Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1536017
editor, Mark Andrew, ACE. I was so nervous, but he was very generous, even allowing me to take a shot at cutting some small scenes — as long as I got all my assistant editor work done properly first — and he gave me very kind and constructive notes. It was during my assistant days that a show I was on flipped union, which got me into the Editors Guild. I've been a proud union man ever since. A n d s p e a k i n g o f c l a ss m ate s, D av i d Robert Mitchell and I produced each other's short films back at FSU, and when he made his thesis film, I signed on as his editor. A personally vital and professionally essential creative partnership was born. He urged me to cut his first feature, "Myth of the Ameri- can Sleepover," a beautiful coming-of-age story. But what truly altered both of our lives was, "It Follows:" a small independent horror film that made significant waves on the festival circuit, followed by a successful theatrical release. It's impossible to fully describe the profound impact that working with David has had on me and my career, and I look forward to us collaborating on future projects. During the sound mix of Mitchell's third feature film, "Under the Silver Lake" — a personal favorite of mine — I got a call about a project looking for a re-cut. That's how I met Sam Levinson, another major creative partner in my career thus far. While work- ing on his film, we became quite close. He mentioned he was pitching a series for HBO and asked if I would like to do something like that. Sure, why not, I thought. (You don't really say no to hypothetical scenarios in Hollywood.) That series was "Euphoria." Looks like more dark rooms for me. ■ Julio C. Perez IV, ACE is an Emmy-winning, five-time Eddie-nominated picture editor currently working on HBO's "Euphoria." He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and cats. He can be reached at: freenobles@hotmail.com. always spot-on the character. Allison gives you more variety. It's not technically hard [to edit Janney], but her performance changes with each take and you've got to breathe with her and track where the per- formance is going. Rufus is an incredibly talented actor, but he's a bit harder to edit because his whole style is a little looser. He always seems organic in a very loose way.... Sometimes when I'm watching dailies, I think he's all over the place. I sometimes think, "Oh my God, how am I going to put this together?" And then when I'm cutting it, I realize no, he's actually doing something very similar [in the rest of the scene] and really has a well thought-out plan. ■ This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Tony Maglio was the Executive Editor of News at IndieWire and was previously TV Editor at The Wrap. 48 C I N E M O N T A G E LEVY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 WOMD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 PEREZ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 Coen brothers story. Q: What advice would you offer to someone interested in pursuing your line of work? Watch as much as you can. Film and TV, absolutely, but there's also a lot to learn from live performance when it comes to rhythm and timing. Watch films, shows, stand-up sets, etc. and then listen to in- terviews with the people who made them. There are so many available accessible resources you can use to educate yourself. As for getting industry advice, talk to as many people as you can. It can feel awkward cold-emailing or asking someone to meet for coffee, but honestly, people in postpro- duction are cooler and more welcoming than most. Everyone's been in your position before and they want you to succeed. Q: Is there anything you'd like to say to your fellow Guild members, some words of encouragement? You have no idea how much your work continually inspires me and the filmmakers of my generation. Keep pushing boundaries and striving for excellence. ■ Compiled by David Bruskin.