Art of the Cut

Today on Art of the Cut, we speak with four members of the editorial team for Gareth Edwards film, “The Creator.” Joining me to discuss the challenges and rewards of this film are Oscar winning editor, Joe Walker, ACE. Also Oscar-nominated editor, Hank Corwin, ACE. We’ll also be talking to Scott Morris, and an old friend Job ter Burg, ACE - NCE, who served as additional editor. Walker’s credits - just the ones he’s been on Art of the Cut for in the past - include 12 Years a Slave, Sicario, Arrival, Widows, Bladerunner 2049, and Dune, for which he won the Oscar. Corwin was nominated for Oscars for Don’t Look Up, Vice, and The Big Short, for which he won the ACE Eddie. He’s also been nominated for an ACE Eddie for “The Horse Whisperer” and was an additional editor on “JFK” which won the Oscar for Best Editing. Scott Morris edited the feature Armageddon Time, and was an additional editor on Don’t Look Up and Ad Astra. Job ter Burg, ACE and NCE, his films include Benedetta, Elle, Brimstone, Black Book and The Informer.

Today on Art of the Cut, we speak with director, Rudy Valdez, and his editor Viridiana Lieberman about the new documentary, Carlos about guitar legend, Carlos Santana.  Rudy is a two-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. His HBO documentary The Sentence was a Sundance Audience Award-winner. He’s also worked on numerous other projects as a cinematographer. Viri, also worked on The Sentence with Rudy as his editor, and she’s a director in her own right, directing the ESPN documentary, Born to Play, which she also edited. Together, she and Rudy are off on their next project already, a documentary series called Choir.

Today on Art of the Cut, we speak with Lucy Donaldson, the editor of Kenneth Branagh’s latest film, “A Haunting in Venice.”  Lucy’s feature film work includes Unspoken, Breaking News in Yuba County, Ma, Stuck, and Choice. 

Today on Art of the Cut, we speak with the editors of Gran Turismo - Colby Parker, Junior, ACE, Austyn Daines, and co-editor, Eric Freidenberg. Colby’s been on Art of the Cut before for his work on Mile 22. Colby was nominated for an ACE Eddie for his work on Ant-Man. His other work includes Patriot’s Day, Deepwater Horizon, Lone Survivor and Battleship. Austyn has edited the feature film “Demonic” and the Travis Scott documentary, “Look Mom, I can Fly.” Eric has cut features including Kandahar, and documentaries including The World of Thinking. He’s also cut TV including 30 for 30, 9-1-1, Unsolved Mysteries, and Chef’s Table. And he was an editor on the GT Academy TV series.

Today on Art of the Cut, a little change of pace. August was the 30th anniversary of the movie, The Fugitive, directed by Andrew Davis and edited by Don Brochu, David Finfer, Dean Goodhill, Dov Hoenig, Richard Nord and Dennis Virkler. Why so many editors? You’ll soon find out as I talk to director Andrew Davis about the evolution of the film through editing, his thoughts on being one of the first directors to try to cut a film using Avid Media Composer, and what he looks for when choosing a new editor for a project. Mr. Davis was nominated for a Golden Globe and a DGA Award for Best Direction for The Fugitive. His other films include Under Siege, Chain Reaction, A Perfect Murder, Collateral Damage, Holes, and The Guardian.

Guests Jennifer Lame, Mike Fay, Nick Ellsberg, and Tom Feligno discuss editing 'Oppenheimer'. Topics include organizing visuals based on themes, screening and organizing film formats, logistical challenges of shooting in New Mexico, efficiency in storytelling techniques, trusting instincts in the editing process, and assembling the editorial team.

Editors of Succession discuss their Emmy nominations and selection process. They analyze the technical choices in an episode. The value of agents in the editing industry is explored. Their approach includes string outs and tweaking. Challenges and highlights include the shooting of the final scene and managing overlapping dialogue in a phone call scene.

Today on Art of the Cut, editor Stephanie Filo, ACE. Stephanie just hit the Emmy trifecta: she was nominated for three Emmys for three different series! She was nominated for Outstanding Editing in a Variety Program for A Black Lady Sketch Show along with editors Malinda Zehner Guerra, and Taylor Mason. Also in the Variety Programming category, she's nominated for History Of The World Part II with her co-editors, Angel Bryant, Daniel Flesher, and George Mandl. And finally, for Outstanding editing in a Limited Series, she's nominated for Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Stephanie Filo is originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa. She has two Emmy wins, and an ACE Eddie win for A Black Lady Sketch Show. And was a Peabody Award winner for her work on the documentary Surviving R. Kelly and an Emmy winner for her work on the documentary Separated. She was also nominated for an Emmy for her work on the documentary Aging Out. She also recently edited the feature film We Grown Now, which is soon to be released. Finally, Filo once starred as the only co-host of Art of the Cut ever - for the episode on the thriller, Barbarian. Barring all of the editing wins and nominations, probably her proudest moment, I’m sure.

Today we’re talking with the editors of the TV series, The White Lotus which has been nominated for Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Picture Editing in a Drama Series category. Heather Persons, ACE has been nominated for her episode, “Abductions” and John Valerio, ACE has been nominated for his episode “Arrivederci.” Heather has been nominated three times before for Emmys, three times for ACE Eddies, and for a BAFTA. She’s edited features, like “Sunshine Cleaning” and was an additional editor on “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Her TV credits include, The Flight Attendant, How to Make it in America, and The Ron Clark Story. John won an Emmy for his “Departures episode from Season 1 of The White Lotus, and won an ACE Eddie for his “Arrivederci” episode from Season 2. He’s also been nominated for another ACE Eddie and a BAFTA. His work includes TV series like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Old Man, Tokyo Vice and Parks and Recreation.

Today we’re talking with Nena Erb, ACE about the film Joy Ride. Nena has won two Primetime Emmys for her work on Project Greenlight and Insecure. She also has three ACE Eddie nominations - two for Insecure, and one for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Her other work includes editing Justin Bieber’s Believe, the TV series Little America, and the feature film Little Owl, which also just released.