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What would you ask a superstar feature film editor?
Nog strictly FCP-related, but this seemed like the best place to ask this question 🙂
I have been given the opportunity to write a (long!) interview about the craft of editing with one of Europe’s top feature film editors! Talk about a learning experience!
The audience for the interview are filmmakers and students of filmmaking, so I really want to delve into the craft and ask a lot of practical questions, like
– when you start editing, do you stick to the script and the storyboard, or do you start interpreting right away?
– Do you cut to music or without sound? How does sound influence your cutting?
– What’s a scene you are particularly proud of and how did you cut it?
– Are there rules for editing certain types of scenes (i.e. comedy, dialogue, action) that you like to follow – or like to break? Examples?
– What kind of gear do you use?
– What have you learned about editing that they don’t tell you in filmschool?
Et cetera.
Now my question to all of you is: What would you ask a leading feature film editor?. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
I cannot yet say too much about the subject of this interview or the medium it will appear in, but questions used will of course be credited!
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6 Replies
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[marcbrak] “Nog strictly FCP-related, but this seemed like the best place to ask this question :-)”
actually, Art of the Edit would be a better place to post this.
https://forums.creativecow.net/viewforum/27
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR
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OK, I have posted it to Art of the Edit.
So we can clean up here, i guess. Sorry for the mess!
But still i am curious what you FCP gurus would ask in such an interview… 🙂
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I’d ask who is agent is, and if that agent is looking for new clients to rep!
Jerry
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personally, I would stay away from asking about equipment.
A great editor, heaven forbid a ‘rock star’ would do a great job with a pair of scissors.
There are numerous articles out in the iSphere regarding interviews with great Editors.
Maybe you could simply start with some of the following ;
1. who are your mentors
2. how did you come to editing
3. what is your relationship to the Director, the Producer
4. what film would you have loved to have edited
5. in reading a script and making a decision to sign onto a film, what motivates you
6. how do you deal with a Director/producer clash
7. well that will do, i am sure you get the message, it is what is in the Editors hands and heart that the audience wish to know, the tools are but that tools and it would be a wasted opportunity to get to the heart and soul of story telling, for that is surely, the bottom line.Richard Clark’s kiwicafe.com
film / fotography / filosophy
http://www.kiwicafe.com -
Good prep for you interview would be:
read the book Selected Takes: Film Editors on Editing by Vincent LoBrutto, and see which type of questions and responses you found valuable.
For a longer format exploration, check out The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje
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i assume you know the editor, or know their work?
it’s always worth talking about specific films, and moments in them.from memory, the Lobruto book used pretty much the same list of questions given to all the interview subjects.
it got a bit boring after a while, and was sometimes really annoying when the editors mentioned something interesting, and he didn’t pick up on it, and instead just moved onto the next question!i preferred another book:
“First Cut: Conversations with Film Editors” by Gabriella Oldham
https://www.amazon.com/First-Cut-Conversations-Film-Editors/dp/0520075889/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_bnick
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