ACE Cinema Editor official 67th Eddies Award Program
Gifted with a prodigious talent as the creator or co-creator of groundbreaking TV series like Lost and the creative force as producer and director of some of the most high-profile and successful films of all time, notably Star Wars: The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams is this year’s recipient of the ACE Golden Eddie.
A true polymath, even excluding his production and directing prowess, Abrams is also a scriptwriter (Regarding Henry, Forever Young, Armageddon), a composer (of the theme music for Felicity, Alias, Fringe, Person of Interest and Lost) and an actor in films such as Six Degrees of Separation.
His enthusiasm and sheer ambition to tell stories registered at an early age, beginning with a clay animation shot on his parents’ home movie camera at age 8 and continuing into his teens making short films on Super 8.
“For me, working in Super 8 as a kid, was a kind of microscopic glimpse into what it would be like to do it for real,” Abrams says. “The experience with splicing tape gives you an invaluable hands-on appreciation for what it is to edit. That’s not to say that nonlinear digital editing isn’t incredibly intuitive, but there is a required investment of time and consideration when working with Super 8. There is no button you can press which will undo a decision or suddenly deliver you a close up. There is no such thing as a work print - it’s the only print.”
He adds, “Of course, making movies as a kid is finger paints compared to the art of a professional filmmaker, but you still learn the lessons and you come to understand the process.”
Many artists who have worked with Abrams describe production as a genuine collaboration. Abrams himself refers to the “family” of filmmakers with whom he is loyal.
“I feel blessed by working with a team of filmmakers who all have a mutual respect and admiration for one another and no doubt have some of the quirky dysfunctions of a family. Part of the fun is sharing a common experience. There’s nothing more important than everyone coming together to do a triple A plus job.”
He explains how he likes to work with everyone in a similar way. “If I work on a scene with a group of actors, I love to see what they bring to the scene as opposed to imposing my expectations or vision which I have in my pocket anyway. I welcome a point of view that may not be my own.”
The same holds true for editorial. “I’d rather be surprised by what the editor brings and challenged to look at a moment again rather than have a certain definitive interpretation adhered to at all times,” he says. “It may be that they bring a perception to a scene that hasn’t occurred to me. It may be that I’ll disagree with the approach and we go back to the original design.”
“A lot of the time they will see something that is just a better approach. They have found that moment,” he continues. “This is a critical requirement of editing, which is to be aware of the intention but not to be beholden to it. It’s about working out what should and can be done with the footage we actually have as opposed to sticking religiously to any notion when the scene was written or shot. That is an enormous piece of the filmmaking craft which editors bring.”
While Abrams refers to the craft of editing in general he is also referencing the close working relationship he enjoys with Mary Jo Markey, ACE and Maryann Brandon, ACE who have teamed with Abrams on all his directorial features.
“They bring different qualities,” he explains. “Just like working with a writer or an actor or director, you get a point of view that is unique to each. It’s not like they are pigeonholed into doing action or one is better at comedy or drama. They are both so vastly capable of so many different kinds of genre and stories.”
Abrams first worked with Markey on Felicity, the WB show co-created with Matt Reeves between 1998–2003. Brandon was an editor on Abrams’ ABC TV series Lost (2004–2010) and they were both editors on ABC’s Alias (2001–2006). The first time they were paired together was in 2006 for Abrams’ debut directorial feature Mission: Impossible III.
“On that show there were a number of wonderful people coming from the features side with whom I had never worked, such as Dan Mindel, ASC, who lent their vast experience,” says Abrams. “When it came to mood and tone and character, I just knew what I was going to get with Maryann and Mary Jo. Luckily, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner were incredibly supportive.”
There was, however, some initial resistance to his choice.
“It never really occurred to me that having women cutting an action movie would be an issue,” he says. “In fact, I was a little discomforted that this was something people thought might even be a problem. To me, they felt like an asset. They brought the same compassion and humanity and focus that they’d showed making Lost and Alias, and I knew that their presence and expertise would help make the movie a better one.”
They joined forces again in 2009 to work on one of the most anticipated science-fiction films of the decade: Star Trek. Later, they'd also work on the sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). In between the two Trek films, they edited Abrams’ Super 8 (2011), produced by Abrams and Steven Spielberg. When Abrams was tasked by Disney with the responsibility to bring back Star Wars he turned once again to this most consistently performing duo - who received an Academy Award nomination for their work.
“We have a shorthand,” says Abrams. “They are industrious, great storytellers and terrific at finding the emotional journey behind every scene.”
Abrams relates how, on Mission: Impossible III, Markey found a piece of footage to bridge a couple of shots and carry the production forward.
“These little moments happen all the time but it saved my ass because until that point the sequence wasn’t working well,” he says. “Editing is not just about telling the story but also problem solving and Mary Jo and Maryan are brilliant at both.”
Brandon similarly came to the rescue on The Force Awakens. “The sequence where Han and Chewie board the Millennium Falcon was never intended to be that way,” recalls Abrams. “This was to be told from Finn and Rey’s point of view but in assembly it felt wrong to cut away from Han when he’s only just walked into the movie. We could have gone back and reshot the scene, reconstructing part of the Millennium Falcon set, scrapping our initial approach and rewriting Han’s entrance but instead Maryann looked at the material and found footage I hadn’t realised we’d shot. These were pieces shot before Harrison’s injury but which, in her skillful hands, showed Han and Chewie re-acquainting themselves with the long lost Falcon.”
“This is just one example of their skill at finding a way to tell a different version of the story to the one intended.”
If there is a thread binding Abrams’ diverse output it may be the strong emotional connection and interior character development which resonates with audiences even throughout high-octane and explosive action. It’s a sensibility which begins by working with actors but is honed in the edit.
“I don’t think there’s any secret or trick to it,” he says. “It’s about always trying to stay connected with your character. It could be a group conversation with eight people in a room but if you are not tuned into the character whose point of view you are following then the scene starts to float away and become observational as opposed to experiential.
“When it comes to action, because the big picture is often what you are focused on, it can distract you from keeping the most important plate spinning which, for me, is the emotional connection with a character.”
Abrams says he loves the editorial process. “Editing itself is something magical and I’m amazed every time by the power editors have to tell a story, often one you never expected.”
He says, “I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with people like Maryann and Mary Jo and Sam O’Steen (who cut Regarding Henry), Fred Toye, Stephen Semel and so many others. It has been, and continues to be, an education in storytelling. I am extremely honoured to be recognised by ACE.”
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