Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1492834
SEE PAGE 57 21 S P R I N G Q 1 I S S U E W H A T O U R M E M B E R S D O SHAY XUEYI YANG ASSISTANT EDITOR Shay Xueyi Yang. Q: Where are you currently employed? I'm currently working for Netflix. Q: Current projects? "Rebel Moon." Q: Describe your job. As an assistant editor, my responsibili- ties include various aspects, from creative to technical and anything in between. The goal is to maintain a well-organized and technically precise editing project with cre- ative integrity throughout the production and post-production processes. The job usually begins before the shooting starts. We start by testing out the hardware and software on the editing systems, making sure everything in the cutting rooms sup- ports the project requirements. And we anticipate sound and music needs, such as building a sound effects library in Avid for special sound effects, and collecting and organizing music in advance. During pro- duction, the priority is compiling dailies, where clear and organized media manage- ment is the key. I also get opportunities to cut scenes and get feedback from the editor. We talk about character motivations and the meanings behind each cut as we work on the scenes together, which is a very collab- orative and invaluable experience for me. While scenes are being cut, we start clean- ing up production sound, designing sound effects, and adding/editing temp music, as well as creating temp visual effects. As the cut becomes more refined, we continue to refine all the other things I just mentioned until they're in their best form. From there, we send the turnover to different vendors (sound, music, visual effects, digital inter- mediate [DI]) for a finer polish. During the whole process, we are in constant commu- nication with all the other departments (such as camera, playback, sound, DI, etc.) to provide what they need, and we take part in technical troubleshooting. Q: How did you first become interested in this line of work? My dad had a large collection of DVDs when I was young, and our family would always watch something together during weekends. I started to get obsessed with immersing myself in movies, and the idea of being a filmmaker began to grow. With that in mind, I went to film school after college. The next thing I knew, I found myself spend- ing countless hours in the cutting rooms. I realized editing is my favorite part of the filmmaking process, so I decided to pursue it as my career. Q: Who gave you your first break? Dorian Harris, ACE. I had the great plea- sure to meet Dorian when I was working non-union in a local post house in 2019. I was her assistant on "Maximum Truth," a mockumentary feature directed by David Stassen. We had a blast working together, and I ended up co-editing the movie with her. She is my first mentor and also the one who helped me get into the union.