Art of the Cut

Art of the Cut, Ep. 135: "Dune" Editor Joe Walker, ACE

Oct 27, 2021

Editor Joe Walker discusses the challenges of adapting the epic novel Dune into a cohesive film, exploring collaboration in filmmaking, the challenges of working remotely during the pandemic, creating a safe space in the cutting room, the importance of sensory moments in the movie, and the editing challenges faced for Dune.

47:20

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Episode guests

Joe Walker

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Efficient editing techniques can convey emotional expression like the impactful use of the word 'fuck', while close-up shots, particularly of the eyes, greatly intensify a scene and enhance storytelling.

Collaboration is key in the editing process, with a strong emphasis on working as a team with the director, composer, sound design team, and other post-production crew to shape the rhythm, pace, and storytelling elements of a scene or film.

Deep dives

Efficiency of Emotional Expression

Joe Walker emphasizes the importance of finding efficient techniques to convey emotional expression in editing. He compares it to the efficiency of the word 'fuck,' which can express love or hate with equal impact. He discusses the significance of close-up shots and the intensity they bring to a scene, highlighting the use of eyes as a driving force in storytelling. He also mentions the importance of building tension and creating brain-stemmy or sensory images that appeal to the audience on a subconscious level.

Introduction

2min

Collaboration, Sound Design, and Voice Commands

4min

Close Working Relationship and Challenges During the Pandemic

2min

Creating a Safe Space in the Cutting Room

15min

The Importance of Sensory Moments in 'Dune'

21min

Editing Challenges and Viewing Experience for 'Dune'

4min

In today's episode, we're talking with Joe Walker, ACE about the highly anticipated film, Dune, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel. The book is epic in scope and filled with mythology, and plays out across eons on multiple planets—as you'll hear from Joe, creating a compact, cohesive, and compelling cinematic experience from this source material was not easy.

Joe and I go back a long time. He and Mark Sanger were the first two interviews I did for Art of the Cut. I was intrigued to interview Joe because of Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar acceptance speech for 12 Years a Slave where she thanked him for his stewardship of her performance—I needed to meet the editor that gets a shout of from an Oscar-winning actress.

Joe was also nominated that year for his work on 12 Years a Slave. Other interviews with Joe included Sicario, for which he was nominated for an ACE Eddie, Arrival, for which he won an ACE Eddie, Widows, and Bladerunner 2049, for which he was again nominated for an ACE Eddie.

Prior to starting his feature film editing career, he worked on many projects for the BBC in his native England.

Thanks to Frame.io for their support of Art of the Cut and their pledge to keep this content coming your way. Click here to watch the video version of this interview along with extra content at blog.frame.io, where you'll also find expert guides, tutorials, and insights from veteran filmmakers across the film and TV industry.

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Art of the Cut

Art of the Cut, Ep. 135: "Dune" Editor Joe Walker, ACE

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Efficiency of Emotional Expression

Collaborative Editing Process

Building Rhythm and Pace

Crafting Narrative Structure

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts