The Trial of the Chicago Seven editor, Alan Baumgarten ACE is on the podcast this week to discuss his new film with writer/director, Aaron Sorkin. This is the second time working together for Alan and Aaron, and since this is also only the second thing that Aaron Sorkin has ever directed, the basic math will tell you that Alan is his "go to" guy. And why not? Aside from doing Aaron’s first film, Molly’s Game, Alan has proved his mettle on just about every kind of film. Dramas like American Hustle and Trumbo. Comedies like Dodgeball and Meet the Fockers. Superhero action movies like Venom…and of course my personal favorite, which falls into all the above categories, Zombieland. Hey, if you can’t see the drama in Zombieland, that’s on you.
The Trial of the Chicago Seven is a legal courtroom drama, much like the film that launched Aaron Sorkin’s writing career, A Few Good Men. But "Chicago Seven" takes on the even more ambitious challenge of detailing an actual historical event, which is the trial of seven men charged with inciting the riots that took place in 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. As you would imagine, this is a big story with a big cast and has many details that need to be fleshed out and brought to life in the most engaging way possible.
In our discussion with Alan, he talks about:
- The challenge of setting up the characters and context of the film in the opening prologue sequence
- Negotiating for who and what you need in the cutting room
- The effect of the pandemic on finishing the film from the director's cut onward
- What he looks for in an assistant
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