EDITOR'S NOTE
Oscar Mired
Caught Up in the History of Academy Award Winners
by Tomm Carroll
It’s awards time once again. And while many of the post-production honors
for the year 2005 have been handed out already, the big magilla of kudo-fests,
the imminent (and eminent) Academy Awards, looms large on the nearby horizon.
Since, by definition, awards season is a time to reflect upon the significant
accomplishments in the various arts and crafts involved in filmmaking, this
issue of Editors Guild Magazine takes a look back at Oscar history in the editing
and two sound categories.
Selise Eiseman profiles several of the early pioneers in post-production who literally helped to create the techniques, tools and even the technology that gave birth to the film industry as we know it today––and collected multiple awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along the way. She also offers some obscure facts, winner statistics and arcane trivia about the award categories that honor our members: Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. For instance, do you know who won––by far––the most Academy Awards in the various sound categories, including honorary awards? You’ll have to turn to page 27 to find out!
And speaking of history, March is Women’s History Month. So with that in mind, and in keeping with our focus on post-production of the past, Kevin Lewis travels back to the early days of Hollywood for our cover story to examine the contributions to the craft by three seminal female editors: Margaret Booth (at MGM), Barbara McLean (at 20th Century-Fox) and Anne Bauchens (at Paramount). These mavens of the Moviola enjoyed constant access to––and a close working relationship with––the moguls at their respective studios: Louis B. Mayer, Darryl F. Zanuck and Cecil B. De Mille.
Continuing with the historical theme, Jay Wertz leads a double life: editor in Technical Operations at Paramount Studios by day, and Civil War historian and author by night. Michael Kunkes interviews Wertz about his extra-curricular passion, and his latest book, The Civil War Experience: 1861-1865.
Back in the present, Adobe has recently released its long-awaited Creative Suite/Production Studio, a complete, fully integrated post-production environment with an ultra-efficient workflow. Kunkes reports on this audacious product, revealing what features it has––and lacks. Meanwhile, Dieter Rozek, the Guild’s Training Coordinator, test-drives the Production Studio’s Bridge, a customized media hub, in our “Tech Tips” section.
Finally, the increasing need for digital content storage in this high-definition age is a concern for many members working with the latest technologies. An informative look at an array of competing companies offering solutions to this storage problem is offered by Kunkes (again).
So, until next issue, when we’ll cover the results of all the post-production honors, congratulations to the winners of the ACE, BAFTA, CAS and MPSE Awards, and best of luck to our Academy Award nominees––a fortunate few of you will be the latest addition to the rich history of Oscar winners!