Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/551510
37 SUMMER 2015 / CINEMONTAGE they say, 'Yeah, but meanwhile I'm paying all those dues but not getting the benefits.' Well, one of the great things about the Guild is that you can go on withdrawal at any time. If you do that [and not work in a capacity represented by the Guild], you can avoid the dues and still come back when you have an opportunity to work or turn a non-union job into a union one." A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND All three of these editors hail from New York, even though Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago have all proven their mettle as vital centers for documentary production. But New Yorkers seem to capture that Guild member/doc- maker sweet spot. "Traditionally, there are many more docs made here on the East Coast than on the West Coast," Schopper says. "There was a time here years ago when there were more large companies doing documentary production, and there was a bigger union presence — but there were also fewer documentaries. Also, there weren't film schools everywhere then and editors grew from within the industry and were thus Phillip Schopper. A scene from AMERICAN MASTERS: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, for which David Tedeschi earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction Programming. Photo by Barry Feinstein