Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530856
32 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E "I think it's a good time for people to learn a new technology or learn a new program. Read up on AI and broaden your skill set. Get ready for that next opportunity, because once the work comes, it's all going to come at once." SHANNON BAKER DAVIS, ACE PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES "I do think it's difficult, but necessary, to look outside one's normal box of work opportunities/types of work and explore other opportunities—corporate work (editing), for example, or even trying to do something completely different. And taking care of one's emotional and mental health is very important during this time." EMILY HSUAN PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES "I got very frustrated during and after the strike when I couldn't get work in TV at all. I took a super micro- budget feature that I normally would not have been interested in, but it led to my next feature and the one after that... So I'd say, don't be afraid to try something new." LIBYA EL-AMIN PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES "Networking has always been the biggest factor for upward success in this business. The more you get out and speak with others, the better chance you will meet the right person who could change your career. I have a lot of great mentors and thank them for letting me annoy them with my never-ending questions. I have been reaching out to people to grab coffee/lunch. We lost so much interaction with the pandemic, and one thing that I miss is the social interaction and mingling. Keep talking to one another because that's all we have at the end, is each other." MARK ANTHONY BESSLER, ASSISTANT PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES WHAT CAN GUILD MEMBERS DO TO HELP THEMSELVES RIGHT NOW? "The only real consequential time this compares to was four years ago during COVID. Thankfully, I was on a show when everyone shut down, and within two months I was back to work and didn't stop until mid-2023. It was full speed ahead with work coming everywhere on all angles, which allowed me to step into scripted narrative features. But this time is different." MARK ANTHONY BESSLER ASSISTANT PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES "My wife has been basically unemployed for a year and half, I've only had a few months of work during the same period, and I've spoken to a lot of people who've had way less work than that. This slowdown is completely unprecedented; it doesn't compare to any other time of crisis." BRIAN CHANDLER UNSCRIPTED EDITOR, BURBANK