Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1504875
TELL ME ABOUT IT: The show isn't "just joke, joke, joke," Edelson says. P H OT O : A B C between Janine and Vanetta, but the un- derlying thing is love. They love each other but they're so different—how can they make this work? It's not easy on the show, and it's not always easy in real life. CineMontage: Sarah and Richie, tell us about your assistant editors. Zeitlin: They're such a joy to work with. A highlight of my work on the series is work- ing with these assistants. I work with Tana Plaengprawat. She and I were assistant editors together on "Homeland" a number of years ago, and I was always a big fan of her work. She came on, and we work very closely together. She cuts scenes and she does wonderful sound work. Tana is a huge asset and big talent. Sometimes we would watch the outputs together and giggle. Edelson: Ben Boles is absolutely invaluable for me. I would not be able to get through a season without him. We've been working together since COVID, so the funny thing is that I did three or four jobs with him before I met him in person. I'm not a super-demand- ing editor, but I have the way I like to work, and he adapted so quickly to getting things organized the way I like. He's very eager to edit himself, which I love. It works for both of us because he will rough-out a scene and he really likes it if I give him feedback on that scene. He'll go back and fine-tune it. CineMontage: Let's talk about the sound editing and design on the show. Ruth Adelman: In comedy, you need clar- ity of dialogue, so the jokes land, and the sounds that you choose to incorporate into the show have to not only move the story along but hit the comedy beats. You need a delicate hand in your approach to the proj- ect. There is very little music in the show, so subtle sound design works. Edelson: Sound is huge for us. There are lots of scenes where we'll shoot one take with the kids in it, because they're only available for a certain amount of time. We shoot the reverse and the coverage of the adult actors without kids in the room, so you want to make sure you're always feeling the kids in the room without stepping on the dialogue. Adelman: One of the things that Randall and Quinta have provided for me in some episodes is they record production beds, reactions of the kids, so we get to use organ- ic sounds and blend with loop group that supports the style of the show. Foley is a big part of it. Janine has very specific shoes that she wears that keep her grounded. Ava is often wearing those really definitive heels that give her the dominant aspect of her personality. The specifically designed backgrounds and hard effects hold down the reality of the school. Of course, our mixing crew, Michael Jesmer and Brian Dinkins, pull it all together in a very collaborative process. CineMontage: Ruth, is the show different from some of your past projects? Adelman: I come from a background of heavy drama. Large dramatic shows—"Star Trek" and "CSI" and "Grimm". So, when I got to "Abbott," I hadn't done that many things in my career that were not dark. For me, it was a breath of fresh air to work with people that are bringing joy. CineMontage: Why do you think "Abbott Elementary" has proven so popular with audiences? Edelson: It's a grounded, organic-feeling show that people relate to. We have all gone through school. We have all had teachers that inspired us in our lives. I think our show lifts the position of teacher up to star status, where it belongs. Teachers really deserve to be recognized and lauded. Zeitlin: I think it's because of Quinta's voice. She knows this world. It just feels so real and so good-natured about who these peo- ple are, even with all their flaws. It shows the best of us. ■ Peter Tonguette is a journalist whose work appears in Wall Street Journal and National Review. Sarah Zeitlin. 27 F A L L Q 3 I S S U E F E A T U R E