The best advice often comes in casual conversation. That’s why Adobe and Variety teamed up at the Sundance Film Festival last February to present Editors on Editors, a series of conversations where two accomplished film editors discuss their craft. One particularly candid and insightful conversation featured Opus editor Ernie Gilbert and By Design editor Benjamin Shearn in which they shared valuable – and often humorous – perspectives on their craft and process. Preparation Unlocks CreativityGilbert and Shearn are no strangers to editing different genres, from feature films to music videos, indie projects to documentaries.Both editors agree that thorough preparation early in the editing process removes barriers to creativity later.Shearn maintains a consistent prep process across all projects. “Then, when it gets to the point of actually sequencing, my technique gets wildly different… there are unique demands for each project.” He emphasized that part of his reason for dedication to proper preparation is to ensure he can fully access his creativity later.“Once it gets into the right-brain, creative part, that’s when I try to unlearn and really just adhere to what the project needs,” said Shearn.Gilbert agreed that thorough preparation accelerates the creative process. “The only shortcut, the only secret, is to do. It’s to try. It’s to get an assembly together, to get a scene cut, to do a pass of something. And once I have that, I feel like, oh, I can make that part better.”Embracing ExperimentationIn By Design, the main character, Camille, becomes a chair, presenting Shearn with...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday