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“The Story was Unfolding in Real Time”: Editor Emelie Mahdavian on Heightened Scrutiny
Still from Heightened Scrutiny. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Heightened Scrutiny documents ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio as he fights of transgender rights in the courtroom, as well as the battles waged outside the courtroom by those advocating for their rights. The film is director Sam Feder’s follow-up to 2020’s Disclosure and screens as part of the Sundance Premieres section.
Emelie Mahdavian, whose previous credits include Midnight Traveler and Singing in the Wilderness, served as the film’s editor. Below, Mahdavian talks about the challenges of editing a film whose story is unfolding outside the editing room in real time.
See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here.
Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job?
Mahdavian: You’d have to ask Sam why he hired me! I think we had a “click” of personality, which we both really value. I’m more known for my facility with verité, and as that became an increasingly significant part of the film, that came in handy.
Filmmaker: In terms of advancing your film from its earliest assembly to your final cut, what were your goals as an editor? What elements of the film did you want to enhance, or preserve, or tease out or totally reshape?
Mahdavian: The earliest assembly was shaped almost entirely around archive and interview, so the progress to the final cut was really about looking at the verité story as it was emerging and deciding how to balance those two threads. It wasn’t always obvious what elements of the assembled interview would stay because the story was unfolding in real time. There were some parts I loved that ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor and others that Sam and I were thrilled to discover made their way back in, so keeping alive to the unfolding story and being flexible (and fast) was important.
Filmmaker: How did you achieve these goals? What types of editing techniques, or processes, or feedback screenings allowed this work to occur?
Mahdavian: We had one fantastic feedback screening. Otherwise, this was an edit that was really about speed, confidence and decisiveness. Sam and I didn’t have much time to continually reshape the story or digest current events as they were happening. We would try a few ideas and shuffle things around, but we couldn’t be too precious or fine tune too much before setting the structure.
Filmmaker: As an editor, how did you come up in the business, and what influences have affected your work?
Mahdavian: I’m also a director myself, so I choose to edit projects carefully and I don’t take on that many. But I love films that allow me to grow intellectually and creatively.
Filmmaker: What editing system did you use, and why?
Mahdavian: Premiere. I inherited the project in Premiere and also it’s where I work the fastest.
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to cut and why? And how did you do it?
Mahdavian: The end of the film wasn’t “hard” to cut, because it was all verité, so I felt in my element. However, we had to work really fast because the final 15 minutes and the opening of the film are cut from the last production shoot, which took place Dec. 4th. We picture locked on Dec. 24th, so we knew that was going to be a time crunch. Obviously, we discussed the structure in advance, but we couldn’t know for sure what we would get. So, we had to hold off on locking both the opening and the ending of the film until we could see how things unfolded on those days. Ultimately, I’m really proud of those scenes, and I think they are testament to the vision and hard work of Sam, me, and our wonderful assistant editor Nancy Nguyen.
Filmmaker: Finally, now that the process is over, what new meanings has the film taken on for you? What did you discover in the footage that you might not have seen initially, and how does your final understanding of the film differ from the understanding that you began with?
Mahdavian: I’m going to watch the film again at the Sundance premiere, and that will be just one month after picture lock. Ask me again then!
