Our guests on this edition of The Rough Cut, editor John Axelrad ACE and his assistant editor Jared Simon, can certainly speak eloquently on the subjects of storytelling and editing techniques, but when you listen to their interview, it absolutely comes through how methodical they are in their organization and communication, because success with that is what frees them up to be as creative as possible and to think about all those wonderful storytelling conundrums. John and Jared first teamed up on the film Ad Astra, and they are back together again on their new film, Antebellum.  Originally scheduled for a theatrical release earlier in the year, the film was delayed until now as a video on demand release due to the impact of the pandemic. It’s not often that we have both the editor and the assistant, or assistants, on the show together.  And that’s a shame because it really adds a lot in terms of what we can learn from them.  And with mentoring and career building and "passing the torch" to a new generation being so vital to this industry, hearing the assistant share their experience on how the editor, or any mentor, helped to bring them along, is very cool.  We even get to talk about one of the editors John learned under, the amazing Anne V. Coates, who won an Oscar in 1963 for her work on Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to be nominated four more times; the last being for Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight, the first picture John worked on with her.  And we get into all that plus; the importance of a good editing room "codebook", making the most of markers, how to properly prep material for 5.1, and much more! Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Learn Avid for free with Media Composer | First Subscribe to Media Composer | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Mulan editor David Coulson is no stranger to working on films about young girls overcoming adversity and societal customs that favor sons over daughters.  You only have to go back to his first collaborative effort with director Niki Caro and her film, Whale Rider, to see that.  That film seemed to come out of nowhere to rack up tons of awards and accolades, including the 2003 Sundance Film Festival Audience award and an Oscar® nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the breakout performance of star Keisha Castle-Hughes. Since then David and Niki have done other great films like North Country, McFarland USA and The Zookeeper’s Wife.  And now in 2020, with a much bigger budget than usual, David and Niki have done it again for Disney's reimagining of their 1998 animated film of the same name.  For a movie that seems tailor made for big theaters with giant screens and a zillion speakers, it plays very well at home as well on Disney Plus.  In our interview with David, we not only talk about editing Mulan, but also about; the benefits of frequently collaborating with the same director, what he looks for in a good assistant, how to get your foot in the door for up-and-comers, plus the benefits and challenges of cutting VFX intensive films. Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Learn Avid for free with Media Composer | First Subscribe to Media Composer | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

On this episode of the podcast, Shawn Paper ACE joins us to discuss editing Sony Pictures' The Broken Hearts Gallery.  Prior to his turn on the Avid in this film, you’ve seen Shawn’s work in such fan favorites as Parks and Recreation, Girls, Crashing, What We Do in the Shadows, Veep, Ugly Betty and Flight of the Conchords…literally just to name a few.  Notice a trend there?  Shawn knows his way around cutting comedy and that certainly is a topic we hit upon for a stretch in the podcast.  In our examination of editing The Broken Hearts Gallery, we discuss; the hidden challenges of cutting seemingly simple three-act romantic comedies, the differences and similarities between cutting comedy for tv and film, as well as how diegetic vs non-diegetic sound can affect how an audience feels about a scene. Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Learn Avid for free with Media Composer | First Subscribe to Media Composer | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube  

When it comes to legendary composer Hans Zimmer, you let the music do the talking.  But the numbers don’t lie either. 200+ projects scored across all mediums.  28 billion dollars in combined box office gross from those projects.  One Academy Award®. Two Golden Globes®. Three Grammys®.  One American Music Award. One Tony® Award.  He’s an Emmy® away from being an EGOT and I like his chances! In our talk Hans discusses many, many things including; how he approaches the art and craft of film composing under the restrictions of remote collaboration, the musicality and courage of editor Joe Walker, Ramin Djawadi’s ascension from coffee go-fer to go-to composer, Pietro Scalia’s “measured” editing and amazing cooking, why director Christopher Nolan is no good at parties, plus what studios really want from you! Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Learn all about what Bleeding Fingers has to offer Hear the new interview with Hans and Dune editor, Joe Walker ACE See that same new interview on YouTube Create for free with Media Composer | First and Pro Tools | First Step up to Media Composer | Ultimate and Pro Tools | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode  

In the dramatic conclusion to our exploration of The Mandalorian, editors Jeff Seibenick, Andrew S. Eisen, Dana E. Glauberman ACE and Dylan Firshein discuss; instinctively editing the "little green guy", shopping for the ingredients to make a tasty montage, and cutting storm troopers for comedy. Plus, final takeaways from the whole "Mando" experience. Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs! A New Hope editor, Paul Hirsch ACE on turning a Camaro into Vader's TIE fighter. The Empire Strikes Back editor, Paul Hirsch ACE reflects on the film forty years later. Hear editor Bob Ducsay ACE talk about cutting The Last Jedi. Listen to Maryann Brandon ACE talk about her work on The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. Get your hands on the editing system that helped revive the Skywalker trilogy,  Avid Media Composer! Subscribe to The Rough Cut for more great interviews with the heroes of the editing room! Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube!  

Nominated for an incredible 15 Emmy's, The Mandalorian not only impressed the critics, but rose to the daunting challenging of winning over Star Wars fans throughout the galaxy.  While the revolutionary virtual set production process has deservedly garnered much attention, without the razor sharp storytelling skills of editors Jeff Seibenick, Andrew S. Eisen, Dana Glauberman ACE and Dylan Firshein, "Mando" would have never worked as well as he did.  In this action packed two-part podcast, the post team tells us all about; working inside "the volume", the psychology of sound within Star Wars, editing and finding emotion with faceless characters. Plus lots, lots more! Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs! A New Hope editor, Paul Hirsch ACE on turning a Camaro into Vader's TIE fighter. The Empire Strikes Back editor, Paul Hirsch ACE reflects on the film forty years later. Hear editor Bob Ducsay talk about cutting The Last Jedi. Listen to Maryann Brandon ACE talk about her work on The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. Get your hands on the editing system that helped revive the Skywalker trilogy,  Avid Media Composer! Subscribe to The Rough Cut for more great interviews with the heroes of the editing room! Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube!

Five-time Emmy® nominee, Cindy Mollo ACE is on The Rough Cut this week to discuss her hit Netflix series, Ozark.  This time Cindy is nominated for an Emmy® for her work on the Season Three premiere episode of the show, literally kicking things off with a bang and delivering even more of the delightful twists, turns and high drama that made Ozark a fan favorite.  Cindy talks with us about; the benefits of knowing the full story arc of the season before editing begins, the "lean in" storytelling philosophy of actor/director Jason Bateman, plus how to embrace sound design by turning the "defect into the effect". Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs! Learn Avid for free with Media Composer | First! Subscribe to Media Composer | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer! Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode! Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube!  

For your consideration…editors Nena Erb ACE and Lynarion Hubbard from HBO’s Insecure.  What should you consider?  For starters, how this talented team has complemented and supported one another over the years, culminating in their Emmy nomination for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series.  Being nominated for (and winning!) an Emmy is nothing new for Nena, having won in 2016 for Project Greenlight, but this is not only Lynarion’s first Emmy nomination, it’s for one of her first big shows as an editor.  Her experience as an assistant editor has helped Lynarion become a very organized editor.  Nena….well, not so much.  But what she lacks in organization, she makes up for as a mentor and champion for her assistants.  And, organized or not, both editors are very talented storytellers.  In this edition of The Rough Cut, they talk to us about; marking and organizing multiple takes of jokes, using emotional moments and looks to punctuate a montage, the directorial style of Kerry Washington and much more. Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs! Learn Avid for free with Media Composer | First! Subscribe to Media Composer | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer! Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode! Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube! Listen to Catherine Haight ACE talk about her film, Troop Zero. Send me your feedback at matt@theroughcutpod.com or leave a message at (781) 334-8369 or on the CONTACT page.

Netflix's hit German science fiction thriller Dark is, at times, hard to follow...but impossible to stop following.  Thanks in large part to the talented editing team of Anja Siemens, Simon Gstöttmayr and Boris Gromatzki, the mysterious world of Winden, Germany has consumed the hearts and minds of an international audience, keeping them on the edge of their seats and with family tree maps and chronological notes close at hand.  Anja, Simon and Boris talk to us about; how they kept track of the multiple timelines/worlds/characters, the lack of interest in the show in its own homeland, finding the right undertones and manipulating the performances of young actors as they continue to grow as performers.  It's complicated, elaborate, shocking and so very Dark! Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs! Learn Avid for free with Media Composer | First! Subscribe to Media Composer | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer! Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode! Send me your feedback at matt@theroughcutpod.com or leave a message on the CONTACT page.

When showrunner Sam Esmail took on the challenge of bringing a popular podcast to television, he knew there was no better editor to call than the woman who's helped make his show, Mr. Robot, a critic and audience favorite.  Rosanne Tan, ACE joins this edition of The Rough Cut to discuss her work on the Amazon Original Series, Homecoming.  Rosanne tells us all about; the reasons behind the unique framing and visual elements of the series, how crucial classic film scores were to building a vibe and honoring favorite movies from the suspense and thriller genres, plus interviewing for jobs over Zoom! Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs! Learn Avid for free with Media Composer | First! Subscribe to Media Composer | Ultimate and get the best Avid has to offer! Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode! Send me your feedback at matt@theroughcutpod.com or leave a message on the CONTACT page.