EDITOR'S NOTE
SMPFE: The New Face of 1937
by Tomm Carroll
 Tomm Carroll |
All things considered, the Motion Picture Editors Guild is looking pretty spry for a septuagenarian. Like our cover copy reads this issue, we’re “still alive and cutting”––as well as mixing, recording, dubbing, archiving, color finishing, telecine-ing, engineering, shipping, quality controlling, sound reading, story analyzing and Foley walking. We’ve certainly come a long way in our representation of post-production artists and technicians from the anti-union days of 1930s, which led to the formation of this and other film industry guilds during that decade.
In this special issue, we celebrate the Sapphire Anniversary of the Society of Motion Picture Film Editors (the predecessor of our present Guild), founded on May 20, 1937. Aside from recalling some highlights, in words and pictures, of the early days of the SMPFE and its eventual affiliation with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in 1944 (the East Coast editors joined the IA the previous year), we also flashback 30 years––to an issue of Film Comment magazine (pictured here). That respected publication’s March-April edition of 1977 had as its centerpiece a salute to the Film Editor. Its publisher, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, has kindly granted us permission to reprint the articles on editing, affording readers of Editors Guild Magazine a unique perspective on the craft––from an scholarly point of view.
 Film Comment - 1977 |
Also, as part of our 70th anniversary, we salute legendary picture editor Dede Allen, ACE, one of the most accomplished post-production artisans still working today (she is also a part of Film Comment’s 1977 pantheon). Kevin Lewis interviews Allen about her career and philosophy, and also talks to her son, re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman, MPSE, CAS, about his work and his mother’s influence. In addition, Adam Wisniewski covers the tribute to Allen that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held in New York last fall. Many of the regular columns in this magazine are anniversary-related as well.
Wisniewski also reports on a recent evening with Academy Award-nominated editor Carol Littleton, ACE held at the Guild’s New York office in conjunction with the Manhattan Edit Workshop. And speaking of Academy Awards, our annual round-up of post-production winners of this past awards season’s Oscars, as well as Eddies, Golden Reels and other honors are featured in this issue.
In the next edition of this magazine, we’ll have a full report on the just-concluded NAB 2007 trade show in Las Vegas, including such topics as digital cinema, online distribution and mobile delivery, as well as other more future-looking stories. But in the meantime, enjoy the history recalled in this issue.