Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/501792
78 CINEMONTAGE / SPRING 2015 We're Here, For You Healthcare / Wellness / Aid & Services Senior Care / Residential Retirement 855-760-MPTF (6783) www.mptf.com For over 90 years, MPTF has been helping Hollywood take care of its own. Together, we ensure that the magic we create isn't just on screen. Find out more at MPTF.com Classification: Picture Editor. I've also worked as Foley editor, dialogue editor, assistant sound editor and post-production supervisor. On Retiring: I retired partly because I became drawn to teaching, but largely because I wasn't getting many calls to edit. Most of the producers and directors I worked for had either retired or died. Favorite Credits: Shogun (1980), The Winds of War (1983). Career Highlights: I was very lucky to have been mentored by George Watters, ACE, who brought me to Paramount to work on Shogun. I was hired to cut a clip reel for the executives and stayed on to edit the feature version. With my background in editing low- budget projects, combined with full knowledge of the book, I knew what would play in a two-hour film. I threw their initial feature script out of the window and created my own script. My success with that led me to The Winds of War. With recommendations from Shogun producer Eric Bercovici and author James Clavell, plus the confidence director Dan Curtis had in me (knowing I was very familiar with the book), I took over when Bernie Gribble, ACE, left the film in pre-production to take a feature. I worked on it for two years and was eventually joined by four other editors, including Gribble. I am also proud of the documentary I produced with director/ editor Patrea Patrick, American Empire (2012). New Endeavor: Having been a teacher for the last decade, I was approached to write a textbook on film editing, Twilight for the Gods, which was published in 2014. It refers to the fact that editors are the gods of time and space, the one thing that makes filmmaking an art form. The title is from an old editorial I wrote about how computer editing is demystifying the process, and making us become micromanaged in the cutting room. The book combines the history of editing with my experience, plus some hot-to's. It has inspired me to write a novel about my experience in combat photography during the Vietnam War. Words of Wisdom: My advice to anyone starting out in the craft of editing is this: Love what you do. If you do, you will succeed. Watch movies, both new and old. See what others have done, and edit every day — even if you have to shoot it yourself! f GOLDEN NUGGETS RETIREE JACK TUCKER, ACE by Karen Kalish