Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521956
Union CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 Sound CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 WOMD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 52 C I N E M O N T A G E work? Send that email, send that DM, make that call and make that connection. Con- nections and people get you jobs. Yes, your ability to do the job helps you to keep the job, but when it comes down to it, creating rela- tionships with other industry professionals is the key. So don't be afraid to reach out. All it takes is one person to give you your break. Q: Was there ever a circumstance when you had to rely on the Guild for help or assistance? Getting your first union gig is all sorts of scary, but the Guild was absolutely wonder- ful to me during my professional transition. Up to that point, I had worked non-union for the majority of my career, so it was an enor- mous relief when the Guild's assistance and generosity helped me through that process. Q: Is there anything you'd like to say to your fellow Guild members, some words of encouragement? I'll leave everyone with a story. About ten years ago, a very bright-eyed Jessey went up to the Skywalker Ranch in Marin. Randy Thom had invited me to have lunch with him, see the ranch and show him some of my work. He wanted me to interview to be his next intern. However, because of some personal things, I couldn't make that happen. I settled back into the work I was doing, started a family and eventually moved back home to Buffalo. Fast forward a bunch of years; COVID hits and my mom passed a week before the whole world shut down. I honestly don't know where that three-year span went. I don't know where I went during that time. But after reaching out to Mac Smith — then an acquaintance, now an esteemed colleague and friend — I got an email from Kim Foscato at Skywalker that changed my life, and I've been living the dream ever since. (Thanks again, Mac and Kim!) My point in all this is that you can have it all. It might not come in the time- frame that you first dreamed up. There may be some hardships along the way. But take the opportunities as they come and enjoy the ride. Dreams and goals have a way of working themselves out in the end. ■ Compiled by David Bruskin could. He knew I was eager to learn and graciously explained his process. Towards the end of our fifth all-nighter in a row, our exhausted editor threw in the towel just short of the finish line. With the sun rising and the day crew on their way in, I climbed into the chair and stumbled my way through the last few notes, trying to avoid throwing the whole thing out of sync. That successful trial by fire was enough to convince my sister that we no longer needed to hire an editor. What's more, the record company of one of the bands we were documenting offered us $10,000 for a music video using documentary footage we'd al- ready shot. We felt like we'd hit the jackpot! On the heels of this success, I gave notice at my office day job and committed myself full-time to the company we'd started. After a couple of years of intense filming, we had over 1,000 hours in the can for our mostly unfinished documentary, now called "DIG!". It was around this time that I fell in love, got married and had a baby. Suddenly I had the responsibility of providing for a family, and the paltry income of a documentary filmmaker wasn't going to cut it. I pitched myself as an editor and cut everything I was offered — corporate vid- eos, demo reels, even powerboat racing! Of course, I wanted to work in TV, which paid better and offered the chance of union work, but my unorthodox path — never having been an assistant editor — left post-super- visors dubious. My first big break came in 2003 when I was offered a night editor position on the reality series "Switched!" Luckily, I did well and more TV opportunities unfolded. Around this time, Ondi finally finished "DIG!" I came onboard to polish it and, miraculously, it won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Shortly thereafter, I heard about a ce- lebrity ballroom dancing competition show. It sounded far-fetched, but I wasn't going to miss a shot at a major network show. At the interview, the producers and I instantly clicked. The show was "Dancing With the Stars," and I went on to cut 25 seasons. In the second season, the post went union and I was able to get into the Editors Guild. The producers who hired me became my good friends with whom I still work to this day. In fact, 13 years later, three of us collaborated again on another imported format turned hit, "The Masked Singer." Every day, I'm grateful that I get to make creative fun with friends for a living. And it all started at a public access station in New Haven, Connecticut. ■ David Timoner is a Grammy, ACE and 3x Emmy nominated editor. He still works in unscripted television and recently edited "DIG! XX," a 20th Anniversary reimagined version of the original documentary. He can be reached at timonerdavid@gmail.com. feel like: "What is that?" It has to be a little spooky, a little eerie, a little "Huh?" And then it has to match towards the end. CineMontage: Are silences sometimes important on a show like this? Waters: In Episode 1 in Season 3 [about the production of Oliver's Broadway show], it was so hard and fun and difficult to make the table read as awkward and still and uncomfortable as possible. There is all this silence. We really cleaned out the dialogue. It was as quiet as possible. We added some light, light background, just so you knew you weren't on a set. Then you would hear Foley of the pen, or Foley of someone taking