Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1525212
12 C I N E M O N T A G E A R O U N D T H E G U I L D THE BIG CHAIR EDITORS TALK ABOUT HOW TO HELP ASSISTANTS MOVE ON UP By Kristin Marguerite Doidge H ow does an assistant editor move to the coveted editing chair? Is it through networking, leadership in the cutting room, building rapport with the editing team, or a magical combination of all these things? And how does remote work impact this important transition? Two recent Guild-member events titled "Helping Assistant Editors Into the Chair" featured answers to these questions and more, with advice from 11 editors who've navigated the issues involved: Nena Erb, ACE, Erik C. Andersen, ACE (panelist and moderator), Stephanie Filo Jones, ACE, Deanna Norwell, ACE, Corey Trench, Sean Linal, Timothy A. Good, ACE (moderator), Jo a q u i n E l i zo n d o, R o s a n n e Ta n , AC E , Charles Little II, ACE, and Sushila Love. CineMontage has highlighted some of the best words of wisdom here to help guide assistants — from beginners to seasoned pros — on the journey to the chair. Both panel discussions were recorded and are available on the Guild website under Member to Member/Past Events. What inspired you to become an editor and how did you "break in" or get your start in editing? Timothy A. Good: I was once a "deer- in-headlights" assistant editor who did not have a clue about the strategies to becoming an editor myself. After several unproductive years, I got massively lucky in that editor (and now director) Norman Buckley, ACE saw some small spark in me, even though I was not his assistant at the time. And he lifted me up and taught me about the craft and the strategies of editing, for which I am eternally grateful. Nena Erb: I was raised in an Asian immigrant family. I didn't know anything about editing. I started in production. It wasn't until I became a script supervisor that editing was even mentioned to me, but then I was on a show where they needed a producer or director to sit with the editor. We were in a production meeting, and they all turned and looked at me and said, 'You get along with everybody. We're going to send you in there.' And it was probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. The editor was amazing and became my first mentor. His name is Ben Nilsen, and he showed me what editing was all about, and there was no looking back after that. He hired me as his assistant. He was very brave. I knew nothing, but he took a chance on me, and I guess the rest is history. Joaquin Elizondo: I had met Joi McMil- lon, ACE at an event, and she told me, "Don't make it about the money. Make it about your connections, your network. Get into the types of projects you want to work on." So I decided to start working in low-budget indie features as an assistant. I knew right away that it was going to be tough for me to transition as an editor. I wanted to learn the language, the system, how it all worked as an assistant. And then my first big break came with "Narcos: Mexico." And that's where I met Monty DeGraff, ACE. He took me under his wing. He showed me everything about working in this industry and gave me my first editing credit on the show. How did you get bumped up from assistant to editor? Corey Trench: Editor Ed Abroms on "Teen Wolf" really cultivated my assistant work by making me more aware of how I present myself in the room and contribute ideas, and by letting me observe him work- ing with producers and directors. He was the one that gave me the first opportunity to edit. I started with scenes. At first, he'd give me notes, but then he would have the direc- tor come in and look at the scene and they would give notes and I would do the notes. After that, he said, "OK, now I'm going to have you go at it. I need you to cut at least two acts, but you have to get all your assistant work done first." So I worked late, trying to get it all done so I could cut. Then when I got to that point, he was giving me