From the Editor by Stephanie Argy One of my earliest movie memories was the sound of an optical track crackling as the lights went down in the theater. To me, that was the most exciting sound in the world, because it meant that I was about to be taken on an adventure. That sound, and everything it represented, made me want to become a part of the movie industry, and eventually, it led me into the editing room and Local 771 in New York. Crackling mono optical tracks have long since gone away, but the artistry and magic of movies remain. Editing this magazine is an honor for me, because the Guild’s membership includes people who contributed not only to those childhood films, but to many others that have enchanted me in the years since. At the same time, I now understand that making a movie involves not only artistry, but also technical proficiency and an understanding of how an individual artist fits into the larger context of a movie, as well as into the industry as a whole. Our focus is the intersection of artistry, technology and the union movement – and I can think of nothing more exciting than covering this rapidly evolving world. We will offer articles that reveal how our members have negotiated the subtle politics of the cutting room and the not-so-subtle politics of the industry at large – at the moment, of course, the most dramatic of those is the possibility of a dual entertainment-industry strike and the impact it could have on our lives and work. We’ll continue to cover the technical revolution that most of us have lived through, now entering a new phase. I have written about visual effects, cinematography and many other areas of the filmmaking process, and I have often heard people in those disciplines comment on how far ahead editors and sound professionals have been when it comes to utilizing new technologies. Now, this wave of technological change has accelerated with the increasing prevalence of inexpensive desktop-based systems. Guild members once again have the opportunity to lead the way, as sophisticated tools become available to a much wider group of artists and offer opportunities to change the way films are made. But whatever happens to the technology of post-production and to the political climate in which Guild members work, the ultimate goal of mixing and editing will always be to tell compelling stories. In this issue, we present our annual Oscar coverage, with statements from all the post-production nominees, describing their key creative challenges. With articles like these and with our regular feature interviews, we’ll continue to help you understand how your colleagues did their best work, and what they were thinking as they did it. I would like to invite members to contact me with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have. This is your magazine. Finally, I would like to thank all the hard-working, talented people who contributed to this issue. Our writers are members of the Guild – working editors, mixers and assistants – who take time from their professional lives to offer information and insights to their colleagues. I am grateful to them all, and amazed by what they have to give.    Stephanie Argy is the editor of the Guild Magazine. She can be reached via email   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine Vol. 22, No. 2 - May/June 2001   Guild Home | Magazine Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 2001, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700