Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1397791
18 C I N E M O N T A G E C O M M I T T E E N E W S "The Underground Railroad," Rosanne Tan, ACE, editor of "The Falcon & The W i n te r S o l d i e r," E m m y - n o m i n a te d Michelle Tesoro, ACE, editor of "The Queen's Gambit," Emmy-nominated Susan Vaill, ACE, editor of "Hacks," and Shelly Westerman, editor of "Halston." The conversation was moderated by WIF Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer. Dorian Harris, ACE, Co-Chair of the WSC, gave a brief introduction before Schaffer launched the discussion with q u e s t i o n s a b o u t p a r i t y f o r e a c h o f the editors working in television. She pointed to directors such as Ava Du- Vernay, Barry Jenkins, Ryan Murphy, and Shonda Rhimes who are helping to build more inclusive sets and production teams both above and below the line, but asked the panelists what it would take to get to 50% parity or more going forward industrywide. Tesoro said that television has been a place where incremental change is happening, at least with regard to gender parity. "I don't think I got to a place where I felt like, 'oh, I'm not the only person of color' until I started working with Ava [DuVernay], and I think her initiative of using an ARRAY crew and really making a point of it, I think will help," she said. Tesoro first met Duddleston on HBO's "In Treatment" in 2009, and said it was one of the few shows at the time that was listed as having a more diverse crew. Tan noted that on the visual effects side of things, diversity efforts seem to b e m o v i n g m o re s l o w l y, b u t t h a t showrunners and production companies are trying. She especially appreciates getting to see her colleague Khodai in the hallways. Th e i r va r i e d ex p e r i e n ce s a l l h a d one thing in common: the importance of mentorship. In Vaill's case, mentorship is actually a part of the storytelling on "Hacks." The HBO Max comedy-drama stars Jean Smart as a Las Vegas comedy legend who hires a 25-year-old writer (Hannah Ein- binder) to help freshen her act. Though the show veers toward a darker side of mentorship, Vaill—who previously spent 10 years working with Rhimes on "Grey's Anatomy" — said she was struck by how important it is. "It's good to be challenging some- times as a mentor and also to create opportunities when you can," she said, adding that during the pandemic, she devoted time to doing a number of men- toring phone calls and was surprised to learn how many women hadn't yet had an opportunity to be mentored by another female editor in television. She set out to change that and make connections happen alongside other colleagues doing the same, especially in the comedy genre, which sometimes overlooks women for opportunities in editing. Duddleston, who recently spoke on the WSC's panel on editing "Mare of Easttown" earlier in June, said she's at times been the only woman in a cutting room, or the only queer person, or the only mom. "And sometimes I'm the only queer woman mom," she said. "It's not easy. Sometimes it's really hard and it gets frustrating. And I just do my best to try and bring other women into the cutting room. That's something I try to do on every single show I work on. It's kind of my mission in life now." McMillon, who previously worked with Jenkins on the critically acclaimed film, "Moonlight," for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, added how important apprenticeships can be to improving access and creating more diversity, especially for those looking to make a transition from reality television or just getting early opportunities to get experience. "A lot of times when you're new to the union, it's hard to get that second assistant job or first assistant job because you haven't been in a cutting room before," she explained. "And so I think creating opportunities where you can provide a place for someone to be an apprentice editor ... is really key." As for Westerman, who re-teamed with Murphy on "Halston," the vibrant sense of mutual respect among women in post-production was critical to the show's success. She and fellow editor S h e l b y S e i g e l w o r k e d t o g e t h e r t o bring the iconic designer's glittering story to life. "We just had this great collaboration, and part of that is we've known each oth- er for 25 years," she said. "We just were very honest and open, and some scenes that I maybe struggled with I'd pass over to [Seigel], and vice versa. It's the most collaborative experience I've ever had." O n " U n d e r g r o u n d R a i l r o a d ," a s editors McMillon and Alex O'Flinn were tasked with bringing the story together a n d w e av i n g t h e d i s p a ra te p a r ts o f Cora's journey over 10 episodes into a compelling narrative, McMillon said they focused on the character's sense of hope for a better future. The shorthand she'd developed in her previous work with Jenkins helped create a sense of trust that trying something new could lead to unexpected greatness. "The thing that I love about Barry [Jenkins] is he's so collaborative," McMillon said. "And also, he's not afraid to break things." It's that sense of hope and openness that likewise drives the WSC and WIF initiatives forward, Schaffer said as she closed the event: "Collaboration, mentorship, and apprenticeship—and supporting our colleagues in the next generation—that's how we're going to get to equity. All of those pieces. And," she said, referring to the panel partici- pants, "you're doing it." ■ Kristin Marguerite Doidge is a freelance writer and the author of "Nora Ephron: A Life," to be published in 2022 by Chicago Review Press.