Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1382552
29 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E S E C T I O N H E A D E R W H A T O U R M E M B E R S D O at UCLA, Tom Musca and Ramon Me- nendez, who wrote and directed "Stand and Deliver." They hired me after inter- viewing about 10 other "real" editors, as they said. What was your first union job? Sound editing on a film called "Made in USA." I was hired to cut the Foley. Dody Dorn was the sound supervisor. The film was organized and we all went union. Q What credits or projects are you proudest of, and why? "Stand and Deliver" still holds up. "To Sleep with Anger," directed by Charles Burnett, is a great film and was a great experience. "Mi Familia" and "Selena," both directed by Gregory Nava, feel like they have become classics. "Thirteen," directed by Catherine Hardwicke, was a fantastic creative experience, as was "Lords of Dogtown," which was really fun to cut. Both have a lot of hand-held camerawork. I a m a l s o v e r y p ro u d o f t h e f i r s t "Step Up," directed by Ann Fletcher, the first "Twilight," (Catherine Hardwicke again). Both are star-making movies. Both started successful franchises. Each one set the tone for many other films. I personally love the f ilm "Warm Bodies," directed by Jonathan Levine. A little-known film called "American Violet," directed by Tim Disney, is a pow- erful, important film. I am very proud of the film as well as the experience of being Maya Angelou's editor on her directorial debut, "Down in the Delta." And I am also especially proud of "Fighting with My Family," another film that I just love and had a great working experience on, with director Stephen Merchant. And I love my latest f ilm, "Love and Monsters." There is a dog in it named Boy, who is amazing. Q What was your biggest challenge in your job (or on a particular project) and how did you overcome/solve it? I can't answer this question without betraying secrets. I have found that often a big challenge is the script over-explains backstory and character motivation in the stage direc- tions. Sometimes they include important indications of tone. I see this more and more. A character is described as "he's like your cousin who you can't stand every Thanksgiving." By doing this the reader has an idea of the character, the tone, but I have a shot of a 25 year-old male with dark hair. So the challenge is to try to fill in the ways the script cheated with tone and emotion. I d o n' t k n o w i f I h a v e o v e r c o m e this issue. Q What was the most fun you've had at work? "Fighting with My Family" was really, really fun. The actors were just fantastic and the script was fantastic. Stephen Merchant is a genius. It was just so much fun all the way through. The main challenge was there was never enough money. We got to mix it in London, which was great. "Warm Bodies," which shot in Mon- treal, was also really fun. In both of those, post was a lot of work, but I just loved the films. I also had a great time on most of "Love and Monsters," which shot in Australia. I guess I like to go on location. More importantly, on each of these films I had a great crew. In fact, that's what makes a job fun: who you are work- ing with. Jobwise, what do you hope to be doing five years from now? Still editing, but hopefully making more money. Q What are your outside activities, hobbies, passions? I do love teaching, but I don't know if I can call that an outside activity. I would say my passion is music: film music as well as live concerts. I'm missing that these days during the pandemic. I also love theater. I have flown to New York for the right play. I'm missing that as well. These days, during the pandemic, my favorite hobby is taking naps. Q Favorite movie(s)? Why? There are so many. I am kind of a sci-fi and fantasy geek, so I loved the "Matrix," "Inception," "Blade Runner," but my taste encompasses many kinds of films. Love "The Social Network," Bertoluc- ci's "The Conformist," "Get Out," the Chilean film "No!" and pretty much any Coen Brothers film. I love the "Fast and the Furious" franchise....yes, I have eclectic taste. I can watch any Scorsese f ilm re - peatedly. I love the dark characters, the moving camera, the kinetic editing. Thelma Schoonmaker is my hero. Her work is amazing. Q Favorite TV program(s)? Why? L o v i n g " M o n e y H e i s t "," " G a m e of Thrones," "Succession," "Watchmen," "The Wire," "Black Mirror" and "Peaky Blinders." Q Do you have an industry mentor? Not really. I wish I did. Q What advice would you offer to someone interested in pursuing your line of work? Find a way to edit films. Be around people who are editing films. Listen and learn at all times, and watch a lot of mov- ies. Get a job as a PA in an editing room and make yourself indispensable. Edit short films for students. Q Was there ever a circumstance when you had to rely on the Guild for help or assistance? Yes. There was a film that was going union, but management was keeping the editing crew out of the negotiation. We fought it. And we won, finally. After that I decided I wanted to be more active in the union. I decided to run to be elected to the Guild's board of directors. Q Is there anything you'd like to say to your fellow Guild members, some words of encouragement? People don't understand what we do, but we know how important our contri- bution is. We are a great community. ■ — Compiled by Jeff Burman.