Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/309120
27 MAY-JUN 14 / CINEMONTAGE and it stirs something in my chest, I'm good," he says. After breaking in as an editor of trailers and commercials at Suski/Fallick Productions, he followed co-owner Morton Fallick into features. His first film as an assistant was the hilarious takeoff on vampire movies, Love at First Bite (1979), starring George Hamilton — an appropriate debut considering the number of comedies he would one day cut himself, including the ACE Eddie-nominated Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) and Hamlet 2 (2008). But those looking for a theme to Freeman's career — which has also included dramas (The Waterdance, 1992), horror (The Craft, 1996) and thrillers (Cruel Intentions, 1999) — will find no sympathy from the editor. Projects have often come his way by happenstance, not deliberation. He has prided himself on his work ethic, honing his craft on every film, no matter the genre, budget or circumstances. But in MacFarlane, Freeman has found a true-blue collaborator. "I knew it was going to be fairly large when I was hired to do it," he says of Ted. "It's just that kind of concept where you're going, 'Oh my God. This can't lose. A trash-talking teddy bear? How brilliant is that?' CineMontage spoke with Freeman as he was in the midst of previewing A Million Ways to Die in the West — and getting ready for an early- summer start to Ted 2. CineMontage: When did you decide that editing might be for you? Jeff Freeman: I went to UCLA in the '70s. I took everything — acting, directing, writing. When I got to the film editing class, I cut a Gunsmoke episode, which we all do when we're in film school. My editing teacher was a lovely guy, and he sort of used my work as an example to the class of what to do as you're trying to cut a scene. I thought, "Okay, this is the first thing I've ever cut. If he's using my work as an example to the class, I guess I can do this." CM: What did you learn editing trailers that helped you later on? JF: That you could get away with a lot of information in a short amount of time. That always helps in terms of cutting scenes, rearranging stories and organizing your film so that it's cohesive, but also flows relatively quickly. It certainly gives you a great point of view of the strong points of the movie, and how you can cut it with some brevity and still get everything you want in the scene. CM: You were an assistant to Sam O'Steen on Silkwood (1983) and Richard Marks on Terms of Endearment (1983). CineMontage_May-Jun_14-3.indd 27 4/15/14 2:49 PM