Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546034
26 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E n o w a f t e r d o i n g t h i s s h o w, b e c a u s e we're so good at picking out the little nu- anced things. Andrew Ryan: Visual effects were very intensive in the first season. Craig [Eustis] was also on the visual effects team with us. And if we succeeded, it's because we had an amazing support system with our visual ef- fects producer, David Tomlin, and my visual effects coordinator, Cherise Pascual. They played a critical part in setting the tone for our workflow and keeping the pace, and I was able to carry that into Season 2. CineMontage: How did this differ from other shows you've worked on — and how did Season 1 differ from Season 2? James Honiball: Because of these two years we've gone through, it's like every- thing I've ever learned in post-production, and more, had to be implemented on this show. We had to innovate on the ground. We'd present issues we came across to the engineers at Adobe and tell them, "We've got to make the show happen, so we don't have time to wait." We were in close com- munication with them during Seasons 1 and 2 to problem-solve in real time. Mark Bessler: The difference between Seasons 1 and 2 from an audio perspective is that the Beast editors had a sequence template. For a while, we were bouncing between our editors and theirs, but we eventually got on the same page about, say, having a minimum of 42 tracks organized in a certain way. I think in Season 1, we had 108 audio tracks for one episode at one point because they wanted to create a cascading effect. But an audio mixer doesn't need any of that — they can do that with fewer tracks — so getting those tracks down and organized was a big challenge. Another thing that I thought was cool: most editors I deal with want to do their own sound, and the Beast team is good at it. They're cinematic in what they want; they mix, and they really love music. One of their editors, Josh Rock, is very particular. During mixes, he listened closely and knew what he wanted. Most YouTube people probably don't have that sort of ear, so it was nice that he did and used it. Rainbow Shalom Hayes: Being able to go into Beast Studios was huge for me. And seeing the weight that editors have was kind of shocking; it felt like the editor was king. These editors create content that gets millions of views, so everyone gets paid. It's a different hierarchy. Instead of an executive producer being at the top, it feels like the editor is the company showrunner, whereas I'm used to feeling that, as an edi- tor, I'm replaceable. Mack [Hopkins] is the lead editor there. He's going to give you attention. I found the respect for the editorial department was really cool because we do make some amazing things. The number of views your work receives holds you accountable, so having millions of views on a video you cut is a feather in your cap. But that's different from how a Hollywood editor acquires a good reputation. The Beast editors aren't resting on their laurels — they earn every bit of that respect — so it's nice to see them so valued and appreciated. Mark Bessler. Ben Striz. Rainbow Shalom Hayes.