I admire editors Tim Squyres, Jeff Groth and Hughes Winborne. I look up to these editors because of their precision with cutting, colour grading and for how the sound fits perfectly with the visuals. From a colour grading aspect, I look up to Tim Squyres as he was the editor for Life of Pi. I thought the film was edited very well and the narrative was captivating with a pacing that was picture perfect.
Another editor who I think is very talented is Jeff Groth. Jeff edited ‘The Joker’. I think the cutting of this film was fantastic, what I like in particular about his style is that he cuts at the appropriate moments that allow tension to slowly build up. A great example of this is Groth’s cut between shots in the first subway scene in Joker. He would cut into black, which would make the viewer expect to see the same thing when the scene resumes, but instead you would see something different. He would cut into new perspectives before the viewer was ready for them. This created anxiety for the viewer and built tension.
Every editing decision in Joker was motivated by the overarching anxiety-inducing tone. I feel this use of creating anxiety for the viewer is very clever and I would like to incorporate it in films I work on in the future. Jeff Groth’s style certainly suites making the viewer uncomfortable.
Lastly, the final editor on this list is Hughes Winborne. Hughes was the editor for the drama ‘The Pursuit Of Happyness’ This is one of my favourite films of all time. I think the film is cut excellently well and it is one of them films where you feel fully immersed in that world and connect with the main protagonist ‘Christopher’ instantly. From a narrative perspective we as viewers want Chris to get the job and be able to give his son the life they both deserve. The way the film is cut helps make us want this for them.
When cutting projects I work on I always aim to keep the moral message of the story in my mind throughout the cutting process. Despite viewers not fully knowing in the moment why a character is acting the way they are and why they are going through what they are going through, my job is to make the viewer want to know, to care about the protagonist and for them to want to understand what is going on in their mind.
The ending of this film is something truly special, the look on Christopher’s face when he gets the job, he finally reaches his goal. We feel the moment, and that feeling stays with us for quite a while after watching the film. It’s a sense of empowerment, chasing dreams and most of all a happy family. One of the most important things about story telling is to create a narrative that captivates the viewer to then use the feeling they feel within their own life. From the film world, to their own world.
I always look to do something like this within edits I work on. As an editor I have the opportunity to truly captivate all kinds of emotions to spark these thoughts to the viewer.
My biggest goal is to always make sure the overall message of the film comes across. To have this form of art impact people's life. This isn't just entertainment, it's so much more than that.
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