Editing an American Epic: Inside 'Train Dreams' with Dir Clint Bentley & Editor Parker Laramie

In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins dives into the sweeping process behind Train Dreams, a period drama adapted from the Dennis Johnson novella. GG is joined by director Clint Bentley and editor Parker Laramie, who discuss the challenges and joys of crafting a film that spans decades while staying intimate and emotionally resonant. The episode also opens with a candid conversation with filmmaker Boris Rodriguez about community and collaboration in independent filmmaking, leading up to the release of GG’s own directorial debut I Really Love My Husband.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests discuss...

• The emotional and technical journey of adapting Train Dreams from a novella into a feature film

• How Clint and Parker’s creative partnership evolved from Jockey to this ambitious period piece

• The process of editing a film that spans decades without losing narrative momentum

• How Parker’s background in documentary shaped his approach to editing fiction

• The value of grabbing unplanned shots on set and how they can end up saving key scenes

• The philosophical and technical challenges of handling notes from producers and stakeholders

• The role of music and rhythm in both writing and editing the film

• Clint’s directorial flexibility and willingness to discover the movie during post

• Parker’s favorite hotkey and the logistics of editing across Premiere and Avid

• Reflections on releasing the film and the audience’s evolving interpretation of its themes

Memorable Quotes:

• “You have to listen to the film. The way the film speaks to you is through other people and other people giving you notes.”

• “Just try the fucking note.”

• “We had no slates on Jockey… and we tried to do that again.”

• “You don’t always have a good understanding of how something’s going.”

Guests:

• Clint Bentley

• Parker Laramie

• Boris Rodriguez

Resources:

• GG's Directorial feature debut, I Really Love My Husband, is now available to stream on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play.
  

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