Bruskin Gets McNasty On The Tube
For
Steve Bruskin, the picture editor of UPN TV's new series,
"Shasta McNasty",
digital editing is a brave new world.
by Scott Essman
"I was probably the last generation to actually train the old-fashioned way in a film cutting room," said Bruskin, 34. "My first job was as an apprentice editor on a Patrick Swayze film called "Tiger Warsaw", right out of college in 1987. This gave me great training in the craft of traditional film editing in a way that I don't think I would have gotten if I'd started out on the Avid."
 |
|
|
|
|
Bruskin notes that a key benefit to his training is that he gained an innate understanding of the importance of previsualization. He feels as though the best editors are able to see a scene edited in their minds before they ever cut a frame. "The temptation these days with the Avid is to just start cutting right away without taking the time to decide where you'd like to see the scene go," he said. "Granted, this method of editing can have its advantages. The cutting edge style of the movies, T.V. shows and commercials being done today is proof of the impact non-linear editing is having."
Bruskin started getting editing work within a year of graduating college after receiving a nomination for an A.C.E. Eddie award. "I flew out to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony and I got to meet a lot of big editors," he recalled, "so it was already clear what I wanted to do. My first job in the business was for a low budget production company in New York City in 1987. I worked as an office runner for six months and then got an opportunity to edit one of their films."
Eventually, Bruskin's break in the big budget studio world came while he was working at Paramount Studios. "I was an assistant on many shows over there and gradually began getting opportunities to cut. In 1996, I was finally given my own show, Clueless which I was on for 3 seasons. Now on "Shasta McNasty", I get to really exercise some of the wacky style that was so central to the success of Clueless. "Shasta" takes the craziness to a whole new level and for that reason it's a very exciting show to be working on."
As he was one of the first editors to learn the Avid, back in 1992, Bruskin feels as though he had an advantage in becoming engaged in digital post-production. "I didn't have to go to a boot camp or anything," he remembered. "Mort Fallick and I were co-editing a feature film called "Body Shot" and Mort's son Larry Jordan ("Assassins", "Fallen", "Jack Frost"), who is always way ahead of the cutting edge of technology, made it clear that Avid was the wave of the future."
Sensing the coming changes, Fallick and Bruskin chose to go with the Avid and the rental house sent over a trainer. Since then, he has never looked back. "It was right after that show that I was able to join the MPEG and make the jump into to the studio world," he explained. "Being one of the first people to know the Avid made me very popular and I started working constantly, mostly for Paramount Pictures."
Using the Avid has allowed Bruskin to devise the many dynamic transitional passages that infuse "Shasta McNasty" with requisite energy. "We really make an effort to come up with interesting transitions and fun visual effects that give it a flavor of something more than your average sitcom," he described. "We create wipes and transition montages that incorporate images from the episode or stock footage that reflect the theme visually. The transitions are designed to spice up the energy and the pace of the show, but we try to keep the content of "Shasta" from getting too choppy and confusing. The transitions really give us the best of both worlds - an upbeat feel with a real watchability."
According to Bruskin, the potential that the digital editing realm affords editors by way of experimentation must be responsibly managed. "We have to be careful not to succumb to the kid-in-a-candy store syndrome," Bruskin cautioned, "using all kinds of visual tricks just because you can. I really do believe that having a background in film editing has had a huge impact on the way I work today. I hope schools continue to encourage people to work with film before graduating to non-linear editing."
Regardless of the project, Bruskin feels as though his primary responsibility in working with any producer or director is to provide the best possible creative and technical support of their overall goals. "If I can be of service to the creative people on the show, then they have the clearest possible channel to realize their vision," he commented. "My goal is to be an instrument for ideas to flow through me - whether I'm working on my own or with another person. No matter how much I love the way I've cut something, I enjoy giving my producers and directors the honor of recutting according to their vision."
Collaboration, in all of the creative arts, is a necessity for Bruskin, and he enthusiastically meets such challenges. "People work best and think clearest in a positive environment," he said, "so if I bring enthusiasm to the job, it gets done quickly and easily. I've worked with some great producers this year on "Shasta". Before that, I had three great years with Tim O'Donnell, the executive producer of "Clueless". I've been really lucky."
As far as future assignments, Bruskin's primary goal is to work on projects, which inspire and uplift people, plus contribute something positive to the world. "The good news is that there seem to be more and more of these kinds of projects out there," he said. "In terms of a preferred medium, I enjoy both film and TV, although films have the added benefit of allowing an editor to concentrate on one show for an extended period of time. In television it seems like just as you are getting a feel for an episode, you're moving on to a new one. But, as with all aspects of the business, the main thing is content."
Bruskin has also become active outside of his regular jobs, working with several community organizations. "At a certain point I realized that, while I love my work, I wanted to do more," described Bruskin, "so I began volunteering. Now, I mentor underprivileged kids, inner city youth, and kids from homeless families."
Using his talents and passion, Bruskin gets young people directly involved in his work. "I bring them into the cutting room and I show them exactly what an editor does," he explained. "Then I give them an opportunity to actually edit a scene. We view the footage together and they tell me where to cut. By the end of the session, they have a finished, sweetened scene. The kids always walk away from those sessions totally inspired - they realize the creative power that they have within them. That's my main goal: to show them how to create opportunities for themselves in their future."
In addition to his volunteer time, Bruskin has started a non-profit organization called The Creative Alliance, dedicated to bringing together people in the entertainment industry who want to send positive messages to the world through their work. "We have monthly gatherings where like-minded people come together to discuss ideas and the future of the entertainment industry as a whole," he related. "The greatest thing about The Creative Alliance is the way it helps people remember why they got into this industry in the first place. It's all about keeping the enthusiasm alive."
Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter
Vol. 20, No. 6 - November/December 1999
Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page
Copyright © 1999, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700