Art of the Cut

Today on Art of the Cut we’re speaking with Oscar-nominee Richard Pearson, ACE, about editing The Accountant 2. Richard’s been on Art of the Cut several times in the past for the original The Accountant film, also for Wonder Woman 1984, and Kong: Skull Island. Richard’s also worked on Men in Black 2, and the Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. He was nominated for an Oscar and an ACE Eddie and won a BAFTA for United 93. He was also nominated for an ACE Eddie and an Emmy for From the Earth to the Moon.This discussion includes the use of invisible split-screens to craft pacing, developing montages, and the keys to editing a good action scene - of which, this movie has plenty of great examples.If you'd like to see images and clips and trailers from the movie and from the editor, please check out the BorisFX blog:borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Michael Shawver about editing Ryan Coogler’s feature film, Sinners.Michael’s been on Art of the Cut in the past for his work on Black Panther. His other work includes Abigail, A Quiet Place 2, Creed, and Fruitvale Station. This discussion includes - among other things - how the first scripted scene ended up in act 2 while the last scene ended up as the first scene, how therapy can turn you into a better editor, and the artistic challenges of one actor playing two parts.You can read along with this interview and see stills from the movie, clips and trailers on the BorisFX blog of the same name:borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with the editing team of the HBO series Dune Prophecy.Amelia Allwarden, ACE has been on Art of the Cut in the past for Daisy Jones and the Six and Pen15. She also edited Westworld.Anna Hauger, ACE has been on Art of the Cut before for Three Body Problem. She’s also edited Westworld, Station 11 and Watchmen.Sarah C. Reeves, ACE has edited Westworld, Star Trek Picard, Gotham and The Walking Dead.Mark Hartzell, ACE has edited The Last of Us, True Blood and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.This discussion includes - among other things - mentorship, how an assistant editor can show they’re ready to be elevated to “the chair” and how editing is best when it’s iterative.You can read along with this podcast and see images, clips and trailers on the BORISFX blog:borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Robin Peters about the film The Penguin Lesons. Robin was nominated for a BFE Cut Above Award for Best Edited Comedy Series for This Time with Alan Partridge. He’s also edited the film Benjamin and the TV series One Day. He was an additional editor on The Personal History of David Copperfield.This discussion includes - among other things - the difficulties of temping music on a film with comedy and pathos, how the theme affects editing choices, and the importance of sending the audience out of the theater on the correct note.You can read along with this podcast on the Boris FX blog to see timeline screenshots, stills, exclusive images and clips and trailers:borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Julia Grove, ACE, Howard Leder, and Lai-San Ho, who edited the Hulu TV series, Paradise.Julia was nominated for an ACE Eddie for her work on This is Us. She’s also edited Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder.Howard has edited The Newsroom, American Gods, This is Us, and Perry Mason.Lai-San has edited This is Us, Rabbit Hole, and The Company You Keep.This discussion includes - among other things - a discussion about editing a show with no temp music, the judicious use of a single slo-mo shot, and why you move a scene from one episode to another.If you'd like to read along with this interview, please check out: borisfx.com/blog/aotc.

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Doug Crise, ACE about editing Barry Levinson’s latest film, The Alto Knights.Doug was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA and won an ACE Eddie for Babel. Then was nominated for a BAFTA and an ACE Eddie for Birdman. Also nominated for an Emmy and an ACE Eddie for Dopesick.This discussion includes - among other things - that value of intercutting scenes that weren’t written to be intercut, building suspense through editing, and the revelation of the film’s original opening scene and why it changed.If you'd like to read along with this podcast, the full transcript is available below, including clips, trailers and images.borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Monique Zavistovski, ACE about editing the documentary Will & Harper. The film was nominated for a BAFTA, and Monique was nominated for an ACE Eddie and a BFE Cut Above award for Best Documentary Editing. Also this year, she edited The Only Girl in the Orchestra, a documentary short that won the Oscar for that category. We’ll speak with her about both films.Monique has also edited the documentaries They Call me Magic, Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins and Served Like a Girl.This discussion includes - among other things - staying true to the emotional journey of the characters, the difficult choices in killing your darlings, and using empathy to time reaction shots.Read along with the podcast on the BorisFX.com blog to see trailers and exclusive images.borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we’re speaking with the ACE Eddie-winning team of editors for Best Documentary Series - for HBO's Chimp Crazy. With us are supervising editor, Evan Wise, ACE, editors, Adrienne Gits, ACE, Doug Abel, ACE, Charles Divak, ACE, and additional editor Sascha Stanton Craven.Evan’s been nominated for multiple Emmys and ACE Eddies, including for his work on Q: Into the Storm, and The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth. He’s also edited on the TV series The Anarchists.Doug's been nominated for numerous Emmys and ACE Eddies. He edited the TV series Tiger King. He’s edited for The Oscars, and he edited the documentary Manda Bala: Send a Bullet.Adrienne’s also been nominated for multiple Emmys and ACE Eddies including for her work on the documentaries and documentary series, Fearless, 100 Foot Wave, and Challenger: The Final Flight.Charles has similarly been nominated for multiple Emmys and ACE Eddies including for his work on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth.Sascha edited the Jackass Forever Movie and Jackass 4.5. And cut the TV series On Cinema. This discussion includes - among other things - how story structure informs the audience’s emotions, the joy of a good montage, and how Stanley Kubrick helped to deliver a climactic moment.If you'd like to read along with this interview and see exclusive photos and timelines and watch the trailer, check out the Art of the Cut blog on BorisFX.comborisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with the three editors of the Disney+/LucasFilm show Skeleton Crew which is from the Star Wars story universe.Editor Andrew Eisen, ACE, has been on Art of the Cut before to talk about The Mandalorian for which he’s been nominated for two Emmys.  He’s edited feature films including The Imitation Game and A House with a Clock in its Walls and was an additional editor on Guardians of the Galaxy 2.Terel Gibson, ACE, also edited the recently released feature film The Astronaut, as well as the feature films Sorry to Bother You and Ready or Not. He also edited episodes of the TV series Hawkeye.Kathryn Naranjo was an editor on Stranger Things and has been an assistant editor on feature films including The Adam Project, and Free Guy, also on TV series including Halt and Catch Fire.This discussion includes - among other things - cutting the show three times: in storyboards, previs, and finally with live action footage from The Volume, how sound creates believable world-building, and when exactly do you use a “Star Wars Wipe.”You can read along with the podcast on the blog where you can see timeline screenshots, exclusive images and more. Check out:borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with three guests: the co-director and show editor and montage editor of the documentary Ladies and Gentlemen: 50 Years of SNL Music.Oz Rodriguez co-directed the documentary with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Oz directed many of your favorite SNL Shorts, and has also directed episodes of Goosebumps and Nobody Wants This. John MacDonald was an associate producer on SNL. He’s an editor, composer and segment producer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. You’ve probably had some of his YouTube videos running on repeat. Jimmy Lester has been nominated for a Documentary Emmy for  Stockton on My Mind. He’s edited episodes of Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, History Channel’s FDR series, and the doc, Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story.This discussion includes - among other things - why so many editors are also musicians, the value of a great assistant editor - and how to be one - and the art of using a talking head.This is a really good show to check out the blog, which has many exclusive images that help show how the montage, in particular, was edited. Visit:borisfx.com/blog/aotc