Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/942009
30 CINEMONTAGE / Q1 2018 notes. "I am constantly learning from my assistants new short cuts and ways of using the Avid more effectively," he reveals. "They learn from their peers and the other editors they work with, and pass it along." Working with mentees has had another impact on him: "The commitment has really deepened for me. It has given me a lot more confidence in my own editing. A lot of the process of editing isn't something we articulate to ourselves. [Having to do so] has deepened my understanding of my own process and helped me as an editor." Mentoring Guild assistants has another important facet. "During an open Editors Guild meeting last fall, it became apparent that many young editors are not aware of — or passing on — the protections and benefits of union membership to their assistants," says DeGraff. "The culture of knowledge of our bargained-for rights is slowly eroding. It's the editors' duty to help their assistants know their rights." The Guild, he adds, is also "aware of this reality and is working to turn it around." When DeGraff started in the business, there were seven African Americans in the organization. "Now there are a large number of African-American assistants," he says. The editor has been happy to mentor any assistant who asks for help, but his work with the Guild's African-American Steering Committee, and his awareness of women editors' issues, through the Women's Steering Committee (both sub- committees of the Guild's Diversity Committee) has honed his focus. "I'm not opposed to mentoring whoever comes across my path," he adds. "But I'll be especially on the lookout for talented assistants who are women or people of color." DeGraff notes that encouraging both women and African-American union members is crucial. "Often we are in our cutting rooms and isolated from one another," he explains. "One of the biggest challenges is simply knowing that there are others like you to whom you can turn for support and information. It serves primarily as an opportunity for us to know who's out there, but also an opportunity to help someone who may encounter a challenge for the first time. Talking with someone else who has encountered that challenge is a way to go forward. "There are so many African- American assistants out there who are hungry for solid information on how you find your support team," he continues. "Everyone has to create that for her or himself. For some things, someone needs to show you the ropes. A lot of that takes place in the steering committee." The committee also plans to celebrate successful members as "way-showers" for those assistants. "We all take great pleasure and joy in each other's success," says DeGraff, noting that editor James Wilcox recently won the ACE Eddie Award in the Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television for the pilot episode of Genius (2017). DeGraff has already started work on Netflix's Narcos (2015-present), and the production has assigned him an assistant, who he will doubtlessly be open to mentor. "I'll be doing two episodes over the next six months," he says. "They're mini-movies, with very dense storytelling in terms of imagery and sound. I'm really looking forward to that." f The Crossing. ABC