Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1124770
43 Q2 2019 / CINEMONTAGE Noting that the character moves from prison to prison, the editor adds, "The system came down on him with full force; he had no chance, and no help from people on the outside. We wanted the audience to understand the pain he went through." Although Averick and DuVernay are both "big cinephiles," he says, they did not reference any other films in their approach to Part 4. "It comes down to emotion," he says. "That was our priority. We always talk first about how scenes feel." Working as part of a team with two other editors was a new experience for Averick. "It's always been just Ava and me," he relates. "I wasn't sure how it would go, but it was a wonderful experience bouncing ideas off the other editors, showing early cuts of scenes, sharing feedback and ideas… It was rewarding and necessary. It's valuable to have an editing team, and I'd love to continue to work this way in the future." Assistant Eisenberg worked with Averick for the first time on When They See Us. "We're a great pair," she says, relating that, among her tasks, she prepared dailies and did all the temp sound effects. "My focus was to make his job as easy as possible," she says. "Every time he had a request, I would fulfill it immediately so he was never waiting on me and we could just keep trucking along. There was a ton of footage and that's always difficult. "Sometimes Spencer and I would have long sidebar conversations about how tough the material was," she continues. "But we realized that, despite being so tough for us to watch and work with, it was actually more meaningful because we were presenting the truth about these five men's stories, which immediately made us feel better and excited." Part 4's final shot was also the most challenging visual effect in the entire series. "The ending scene was at a restaurant the boys had frequented, but the night before we were to shoot, the façade collapsed and the city put scaffolding all over it," says Fleischmann, who reports that the effects crew had to digitally remove the rigging. The crane shot also travelled over the restaurant, which meant that lens distortion changed the geometry of the building. "It's a great deal of calculation on the part of the computer and the artists to make sure the camera lens distortions look plausible," he says. The crane then moves to Central Park, where the visual effects team had to create a lake, as well as composite people. "It was the final shot in the movie, and Central Park had to be placid and peaceful," says Fleischmann. "Ava wanted to connote that the world had been set right again." CONCLUSION Every member of the editorial team agreed that the tight schedule was the show's biggest hurdle. But they all relished their roles in working on an important and resonant project. "This was a tremendous story of a time in our lives when these five men went through this extraordinary journey," explains Shropshire. "I feel an immense responsibility and honor to be part of the team to tell their story in a narrative fashion, to tell it in such a way that it's meaningful to the people who are going to see it." f Top: When They See Us. Netflix Above: Editor Spencer Averick and assistant editor Rachel Eisenberg.