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TRC Book Club - Art of the Cut: Vol II

The Rough Cut

Release Date: 09/09/2024

Wicked: Part One show art Wicked: Part One

The Rough Cut

Editor, Myron Kerstein ACE WICKED: PART ONE editor, Myron Kerstein ACE finds himself in the familiar positions of both cutting a musical and also collaborating with director Jon M. Chu.  This is Myron's third musical in a row, following Lin-Manuel Miranda's tick, tick Boom! (2021) and Chu's IN THE HEIGHTS (2021).  Prior to IN THE HEIGHTS, Myron first cut for Chu on his film, CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018). Adapted from the venerable Broadway smash, WICKED: PART ONE follows the journey of a young woman named Elphaba. Misunderstood and often outcast because of her green skin, Elphaba forges...

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Emilia Pérez show art Emilia Pérez

The Rough Cut

Editor -Juliette Welfling EMILIA PÉREZ editor Juliette Welfling took on the job of editing her first musical without knowing the rigor and precision that would be required for the job.  For better or worse, neither did writer/director Jacques Audiard, himself new to the world of making a musical.  It turns out, experience might be overrated, as the Netflix Oscar-hopeful has won over critics since its premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Written and directed by Jacques Audiard, EMILIA PÉREZ is based on Audiard's opera libretto of the same name.  Audiard's opera was...

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A Real Pain show art A Real Pain

The Rough Cut

Editor - Robert Nassau A REAL PAIN editor Robert Nassau might be Brooklyn's secret cinematic weapon when it comes to finding an editor who knows how to cut not-too-dark dramedies.   And the seems to be what writer/director/actor Jesse Eisenberg was looking for when it came time to turn over the cutting room keys to his latest project.  Premiering to much fanfare at Sundance 2024, A Real Pain is now delighting critics and audiences alike in its theatrical run. A REAL PAIN follows mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) as they reunite for a tour...

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Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story show art Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

The Rough Cut

Editor - Otto Burnham Editor Otto Burnham took on the job for SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY knowing that he wouldn't be lacking for source material on his subject.  Rather, the challenge would lie in processing the countless hours of material from Reeve's work and his life to find the real superhero within. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, who co-wrote the script with Otto, SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY is an intimate view into the life of actor Christopher Reeve.  The film chronicles his rise to stardom upon landing the role of Superman in the 1970's,...

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Joker: Folie à Deux show art Joker: Folie à Deux

The Rough Cut

Editor, Jeff Groth ACE JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX editor, Jeff Groth ACE had a tough act of his own to follow, coming off of his ACE Eddie and Oscar nominated work on Todd Phillips' JOKER (2019), but follow it he did. Directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver, the sequel follows failed comedian Arthur Fleck as he struggles with his dual identity.  While incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital as he awaits his trial, Arthur meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn. JEFF GROTH, ACE Having worked previously with Phillips on such films as THE HANGOVER III...

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Challengers show art Challengers

The Rough Cut

Editor - Marco Costa CHALLENGERS editor Marco Costa knew one thing going into Luca Guadagnino's recent tennis movie, and that's that Luca didn't know anything about tennis.  Luca would explain to Marco that this film isn't about tennis.  The incredibly kinetic action in the tennis sequences that Marco cut say otherwise. CHALLNEGERS stars ZENDAYA as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Tashi is married to Art, a champion on a losing streak. Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption...

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Saturday Night show art Saturday Night

The Rough Cut

Editors Nathan Orloff and Shane Reid SATURDAY NIGHT editors Nathan Orloff and Shane Reid team up for the second time in 2024 with their latest Jason Reitman / Gil Keenan project about NBC's long-running sketch comedy show.  Having previously cut GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE together, the pair developed a strong working relationship that certainly came in handy when Shane had to do double duty between this project and DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (2024). SATURDAY NIGHT is a frenetic dramatization of what happened behind the scenes during the ninety minutes leading up to the first broadcast of...

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Megalopolis show art Megalopolis

The Rough Cut

Editor - Cam McLauchlin MEGALOPOLIS editor Cam McLauchlin had no idea what was waiting for him on the other side when he knocked on Francis Ford Coppola's door.  Now that Coppola's decades-in-the-making passion project has become a "surreality", McLauchlin still can't quite explain everything that took place in the making of this film.  One thing is clear to Cam however, this was Francis's vision and Francis IS "Cesar Catalina". MEGALOPOLIS takes place in a somewhat alternate universe, where New York City is New Rome, and stars Adam Driver as Caesar Catalina, a brilliant artist, who...

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Industry show art Industry

The Rough Cut

Editor - Kyle Traynor Although INDUSTRY editor Kyle Traynor joined the series already in progress in its sophomore season, by season three he would be given the cutting room keys to half of the season's episodes, including both the series premiere and its finale. Created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, INDUSTRY follows a group of young graduates competing for a limited number of available full-time employment opportunities at Pierpoint, a top investment bank in London.  The graduates include Harper Stern, a Black upstate New York native who uproots her life in pursuit of success despite...

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Rez Ball show art Rez Ball

The Rough Cut

Editor - Jessica Baclesse REZ BALL editor, Jessica Baclesse says she got the job for the film through a chance encounter with a not-so-stranger across a crowded room.  Random or not, Jess already had plenty of editing experience under her belt, including time logged cutting a big sports movie with Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut, CREED III (2023). REZ BALL was directed by Sydney Freeland and co-written by Freeland and Sterlin Harjo (RESERVATION DOGS).  It tells the story of the Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from New Mexico who, after losing...

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Editor and Author - Steve Hullfish, ACE

This is the second volume of the widely acclaimed Art of the Cut book published in 2017. This follow-up text expands on its predecessor with wisdom from more than 360 interviews with the world’s best editors (including nearly every Oscar winner from the last 30 years).

Because editing is a highly subjective art form, and one that is critical to the success of motion picture storytelling, it requires side-by-side comparisons of the many techniques and solutions used by a wide range of editors from around the world. That is why this book compares and contrasts methodologies from a wide array of diverse voices and organizes that information so that it is easily digested and understood.

There is no one way to approach editorial problems, so this book allows readers to see multiple solutions from multiple editors. The interviews contained within are carefully curated into topics that are most important to film editors and those who aspire to become film editors. The questions asked, and the organization of the book, are not merely an academic or theoretical view of the art of editing but rather the practical advice and methodologies of actual working film and TV editors, bringing benefits to both students and professional readers.

The book is supplemented by a collection of downloadable online exclusive chapters, which cover additional topics ranging from Choosing the Project to VFX. In addition to the supplementary chapters, access to the full-color, full-resolution images printed in the book—and other exclusive images—is included.

Steve Hullfish, ACE

Steve has been editing professionally since 1984. He has edited theatrical feature films, (including CourageousWar Room, and Overcomer), TV series (including The Oprah Winfrey Show), and documentaries. He is the author of six other books on editing and post-production. He has taught editing to students and professionals all over the world, and his books have been translated into numerous languages. His work has also been published in post-production trade journals worldwide.

Writing Art of the Cut: Vol II

In our discussion with editor and author Steve Hullfish, ACE we talk about:

  • Getting off the sidelines and into the editing game
  • Turning three million words into one big book
  • An editor getting notes from a hundred other editors
  • The changing dynamic between assistant and editor
  • How Avid can really save you money

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