Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1543164
36 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E By Rob Feld E van Schiff found his home in the ed- i t i n g ro o m — t h e s p o t w h e re h i s technical streak met his artistic itch. He worked at Stan Winston Studio while at USC, thinking he would pursue special effects. While earning his film degree, he discovered an Avid at Winston's that no one knew how to run, so he taught him- self, even as USC had him doing everything on set. What struck him about editing was spending quiet weekend hours alone with footage. He pivoted inside the shop to vi- sual effects editor, building demo reels and wrangling shots, then joined the union shortly after graduation. When he hit the editorial ceiling, he left graciously to go freelance and launch his career as an as- sistant editor. Along the way, the voices of Paul Hirsch and Sean Albertson — sharing craft notes and life advice, respectively — settled in and stayed. An early experience as an assistant editor on Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Laby- rinth" led him to reconnect with del Toro for his recent "Frankenstein," a personal, large- scale reimagining of Mary Shelley's classic novel. The film follows Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant, ego-driven scien- tist whose attempt to conquer death births a creature (Jacob Elordi) — and a reckoning — he can't control. The film charts both creator and creation as they search for meaning and love in a hostile world. Fo r S c h i f f, c u tt i n g " Fra n ke n s te i n" meant meeting intention with momentum. Del Toro shoots single-camera with pur- pose, favoring choreographed Steadicam and crane moves that want to breathe — less cutting, more inhabiting. At the same time, the director wanted fully cut scenes IT'S ALIVE EVAN SCHIFF RECOUNTS THE MONSTROUS CHALLENGE OF GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S 'FRANKENSTEIN' ready for review before call each day, push- ing Schiff to move fast without sacrificing elegance. Add a far-flung schedule—stages in Toronto, miniatures in London, exteriors in Scotland — and the editorial jigsaw kept shifting. From weaving 36 fps and 24 fps material so it feels "floaty," not slow-mo, to collapsing a sprawling lecture set-piece without losing swagger, Schiff 's task was clear: preserve the film's velvety immersion while keeping the story's momentum mov- ing forward. CineMontage: It was many years between working as an AE on "Pan's Labyrinth" and reuniting with del Toro. How did you land the job on "Frankenstein"? Evan Schiff: I've gotten unreasonably lucky a couple of times. Getting "Pan's Labyrinth" was one. I still don't know how they got my email, but I got a note (as did 14 other people) offering an interview for the post process because they'd shot in Spain and were coming back to cut in Woodland Hills. The editor, Bernat Vilaplana, was flying from Barcelona to cut with Guiller- mo, and they needed a local assistant who spoke Spanish. I made it past the first round despite being relatively inexperienced. On the in- terview day I was the third of three: the first person didn't speak Spanish; the second didn't bring a résumé and seemed unpre- pared. Guillermo's assistant whispered to me on the way in, "This is yours to lose — don't screw it up." The interview was in Spanish. I got the job. Day One, Bernat said, "OK, now you're going to help me practice my English." I used my not- quite -fluent Spanish plenty, but day to day, both Guillermo and Bernat spoke to me in English. At the end of "Pan's," I maybe a little forwardly told Guillermo, "I want to work on 'Hellboy II.'" His reaction was basically, "OK — that mov- ie's not at the front of my brain right now." But when the time came, I got an email: "I want Bernat to cut it. I want Evan to be first assistant." I spent a year with them in Hungary and London. It was amazing. Guillermo is so charismatic, friendly, inclusive. On the first day I met him on "Pan's," he asked, "What would you cut out of this film?" It was always very collaborative. On "Pan's," Bernat and I shared one Avid, so when they were cutting, I was in the room. On "Hellboy II," same thing; I was basically allowed in the office no matter who was there, whether executives or Alfonso Cuarón. Very open After that, I didn't see Guillermo from 2009 until I went in to talk about "Fran- kenstein." I'd heard through my agency he was looking for an editor; they submitted Evan Schiff.