Art of the Cut

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with director, writer, editor Sean Baker who was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing for his film, Anora. He was nominated for BAFTAs for Best Film, Best Editing, Best Casting, Best Screenplay and Best Director. He won AFI’s Movie of the Year, and was nominated for an ACE Eddie. Sean’s other feature films include Red Rocket, Tangerine, and The Florida Project. This discussion includes - among other things - why he chose to edit for himself, the importance of sound effects in a movie with no score, and Sean’s aversion to editing shot/reverse shot. You can read along with this podcast and see trailers, clips and photos on the BorisFX blog site. borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Dávid Jancsó, the editor of The Brutalist.  David’s been busy! He also edited last year’s Monkey Man as well as films like Evolution and Pieces of a Woman as well as the TV series The Crowded Room and Treadstone. This discussion includes - among other things - how editing is like Brutalist architecture, the purpose behind fracturing time, and the decisions on what to keep in a movie that runs three and a half hours. You can read along with this interview and see clips and images at: borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Oscar-winning editor - and now DIRECTOR - William Goldenberg, ACE about his directorial debut - the NUMBER ONE GLOBAL MOVIE on Amazon - Unstoppable. Of course, we also have William’s editor - no, he didn’t edit it himself - Brett Reed. Brett and William have been working together for more than 20 years. William has been on Art of the Cut many times, including for The Instigators, Air, The Outfit, News of the World, 22 July, Detroit, and Live By Night. Billy won the Oscar for Best editing, a BAFTA and an ACE Eddie for Argo. He was nominated for an ACE Eddie for Air, an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA nom for The Imitation Game, nominated for an Oscar for Zero Dark Thirty, nominated for an Oscar and an ACE Eddie for Seabiscuit, and for The Insider… and an Emmy for Citizen X.  Brett was also on The Instigators. He was an editor on M. Night Shyamalan’s Old. He was also an additional editor on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Detroit and Live by Night. This discussion includes - among other things - the editing skills that helped William transition to director, why - other than their long working relationship - that William chose Brett as his editor, editing handheld footage - and a fascinating bit of Hollywood lore about Led Zeppelin and the movie Argo. If you'd like to read along with this interview and see the complete clips that we discuss in the interview, please go to: borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with editors Scott Morris and Oscar-winning editor Andrew Buckland, ACE about editing James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown. Andrew’s been on Art of the Cut before for his work on The Girl on the Train, and for Ford v Ferrari for which he won an Oscar and a BAFTA and was nominated for an ACE Eddie. He also edited Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Scott Morris has been on Art of the Cut previously to discuss The Creator and Ad Astra. In various capacities he was also worked on several other movies covered by Art of the Cut including Oppenheimer, Don’t Look up, and The Lost City of Z. This discussion includes - among other things - the difficulties of editing folk music, compressing multiple scenes into a montage, and the sacrifices made cutting a three and a half hour editor’s cut down to size. If you'd like to read along with this podcast and see trailers, clips and exclusive photos, check out the blog on: borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Nick Emerson about editing Conclave, for which he’s nominated for an ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film, Dramatic/Theatrical. Nick has been on Art of the Cut before, when we discussed the film Emma. His other credits include the feature films Lady MacBeth, Eileen, and Greta, and TV series including The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby and Life After Life. This discussion includes - among other things - the importance of slowly “drip-feeding the story to the audience, the use of slo-mo to add weight and importance, and how and when to break the 180 degree rule. If you'd like to read along with this podcast and see some of the clips that we talk about, please check out: borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Louise Ford, ACE about editing Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.” Louise has been on Art of the Cut before, when we discussed Eggers’ The Northman. Her other credits include the features Wildlife, Bad Education, and The Lighthouse among many others. This discussion includes - among other things - the importance of sound design in horror films including the revelation of her personal secret sauce…her method to maintain emotional continuity and how she deals with the dark themes of her work with Eggers. If you want to read along with this podcast and see exclusive images, trailers and film clips, check out: borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Oscar-nominee Joi McMillon, ACE about the editing of Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King. Joi’s been on Art of the Cut before for Moonlight - for which she was nominated for an Oscar and an ACE Eddie and for Underground Railroad. She also edited Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk among many other projects. The discussion today is about - among other things - the workflow similarities between Mufasa and Avatar, the benefits of watching dailies with the director and cinematographer, and the learning curve of cutting animation for the first time. If you want to read along with this podcast, a full transcript - with great visual support of trailers and clips - can be seen at borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Hansjörg Weißbrich about editing September 5, which has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture. It was also nominated for Best Editing by the Independent Spirit Awards and tied for the win for the LA Film Critics Award for Best editing. Hansjörg has been nominated for or won numerous German Best Editing awards. His work includes the feature films The Glory of Life, She Said and I’m Your Man, as well as the TV mini-series, Unorthodox, among many others. The discussion today is about - among other things - editing footage shot documentary-style, the importance of being at the mix, and the precision needed to spot music cues. Also, you can read along with this podcast and also see exclusing images and clips and trailers at borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Oscar-nominee Peter Sciberras, ACE about editing director Steve McQueen’s film, Blitz. Peter was last on Art of the Cut for his work on Jane Campion’s Power of the Dog for which he was nominated for an Oscar and an ACE Eddie. His other films include The Rover, The King, and Foe, among many others. The discussion today is about - among other things - finding the best moment to intercut between the film’s two main characters, the importance of the opening scene's visceral impact, and collaborating with the sound team and composer, Hans Zimmer. You can read along with this interview and see clips, trailers and stills from the film at: borisfx.com/blog/aotc

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with Sam Restivo and Oscar-winning editor, Claire Simpson about their editing of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. Claire and Sam have been on Art of the Cut previously for their work on Ridley’s Napoleon.  Claire won an ACE Eddie, a BAFTA and an Oscar for her editing of Best Picture winner, Platoon. She was nominated for another Oscar and an ACE Eddie and won a BAFTA for her editing of The Constant Gardener.  Along with Platoon, she’s edited two other Oscar Best Picture nominees: The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. In addition to Napoleon and Gladiator II, Sam was an additional editor on The Last Showman, The Last Duel, House of Gucci and Robin Hood.  The discussion today is about - among other things - re-organizing the film to find the best moment to reveal critical information, the difference between editing action and dialogue scenes, and the importance of experimentation. If you want to follow along with this podcast with a transcript and visual support including clips, trailers, and exclusive photos, check out the blog at: borisfx.com/blog/aotc