Editors
Interviews - Editors
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“The Problem Is Getting More and More Urgent”: Editor David Cohen on The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales
Abigail E. Disney, the granddaughter of Walt Disney Company co-founder Roy O. Disney, has spoken out against the treatment of Disney employees and the compensation of Disney executives in the past; with The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales, she and co-director Kathleen Hughes investigate the poor working conditions and hand-to-mouth living of Disneyland workers and the riches of Disney CEO Bob Iger. Editor David Cohen explains how he shaped the footage into a narrative and the constant evolution of Abigail Disney’s role in front of the camera. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your […]
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“I Feel So Blessed That Somehow My Father’s Brilliance Was Captured”: Editor Ondi Timoner on Last Flight Home
When Ondi Timoner began to film her family and her father as he waited the obligatory 15 days before opting for death with dignity, she never intended to make a feature-length documentary. As she spent more time with the footage, however, she realized that she had captured something that is paradoxically both rare, in that it is infrequently discussed and depicted, and universal, in its confrontation of death. Timoner answered questions about undergoing that journey and what she learned as she repeatedly watched and edited the scene of her own father’s death. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up […]
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“Make Choices With the Edit to Sculpt and Reveal an Inherent Truth”: Harrison Atkins on Emily the Criminal
A financially precarious temp worker effectively locked out of a stable job due to a minor criminal record takes a black market gig buying goods with stolen credit cards in Emily the Criminal. As its logline suggests, the film examines the gig economy and class structure in America, and editor Harrison Atkins discusses how he shaped the film to approach that film with anger rather than numbness 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? Atkins: I’ve been working […]
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“I’ve Always Loved the Editing Style in a Lot of 1970s American Films”: Editor Suvi Solja on The Mission
The Mission focuses on four missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints working in Finland. In addition to the often frustrating day-to-day missionary work, director Tania Anderson also captures the missionaries on the eve of their departure, during their Finnish language lessons and on their welcomes home. Editor Suvi Solja discusses the challenges of piercing the nonchalant façade of the subjects and the decision to include a voiceover in the film, as well as why she frequently watches the opening of Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of […]
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“Allow Myself to Work in the Same Mode as the Filmmaker”: Editor Christopher Radcliff on Palm Trees and Power Lines
In Palm Trees and Power Lines, the feature debut of Jamie Dack, aprecocious but aimless 17-year-old named Lea finds herself drawn to Tom, a man twice her age who initially appears to give her the much-needed attention she does not have at home. As their relationship continues, however, Tom begins to assert his power in the relationship. Editor Christopher Radcliff explains the importance of keeping the film tied to Lea’s perspective and of editing the film to emphasize the patience evident in the script. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the […]
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“We Didn’t Edit to the Script; We Edited Only With the Material”: Editor Lívia Serpa on Dos Estaciones
Dos Estaciones pulls equally from documentary and fictional aesthetics to tell its story of a tequila factory in the highlands of Jalisco. It devotes time not just to its protagonist, but also to the process of making tequila, the landscape and other inhabitants. Editor Lívia Serpa recounts how the edit was always based on the material at hand rather than the script and the emphasis on the overarching structure of the film. 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? […]
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“This Film Expanded the Way I Think About Beauty and Form”: Editor Todd Chandler on I Didn’t See You There
When a circus tent appeared outside the window of Reid Davenport, a visibly disabled filmmaker, he began to contemplate the history of the “freak show” and its relationship to his own aesthetics. This inquiry formed the backbone of I Didn’t See You There, for which Davenport captured images from his wheelchair and sought to make a film about how he sees the world. Below, editor Todd Chandler explains his desire to work on a film so aesthetically different from his own and why he likes to watch other films with his collaborators. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up […]
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“No Idea Was Out of the Realm of Possibility”: Editor Michael Felker on Something in the Dirt
Something in the Dirt is the fifth feature by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, indie multi-hyphenates who directed, wrote, shot, co-edited, and produced the story about a pair of fast friends who attempt to turn an encounter with the supernatural into fast money. Co-editor Michael Felker discusses how the film’s form enabled him to take risks and creatively approach the editing process. 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? Felker: I’ve been the editor for Benson and Moorhead’s […]
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“The Best Scenes Tend to Land in the First Pass”: Editor Michael Aaglund on A House Made of Splinters
A House Made of Splinters, the second film by director Simon Lereng Wilmont after The Distant Barking of Dogs, takes place in an orphanage in eastern Ukraine, not far from the front lines. The film focuses on the impact war has on the development of the children as well as on the system that has failed to help war orphans. Michael Aaglund, who served as the film’s editor, discusses how he develops a scene in the cutting room and why he aims for simplicity. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the […]
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“It Was Better to Encourage the Audience to Ask the Question Than to Provide the Answer”: Editor Justin LaForge on God’s Country
God’s Country is a study of the grieving process and the limits of societal polities. It follows a university professor, at the end of her rope because of her mother’s recent death and discrimination at work, who has her willpower put to the test after she confronts a pair of hunters trespassing on her property. Editor Justin LaForge explains how he was uniquely prepared to edit the film remotely during the COVID lockdown and why it’s better to let the audience ask a question than to preemptively provide an answer. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the […]
