EDITOR'S NOTE
Cut-a-palooza
by Tomm Carroll
 Tomm Carroll |
With editing software and hardware continuing to become more accessible––and less expensive––it is no wonder that fledging moviemakers have been experimenting with the technology and that many young people entering the film and television industry have their eyes set on the post-production suite. Editing is hip. So what’s next, its own festival?
Funny you should ask. This summer, our colleagues at the American Cinema Editors (ACE) are staging Edit Fest, a first-of-its-kind weekend seminar on the art and craft of editing. Set for August 8-9 at Universal Studios in Universal City, California, and the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, the event will feature a welcoming reception as well as panel discussions with editors of Emmy-winning and -nominated programs, summer blockbusters, and animation and comedy features, along with other sessions.
Top Editors Guild and ACE members working in the industry will be participating on the panels for Edit Fest, which is likely to become an annual event. ACE reports that reservations for the weekend are going fast, so if you are interested in attending, please visit www.ace-filmeditors.org for more information and to purchase tickets. Note that all members of the Guild, as well as ACE, the American Cinematheque and the Hollywood Post Alliance are eligible for a hefty discount on admission.
One of the Edit Fest participants, Craig Alpert, is know for cutting comedy, and his latest release, David Gordon Green’s Pineapple Express, is a stoner laugher that opens the weekend of the editing festival. Our writer Michael Kunkes learns that the film is a “joint effort” in more ways than one when he speaks to Alpert and his team, as well as the film’s sound editorial and mixing crew.
Awaiting his first, full-fledged editing gig, assistant Kyle Gilman, our cover subject, has been working virtually non-stop as an assistant editor-in-demand––with four films having premiered at festivals this year and awaiting theatrical release. Rob Feld talks to the Brooklyn resident about his busy schedule and his career goals.
This issue’s classification spotlight shines on QC and videotape operators, who are the last bastion of defense against a huge range of digital, film and audio anomalies that must be caught and corrected before a project is released or screened. Kunkes learns how they and their jobs are adjusting to the digital age.
And speaking of adjusting, IA members still reeling from the writers strike of a half-year ago, and apprehensive of the outcome of the still ongoing (at press time) negotiations between the actors and the producers this summer, will be glad to know that the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s Crisis Support Services provides financial and emotional relief to qualified industry workers and their families who are experiencing hardship––whether brought on by strike-related or personal circumstances. Kunkes talks to an administrator at the Fund about the financial and other services it offers.
And finally, Dan Ochiva and Pamela Malouf, A.C.E., have recovered from their week in Las Vegas in April and report on the new technology and trends of interest to post-production professionals that they found at the 2008 edition of the huge NAB trade show.
Next issue, look for an investigation of the latest delivery format––exclusive mobile content for cell phones, hand-held devices and laptops––as well as the creation of such content for the smaller screen.
Until then, have a great summer.