Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/756468
22 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 picture editor John Vitale notes, "It's become rare for editors to have time to share the expertise and personal skills learned through experience with their assistants." Brown adds, "Assistants don't get the chance to edit because they are often called upon to be the technical support." The Master Class Series was conceived as a way to give assistants the means to experience editing as not just a technical procedure but as the art and craft of putting together dramatic narrative from visual and audio elements. "It should also be a place for those seeking to rise in their craft to learn the politics and diplomacy of interacting with producers, directors and other post-production personnel," says Vitale. During the Master Class sessions, each participant had his or her own iMac workstation with Avid Media Composer 8.5 or ProTools 11. For the picture editing sessions, the students worked with dailies from particularly challenging scenes from actual TV shows. "I tried to get them to build a step- by-step approach to the material based on the editing objectives of following the story and leading the audience," Heath explains. "We emulated the real-life situation of the editor, working with producers and directors and getting notes," Rivkin recounts. "At the end of the two days, any one of the students' versions could have been used for actual broadcast." Knowing that assistants have little time on a mix stage to observe and understand the effect of sound editing decisions, Horta says she gave her students "a comprehensive introduction to dialogue editing." Through practical exercise, they received hands-on experience that included laying tracks, fixing awkward overlaps from the picture editor and figuring out what scenes required ADR. Asked for comments to help plan future sessions, the classes' assistant editor participants responded strongly to the one-on-one involvement afforded by this experience. At the craft level, Adriano Muñoz notes, "I had to study every option available in the dailies…to construct a coherent and visually readable narrative." Takeika Burton writes, "I definitely have a better assessment of my strengths and what I still need to work on." Offers Nida Ball, "To top it off, we were provided valuable life lessons for editors who wish to succeed." "To broaden the interest among members in the Master Class Series, the Outreach Committee hopes to expand the focus of classes to cover more craft designations," says Brown. Vitale adds, "Sound design, re-recording mixing, music editing, animation editing…these are all possibilities." Summing up the idea of the series, Rivkin says, "If you've ever had someone who trusted you enough to give you a chance to show what you can do, then you understand the importance of giving something back to help the next generation of editors." Members interested in teaching a Master Class or suggesting another class topic should contact the Membership Outreach Committee through the Guild's Executive Administrator Lisa Dosch at ldosch@editorsguild.com. f MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH COMMIT TEE Editor Stephen Rivkin, left, in a one-on-one training session with assistant editor Will Erokan during the Picture Editor Master Class. Photo by Willow Fortin