#449 – Remote Attended Edit Sessions

Jonny Elwyn -
Denis was in Montreal and we worked remotely. I had to get used to seeing the front of his face, which isn’t something I was very used to. I’ve sat to the left of him for so long that the right-hand side of his face is like the dark side of the moon, but anyway I got used to that.

In fact, it was interesting to me that I had the opportunity to actually read a scene on his face while he’s watching it. I could look at him reacting to it, which is a very quick and honest way of seeing if it worked. I can almost tell what he’s going to say.

– Joe Walker, Editor

The pairing of Editor Joe Walker and Director Denis Villeneuve is an effective one. They clearly love working together, and the films they make speak for themselves:

  • Dune Part 1 & 2
  • Blade Runner 2049
  • Arrival
  • Sicario

But how do you work this well together when you can't be together?

Technology.

In this issue of Cut/daily, I'll share a DIY option and a done-for-you option for streaming your edit to a far-flung collaborator.

Depending on your needs, inclination, and technical savvy, you might want to choose one option over the other.

Or both depending on the context.

I want to be in the room where it happens

Editing is like playing music with someone and you need to be in the same room. I mean there's something about the human interaction, the spontaneity, the energy in the room. I really missed not being in the same room with my editor.

As an artist, editing my movie without being in the same room as my editor is very, very painful. I think one of the reasons is that the editor is almost like a psychiatrist—the one who's dealing with my anxiety and my panic attacks and my fears, and receiving my joys.

— Denis Villeneuve, Director

Given how much many of us love working remotely, maybe it's time to add a surcharge for in-person editorial experiences?