impactful as possible and not shy away from the horror of it. I think we landed on the right balance.

For BlackBerry, there are countless versions of the opening 15 minutes of the film, often with scenes that are now completely removed from the movie. We trimmed out a lot of exposition that maybe would have introduced the audience to who these characters are a bit more, but the tradeoff was a much slower-paced, less captivating opening so we decided it was better to just throw the audience in and let them gradually discover what these characters are all about.

There’s also a sales montage that happens around the midpoint of the movie that I took a lot of passes at. We discovered that additional story beats needed to happen inside of the montage, and I kept adding new elements to it.

I Used to Be Funny

Also, overall, more than some other projects I’ve worked on, we continually cut the movie down and rewrote certain parts of it, which would always create a domino effect of things we’d then have to tweak. But we always go into these Matt Johnson projects knowing we will be doing a lot of “writing in the edit,” which gives me a lot of opportunity to explore the best ways of telling the story — often totally differently than the original intent of how some things were shot.

Did you do more than edit on this film?
I think it’s normal for most editors, or at least I often find myself in projects where I can contribute in other ways. I gave input on the VFX for I Used to Be Funny (done by my longtime collaborator Mark Hussey) and the audio mix and color grade.

I’m an associate producer on BlackBerry. I gave story notes on the various drafts of the script and continual feedback on the VFX, audio mix and color grade.

Can you talk about your editing workflow?
On I Used to Be Funny, I was lucky to have Mark Hussey (a business partner at FauxPop Station, our production house where we edit) doing additional editing on the movie. Often, he would prepare assembly edits of the scenes I would be jumping onto, which really helped to speed up the process. On this movie, we started right at the beginning of the film and worked our way chronologically from there. This helped us to take unexpected paths when they popped up and to let the movie dictate a lot of the choices as it was being built — instead of just trying to stick entirely to the script.

I was on another project while BlackBerry was in principal photography, but we had Carly Williams and Manny Hussey assembly-editing the film while the shoot was going. This allowed us to have an assembly edit of the whole movie just a couple weeks after picture wrapped. This was a huge help in seeing roughly what we had, and it allowed us to make some bigger structural decisions right off the bat when I first dove into the cut.

I also need to give a shout-out to executive producer Robert Upchurch for being so integral during the edit. I couldn’t have done it without him.

What system did you use to cut?
I cut I Used to Be Funny on Adobe Premiere Pro 2021 on an iMac and BlackBerry on Premiere Pro 2022 on a Mac Studio.

Is there a tool within that system that you call on often?
I’m sure the average Premiere user knows about Team Projects, but if not, they are incredibly useful and were a huge asset on I Used to Be Funny. Mark and I would be constantly sharing sequences with one another, and using Team Projects made this task a lot easier and faster than if we were just using traditional project files.

BlackBerry

I used Team Projects even more on BlackBerry. It was integral. Our two assembly editors both lived a few hours from our office, and using Team Projects meant they always had updated assistant-edited/synced sequences to work with. (We had a team doing the assistant editing in our production studio and would send the updated, organized project out to them daily.)

Our assembly editors would then constantly be updating our master Team Project with their edited sequences, and we always had an up-to-date master project that any of us could jump into and work with at any time.

How did you manage your time?
Knowing what the deadline was for picture lock on I Used to Be Funny, we worked backward from there and divided the schedule into three parts, ensuring we had a fine cut of each act done by a certain date. We also had time allocated at the end of the post schedule, after finishing the fine cut of the whole movie. This ensured we could do test screenings and have the time to do whatever work was still needed to address our final notes and get us to the picture lock.

We did far more test screenings with BlackBerry than any other project I’ve done with this group in the past, so we were always just using the nearest test screening as a deadline to push for. (I think the first one was maybe only 3½ months after I started on the edit, which for this crew was a very fast turnaround. Couldn’t have done it without the assembly edit).

We always wanted the best version of the movie we could get by each test screening, but sometimes that meant picking and choosing which parts of the movie to refine more and which things to leave on the back burner until the next deadline. It was a fun exercise in testing out certain aspects of the movie at certain screenings, and once we felt we had cracked a specific story element, we could then focus our attention to another. But we still, of course, tried to make sure that globally the movie was working as well as possible at each step.

I Used to Be Funny director Ally Pankiw

How do you manage producers’ expectations with reality/what can really be done?
I think there was hope for a pretty quick turnaround on I Used to Be Funny, but the producing team was realistic. As they saw the movie come together, they understood that it was going to take time to make the best product possible. So they stayed flexible and understanding and gave us the time we needed. I think the best thing to do as an editor in those situations is to try to hit the deadlines that have been laid out, prioritize the quality of the work, and hope that when the producers see that you’re on the right track, they’ll grant you the time needed to finish at that same quality level.

Luckily for me on BlackBerry, one of the producers (Matthew Miller) has been a part of the crew since our first-ever collaboration as a team. He fully understands the time it takes for a movie of our style to come together… although this is the closest this crew has ever followed a script.

There is still so much experimenting that is done in the edit to find the best version of the movie. Miller knows that since he’s been through it several times with us, and he always had our back in terms of giving us the time we needed. In large part due to Miller’s reassurance, the other producers on the project, who hadn’t worked with us in the past, also put a lot of trust in our process and gave us the time and space we needed.

Again, I think if the quality of work you’re showing producers on any project is something they can see value in, then they should be giving you the time you need to finish the job.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of other’s ideas?
I think I take criticism pretty well, and I certainly welcome it —that’s what you need to get to the finish line on editing anything. I always try to do my best version of anything I cut, but then it’s up to the director (or whoever else is contributing to the process) to bring in their ideas on how to make something better. That’s the fuel you need to keep the machine going.

If I was left by myself to edit with no feedback, it would be very hard to continually revise things to get them to be the best version they can be. Of course, you can continue to improve something on your own by doing passes on it over and over, but it’s so important to get other perspectives on what you’re doing. This way you’re not just working in a vacuum and fooling yourself into thinking something is perfect when there’s still lots of room for improvement.

I also try to bring as much of myself and my taste into a project as possible, but I’ll always respect and heed the director’s vision and input. Even if we don’t exactly see eye to eye on something, I’ll try to give them the version they want to see in a way I can get on board with… and do it to the best of my ability.

Finally, when someone who is starting out asks what they should learn, what do you recommend?
I think anyone starting out should plunge right into Adobe Premiere or whatever professional editing software they can get their hands on. I know that was an intimidating leap for me, going from very simple editing software to a more legit one. I say this because if you’re just starting out and haven’t learned anything otherwise, you might as well learn the actual tools that you’ll be using if you keep pursuing this career.

Then, far more important than learning the technical skills, you’ve just got to edit as much as possible to develop your creative instincts. As you get more and more practice and become better at what you do, people will notice, and they’ll seek you out to work with them. So I’d say, much more important than trying to network out of the gate, just get good at what you do. Put that work out into the world, and people will eventually come to you with opportunities.

Main Image: I Used to Be Funny

Shirampari

Sundance: DP Diego Pérez Romero on Shirampari Amazon Doc

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DP Diego Pérez Romero is a documentary filmmaker and environmentalist from Peru. He has over 10 years of experience working with organizations dedicated to the conservation of the Amazon rainforest and its cultures. Thanks to his work as a videographer, photographer and filmmaker, he has helped to shine a light on the natural and cultural wealth of Peru.

Shirampari

DP Diego Pérez Romero

Shirampari: Legacies of the River was part of the official selection at Sundance 2023 in the Documentary Short Film Program. Written and directed by Lucia Flórez, the film takes place in one of the most remote areas in the Peruvian Amazon, where an Ashéninka boy must overcome his fears and catch a giant catfish using only a hook to begin his adult journey.

We reached out to Pérez Romero to talk about his process…

How early did you get involved on this film?
Very early. I actually started the project with director Lucia Flórez. In 2020, Nat Geo announced a grant for stories in tropical forests around the world. Also in those weeks, Lucia returned to Peru after finishing her master’s degree in documentary film, so I proposed that she apply for the grant with something related to the Yurúa District and the hook fishing thing I knew they were doing over there. Happily, she accepted. We did a lot of research and shaped it into a short documentary. In February 2021 we found out that we won the grant, and the rest is history.

Lucia Flórez

How did you work with Lucia? What direction were you given?
We discussed the style early on. She wanted to make it verité and indie. That was the outline for the style. We shared different documentaries and films we liked, talked about them. Then I worked on a plan for how we were going to achieve a cohesive look and how the cinematography was going to favor the narrative and the story we wanted to tell.

Before shooting, the main direction Lucia gave me was to make sentences with the camera instead of words. On the field, before any scene was shot, we would have a little talk about what was important to highlight, then during the shots, we would look at each other, she would make small signs or gestures to me to adjust and go from point A to point B, or go closer, move around, stuff like that.

ShirampariWhat about working with the colorist? What was the goal of the color?
The colorist was César Pérez, and in post, we all agreed that we wanted a natural look — no teal and orange Hollywood kind of thing, leaving shadows to be shadows. Basically, it was more of a color correction to match both cameras, give it a little punch but not too much, and that was it.

What did you end up shooting on and why?  
Canon C70 and Canon EF lenses, 16 to 35 f4IS, 24-70 2.8 ii and 100-400 L (which were already mine from my work as a photographer). Also, Canon R6 for one underwater scene, when we knew we were going to shoot with two cameras for coverage — this is when Ricky catches the fish.

Shirampari

DP Diego Pérez Romero shooting with the Canon cine camera

Why these cameras? The budget wasn’t huge, there was no option for renting cine lenses, and also weather sealed-equipment was a must shooting 15 days in the Amazon, mostly outside and having no backup lenses.

I had seen the release of the C70 a few months before the shoot and did some research. The form factor was interesting, and the dual-gain output sensor was like the C300 but half the price; it was a no-brainer.

This was also my first time working with a cine camera, and there was a learning curve for sure.

Can you talk about the lighting?
We used mostly natural light. About 95% of the shots were lit by the sun, with no modifiers. We trusted the sensor capability to handle the dynamic range and framing to have a nice, balanced image. There are two shots where we used a reflector to push sunlight in and one where we used a very small LED panel with a CTB gel on a night scene, but that was it.

There wasn’t much space to modify the light, as we didn’t want to be a distraction to the protagonists. When you start building things, you get in the way.

Are there some scenes that stick out as challenging? Can you talk about those?
Before shooting started, I thought the main challenge I was going to find was that being so close to the characters (at 24mm) could have intimidated them to the point that it would affect their performance. In the end, this did not happen.

The hardest scene was the follow shot, when Arlindo carries the catfish to the community, because it was a challenge for them and me. In addition to the accumulated fatigue of several days of physical shooting — and in somewhat extreme conditions due to the heat, the mosquitoes, the absence of toilets, etc. — they carried a fish weighing almost 100 kilos, and I carried the camera. While the camera doesn’t weigh even a third of that, it was still super-difficult to maintain the frame and focus while climbing that cliff without having a crazy-shaky shot. We all ended up exhausted.

One thing to mention here is that there were no repetitions. Everything was shot once and that was it.

Looking back on the film, would you have done anything different?
I would have gotten a different cage for the camera.

Any tips for young cinematographers?
I am no expert here. This was my first gig as DP on a cine project. But for me, if there is something I can share from my little experience, it’s this: Passion is key, being obsessed, dreaming about what you will do, getting scared of failing, having nightmares, but not letting this turn you down.

Also you need to be genuinely interested in your characters. If you will be following somebody with a huge camera all day long, there has to be some fire inside of you.

2nd Chance

Sundance: Scoring 2nd Chance About Bulletproof Vest Inventor

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Directed by Ramin Bahrani, 2nd Chance is a documentary about the inventor of the modern bulletproof vest. Richard Davis was a brash, charismatic salesman who proved his product worked by shooting himself in the chest, point-blank 192 times. The film, which screened at Sundance, traces his rise, his fall and the effect he had on the people around him.

2nd Chance

T. Griffin

Brooklyn-based composer T. Griffin scored the film. Griffin, who is also a songwriter and producer, has composed music for over 50 feature-length films, including documentaries and live multidisciplinary projects. We spoke to him about his work on 2nd Chance.

How early did you get involved, and how did that help?
I started working in July and the film locked in October. We then continued to work on the music all the way into December. I like to come on a project early and really marinate in the material. I was also working on several other projects simultaneously, so the long runway was necessary.

What direction were you given in terms of the score?
Ramin used the word “haunting” a lot when we spoke about the score he imagined. I interpreted that to mean that the music should express the moral dimension of the story, not the more outrageous, theatrical elements.

Can you describe the score? What were the influences?
I think of it as medieval gothic country. We talked about [Italian composer Ennio] Morricone a lot as we started the project, particularly his genius with combining seemingly contradictory instruments.

What instruments does it include?
Bassoon, pedal steel, banjo, piano, percussion (including circular saw blades) and some guitar.

2nd Chance

T. Griffin

Can you talk about your process? What instrument do you start out on?
I usually start by watching the film and talking to the director and editor about what the central driving purpose of the film is. If a director is going to burrow into a story for two years of their life, I want to know what about it really hooks them. All my instincts about instrumentation or harmony need to flow from really listening to that.

Then I watch the film a bunch. Then I turn the movie off and make as much music as I can as fast as I can in response to the film. I never start by scoring to picture. Once I have some music I like, I share it with the director, and usually some of my sketches attract them and some don’t. I take the ones that do and see where they might fit into the film.

What feedback did you get from the director, Ramin Bahrani? Can you give an example?
My initial sketches were very focused on folk instruments — guitars and banjos, pedal steel and piano. Ramin asked me to try to find an instrument that could give voice to the conflicts within Richard Davis. He suggested the English horn, which I had to Google. I didn’t know an English horn player, but I had just worked with a fantastic bassoonist, Joy Guidry, on another project, so I wrote a couple of bassoon themes. When paired with the pedal steel, it turned out to be a perfect match.

Was there something particularly challenging about this project?
We really needed music to help maintain some of the momentum of the film but never to interfere with the intimacy, so it had to be both energetic and invisible. That’s a tricky combination, and the only way to find the right balance is trial and error.

Looks That Kill VFX

Shaina Holmes on Creating VFX for Indie Film Looks That Kill

By Randi Altman 

To say that Shaina Holmes is a busy lady would be an understatement. In addition to her job as an assistant professor of television, radio and film at Syracuse University (Newhouse), she is the owner of Flying Turtle Post, which provides visual effects and post for independent films.

Shaina Holmes

One of her recent projects was the film Looks That Kill from writer/director Kellen Moore. The story follows a boy named Max, who was born with the ability to kill people if he shows them his face, so he needs to spend his life with bandages around his head to save those around him. It stars Brandon Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles and the late Peter Scolari.

Holmes’ role on Looks That Kill was three-fold: lead VFX artist, VFX producer and VFX supervisor. We reached out to Holmes to talk about her process on the film, which she worked on while simultaneously providing visual effects for three other American High films — Big Time Adolescence, Banana Split and Holly Slept Over. Flying Turtle Post worked on Looks That Kill for 10 months, from the initial VFX bid in September 2018 to final delivery in June 2019.

Let’s find out more …

How many shots did you provide?
The original bid consisted of 96 shots, which got narrowed down to 69 VFX shots. Of those, my team completed 42 of the 69. Most were very intricate VFX shots and transitions that were also long durations. The rest of the 96 shots were either omitted, done in the conform or with an outside artist who took on the less technical, more creative shots, like the eye-flash death shots.

What types of visual effects did you create?
The bulk of the complex VFX dealt with transitions with lengthy camera moves. One shot was over 7,000 frames, or 4 minutes long, and full of multiple greenscreen transitions, speed ramps, artifact cleanup, shot stitching, rig removals, adjusting the performance of props sliding down a wall during a time-of-day lighting change and more.

 

Looks That Kill VFX

There were also many hidden edits used throughout the film, such as when the camera was rotating around objects and people to transition to another location, or to link up two or three completely different camera moves and plates together to look seamless. The beauty of this smooth camera work really helped the audience engage with the inner thoughts of our main character as he deals with his medical condition.

We worked on a variety of shots, including a seamless greenscreen edit for a 4-minute stitched shot with multiple speed changes and cleanup; fluid morphs and artifact cleanup; wipe transitions through difficult camera moves and speed changes; the creation of distress-weathered signage for buildings; turning billboard light bulbs and creating flashing lights; adding a nosebleed; compositing multiple plates together (bus to street, fire to tree, cigarette falling through air); removing unwanted people, safety wires and a tattoo from a scene; cell phone screen replacements and graphics revisions; split screens for action/performance; TV monitor comps; lower-third graphics; dead pixel removal; stabilizations; beauty fixes; and the addition of anamorphic lens distortion to stock footage.

Looks That Kill VFXThis film is a dark comedy. Did your VFX help amp up the funny?
The editing style used fluid morphs and split screens to compile the best performances from each character at all times. While these are invisible effects that the audience shouldn’t be able to identify, our work on these shots really helped amp up the humor in each scene.

We also worked on a scene where a character aimlessly throws a cigarette behind her without looking, and of course it lands and starts a fire near a house. Another character is then seen trying to drag this burning shrubbery into the driveway. For these shots, we needed to composite the burning tree onto a non-burning tree prop the character was dragging, and we had to change the animation of the cigarette’s trajectory to hit the correct spot to ignite the fire.

Can you talk about your process? Any challenges?
With the American High projects prior to this one, the bulk of the VFX requests were expected — screen replacements and fluid morphs — but this project had a lot of different requests. This meant each shot or small sequence needed a new plan to achieve the goals, especially since we were working internally with a larger VFX team than previous projects due to the complexity of the shots.

My company, Flying Turtle Post, is based on mentorship, meaning we have many junior artists all being trained by me until they become mid-level artists, and then they help me train the next batch of junior artists. We are a very collaborative team of remote artists and coordinators, all of whom started off with me as their professor in college. I’m now their employer.

This project provided many challenges for us since we were dealing with longer file sequences than usual for VFX shots, meaning thousand-frame shots instead of hundred-frame shots. Additionally, many of my junior artists had never worked with anamorphic aspect ratios before, so we needed to include squeezed and unsqueezed into the training as we were getting up and running. We were a fully remote, work-from-home studio before the pandemic — before the new cloud-based options became commonplace for VFX pipelines. Some of these shots were 10GB for one render, which made it difficult to transfer easily from artist to artist. We quickly had to adapt our pipeline and reinvent how we normally would work on a show together.

What tools did you call on for your work?
Blackmagic’s Fusion Studio is my company’s compositing tool of choice for our artists. I teach Fusion to them in school due to its flexibility and affordability. I have used it for the past 20 years of my VFX artist career.

If we work on CG, we use Autodesk Maya and Adobe Substance Painter. Sometimes we also use Nuke for compositing, depending on the artist. We use Adobe After Effects for motion graphics and animation.

Separate from Looks That Kill, you seem to be attracted to horror films.
Over my career, I’ve had the honor of working in many different genres and on films many people call their favorites of all time. It’s always fun when I run across a horror fan, and they inevitably ask the question, “Have you worked on anything I would have heard of?” This is probably the genre I can most easily tell what kind of horror fan they are from the spectrum of films I tell them I’ve worked on. I’ll start with the bigger ones, like The Purge: Election Year (2016), Halloween II (2009), and Halloween (2007). If they’re intrigued, then I’ll see if they go to horror festivals and I’ll add cult favorite Starry Eyes (2014) to the conversation. That’s the real test. If they’ve seen that movie, then I know how deep their love for horror films goes.

Looks That Kill VFXIn fact, I had a conversation with one of my students a few years ago that went very similarly to that. When he professed his admiration for Starry Eyes, I introduced him to writer/director Kevin Kölsch, who, after working in the industry for years at a post house, decided to finally shoot a feature film and use his friends in post and VFX as resources to help finish the film. Starry Eyes went on to do well in festivals, and now he is attached to large-budget films and TV shows as director. This story inspired my student Matt Sampere to follow in a similar path, and now two years out of school, this person is shooting a Halloween-themed feature horror film. Naturally I am helping on the project as VFX supervisor, and my former students are providing the cinematography, post workflow and VFX.

The film is shot on Blackmagic Pocket cameras, with editing in Resolve and VFX in Fusion. Principal photography has just been completed, and I expect to start post toward the end of the year.

A horror film that I’ve worked on recently is The Night House, out in theaters this past August, for which I was the on-set VFX supervisor and plate supervisor for Crafty Apes. I tend to gravitate toward horror films that rely on on-set special effects and makeup to shoot gore and stunts as practically as possible and employ VFX only as an enhancement or for wow-factor moments instead of it being CG-heavy throughout. This was certainly true for Starry Eyes, Creeping Death and The Night House.

 The Night House was particularly interesting to work on because of how the set became a living character. I don’t want to give anything away, but the visuals are really unique for the invisible character.

What else have you worked on recently?
Mayday, which premiered at Sundance 2021. I was the VFX producer for Mayday, and with a small team we used a mix of Fusion and Foundry Nuke to complete over 400 VFX shots for the film.

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

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.

Composer Mikel Hurwitz on Comedy-Horror Film Too Late

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Composer Mikel Hurwitz knew from an early age that he wanted music to be a big part of his life. “I always loved music growing up; my parents were both musical and deeply supportive of me taking the piano, clarinet and guitar as far as I could,” he explains. “By the time I was 15, I had played in a few bands and orchestras, but it was when John Welsman,  family friend and film composer, invited me to one of his film scoring sessions to watch from the booth that I was hooked.

Composer Mikel Hurwitz

He says there was something magical about watching an orchestral recording session perfectly synced to picture from the booth. “That got under my skin and made me think that this was what I wanted to do with my life. Since then, it’s been a long and indirect path to scoring films. I think, ultimately, I’m just deeply in love with music’s magical ability to tell a story, and I still find myself mystified by that deep connection between music and movement, be it in dance, ballet, opera or film.”

Hurwitz composed the soundtrack for the D.W. Thomas-directed Too Late, a satirical horror-comedy that takes place in the LA comedy scene. It focuses on Violet Fields as the assistant to Bob Devore, famed comedian and host of the live variety show Too Late, who is also a monster. It stars Mary Lynn Rajskub, Fred Armisen, Alyssa Limperis and Ron Lynch.

Let’s find out more …

Because it’s satirical, did you feel that opened the door to be more over-the-top and experimental with your score?
Absolutely. Because Too Late walks the line between horror and comedy, all in a brilliantly satirical and self-aware way, it allowed for comedic moments in the score to be sillier and horror moments to be almost absurdly scary. Usually I lean on being more subtle while scoring and intentionally never go too far into the cliché or over the top, but there were certainly moments in this score when subtle scoring was thrown right out the window and we could lean into the excess of it all.

You built organic synth patches from didgeridoo recordings for Too Late. Can you discuss?
About a decade ago, I was really into playing the digeridoo. I loved how it demands circular breathing and lends itself to exploring multiphonics, blending a drone tone with overtones and incorporating rhythmic pulsing or even beatboxing over the drone tone. I used to record hours of solo digeridoo and have all these old recordings on what I thought would be never-to-be-rediscovered hard drives.

When I was discussing the Too Late monster, Bob Devore, with the director and producer, they told me that Bob’s backstory was from a traditional Aboriginal Australian myth of the Yara-ma-yha-who, a vampire that eats its victims then regurgitates them after it’s done feasting. I thought it was a cool opportunity to dip into the old digeridoo recordings and craft something original, so I took the recordings, chopped them up in Native Instruments’ Kontakt and built pulsating rhythmic synth patches with Kontakt’s arpeggiator, added varying amounts of distortion, lo-fi and filter effect. I then built on that texture for some of the more intense horror scenes.

Can you talk about what plugins you are using? Are there any new ones that have caught your eye?
I use a ton of more conventional stuff, like Slate for its console emulation; Soundtoys for distortions, delays and oddities; Arturia for some of its audio processing and synth emulations; and FabFilter for EQs, reverbs and compression. But I’ve been getting into external 500 series stuff lately and am a big fan of some of the Neve and SSL stuff. The most fun, new, in-the-box stuff I’ve been playing with is AudioThing’s Springs, Speakers, Megaphone and Wires. There’s all sorts of weird stuff they put out that can give you some unique results.

How would you describe your signature sound as a composer?
That’s a tough one because my perception of my sound is that it changes from project to project. But if I step back and think about what I do that’s common to most projects, I’d say there are elements of more contemporary orchestral scoring techniques (extended techniques), fairly diatonic-to-late romantic chromatic harmony, a devotion to rhythm (be it string, woodwind or synth ostinato/pulsing), and fairly simple (and hopefully memorable) melodic content, unless the moment calls for a more elaborately through-composed, melodic-driven score. I’m a big fan of Bernard Herrmann, and I’m almost positive he is in my musical DNA in more than a few places.

Mikel Hurwitz in studio

What sort of instruments would we find in your studio? What are your favorites to write with?
Uff. Many. Currently I have a bass clarinet and a Bb clarinet, an accordion, a melodica, electric guitars, nylon and steel-string acoustic guitars, bass guitars, a ukulele, a banjo, plenty of percussion, a drum kit, a decent and growing Eurorack synth collection, and a fun guitar pedal board that I can send any audio through and mangle.

My favorite to write with currently has been the synth stuff – it’s a delightfully bottomless pit of sound exploration.

You worked as Danny Elfman’s assistant in the music departments of The Grinch, Dumbo, Justice League and The Girl on the Train. What are some essential lessons you learned during that time that you now apply to your own films?
I worked for Danny for about 5 years, and I think the biggest thing I learned from him is to be devoted to experimenting on every score. There’s something intrinsic to being an artist that you have to keep exploring. There’s always such a risk as a composer (or any creative with moderate success) to be typecast, and it seems to me that if you experiment on some level on every score, it’s a clear path to continue your artistic evolution.

Other than that, aside from so many granular lessons, I learned the benefit of sending multiple versions of a cue to the director/producers, especially earlier in a film, to home in on the heart of the score. Often, if you send three wildly different versions for the same scene (one more cliché, the second more unexpected and the third wildly out of left field), and they give you feedback on all three, then you can get a pretty good idea about the type of score they want from you.

Any favorite tricks and workflows tips that help when composing for film?
Many. The biggest thing is to get the filmmaking team involved in the scoring process: Share Dropbox folders (audio-only and video of each cue) and have everything correspond to an active database where anyone can see cue names and numbers, progress, different versions, etc.

More than that, in terms of actually writing the music, I like to write themes first and get the instrumentation of the film more or less set. Then, from the huge template, make a reduced version of the full template (or view filter, if it’s available). From there it’s easier to parse out to different cues as you need them while keeping the sonic integrity of the thematic material. (In the reduced template, you also save mix settings, plugin data, synth patches, etc.)

Additionally, I’m a huge fan of tempo-mapping a cue before I start writing a note. There is always a rhythm to a film edit, and like a drummer in a band, different editors have a different feel for rhythm. This way, you can really feel out an editor’s rhythm, and it’ll actually make writing and choosing tempi (and tempo changes) much more intuitive as you move through the score.

Aside from composer, you are also an album producer and engineer. As an engineer, what are some of your duties? What projects have you engineered?
The role of the engineer and producer are often separate but can overlap tremendously in album production. I’ve typically been more of a producer that can wear the engineer hat, meaning that I can choose a band and work on the arrangements, but I can also sit down at a mixing board and record a band, then mix the recording into something meaningful.

An engineer is typically more technical (“Let’s use this mic or this preamp.” “Cut the 400Hz by 2db to get the mud out of the vocals.”), while a producer is more creative (“Let’s get a rounder sound for the bass or fuller sound for the drums.” “Drop the guitars before the chorus.”). But truthfully, they are like the right/left brain of album production, really.

In terms of albums I’ve engineered, there is a nutty indie album called “In the Sane” by Virginia Rubino that I did a few years back that I still think about. It’s quite a ride!

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.

Sundance Q&A: My Name Is Pauli Murray Editor Cinque Northern

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My Name Is Pauli Murray chronicles the life of Pauli Murray, a legal trailblazer overlooked by history, but whose ideas influenced some of the most groundbreaking civil rights and gender equality cases of our time. She was a human rights activist, lawyer, poet, professor and the first Black woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest.

Editor Cinque Northern

The documentary, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, was shot by Claudia Raschke on a Canon C300 Mark II. It was edited by Cinque Northern, who started cutting right at the beginning of post.

We reached out to talk about Northern’s workflow and process…

How did you work with the directors? How often were they taking a look at your cut?
We took it one scene at a time. The directors gave paper cuts to the AE (Hilary Crowe), who roughed out assemblies. I would have a conversation with the directors about what the scene was meant to convey and edit a pass for them to watch and discuss. Sometimes I cut for a week or two before they screened, but as there was more material, we had sessions more often. I always had the post producer to talk with about the story and who often was a liaison between the directors and me between edit sessions.

Was there a particular scene or scenes that were most challenging?
There are very few images of Pauli Murray’s love interest and life partner, who plays a big role in the film. We struggled with how to make viewers care about this relationship. Using archival as POV and Pauli’s audio, I created a “first date” of sorts. I focused on intimate visual and natural details that Pauli might have seen that day.

We also created a music sequence of their letter correspondence that showed the quirky and endearing nicknames they had for each other. There are no images of them together, so I often created a spilt screen so you could see them in the same frame.

Director Julie Cohen

Did you do more than edit on this film?
I was also a writer.

Was the edit done during the pandemic? If so, how did that affect the workflow?
We had been editing on site a year before the pandemic. When the pandemic hit New York, we worked from home. We checked in with daily Zoom calls, and I uploaded passes to Vimeo for notes. Fortunately, we were far enough along in the film to make it work.

What system did you use to cut?
I cut this in Premiere. As of now, it’s the most intuitive for me (but things change).

Is there a tool within that system that you rely on a lot?
I love using markers and colors to navigate through film chapters and grouping material onto one or two timelines. I’m not a fan of diving into endless bins and folders. I customize them to really minimize searching.

Director Betsy West

How did you manage your time?
I focus on having a daily routine so I fall into a rhythm. I try to do the heavy lifting and communication in the morning when I’m fresh. I mostly do the more automated tasks at the end of the day. I take short exercise breaks to get out of my head. (The best ideas seem to come after).

How did you work with the AE on this one? Do you see the role of assistant editors as strictly technical or as collaborators?
I think the role of the AE is different depending on the project and editor. For me the ideal AE allows me to be creative without having to worry about technical barriers. Hilary helped organize material, build assemblies from paper cuts and sometimes roughed out ideas for the director while I worked on higher-priority scenes. She was invaluable. She didn’t give input on edits, per se, but I was always open to her reaction to things.

How do you manage producer’s expectations with reality/what can really be done?
ALWAYS be honest. Ask for the time you need. Communicate in rough passes and edit samples rather than having long discussions about scenes. I’ve always found this to save time.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of other’s ideas (good and bad)?
I think all reactions, like them or not, represent a portion of the audience that might feel the same way. So it’s all valuable. You have to pick your battles, but a good director is open to different points of view. I try to communicate with tiny sample edits instead of a lot of discussion.  If it’s working, everyone can see it.

When someone who is starting out asks what they should learn, what do you recommend?
If I’m being practical, I’d say Avid Media Composer and Premiere (in that order) are the most common in the industry. But as an artist and a creator, which is ultimately what you want to be hired to be, I say cut in whatever the hell you have the most fun using.

Should a musician play trumpet or sax? Depends on what feels right to that musician. Never forget that you are an artist using a machine. The true value is the work. And if you have fun in the beginning and stick with it long enough, you’ll probably end up learning them all anyway.

 

 

 

An online editor’s first time at Sundance

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By Brady Betzel

I’ve always wanted to attend the Sundance Film Festival, and my trip last month did not disappoint. Not only is it an iconic industry (and pop-culture) event, but the energy surrounding it is palpable.

Once I got to Park City and walked Main Street — with the sponsored stores (Canon and Lyft among others) and movie theaters, like the Egyptian — I started to feel an excitement and energy that I haven’t felt since I was making videos in high school and college… when there were no thoughts of limits and what I should or shouldn’t do.

A certain indescribable nervousness and love started to bubble up. Sitting in the luxurious Park City Burger King with Steve Hullfish (Art of the Cut) and Joe Herman (Cinemontage) before my second screening of Sundance 2020: Dinner in America, I was thinking how I was so lucky to be in a place that is packed with creatives. It sounds cliché and trite, but it really is reinvigorating to surround yourself with positive energy — especially if you can get caught up in cynicism like me.

It brought me back to my college classes, taught by Daniel Restuccio (another postPerspective writer), at California Lutheran University, where we would cut out pictures from magazines, draw pictures, blow up balloons, eat doughnuts and do whatever we could to get our ideas out in the open.

While Sundance occasionally felt like an amalgamation of the thirsty-hipster Coachella crowd mixed with a high school video production class (but with million-dollar budgets), it still had me excited to create. Sundance 2020 in Park City was a beautiful resurgence of ideas and discussions about how we as an artistic community can offer accessibility to everyone and anyone who wants to tell their own story on screen.

Inclusiveness Panel
After arriving in Park City, my first stop was a panel hosted by Adobe called “Empowering Every Voice in Film and the World.” Maybe it was a combination of the excitement of Sundance and the discussion about accessibility, but it really got me thinking. The panel was expertly hosted by Adobe’s Meagan Keane and included producer, director Yance Ford (Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, Oscar-nominated for Strong Island); editor Eileen Meyer (Crip Camp); editor Stacy Goldate (Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen); and director Crystal Kayiza (See You Next Time).

I walked away feeling inspired and driven to increase my efforts in accessibility. Eileen said one of her biggest opportunities came from the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, a year-long fellowship for emerging documentary editors.

Yance drove home the idea of inclusivity and re-emphasized the idea of access to equipment. But it’s not simply about access — you also have to make a great story and figure out things like distribution. I was really struck by all the speakers on-stage, but Yance really spoke to me. He feels like the voice we need when representing marginalized groups and to see more content from these creatives. The more content we see the better.

Crystal spoke about the community needing to tell stories that don’t necessarily have standard plot points and stakes. The idea to encourage people to create their stories and for those that are in power to help and support these stories and trust the filmmakers, regardless of whether you identify with the ideas and themes.

Rebuilding Paradise

Screenings
One screening I attended was Rebuilding Paradise, directed by Ron Howard. He was at the premiere, along with some of the people who lost everything in the Paradise, California fires. In the first half of November 2018, there were several fires that raged out of control in California. One surrounded the city of Simi Valley and worked its way toward the Pacific Coast. (It was way too close for my comfort in Simi Valley. We eventually evacuated but were fine.)

Another fire was in the town of Paradise, which burnt almost the entire city to the ground. Watching Rebuilding Paradise filled me with great sadness for those who lost family members and their homes. Some of the “found footage” was absolutely breathtaking. One in particular was of a father racing out of what appears to be hell, surrounded by flames, in his car with his child asking if they were going to die. Absolutely incredible and heart wrenching.

Dinner in America

Another film I saw was Dinner in America, as referenced earlier in this piece. I love a good dark comedy/drama, so when I got a ticket to Adam Carter Rehmeier’s Dinner in America I was all geared up. Little did I know it would start off with a disgruntled 20-something throwing a chair through a window and lighting the front sidewalk on fire. Kudos to composer John Swihart, who took a pretty awesome opening credit montage and dropped the heat with his soundtrack.

Dinner in America is a mid-‘90s Napoleon Dynamite cross-pollinated with the song “F*** Authority” by Pennywise. Coincidentally, Swihart composed the soundtrack for Napoleon Dynamite. Seriously, the soundtrack to Dinner in America is worth the ticket price alone, in my opinion. It adds so much to one of the main character’s attitude. The parallel editing mixed with the fierce anti-authoritarianism love story, lived by Kyle Gallner and Emily Skeggs, make for a movie you probably won’t forget.

Adam Rehmeier

During the Q&A at the end, writer, director and editor Rehmeier described how he essentially combined two ideas that led to Dinner in America. As I watched the first 20 minutes, it felt like two separate movies, but once it came together it really paid off. Much like the cult phenomenon Napoleon Dynamite, Dinner in America will resonate with a wide audience. It’s worth watching when it comes to a theater (or streaming platform) near you. In the meantime, check out my video interview with him.

Adobe Productions
During Sundance, Adobe announced an upcoming feature for Premiere called “Productions.” While in Park City, I got a small demo of the new Productions at Adobe’s Sundance Production House. It took about 15 minutes before I realized that Adobe has added the one feature that has set Avid Media Composer apart for over 20 years — bin locking. Head’s up Avid, Adobe is about to release multi-user workflow that is much easier to understand and use than on previous iterations of Premiere.

The only thing that caught me off guard was the nomenclature — Productions and Projects. Productions is the title, but really a “Production” is a project, and what they call a “project” is a bin. If you’re familiar with Media Composer, you can create a project and inside have folders and bins. Bins are what house media links, sequences, graphics and everything else. In the new Productions update, a “Production” will house all of your “Projects” (i.e. a Project with bins).

Additionally, you will be able to lock “Projects.” This means that in a multi-user environment (which can be something like a SAN or even an Avid Nexis), a project and media can live on the shared server and be accessed by multiple users. These users can be named and identified inside of the Premiere Preferences. And much like Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve, you can update the “projects” when you want to — individually or all projects at once. On its face, Productions looks like the answer to what every editor has said is one of the only reasons Avid is still such a powerhouse in “Hollywood” — the ability to work relatively flawlessly among tons of editors simultaneously. If what I saw works the way it should, Adobe is looking to take a piece of the multi-user environment pie Avid has controlled for so long.

Summing Up
In the end, the Sundance Film Festival 2020 in Park City was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. From seeing celebrities, meeting other journalists, getting some free beanies and hand warmers (it was definitely not 70 degrees like California), to attending parties hosted by Canon and Light Iron — Sundance can really reinvigorate your filmmaking energy.

It’s hard to keep going when you get burnt out by just how hard it is to succeed and break through the barriers in film and multimedia creation. But seeing indie films and meeting like-minded creatives, you can get excited to create your own story. And you realize that there are good people out there, and sometimes you just have to fly to Utah to find them.

Walking down Main Street, I found a coffee shop named Atticus Coffee and Tea House. My oldest son’s name is Atticus, so I naturally had to stop in and get him something, I ended up getting him a hat and me a coffee. It was good. But what I really did was sit out front pretending to shoot b-roll and eavesdropping on some conversations. It really is true that being around thoughtful energy is contagious. And while some parts of Sundance feel like a hipster-popularity contest, there are others who are there to improve and absorb culture from all around.

The 2020 Sundance Film Festival’s theme in my eyes was to uplift other people’s stories. As Harper Lee wrote in “To Kill a Mockingbird” when Atticus Finch is talking with Scout: “First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Brady Betzel is an Emmy-nominated online editor at Margarita Mix in Hollywood, working on shows like Life Below Zero and The Shop. He is also a member of the Producer’s Guild of America. You can email Brady at bradybetzel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @allbetzroff.

Inside the mind and workflow of a 14-year-old filmmaker

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By Brady Betzel

From editing to directing, I have always loved how mentoring and teaching is a tradition that lives on in this industry. When I was an assistant editor, my hope was that the editors would let me watch them work, or give me a chance to edit. And a lot of the time I got that opportunity.

Years ago I worked with an editor named Robb McPeters, who edited The Real Housewives of New York City. I helped cut a few scenes, and Robb was kind enough to give me constructive feedback. This was the first time I edited a scene that ran on TV. I was very excited, and very appreciative of his feedback. Taking the time to show younger assistant editors who have their eye on advancement makes you feel good — something I’ve learned firsthand.

As I’ve become a “professional” editor I have been lucky enough to mentor assistant editors, machine room operators, production assistants and anyone else that was interested in learning post. I have found mentoring to be very satisfying, but also integral to the way post functions. Passing on our knowledge helps the community move forward.

Even with a couple of little scenes to cut for Robb, the direction I received helped make me the kind of editor I am today. Throughout the years I was lucky enough to encounter more editors like Robb and took all of the advice I could.

Last year, I heard that Robb’s son, Griffin, had made his first film at 13 years old, Calling The Shots. Then a few months ago I read an article about Griffin making a second film, at 14 years old, The Adventure of T.P. Man and Flusher. Griffin turns 15 in February and hopes to make a film a year until he turns 18.

It makes sense that someone who has been such a good mentor has produced a son with such a passion for filmmaking. I can see the connection between fatherhood and mentorship, especially between an editor and an assistant. And seeing Robb foster his son’s love for filmmaking, I realized I wanted to be able to do that with my sons. That’s when I decided to reach out to find out more.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR MOST RECENT FILM?
The Adventure of T.P. Man and Flusher is really a story of adventure, friendship and finding love. After learning that his best friend Jim (Sam Grossinger) has attempted suicide, Tom (Adam Simpson) enlists the help of the neighborhood kingpin, Granddaddy’ (Blake Borders). Their plan is to sneak Jim out of the hospital for one last adventure before his disconnected parents move him off to Memphis. On the way they encounter a washed up ‘90s boy-band star and try to win the hearts of their dream girls.

Tom realizes that this adventure will not fix his friend, but their last night together does evolve into the most defining experience of their lives.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THIS FILM?
The Adventure of T.P. Man and Flusher is a feature film that I wrote while in 8th grade. I saved every penny I could earn and then begged my parents to let me use money from my college savings. They knew how important this film was to me so they agreed. This is my second feature and I wanted to do everything better, starting with the script to casting. I was able to cast professional actors and some of my schoolmates.

I shot in 4K UHD using my Sony A7riii. I then brought the footage into the iMac and transcoded into CineForm 720p files. This allowed me to natively edit them on the family iMac in Adobe Premiere. We have a cabin in Humboldt County, which is where I assemble my rough cuts.

I spent hours and hours this summer in my grandfather’s workshop editing the footage. Day after day my mom and sister would go swimming at the river, pick berries, all the lazy summer day stuff and I would walk down to the shop to cut, so that I could finish a version of my scene.

Once I finished my director’s cut, I would show the assembly to my parents, and they would start giving me ideas on what was working and what wasn’t. I am currently polishing the movie, adding visual effects (in After Effects), sound design, and doing a color grade in Adobe SpeedGrade. I’ll also add the final 5.1 surround sound mix in Adobe Audition to deliver for distribution.

WHERE DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR THE FILM?
In 8th grade, a classmate attempted suicide and it affected me very deeply. I wondered if other kids were having this type of depression. After doing some research I realized that many kids suffer from deep depression. In fact, in 2016, adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 had a suicide rate of 13.15. That amazed and saddened me. I felt that I had to do something about it. I took my ideas and headed to our cabin in the woods to write the script over my winter break.

I was so obsessed with this story that I wrote a 120-page script.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT PRODUCING?
It was a lot of scheduling, scheduling and scheduling. Locking locations, permits, insurance, and did I mention scheduling?

I think there was some begging in there too. “Please let us use. Please can we…” My school SCVi was extremely helpful with getting me insurance. It was heartwarming to see how many people wanted to help. Even support from companies, including Wooden Nickel who donated an entire lighting package.

WHAT ABOUT AS A DIRECTOR?
As the director I really wanted to push the fantastical and sometimes dark and lonely world these characters were living in. Of course, because I wrote the script I already had an idea of what I wanted to capture in the scene, but I put it to paper with shotlist’s and overhead camera placements. That way I had a visual reference to show of how I wanted to film from day one to the end.

Rehearsals with the actors were key with such a tight shooting schedule. Right from the start the cast responded to me as their director, which surprised me because I had just turned 14. Every question came to me for approval to represent my vision.

My dad was on set as my cinematographer, supporting me every step of the way. We have a great way of communicating. Most of the time we were on the same page, but if we were not, he deferred to me. I took my hits when I was wrong and then learned from them.

WHAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE THE MOST ABOUT MAKING THIS FILM?
This was a true, small-budget, independent film that I made at 14 years old. Our production office was my mom and dad and myself. Three people usually don’t make films. Even though I am young, my parents trusted the weight of the film to me. It is my film. This means I did a little of everything all of the time, from pulling costumes to stocking the make-up kit to building my own 4K editing system.

We had no grips, no electric, no PAs. If we needed water or craft service, it was me, my dad and my mom. If a scene needed to be lit, my dad and I lit everything ourselves, we were the last ones loading costumes, extension cords and equipment. In post was all the same ordeal.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART?
I really love everything about filmmaking. I love crafting a story, having to plan and think of how to capture a scene. How show something that isn’t necessarily in front of your eyes. I love talking out my ideas. My mom teases me that I even sleep moviemaking because she saw me in the hall going to the bathroom the other night and I mumbled, “Slow pan on Griffin going to bathroom.”

But post is really where the movie comes together. I like seeing what works for a scene. Which reaction is better? What music or sound effects help tell the story? Music design is also very personal to me. I listen to songs for hours to find the perfect one for a scene.

WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
Having to cut some really great scenes that I know an actor is looking forward to seeing in that first screening. It is a really hard decision to remove good work. I even cut my grandmother from my first film. Now that’s hard!

WHAT CAMERAS AND PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
For recording I use the Sony A7rIII with various lenses recording to a Ninja Flame at 10-bit 4K. For sound I use a Røde NG2 boom and three lav mics. For lighting we used a few Aputure LED lights and a Mole Richardson 2k Baby Junior.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME OF THE DAY?
I am not much of a night person. I get really tired around 9:30pm. In fact, I still have a bedtime of 10:00pm. I would say my best work is done at the time I have after school until my bedtime. I edit every chance I get. I do have to break for dinner and might watch one half of a episode of The Office. Other than that I am in the bay from 3:30-10:00pm every day.

CAN YOU THINK OF ANOTHER JOB YOU MIGHT WANT SOMEDAY?
No, not really. I enjoy taking people on emotional rides, creating a presentation that evokes personal feelings and using visuals to takes my audience somewhere else. With all that said, if I couldn’t do this I would probably build professional haunted houses. Is that a real job?

IT’S STILL VERY EARLY, BUT HOW EARLY ON DID YOU KNOW THIS WOULD BE YOUR PATH?
My parents have this video of me reaching for the camera on the way to my first day of pre-school saying, “I want the camera, I want to shoot.”

When I was younger, silent films mesmerized me. I grew up wanting to be Buster Keaton. The defining moment was seeing Jaws. I watched it at five and then realized what being a filmmaker was, making a mosaic of images (as mentioned by Hitchcock on editing). I began trying to create. At 11 and 12 I made shorts, at 13 I made my first full-length feature film. The stress and hard work did not even faze me; I was excited by it.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FIRST FILM?
Calling the Shots, which is now available on Amazon Prime, was an experiment to see if I could make a full-length film. A test flight, if you will. With T.P. Man I really got to step behind the camera and an entirely different side of directing I didn’t get to experience with my first film since I was the lead actor in that.

I also love the fact that all the music and sound design and graphics were done with my hands and alone, most the time, in my editing suite. My dad designed it for me. I have two editing systems that I bounce back and forth between. I can set the lighting in the room, watch on a big 4K monitor and mix in 5.1 surround. Some kids have tree forts. I have my editing bay.

FINALLY, DO YOU GET STRESSED OUT FROM THE PROCESS?
I don’t allow myself to stress out about any of these things. The way I look at it is that I have a very fun and hard job. I try to keep things in perspective — there are no lives in danger here. I do my best work when I am relaxed. But, if there is a time, I walk away, take a bike ride or watch a movie. Watching others work inspires me to make my movies better.

Most importantly, I brainstorm about my next project. This helps me keep a perspective that this project will soon be over and I should enjoy it while I can and make it the best I possibly can.

Brady Betzel is an Emmy-nominated online editor at Margarita Mix in Hollywood, working on Life Below Zero and Cutthroat Kitchen. You can email Brady at bradybetzel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @allbetzroff.

Indie film Hoax calls on ACES

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By Debra Kaufman

Shot in the remote mountains of southwestern Colorado, Hoax follows a brilliant primate specialist and ruthless TV producer as they investigate the site of a camping trip gone terribly wrong. They soon find themselves fighting to survive — and coming to grips with the fact that Big Foot may not be a legend after all. The movie, which will complete post production in mid-June, is the brainchild of Matt Allen, who wrote and directed it. His friend, freelance editor and colorist Peder Morgenthaler wore many hats, starting with multiple readings of the script. “As Matt was pulling the production together, he asked if I’d like to edit and color grade,” says Morgenthaler. “I ended up post supervising too.”

Peder Morgenthaler

The Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) was already on Morgenthaler’s radar. He’d followed its early development and began experimenting with it as soon as he could. As a result, he immediately thought ACES would be ideal for the Hoax, which would be shot with Red Helium and Monstro cameras. “We wanted to work with the Red RAW data instead of baking in a look,” he says. “The challenge would be how to maintain the full dynamic range present in the camera originals all the way through every step of post production — from dailies to visual effects — so that when the footage came to the color grade none of the information would have been flattened out or lost.”

He also was aware that High Dynamic Range was being discussed as a new display format. “In my research about ACES it became clear that it was a really good way to be able to make an HDR master down the road,” says Morgenthaler. “That would be a big advantage for an indie film. We don’t have access to image scientists or an advanced image processing pipeline. ACES offers us opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise have because of our limited resources.”

Because the production was going to take place in a remote area, with no opportunity for a DIT station, Allen and Morgenthaler made the decision that ACES would only be implemented in post. “We weren’t doing all the on-set color grading and look previewing that you would do in a full ACES pipeline,” notes Morgenthaler. Cinematographer Scott Park shot at 6K and 8K resolution, framing for a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio while shooting 1.78:1 to give enough room for reframing in post. “In addition, we shot segments on ENG and Flir infrared and night vision cameras, so we had several codecs and color spaces in the workflow,” Morgenthaler says. “We also had 120 VFX shots — mostly invisible ones — planned, so we needed a color pipeline that could handle that component as well.”

In post, Morgenthaler used Adobe Premiere Pro for editing, Adobe After Effects with the OpenColorIO plug-in for visual effects and Blackmagic Resolve for dailies, color grading and finishing. “All this software can work in an ACES environment,” he says. “Our goals were to enable a responsive and efficient editorial workflow; maintain image quality, resolution and dynamic range; simplify color management between VFX artists and the colorist; and generate deliverables for multiple display standards with minimal additional grading.”

For dailies, assistant editor Ricardo Cozzolino worked in Resolve, syncing dual-system sound to picture and performing a quick color balance using the Red RAW controls, then exporting the shots as Rec. 709 HD ProRes 422 proxies. “During the edit, I’d apply temp color correction, compositing and stabilization in the Premiere timeline for preview purposes, knowing I would likely have to rebuild those effects in Resolve during the finishing process,” Morgenthaler says. “There were no ACES operations required during editorial; we just worked with the color corrected dailies in Rec. 709 space.”

One unexpected challenge was getting the After Effects compositors up to speed working in ACES scene linear space. “It wasn’t familiar to them,” he says. “They’re used to working in Rec. 709, and since After Effects doesn’t support an ACES pipeline natively you have to use a third-party plug in like OpenColorIO, which has been developed for a number of platforms including AE to enable the ACES color transformations.” The plug-in allows the user to disable AE’s internal color management functions and replace them with the proper ACES color transforms.

Using Resolve, the editorial team exported each plate at 4K as an ACES 16-bit OpenEXR image sequence in linear space. The visual effect artists then executed their shots in After Effects, using the OpenColorIO (OCIO) plugin. In the end, the ACES process worked for VFX exactly like he hoped it would. “All the dynamic range is there,” Morgenthaler says. “I just conformed the completed VFX shots into my color timeline and it worked perfectly, seamlessly replacing the original footage. The shots look wonderful, and they grade exactly like the camera-original R3D files.”

In color grading, Morgenthaler conformed back to the original 6K and 8K Red files inside Resolve, targeting a DCI Scope 4K finish. “After the master grade is completed, we’ll create additional versions targeting various display technologies simply by switching the ACES Output Transform,” he explains. “We can easily create versions for digital cinema, HDR and streaming, which is one of the huge benefits of the ACES process.”

Having the right storage is important to the ACES workflow, since 16-bit OpenEXR at 4K is around 45MB per frame, or just over 1,000MBps at 24 fps to play back in realtime, says Morgenthaler. “Not all storage can do that.” Morgenthaler, who consults with Seagate on their storage systems for post, relied on a Seagate RealStor shared storage system with 144TB of fibre channel storage. “The file sharing is based off of Tiger Technology’s Tigerstore, which enables simultaneous access for all users on the network at full quality and resolution,” he says “That greatly increased the efficiency of our workflow. It meant instant collaboration between team members, with no syncing of separate drives required to maintain collaboration.” In total, the production generated 44 hours of footage and ended up with 19.5TB of total data, not including visual effects.

“We may be on the front edge of using ACES in indie films, but it’ll be more important for indie filmmakers going forward,” he predicts. “There are real benefits to doing so. It’s a powerful tool for maintaining dynamic range and quality, and the pre-built color management pipeline simplifies complex VFX processes. It also increases the film’s desirability to distributors by enabling generation of additional versions such as HDR.

“I don’t know that we could have achieved what we did on this film without ACES,” concludes Morgenthaler. “Large films have access to color scientists and secret sauce, and ACES gives you that in a turnkey package, which is really powerful for a small film.”

Debra Kaufman has covered media and entertainment for 30 years for publications including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, American Cinematographer, International Cinematographer, Wired and others. She currently also writes for USC’s Entertainment Technology Center’s daily newsletter, ETCentric.

Quick Chat: Cut+Run’s Georgia Dodson on ‘Call of Duty’ film

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Georgia Dodson has traveled a long way, literally and figuratively, to where she is today — a full-time editor at Cut+Run in New York City. This Bland, Virginia-native left home at 17 and hasn’t looked back. Now she spends her days in an edit suite helping tell stories, and one of those most recent stories is the short documentary film Call of Duty from director Matt Lenski.

The two have worked together before. Back in 2012 Dodson edited Lenski’s Meaning of Robots, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, won Best Short Doc at the Nashville Film Festival and screened at SXSW and MoMA’s New Directors/New Films. This year she reunited with the director once more, this time on his new short film Call of Duty, which also made the festival rounds. In Call of Duty, Manhattan jury duty clerk Walter Schretzman wants you to remember that you are the only thing standing between civilization and anarchy.

What was the original concept presented by director Matt Lenski?
Matt had filmed and interviewed three jury clerks working in Manhattan. They were each engaging, but Walter brought something a little more existential to the table. While the others tried to sell us on the merits of doing jury duty, Walter was self-aware. He spoke about what it was like to be in the same room, every day, with people who are constantly trying to get out of that room… and he likes it.  So I think the idea of Walter’s identity in relationship to the perceived monotony of his job was what Matt was going for with Call of Duty.

How did that evolve in the edit?
It took a long time. The ending and beginning came together quickly, but once we got into how to convey these feelings of waiting, boredom and peppering in Walter’s zingers at the right places… it was really tough. For the most part, we had all the best pieces picked out early on but had to figure out the right arc. Somehow, things fell into place magically. For me, the piece that finally pulled things together was Walter talking about being at the same job for 20 years, doing the same thing every day, while he’s counting hundreds of juror slips. He says, “It is what it is.”

You’ve collaborated with Matt before — give us a little background on your work together.
I met Matt when I was an assistant, and by chance helped him with a director’s cut when my editor was out of town. We became friends and have worked on projects together since. The first big one was Meaning of Robots, which evolved from a chance encounter Matt had with Mike Sullivan, a hoarder who makes Metropolis-inspired robot pornography. Our little portrait of him ended up in Sundance, which was a pleasant surprise for us. That project definitely has parallels to Call of Duty, in both subject and style.

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What were some interesting moments with Walter that ended up on the cutting room floor (or the digital trash bin)?
He talked about his love of avant-garde jazz that’s difficult to listen to but will “wake you up.” I tried for the longest time to work that moment into our edit, paired with an appropriate jazz track over sleeping jurors… but it didn’t work in context of the whole piece. Too bad. We could make a feature length film of Walter saying amazing things.

What piece of this exploration surprised you the most?
It’s really funny, but I also think it’s darker than I expected it to turn out. Early on, I cut together the part where the prospective jurors watch the jury duty film. (I saw the whole thing when I did jury duty. It’s ridiculous.) I quickly connected the man drowning with the ticking clock, Walter checking his watch and then the infinity loop of the screensaver behind him. It makes me laugh, but it also kind of helped set a dark tone for the whole thing. Also, sound. Sound is always important, but weirdly, it’s especially important in a film about nothing happening, where, theoretically, little sound is being made.

What are you hoping people take from the film?
I like Walter’s sentiment, toward the end of the film, that “people are more than what they do.” Walter is definitely more than what he does.

Have you been to any of the festival screenings?
I was able to go to Rooftop Films, and I met Walter there, finally. He retired a couple of weeks later, so the timing of the film is pretty perfect. It was amazing to hear people laughing so much throughout the entire piece, because after working on something for so long, it’s hard to see it.

What is it about editing longform/short films, as opposed to commercials, that resonates with you?
I come from a writing background. I was an English major in college. I love documentary editing, because I become the writer. My favorite thing is getting an interview and cutting it up to create some emotion or humor.

What are some other recent projects you’ve edited?
This is my latest short film. I’ve been doing a lot of commercials. I just finished a documentary style commercial for Hershey, directed by Jonty Toosey, that will be out soon.

Kodak, Cinelab London initiative helps preserve indie films

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Kodak is launching an archival program in collaboration with Cinelab London focused on independent filmmakers in the UK. The Kodak Archive Package offers flat-rate pricing for film, digital recording and processing, allowing Kodak to work with independent content owners to deliver an archive master on film regardless of the original production format.

Through the Kodak Archive Package, filmmakers can get a single, affordable price for any title shot on digital or analog. The package includes film stock from Kodak along with Arrilaser recording, optical sound recording and lab-processing services from Cinelab London.

As the main point of contact, Kodak will provide a quote and single invoice to independent producers and content owners, saving them from the time-consuming process of pursuing competitive rates in the market. Filmmakers seeking to preserve content simply deliver the data drive (image and sound) of their final cut, and in return, they receive 35mm images and audio as separate elements for preservation.

Kodak plans to expand the Archive Package to other regions soon.

Checking in with ‘A Better Place’ director, post vet Dennis Ho

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By Randi Altman

Change is good. That’s what people say, right? Well Dennis Ho, president of Hollywood-based post house Digital Jungle recently proved that point by helming his first film, the indie offering A Better Place.

Ho also conceived the story, which follows a shy young man with a mysterious and scary power that has led him to live as a virtual shut-in for most of his life.

Of course he brought the film to Digital Jungle, which provided the DI, 100 visual effects shots, audio post, editing and other services.

What better time than now to reach out to Ho and ask him about his directorial debut.

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