Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538125
I was eventually hired to run the video t ra n s f e r d e p a r t m e n t , w h e re I h e l p e d develop systems to digitize and preserve the camera masters. In a back room sat an early Avid. Nobody was using it — probably because it was in 100 pieces. But I stayed late, figured out how to put it together, and taught myself how to use it. Soon I was editing fundraising promos and short doc- umentaries, including one that aired during the network broadcast of "Schindler's List" — viewed by 65 million people. In 1997, director James Moll asked me to help edit "The Last Days," the founda- tion's first feature documentary. It won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Docu- mentary Feature. I went on to edit two more documen- taries for James: "Price for Peace," about the Pacific War (produced by Spielberg and historian Stephen Ambrose), and "Running the Sahara," about three men who ran 4,000 miles across the desert (produced by Matt Damon). From there, I moved into non-fiction television — starting at VH1, then "Project Greenlight" (my first MPEG editing job thanks to qualifying hours), "Survivor" (three Emmy nomina- tions), and "The Bachelor" franchise, where I eventually became Co-Executive Producer. I ' ve c u t h u n d re d s o f h o u rs o f tv — some entertaining, some meaningful, some disposable. Projector boy grew up, and he's still chasing that flicker on the garage wall. ■ Ricky Kreitman lives in Thousand Oaks. When not in the cutting room, you might catch him playing with his band, Left of the Dial, at a nearby dive bar. He can be reached at: ricky@ kreitman.net 46 C I N E M O N T A G E WOMD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 GODZILLA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 by Bryan and his team in a very big way. Parker: That departure happens specif- ically because the picture and sound do get pretty disconnected there. It's a memory — and it's a precursor to the use of the isolated sound of the ECMO [heart-lung machine] or the sound of this other patient flatlining. So there's an emotional distance, and the gap between the picture and sound makes them fundamentally feel different. Hopefully, our audience will be able to tell this is some other thing. Even if they were to drop in in the middle of it, it doesn't feel like the rest of the show. When we were building those scenes, sound-wise, and when we were getting cuts and finishing off those episodes before it started airing, I thought, "OK, I think that achieved our goals here." I felt successful. Fast-forward a month [to] when it starts airing, and we start seeing comments from folks, particularly from healthcare work- ers who were working during that time. Apparently it hit them like a ton of bricks. I didn't realize the extent to which we were portraying something so subjective and experiential with such accuracy. I suppose for some of those folks, it really landed. And that means a lot. Reinisch: It's the only time during the entire pilot that we break from pure reality. In one of the quicker COVID flashbacks, I ac- tually did jump cuts, which is not something we would ever do in the show itself because it is presented as being so grounded and realistic. Like Bryan was saying, we have more of an ethereal vibe to the jump cuts, and I think it's just enough to make you pay attention. Even a passing glance at that moment in the show would convey that this is not where we normally spend our time. This is one of the first shows I've seen that has acknowledged how hard that was for healthcare workers — how traumatizing it was, or just the fact that it existed. I know some shows during that time period just pretended it wasn't happening, but these people are still very much living with the horror of all of that. CineMontage: What was the most meaningful sequence or episode each of you edited? Reinisch: This season, I ended up with a weird amount of cases that hit very close to home. I have two six-year-olds, and I cut PITT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 artistic process: A process of iterations as you continue to mold, define, and bring out the best of something. How not to be afraid of doing things that don't work in order to discover things that do work but aren't al- ways apparent on the surface. How it is only "finished" when they take it away from you. I will forever be indebted for his friendship and support. Also, I want to mention again my fellow editor Sean Albertson, who has been a con- stant champion of mine and has helped me enormously to navigate this industry. Q: What advice would you offer to someone interested in pursuing y our line of work? I know there seems to be a lot of uncer- tainty in this industry right now, but ignore the noise and dive in head first! Work on anything you can get your hands on. Study work that speaks to you. Embrace the technical changes in tools and workflows. Surround yourself with people that are where you want to be. Soak it all up as you learn to find your own artistic voice and style. There are no short cuts. It is a true craft, and it takes time and experience to find your footing. Lastly, never forget how fun and rewarding this work can be. Q: Is there anything you'd like to say to your fellow Guild members, some words of encouragement? Storytelling will never go away, no mat- ter how the tools change. ■ Compiled by David Bruskin