Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1262492
35 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E F E A T U R E this crazy fight happening above the mall, and then this crazy fight happen- ing below the mall," said Zimmerman, who gave himself one "fight" to cut and assigned the other to Naranjo. "I took all the footage and I basically shuffled them together to create this incredible sequence where mayhem is happening in both places," he said. Can "Stranger Things" top itself in the coming Season 4? The editors, who have the benefit of watching raw per- formances come through the transom in dailies, are adamant that the success of the series rests with the cast more than pyrotechnics. "They're all such great actors," said Naranjo, adding that when performers flub a line, instead of reset- ting, the directors on "Stranger Things" usually keep rolling. "Whether it be Shawn or the Duffers, they just keep going and keep the mo- mentum going," Naranjo said. "To watch that, as an assistant and as an editor, and see, 'OK, this is where they were trying to get to.'" Seeing actors refine their work over the course of an uninterrupted take also gives the editor insight into where a performance is headed. "If something is not working one way, then an editor is able to finesse it," she said. The results, Levy said, show up on the screen. Added Levy: "Our editing team has phenome- nal taste and instincts in selecting and assembling the very best moments from each cast member." But if you want a better idea about the deep and wide appeal of "Stranger Things," don't just take the word of the makers of the show. Just listen, as Zim- merman does, to the show's countless fans. You can find them on fan reaction videos on YouTube — the surest proof that Zimmerman and his colleagues aren't alone in their '80s fandom. "One of my guilty pleasures is watch- ing those people who kind of videotape themselves watching the episodes," Zimmerman said. "Then cut to me in the cutting room — sobbing like a baby." ■ Dean Zimmerman. Craig Henighan.