Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545125
26 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E By Rob Feld A Vince Gilligan- created series has a style and sensibility recog- nizable to any fan of "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul" — and now, "Pluri- bus" (on Apple TV+). Extreme close-ups that raise curiosity cut into expansive wide shots that play out in single takes; shots composed with pre- cision to create tension while keeping the viewer's eyes refreshed; and scenes with no dialogue that explore character through the choices they make as they go through the minutia of building a meth lab or trekking through the jungle. Part of maintaining this voice has been the extended collaborations Gilligan brings from series to series, none more critical than the one with his editors. O f h i s t e a m o n " P l u r i b u s " — S k i p Macdonald, Chris McCaleb, and Joey Liew — Gilligan said, "I couldn't make 'Pluribus' without them … or at least I wouldn't want to. It wouldn't be the same show, that's for sure. These three brilliant editors have been with me for a long time now — particularly Skip, whom I've worked with for nearly 20 years, going back to the early days of 'Breaking Bad.' They find the most creative and elegant solutions for making every scene work, surprising me in wonderful ways. All three have keen eyes, a writer's ear for storytelling, and flawless noses for detecting bs. They're great partners to me." "Pluribus" stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, a wildly successful but chronically unhappy romance novelist whose world is upended when a mysterious global event, "The Joining," links most human minds into a state of blissful coexistence. Unjoined and appalled by the enforced happiness around her, Carol is assigned a serene chaperone, Zosia (Karolina Wydra), as she fights to recruit the few existing unjoined to help her restore the old order. The series blends thriller tension, mystery intrigue, and dark humor as it asks whether a smiling world is utopia or dystopia. A i d e d b y t h e ra re a n d c a p t i v a t i n g gravity Seehorn brings to each scene, these editors maintain extended shots of silent behavior, tease obscure information, and weave together some of the most composed frames on television. They take each ele- ment given to them and maintain intrigue in a strange world while drawing their audience in. Given the best to work with, they make the most of it. CineMontage: Talk to me about the aesthetics of this show, which are particularly Gilligan's. Chris Mc Caleb: One of the things I found the most rewarding and sometimes challenging was finding the tone; it's humor combined with pathos and deep emotional resonance, and it's often all happening at once. There is a huge tonal shift from the first episode to the second, which I think is a big part of why they aired the first two when the show premiered. You don't get a sense of where the show is going or its sense of humor until the end of Episode 1, when Carol is talking to the guy on the television. CineMontage: The shots are so composed, and there's a great deal of silence in this show, which lets the viewer follow behavior. What sort of footage are you receiving to work with? Skip Macdonald: Vince always story- boards, but there's also lots of footage. You have multiple choices for everything. It makes our job difficult in the moment but easier in the long run because we have so many options. M c C a l e b : T h e c h a l l e n ge b e c o m e s, "Which good stuff do I use?" That's a luxury problem, but it's definitely a challenge as an editor. Joey had one of the more silent episodes; there's nowhere to hide with that silence. Joey Liew: There was a lot of coverage and different ways of coming into and leav- ing a scene. We normally cut without music. If it's a montage, we either pitch some mu- sic or we go dry and see what works. We contact Thomas, our music supervisor, for options and go from there. When you're cutting in silence, it really tests the timing of your cuts. There's a lot of cutting with action and with minute details — the scen- ery, the faces. McCaleb: One unique challenge, as far as the silence goes, is having to build out a sonic landscape just to demonstrate what a cut is going to do. Some cuts won't work THE JOINING HOW THE EDITORS MIX SUSPENSE AND HUMOR IN "PLURIBUS" Skip Macdonald.