Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1536017
directors to talk about coverage, among other needs. Yahraus and Rosenberg are among many who were hired by producers to totally recut a film. Once, Yahraus was hired by an actress who was also a producer to change entirely the trajectory of her per- formance, and although he loves working with good actors, he adds: "What's horrible is when you get a famous actor who's not really good. Then you have to spend the entire editing process going around his foibles." Virtually every editor p r o f i l e d i n R o s e n b e r g 's b o o k e m p h a s i z e s t h e i m p o r ta n c e o f n e t w o r k- ing, making and keeping contacts, and following up with industry people. MPEG is often mentioned as an e xc e l l e n t w a y to d o j u s t that, as well as to have the pay scale, health insurance, and working condition ben- efits of union membership. More than one interviewee explains how they got into the union and what it means to them. Support for other e n te r t a i n m e n t i n d u s t r y unions, even when it can create personal hardship, is also presented as a regular part of supporting the community. Finding the right mentor — an expe- rienced editor who is willing to teach you and go to bat for you — is cited by many as the most important thing networking can bring. Some, like Bruce Green, were lucky enough to be mentored by f ilmmaking legends like Haskell Wexler and Michael Kahn. My favorite story of mentorship/ partnership is told by Rick Shaine about working with the British director Michael Apted. Shaine first approached Apted with a letter, got an interview via connections, and landed a job. The two eventually collab- orated on seven movies and two TV pilots. It was Apted's interest in directing all types of films, from low-budget independent fea- tures to thrillers and big budget live-action/ animation, that meshed with Shaine's own interests in diverse subjects. Some contributors stress that being in Los Angeles is the best way to build a career, and this is mostly reinforced by Rosenberg's bias toward Hollywood and, naturally, USC. As a graduate of USC film school myself, I understand this but wish that "Editing for the Screen" offered greater geographic diversity. The book allows Luis Corona to share the ups and downs in his career as an editor in animation. He fell in love with editing only after training to become a director and starting his own production company in Los Angeles making music videos, commercials, and trailers. His first job after moving to LA from graduate school in Hawaii, and being rejected for every industry job he pursued, was as a surfer. After a low point selling sock puppets at a farmer's market and bartend- ing, Corona got a lead from two customers while bartending and was hired to work on "Transformers Prime." The only hitch was that the series was cut on Avid and he had worked almost exclusively on Final Cut and Premiere. With a lot of time, effort and help from colleagues and mentors, Corona succeeded; he went on to work on the tele- vision series "Bob's Burgers" and "Central Park" and was eventually brought on as lead editor on "The Bob's Burgers Movie." Corona puts a positive spin on his experiences and even looks forward to working with an emerging technology dreaded by many: "AI will be just another tool to help me do what I do, tell stories. And whatever is down the pipeline for me and my fel- low editors, I am confident that our creative passion, persistence, and humanity will carry us through." "Editing for the Screen" i s p a r t o f F o c a l P r e s s 's PERFORM series, subtitled "Succeeding as a Creative Professional." Other books in the series include "Writing for the Screen," "Acting for the Stage," "Creative Arts Therapy Careers," "Non-fic- t i o n F i l m m a k i n g f o r t h e Screen," and others. R o s e n b e r g i s a l s o t h e author of two other editing books: "The Final Rewrite: How to View Your Screenplay with a Film Editor's Eye" and "The Healthy Edit: Creative Editing Techniques for Perfecting Your Movie." While its back cover states the current book is meant for students, the personal stories, insider tidbits, and humorous asides make it a fun read for anyone in the business. It is especially important for anyone trying to move from assistant to editor, and to those who feel their career might be off track. It can be reassuring to learn that even the most assured pros can wind up there, too. ■ Editing for the Screen Edited by John Rosenberg 214 pages Rutledge, Focal Press, 2024 "Bob's Burgers" P H OT O : 2 0 T H T E L E V I S I O N 42 C I N E M O N T A G E B O O K R E V I E W