Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1456671
24 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E DRAMA SCHOOL: Johnston worked with the Coen brothers on "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." P H OT O : C O U R T E S Y O F L U C I A N J O H N S T O N graduation, Johnston rose through the ranks of the postproduction world in New York, accumulating credits as an apprentice and assistant editor before becoming a picture editor on Ari Aster's "Hereditary" (2018), co-edited by Jennifer Lame, and "Midsommar" (2019). But it was Johnston's experience working with the Coens on "Buster Scruggs" that best prepared him to work side by side with "Reginald Jaynes" on "The Tragedy of Macbeth," which is in Johnston – and yes, that's his real name. Joel Coen's new Shakespeare adaptation "The Tragedy of Macbeth" — boasting a dazzling cast that breathes fresh life into the Bard's words, including Denzel Wash- ington as Macbeth, Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth, and Alex Hassell as Ross — was adapted and directed by Joel alone. Johnston, who had been an assistant editor on the siblings' previous project, "The Bal- lad of Buster Scruggs" (2018), co-edited the film with Joel (now using the pseudonym "Reginald Jaynes"). Together, they crafted a brilliant, piercing film that preserves both the majesty of Shakespeare's language and the immediacy of the playwright's plotting. Jo h n s to n , a n a t i v e o f u p s ta te N e w York, entered Sarah Lawrence College to study writing, but an adolescent passion for filmmaking kept rearing its head. After theaters and on Apple TV+ now. CineMontage recently spoke with John- ston about his work on the picture. Q CineMontage: How did you first come to work with the Coens? Lucian Johnston: I met Joel and Ethan through their post supervisor Catherine Farrell. I had done a few films with her as an assistant editor, and she thought I would be a good fit on "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." My duties on that film were mostly the tra- ditional assistant editor duties. Joel wanted to work on weekends, and I volunteered to do that. Every weekend, Joel and I would cut one - on- one together. That was an incredible learning experience for me, and I guess what you could call the start of our collaboration. W h e n h e w a s c re w i n g u p f o r " T h e Tragedy of Macbeth," it was going to be 'The best way to learn about Shakespeare is to edit it.'