I am a massive basketball fiend, which is why I was so excited to chat with editor Michael Mahaffie about the new Netflix show, Starting 5. As he reveals in our conversation, the project was seeking an editor who could capture not just the basketball narratives but the deeper human stories behind these athletes. By emphasizing these personal stakes in the final cut, the editing drew viewers into their lives, making every moment more impactful.Check out our interview below for even more cool tidbits. - YouTube www.youtube.com Editor's note: the following interview is edited for length and clarity. No Film School: Can you share your journey as an editor and how it has led you to projects like this?Michael Mahaffie: I started working in LA on documentaries immediately after leaving San Francisco State University’s Cinema Department in 2010 as an assistant editor. The first film I worked on was Superheroes (dir. Michael Barnett). I worked under editors Derek Boonstra and Doug Blush, who saw that I was interested in editing and gave me scenes to cut on the side of my AE duties. I still remember the first scene I cut that I showed to our director, Michael Barnett, and it made him cry. Our little team’s film got into the Slamdance Film Festival in 2011, and our little film was picked up by HBO shortly after. From there, I continued working with Barnett and Boonstra, who are more than mentors to me but lifelong friends, on two more films,...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 3 December