Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1081203
31 Q1 2019 / CINEMONTAGE KENT KINCANNON Editor of Before You Know It L ike Centeno, Kent Kincannon loves comedy, which made him a natural fit to be the editor of Before You Know It ( a Stupid Happy), which concerns a pair of sisters who discover that their mother, presumed dead, is still alive. It was directed by Hannah Pearl Utt, who stars in the film alongside Jen Tullock and a cast including Mandy Patinkin, Judith Light and Alec Baldwin. In addition, Utt also While there, he enjoyed courses in comedy and was introduced to classics of American comedic cinema by rib-tickling funny-folk like the Marx Brothers, Jerry Lewis, Woody Allen, Mae West and Mel Brooks. He explains that as a Puerto Rican kid, he didn't grow up with those films so he was thrilled to discover them in school. After graduating, Centeno moved out to Los Angeles and began working as an editor, a role he sees akin to the "engineer" of a film. In LA, he met Zack Arnold, ACE, an established editor also from the University of Michigan, who helped show the young graduate the tools of the trade: cutting trailers, behind-the-scenes and scripted content. One thing led to another, and at the age of 25 Centeno found himself cutting his first feature, a D-level horror film entitled Jack the Reaper (2011). That led him to become principal editor of the independent character drama Battle Scars (2015). However, it wasn't until his roommate, writer and fellow University of Michigan alum Aaron Kaczander introduced him to prolific comedy editor Jonathan Corn was Centeno able to get to work on comedy. Corn, who edited Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present), had recently completed the pilot of the soon-to-be popular ABC sitcom The Goldbergs (2013-present) and was looking for an assistant to go to series with him. On their first conversation, Centeno and Corn discovered they both grew up in the same town in Maryland — and Corn hired him on the spot. It was Centeno's first Guild job. After two seasons on that series, he was allowed to practice editing episodes of the show and took that experience onto the series Baskets (2016-present) and Grandfathered (2015-2016), where he assisted until he was bumped up to editor on Disney's Walk the Prank (2016-2018) and the YouTube Red film Ghostmates (2016). His passion for scripted comedy continued as Centeno moved onto other shows such as Mr. Student Body President (2016-2018) and Play by Play (2017-present), both set in high school. His work on those series caught the eye of Will Phelps, a producer for the new production company American High, which produces movies with a high school backdrop. The company purchased a real high school in Syracuse, New York and turned it into a full-fledged movie studio. Ambitiously, American High has made five movies in 2018, one of which was Big Time Adolescence, written and directed by Jason Orley. While Orley is a first-time director, he has a background in comedy, having worked as an actor for director Nancy Meyers. More than a simple comedy, Big Time Adolescence is something of a coming-of-age story in which a young teenager (Griffin Gluck) is forced to face the reality that his older, destructive best friend (Pete Davidson) is not as cool as he thinks he is, nor worth emulating. Centeno was present in Syracuse during filming, which allowed him to visit the set every day. After filming, he returned to LA with his editor's cut completed and began working intensively with Orley on the final cut. Big Time Adolescence was cut on Avid's Media Composer, and Centeno confesses that he's a fan of its scripter program capabilities. However, he is equally comfortable working on other platforms, including Adobe Premiere Pro, noting its ease of use and accessibility, and that he has used it for other projects. The editor is not afraid of using either platform. "Each program has its own strengths," he attests. Discovering that Big Time Adolesence made the cut for Sundance, Centeno admits that he cried when he got the news. It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing all the time being a first- generation Puerto Rican trying to make it in the film industry, he confides, adding, "To get Sundance recognition means a lot." Cohen Kent Kincannon, left, and Waldemar Centeno. Photo by Martin Cohen Kent Kincannon. Photo by Martin Cohen